It's a gloomy, gray afternoon where I am, so I thought why not lighten it up with a good ole' discussion and poll? Today's question is...

⭐ What is your favorite walking simulator game of all time? ⭐

Walking simulators are a relatively new genre, but one that has been gathering a lot of critical acclaim and media attention recently. They come in all shapes and sizes - from the ironic meta-commentary of The Stanley Parable to the mystery-solving confusion of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture or Gone Home, there is something for all tastes and preferences.

For the purposes of this poll I tried to narrow down the list as much as possible, and I will include an extra 'Other' option, so everyone can share their favorite game in the comments. Some titles do feature elements from different genres, but I tried to pick those that most fit the description, based on media coverage, as well as gameplay features.

Please remember that this is a relatively young genre, and as such, some confusion is bound to happen when deciding what fits and what doesn't. Two titles have been problematic so far - The Long Dark (arguably a survival game first), and Kentucky Route Zero, which is more of an adventure than anything else. My apologies for perhaps including those too prematurely, since they don't really fit the genre definition that well. In hindsight, The Beginner's Guide and TimeFRAME would have been better for those two spots, but oh well.

⚠️Side-note ⚠️

In order to keep the nice logos in the poll, I had to include Bad Rats: the Rats' Revenge as an option to vote for 'Other' games. If you end up choosing it, please drop a comment and let us know what your favorite title is!

Personally, my favorite would have to be The Stanley Parable, on game structure and narrative development alone, never mind the voice over and overall sense of humor. From the others I have played, Gone Home, Virginia, Journey and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture are the standout titles, though I've also enjoyed Lifeless Planet, TimeFRAME, and Kholat. Hard to describe moments without spoiling, but the closet in Stanley and the ending in Gone Home are two that immediately come to mind. TimeFRAME had some nice narrative and world-building ideas, even though it's almost a student project in terms of length and complexity.

I have a few games in my backlog that I am yet to find time for - Kentucky Route Zero, Submerged, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, ABZU, Layers of Fear, all good and highly rated ones unfortunately!

So, what is your favorite moment, which game left you speechless, what title was underwhelming, what possible sequel are you most looking forward to?

Here is a short list of titles that didn't make it to the top 19, feel free to suggest anything else and expand our knowledge of the genre :) Some are not specifically walking simulators, but do contain certain elements that bring the close enough, IMO.

• 35MM
• Bottle
• Californium
• CAT Interstellar
• Cradle
• Drizzlepath
• Eidolon
• Event[0]
• Flower
• Fragments of Him
• Home Is Where One Starts
• Journey
• Kairo
• Kholat
• Kona
• Miasmata
• Nephise
• Observer
• Shelter
• SOMA
• The Beginner's Guide
• The Fidelio Incident
• The First Tree
• The Old City: Leviathan
• The Park
• Three Fourths Home
• TimeFRAME
• Year Walk

⭐⭐⭐ GIVEAWAYS ⭐⭐⭐

As a bonus, I will add a pair of giveaways to the thread a bit later, once a discussion gets going and enough votes are in. One will be a higher-level GA of an unbundled walking simulator, the other will be a lower level consolation prize.

Of course, if anyone wants to donate a game for a giveaway - ideally a walking simulator - please do so, it will be greatly appreciated! 😉

EDIT - first invite-only giveaway is here 😎
EDIT 2 - stlpaul has generously donated a copy of The Stanley Parable as a bonus GA! 💖
EDIT 3 - my non-bundled GA is now live as well - Virginia!

Soul Gambler: Dark Arts Edition
(LVL 3+, ends at 18:00 CET on 24/11)

Virginia
(LVL 5+, ends at 18:00 CET on 25/11)

The Stanley Parable
(LVL 1+, ends at 18:00 CET on 27/11)