The best games like Sable are Eastshade and Journey: calm worlds you cross at your own pace, with no fights. For a bigger open world with a story about growing up, play Tchia. For a vehicle of your own, try Mika and The Witch's Mountain (a broom) or A Short Sail (a sailboat). Below are 10 picks, grouped by what you loved most in Sable.
At a glance
| Game | Best for | Length | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastshade | Players who want a calm island to wander and people to help | About 9 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
| Journey | Players who want Sable's open desert in one short evening | About 2 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, PS4, PS3, iOS |
| Carto | Players who liked Sable's quiet puzzles and kind strangers | About 5.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, Xbox One |
| Tchia | Players who want a bigger open world and a warmer story | About 7.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X |
| Spirit of the North | Players who want silence, snow and a long journey | About 5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5 |
| Mika and The Witch's Mountain | Players who want a vehicle and a job on an open island | About 3 hours | PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox |
| Wavetale | Players who want speed and open water | About 4 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox |
| A Short Sail | Players who want a sailboat instead of a hoverbike | Not shared yet | PC (Windows), Mac, Web, Steam Deck |
| Firewatch | Players who liked Sable's lonely wilds and want more story | About 4 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch |
| A Short Hike | Anyone who wants open space and freedom in a small package | About 1.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, Xbox One |
What makes Sable special
Sable is a quiet open-world game with no combat. You leave your clan on your Gliding, a rite of passage, and ride a hoverbike across a wide desert. You climb ruins, meet nomads and pick a mask that says who you will be. The flat colors and thin lines recall the French comic artist Moebius. Nothing hurries you.
So a game like Sable needs some of these: open space to cross at your own pace, no fights, a vehicle that feels like a friend, and a story about growing up. Each pick below has at least one of them. More quiet worlds are in cozy exploration games and small open world games.
The best games like Sable
- Closest overall: Eastshade
- Same mood, one evening: Journey
- Best coming-of-age story: Tchia
- Best with a vehicle: Mika and The Witch’s Mountain
- Best puzzles: Carto
- Our own game: A Short Sail, a sailboat between islands
If you loved the quiet world with no fights
Eastshade
Who it is for: players who want a calm island to wander and people to help.
You arrive on the island of Eastshade as a traveling painter. You talk to its animal-like people, help them with small problems and paint the views they ask for. There is no combat. Like Sable, the joy is in walking somewhere new to see what is there.
It moves slowly, and it is more about looking than doing.
Developer: Eastshade Studios | Year: 2019 | Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One | Length: about 9 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Playable | Steam page
Journey
Who it is for: players who want Sable’s open desert in one short evening.
You walk, slide and float across a desert toward a glowing mountain. There are no words. Online, you may meet one other player, with no names and no chat, only a soft chime. The sand, the light and the music do the telling.
It is short, about 2 hours, and there is little to do beyond the walk.
Developer: thatgamecompany | Year: 2020 on PC (first on PS3) | Platforms: PC, PS4, PS3, iOS | Length: about 2 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Carto
Who it is for: players who liked Sable’s quiet puzzles and kind strangers.
You play Carto, a young girl who falls from her grandmother’s airship. You move and turn tiles of the map, and the world changes to match. Each new land has its own people and its own small puzzle. There is no combat.
The puzzles are gentle but can stall you, and it is short.
Developer: Sunhead Games | Year: 2020 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, Xbox One | Length: about 5.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
If you loved the coming-of-age journey
Tchia
Who it is for: players who want a bigger open world and a warmer story.
Tchia is a girl from a tropical island inspired by New Caledonia. She climbs, glides and sails a small boat across islands to save her father. She can also jump into any animal or object and play a ukulele that changes the time of day. The open world feels a lot like Sable’s, but full of sea and jungle.
The story has some fights against fabric soldiers, and the main quest can feel rushed.
Developer: Awaceb | Year: 2023 | Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X|S | Length: about 7.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Spirit of the North
Who it is for: players who want silence, snow and a long journey.
You play a red fox who follows a spirit through a land of ice, ruins and northern lights. There are no words, only the fox, the world and the music. Like Sable, it trusts you to find your own way.
The puzzles can be vague, and the fox can feel stiff to steer.
Developer: Infuse Studio | Year: 2020 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5 | Length: about 5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Firewatch
Who it is for: players who liked Sable’s lonely wilds and want more story.
You spend a summer as a fire lookout in a Wyoming forest. You hike trails, read the map and talk by radio with your boss, Delilah. The forest is beautiful, and the talks are funny and sad.
It is a story game more than an open world, and it turns tense near the end.
Developer: Campo Santo | Year: 2016 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | Length: about 4 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
If you loved riding your hoverbike
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain
Who it is for: players who want a vehicle and a job on an open island.
You are Mika, a young witch who must earn her place by delivering parcels. You fly a broom around a small island, and the parcels can break if you fly badly. It comes from the makers of Summer in Mara.
It is short, and the broom can feel twitchy at first.
Developer: Chibig, Nukefist | Year: 2025 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox | Length: about 3 hours | Steam: Very Positive | Steam page
Wavetale
Who it is for: players who want speed and open water.
You play Sigrid, who runs and surfs across the sea between the islands of a drowned town. Moving fast over the waves feels great. The town and its people are warm.
It has light combat against dark creatures, and it is short.
Developer: Thunderful Development | Year: 2022 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | Length: about 4 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Playable | Steam page
A Short Sail
Who it is for: players who want a sailboat instead of a hoverbike.
You are a little tabby cat with a sailboat, and the islands need your help. You pick up letters and parcels, pack them into your hold, and deliver them to folks. You fish by day and by night, chat with the islanders and make new friends, and build your home island, one plank at a time.
It is not as empty or as wordless as Sable: the islands are full of friends and errands. There are no timers, and there is no fighting on foot, only gentle sea battles against storms and living waves. It is still in development, and a free demo plays in your browser now.
Developer: Yos Riady | Platforms: PC (Windows), Mac, Web, Steam Deck | Length: not shared yet | Free demo at play.ashortsail.com | Play the demo
If you want Sable in one evening
A Short Hike
Who it is for: anyone who wants open space and freedom in a small package.
You are Claire, a little bird who climbs and glides up a mountain island to get phone signal. Every path leads somewhere, and the people you meet are funny. Like Sable, it lets you wander off at any time.
It is very short, and the pixel look is a big change from Sable’s clean lines.
Developer: adamgryu | Year: 2019 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, Xbox One | Length: about 1.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive | Steam page
How we checked
We took each game’s developer, platforms and Steam Deck status from its Steam page, and each length from HowLongToBeat. We picked games with no combat or very little, and we say when a game has some.
Related guides
- Best cozy exploration games: calm worlds to wander.
- Small open world games: open worlds you can finish.
- Games like A Short Hike: short, sweet climbs and glides.
- Best cozy adventure games: journeys with no stress.
- Cozy games with no combat on PC: no fights at all.
Questions
What is the closest game to Sable?
Eastshade is the closest game to Sable. You explore a calm island with no combat, meet its people and help them with small tasks. You paint instead of ride, but the slow, curious pace is the same. Journey is close in mood: a short, wordless walk across a desert.
Is there combat in Sable?
No. Sable has no combat at all. You climb, glide and ride your hoverbike across a desert, talk to people and solve small puzzles. Every game in our first group, including Eastshade, Journey and Carto, also has no fighting, so you can explore with no stress at all.
What game is like Sable with a vehicle?
Mika and The Witch's Mountain gives you a broom to fly across an island as a young witch who delivers parcels. A Short Sail gives you a sailboat to sail between islands as a tabby cat. Wavetale lets you surf across the sea on the waves.
What games have a coming-of-age story like Sable?
Tchia, Carto and Mika and The Witch's Mountain all follow a young girl who leaves home and finds her way. Tchia is the biggest of the three, with a whole tropical island to explore. Carto is a short puzzle adventure about a girl who rearranges map tiles.
Is there a short game like Sable?
Journey takes about 2 hours, according to HowLongToBeat, and A Short Hike takes about 1.5 hours. Both give the same feeling of open space and quiet discovery in one evening. Spirit of the North takes about 5 hours, and Carto about 5.5 hours.
Are there games like Sable on Steam Deck?
Yes. Journey, Tchia, Carto, Firewatch and Spirit of the North are Steam Deck Verified. Eastshade and Wavetale are Playable, which means they work but may need a small tweak. Sable itself is Verified too, so you can keep playing on the same handheld.
