5 Games any Stranger Things Fan will Love

You just finished watching the fourth season of Stranger Things, and you thoroughly enjoyed it. But there’s a problem: what to do now? You feel like that was not enough, and you’re left wanting more of Netflix‘s 80s-inspired hit show that stole your heart.

Stranger Things 5 is definitely going to happen, considering how successful the franchise is being, but we’ll have to wait at least a year for it to drop.

A solution to your dilemma would be doing a re-watch marathon of the entire series. But another more immersive and enriching experience would be playing a video game that resembles the themes, the atmosphere and the genre of Stranger Things.

That’s why, in this article, we’ll take a look at 5 video games similar to Stranger Things!

Here are 5 games that are pretty similar to Stranger Things

The games included in the list below give off Stranger Things vibes, since they share the supernatural, creepy, and even horror elements that characterize the Duffer brothers’ drama series. While playing, you’ll feel like you’ve entered the Upside Down yourself!

So, let’s find out about these interactive experiences, shall we?

1) Stranger Things: The Game

I’m kind of cheating with this one, but it goes without saying that the official game based on the franchise, Stranger Things: The Game, is a title you should definitely play if you want a Stranger Things-inspired game.

Stranger Things: The Game is a fun action-adventure JRPG-style mobile game available for iOS and Android.

Its retro 2D 16-bit presentation will fill you with nostalgia, because it perfectly captures the look and feel of 80s gaming. If you’ve ever played an SNES title such as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, you’ll find many similarities between the two games.

The game takes place after season one and before season two of the show. Will Byers and his friends mysteriously go missing: where are they, and how can you save them? Jump into this thrilling adventure to find out!

2) Stranger Things 3: The Game

Stranger Things 3: The Game (here I am cheating again) is the second official video game based on the Netflix franchise. We can say that this title was a bigger deal compared to the first entry: it was in fact released on Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Mac, and PC, apart from iOS and Android.

Another update is that here we have more detailed character sprites, and that this iteration is double the length of Stranger Things: The Game. Also, local co-op mode is now supported.

This time, the game features the same storyline of the third season of Stranger Things (the first game had an original story instead). So, having watched Stranger Things 3 before playing will give you an advantage.

With that said, the style and gameplay of Stranger Things 3: The Game is akin to the first title.

3) Earthbound

Brilliant storyline and characters, an engaging gameplay, an incredible soundtrack and the mature portrayal of pretty dark themes make the SNES JRPG Earthbound a cult-classic today. This gem of the 90s is also similar to Stranger Things story-wise.

The narration is centered around a group of young friends that find themselves in mysterious and paranormal circumstances. Their only chance of returning to their normal peaceful way of life is to use their powers (mainly psychic) to defeat Giygas, an evil alien force that’s planning to wipe out humanity from the planet.

4) Oxenfree

The “group of young friends going through supernatural events while unveiling a mystery” trope can also be found in Oxenfree by indie developer Night School Studio. The plot point of an alternate reality also evokes Stranger Things‘ Upside Down.

The game is a graphic adventure in 2.5D perspective that follows the protagonist Alex and her friends during their stay on a small island that used to be a military base. The friends’ curiosity and a portable radio will lead them to unwittingly open a ghostly rift.

Oxenfree‘s strength is in its innovative gameplay, which only serves as a catalyst for the narration. The story develops in accord to the speech bubble-based interactions you’ll have with the other characters. While being a graphic adventure, the title doesn’t give players the option to use any item throughout their playthrough. This means that puzzles are not present.

This choice on the devs’ part casts a spotlight on the story, a story that is compelling, well-written and that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

5) Alan Wake

Alan Wake has been often dubbed as a Stephen Kingesque piece of interactive media. And this is something that it has in common with Stranger Things, a show that takes some inspiration from the renowned horror fiction author’s work.

This survival action-adventure game has a few elements resembling Stranger Things, such as a creepy setting, supernatural happenings, disappearances and enemies possessing things.

Meanwhile, what makes players draw parallels between King’s novels and Alan Wake is the archetype of the fiction author (Alan) who’s afflicted by writer’s block, and a ghost infested city.