Best Narrative Games on Steam
Steam currently has 829 Narrative games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Narrative game rankings were last updated on 1/29/2026.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
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1. Before Your Eyes
Embark on an emotional first-person narrative adventure where you control the story—and affect its outcomes—with your real-life blinks. With this innovative technique you will fully immerse yourself in a world of memories, both joyous and heartbreaking, as your whole life flashes before your eyes.
Before Your Eyes holds the #1 spot for "best Narrative game on Steam" with a Player Score of 96. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 21,645 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 21,215 positive reviews and 430 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Before Your Eyes on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 4/8/2021 |
| Franchise | Skybound Games |
| Developer | GoodbyeWorld Games |
| Publisher | Skybound Games |
| Steam App Id | 1082430 |
2. INSIDE
Hunted and alone, a boy finds himself drawn into the center of a dark project. INSIDE is a dark, narrative-driven platformer combining intense action with challenging puzzles. It has been critically acclaimed for its moody art style, ambient soundtrack and unsettling atmosphere.
INSIDE has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 72,863 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 70,667 positive reviews and 2,196 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
3. Sally Face - Episode One
Delve into a dark adventure following the boy with a prosthetic face and a tragic past. Unravel the sinister mysteries of Sally's world to find the truth that lies hidden beneath the shadows.
Sally Face - Episode One has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 25,785 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 25,089 positive reviews and 696 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $2.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $2.99 |
| Release Date | 12/14/2016 |
| Developer | Portable Moose |
| Publisher | Portable Moose |
| Steam App Id | 541570 |
4. The Case of the Golden Idol
A new kind of detective game that allows you to think and investigate freely. Discover clues surrounding 12 strange and gruesome deaths and build your own theory. Pick your suspect, deduce the motive, unmask the awful truth.
The Case of the Golden Idol has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9,944 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 9,737 positive reviews and 207 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $17.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $17.99 |
| Release Date | 10/13/2022 |
| Franchise | Playstack |
| Developer | Color Gray Games |
| Publisher | Playstack |
| Steam App Id | 1677770 |
5. I Am Your Beast
Hunt the military-industrial complex across stylish comic book micro-sandboxes in this fast-paced covert revenge thriller FPS from the developers of El Paso, Elsewhere.
I Am Your Beast has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,938 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,845 positive reviews and 93 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $19.99 |
| Release Date | 9/10/2024 |
| Franchise | Strange Scaffold |
| Developer | Strange Scaffold |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 1876590 |
6. Scarlet Hollow
Your aunt’s dead, your cousin hates you, and you’re stuck in the dead-end town of Scarlet Hollow. Choose your path through a branching narrative so dense that you'll see less than 1/5 of the game on a single playthrough. You won't be able to save everyone. Good luck, and welcome home.
Scarlet Hollow has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,172 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,098 positive reviews and 74 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $18.74 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $18.74 |
| Release Date | 6/11/2021 |
| Franchise | Black Tabby Games |
| Developer | Black Tabby Games |
| Publisher | Black Tabby Games |
| Steam App Id | 1609230 |
7. Just A To the Moon Series Beach Episode
The Beach Episode™ of To the Moon, Finding Paradise, and Impostor Factory. But something's off.
Just A To the Moon Series Beach Episode has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 3,667 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 3,605 positive reviews and 62 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $7.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Just A To the Moon Series Beach Episode on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $7.99 |
| Release Date | 9/20/2024 |
| Franchise | Freebird Games |
| Developer | Freebird Games |
| Publisher | Freebird Games |
| Steam App Id | 2159210 |
8. Katawa Shoujo
Katawa Shoujo is a romantic visual novel set in the fictional Japanese Yamaku High School for disabled children. Hisao's congenital heart defect forces him to move to a new school. Despite his difficulties, Hisao is able to find friends—and perhaps love, if he plays his cards right.
Katawa Shoujo has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 5,054 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,940 positive reviews and 114 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Release Date | 8/15/2024 |
| Developer | Four Leaf Studios |
| Publisher | Four Leaf Studios |
| Steam App Id | 3068300 |
9. Mouthwashing
The five crew members of the Tulpar are stranded in the empty reaches of space, shrouded in perpetual sunset. God is not watching.
Mouthwashing has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 35,711 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 34,096 positive reviews and 1,615 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $12.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $12.99 |
| Release Date | 9/26/2024 |
| Franchise | CRITICAL REFLEX |
| Developer | Wrong Organ |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 2475490 |
10. Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines
"Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines" - In this short story from the Endless Monday, Penny, a mild-mannered corporate grunt, spends a weekend at the office in an effort to finish her project on time while overcoming distractions from coworkers, space aliens, imaginary friends, and herself.
Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,862 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,835 positive reviews and 27 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 5/4/2023 |
| Franchise | Endless Monday |
| Developer | hcnone |
| Publisher | hcnone |
| Steam App Id | 2262610 |
More Narrative Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best Narrative games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 4/8/2021 | 96 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 129 | 7/7/2016 | 95 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 89 | 12/14/2016 | 95 | $2.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 45 | 10/13/2022 | 95 | $17.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 9 | 9/10/2024 | 94 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 321 | 6/11/2021 | 94 | $18.74 | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 9/20/2024 | 94 | $7.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 71 | 8/15/2024 | 94 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 21 | 9/26/2024 | 94 | $12.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 5/4/2023 | 94 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 3,511 | 3/31/2025 | 93 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 12 | 9/30/2021 | 93 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 11 | 3/21/2025 | 93 | $5.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 35 | 2/21/2017 | 92 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 12 | 4/10/2025 | 92 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 60 | 6/11/2020 | 92 | $3.74 | Steam Charts | |
 | 38 | 11/15/2022 | 92 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 5 | 9/21/2021 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 48 | 1/6/2011 | 92 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 28 | 5/9/2024 | 92 | $19.99 | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, January 29). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, January 29). Before Your Eyes on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, January 31). INSIDE on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 22). Sally Face - Episode One on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 5). The Case of the Golden Idol on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 4). I Am Your Beast on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 25). Scarlet Hollow on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 24). Just A To the Moon Series Beach Episode on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 24). Katawa Shoujo on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 20). Mouthwashing on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, January 30). Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines on Steam. Steam Store.