5 Best Games Like DREDGE

If you haven’t played DREDGE, you’re missing out, plain and simple. This is a game that dares to stand on its own two feet. It’s a fisherman’s expedition into post-apocalyptic waters. As you row your boat further into an open-world archipelago, monsters of all kinds step out of the shadows. Specifically, increasingly Lovecraftian monsters will send that shiver down your spine. 

There are more clever, neat little concepts DREDGE uses to stand out from the crowd. Take the panic meter, for example, which rises the longer you stay out into the night. If your panic meter reading hits the roof, you may start to see some nightmarish hallucinations crowding around your little boat. Enough said about DREDGE. Play it already, if you haven’t. If you have, though, you’re probably looking for more games with similar gameplay. Well, look no further than these best games like DREDGE.

5. Omori

Omori feels like the game I didn’t know I needed, thank you. It has a unique art style, the perfect kind to bring out its strange world filled with colorful friends and enemies. Players will take control of a hikikomori teenage boy named Sunny and his dream world alter-ego, Omori. 

You get to switch between the real world as Sunny and the fictional one as Omori, making dire decisions and taking paths that will determine your fate. The deeper you sink into the game, the more hidden secrets and a forgotten past begin to unravel. It’s not the easiest game to jump into, thanks to Omori’s unique black-and-white art style, and the recurrent themes of grief, loss, and guilt. 

That said, there are much more charming aspects to consider, like the very quirky and wacky tone of pretty much the entire game. So, even if the game is, first and foremost a psychological horror, it does slowly become addictive. There’s a charming way the pixel art and hand-drawn illustrations of battle scenes display. 

Also, Omori would start to wonder why his friends bother going on adventures with him and helping others along the way when he perceives himself as a horrible person. That alone inspires a sense of realism that can easily apply in real life.

Platform(s): Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PC, & macOS

4. Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds has scooped up plenty of awards. It’s a time loop adventure filled to the brim with brilliant open-world mystery. This is an indie game that isn’t an RPG. Instead, players cruise along on a fascinating space journey, exploring strange planets and unlocking the secrets and source of the endless time loop. 

Eventually, players uncover a deadly mystery reeking at the heart of the solar system. While you won’t take center stage in the narrative, it’s still a stellar experience untangling the mysteries across multiple worlds. By the time you reach the end, it feels rewarding to have uncovered answers to this world’s burning questions. Can the endless time loop even be stopped?

Once you finish Outer Wilds, feel free to hop on over to the Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye DLC, which equally extends the big and beautiful Outer Wilds universe adventures to player satisfaction. 

Platform(s): Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, & PC

3. The Touryst

Puzzle-solving and uncovering mysteries don’t always have to have a psychological horror attached to them. You can simply go hunting for hidden treasures with only secret passages standing in your way.

The Touryst is a great game like DREDGE that gives you more breathing room to focus on what matters most. It’s about embarking on an adventure filled with discovery and exploration. From exotic islands to ancient mountains to deep mines, The Touryst doesn’t spare any of nature’s wonders. 

Nearly every fun tourist activity you can think of is in The Touryst. You can set sail for the deep seas, swim in the underwater world, visit amusement arcades while shopping, or even dance at beach parties. Just enjoy your vacation, discovering and solving puzzles, without any unsettling disturbances.

Platform(s): PS5, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Series X/S

2. Remnant: From the Ashes

Back to tense, chilling vibes. Remnant: From the Ashes is a stellar third-person survival action shooter you should try. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic nation filled with monstrous creatures. You can either face them alone or with up to two players, exploring and trying to survive the atrocities within.

There aren’t many people left. It’s just you and your teammates, if you choose to bring them along. Your survival tactics will come in handy as you face hordes of enemies and tough bosses to beat. Despite the obvious outnumbering, through strong will, you’ll, in the end, rebuild forces and take back what was lost.  

Platform(s): Switch, PS4, Xbox One, & PC

1. SOMA

Sci-fi horrors often have an unmatched sense of dread as players struggle to survive a sci-fi world’s harsh new realities. At its core, SOMA is a psychological thriller that tells an unnerving story about identity and consciousness. 

Set within the deep ocean waves of the Atlantic, players embark on a mind-bending narrative that pushes them to question their very existence. It starts at a remote research facility, isolated from the rest of the world, and forced to face strange concepts of science. Machines start to behave like humans as aliens interrupt daily routines. The execution is so perfect, it pushes you to question the meaning of humanity. 

When the radio is cut off, resources like food become scarce, you’ll have to carefully navigate the nooks and crannies of the underwater facility to uncover the source of all the chaos. Oh, and if any bloodthirsty mechs spring up on you, you can’t really fight them back. So all that’s left is to salvage your wits and run like hell if you get caught.

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, macOS, & PC

So, what’s your take? Do you agree with our best games like DREDGE? Are there more games like DREDGE we should know about? Let us know down in the comments or over on our socials here.