Best Experimental Games on Steam

Steam currently has 1,442 Experimental 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. Experimental game rankings were last updated on 1/8/2025.

Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:

1. Inscryption

Inscryption is an inky black card-based odyssey that blends the deckbuilding roguelike, escape-room style puzzles, and psychological horror into a blood-laced smoothie. Darker still are the secrets inscrybed upon the cards...

Inscryption banner

Inscryption holds the #1 spot for "best Experimental game on Steam" with a Player Score of 96. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 126,429 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 122,523 positive reviews and 3,906 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Inscryption on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Steam Price $19.99
Release Date 10/19/2021
Franchise Daniel Mullins Games
Developer Daniel Mullins Games
Publisher Devolver Digital
Steam App Id 1092790

2. Wobbledogs

A 3D pet simulation where you raise your own personal hive of mutating dogs, physically simulated all the way down to their guts! Wobbledogs is a casual and chill sandbox for players of all ages who want to care for their very own virtual pets in a surprising, unique, and stress-free environment.

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Wobbledogs has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 11,317 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 11,115 positive reviews and 202 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Wobbledogs on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Steam Price $19.99
Release Date 3/15/2022
Franchise Secret Mode
Developer Animal Uprising
Publisher Secret Mode
Steam App Id 1424330

3. Tiny Glade

Tiny Glade is a small diorama builder where you doodle whimsical castles, cozy cottages & romantic ruins. Explore gridless building chemistry as the game adorns your glades with procedural detail. No management, combat or goals: just kick back and turn forgotten meadows into lovable dioramas.

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Tiny Glade has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 17,534 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 17,153 positive reviews and 381 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Tiny Glade on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Steam Price $14.99
Release Date 9/23/2024
Developer Pounce Light
Publisher Pounce Light
Steam App Id 2198150

4. Juice Galaxy

Juice Galaxy is a happy place to fly around and smack things and drink juice. And explore things. And just, flip around doing stuff.

Juice Galaxy banner

Juice Galaxy has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 7,340 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 7,228 positive reviews and 112 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Juice Galaxy on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Steam Price $4.99
Release Date 11/22/2023
Developer Fishlicka
Publisher J4D3D LLC
Steam App Id 1708150

5. Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to)

A game about writing nice letters to real people. Write and receive encouraging letters in a cozy room. Trade stickers and listen to chill music. We're all in this together. Sometimes all you need are a few kind words.

Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) banner

Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 8,895 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 8,737 positive reviews and 158 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Steam Price $4.99
Release Date 9/12/2019
Developer Popcannibal
Publisher Popcannibal
Steam App Id 1070710

6. Gorogoa

Gorogoa is an elegant evolution of the puzzle genre, told through a beautifully hand-drawn story designed and illustrated by Jason Roberts. Winner of Debut Game at the 2018 BAFTA Games Awards, as well as Best Mobile Game and the Innovation Award at the GDC 2018 Choice Awards.

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Gorogoa has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 17,187 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 16,775 positive reviews and 412 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $14.99
Release Date 12/14/2017
Developer Buried Signal
Publisher Annapurna Interactive
Steam App Id 557600

7. Magic Archery

Train a commoner to become the greatest archer in this short incremental game! Increase your stats, gather wealth from quests, buy upgrades, and infuse your arrows with magic.

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Magic Archery has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,349 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,300 positive reviews and 49 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.

Release Date 10/4/2024
Developers
Publishers
Steam App Id 2905170

8. Trombone Champ

Honk, blow, & toot your way through over 60 songs, collect all 50 unique Tromboner Cards, and uncover the mysteries of the Trombiverse. Do you have what it takes to become the true Trombone Champ?

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Trombone Champ has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9,563 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 9,363 positive reviews and 200 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $5.24 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Trombone Champ on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Steam Price $5.24
Release Date 9/16/2022
Franchise Trombone Champ
Developer Holy Wow Studios LLC
Publisher Holy Wow Studios LLC
Steam App Id 1059990

9. Nodebuster

Nodebuster is a short, experimental incremental game about busting nodes and destroying reality.

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Nodebuster has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9,340 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 9,146 positive reviews and 194 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $2.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Nodebuster on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Steam Price $2.99
Release Date 8/13/2024
Developer Goblobin
Publisher Goblobin
Steam App Id 3107330

10. Virtual Cottage

Virtual Cottage gives you a comfy place to rest and be productive without any distractions. Open the game, set yourself a goal and enjoy the atmosphere.

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Virtual Cottage has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Experimental games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9,980 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 9,765 positive reviews and 215 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. At the moment, it is possible to play Virtual Cottage on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Release Date 10/7/2020
Franchise DU&I
Developer DU&I
Publisher DU&I
Steam App Id 1369320

More Experimental Games

Explore even more rankings for the 100 best Experimental games available on Steam.

ImageName
Actions
Inscryption steam charts
1,336
10/19/2021
96
$19.99
Steam Charts
Wobbledogs steam charts
107
3/15/2022
95
$19.99
Steam Charts
Tiny Glade steam charts
744
9/23/2024
95
$14.99
Steam Charts
Juice Galaxy steam charts
26
11/22/2023
95
$4.99
Steam Charts
Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) steam charts
7
9/12/2019
95
$4.99
Steam Charts
Gorogoa steam charts
18
12/14/2017
95
$14.99
Steam Charts
Magic Archery steam charts
75
10/4/2024
95
Free
Steam Charts
Trombone Champ steam charts
25
9/16/2022
95
$5.24
Steam Charts
Nodebuster steam charts
112
8/13/2024
95
$2.99
Steam Charts
Virtual Cottage steam charts
434
10/7/2020
95
Free
Steam Charts
Buckshot Roulette steam charts
2,101
4/4/2024
95
$2.99
Steam Charts
Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk steam charts
14
8/26/2020
95
$0.74
Steam Charts
BABBDI steam charts
7
12/22/2022
94
Free
Steam Charts
South Scrimshaw, Part One steam charts
1
6/9/2023
94
Free
Steam Charts
(the) Gnorp Apologue steam charts
354
12/14/2023
93
$6.99
Steam Charts
Townscaper steam charts
46
8/26/2021
93
$5.99
Steam Charts
1000xRESIST steam charts
54
5/9/2024
93
$19.99
Steam Charts
Pony Island steam charts
30
1/4/2016
93
$4.99
Steam Charts
Coffee Talk steam charts
34
1/29/2020
92
$12.99
Steam Charts
Manifold Garden steam charts
27
10/20/2020
92
$4.99
Steam Charts
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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. (2025, January 8). Steam Store. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, January 8). Inscryption on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, January 8). Wobbledogs on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, January 13). Tiny Glade on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, January 3). Juice Galaxy on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, January 4). Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, January 2). Gorogoa on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 8). Magic Archery on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2024, December 31). Trombone Champ on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, January 12). Nodebuster on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, January 9). Virtual Cottage on Steam. Steam Store.

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