Best Games Like Unpacking

Unpacking resonated with players for its rare combination of meditative gameplay, tactile feedback, and wordless storytelling. Each move from one room to the next wasn’t just about organizing items but rediscovering memories. If you’ve been craving more games that offer the same mix of reflection, quiet joy, and low-stress puzzles, you’re in luck.

From cozy organizing sims to thoughtful narrative puzzlers, these games channel that same sense of calm. Some may look nothing like Unpacking, but they have some of the same core elements that elicit the same feelings while playing. Here are 15 games like Unpacking that will make you feel just as relaxed as Unpacking did in 2021.

• Developer: Max Inferno
• Release Date:November 8, 2022
• Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

A Little to the Left takes the satisfaction of cleaning and organizing and turns it into a playful puzzle box. Each level challenges you to arrange household objects into just the right order, whether it’s aligning pencils by size, stacking jars by color, or folding paper perfectly. A small catch though--a mischievous cat will often swipe in to mess up your hard work, keeping things delightfully unpredictable whenever you see that furry paw pop on screen.

The game shares Unpacking’s love for small, satisfying tasks. Instead of unpacking boxes, you’re tidying up clutter, and each finished puzzle offers the same tiny dopamine hit that comes from making sense of chaos. Its minimalist design, cozy soundtrack, and multiple puzzle solutions encourage creativity rather than strict precision.

Max Inferno’s creation captures the same meditative tone that made Unpacking so special--small moments of order that carry big emotional weight.

• Developer: ustwo games
• Release Date: September 19, 2019
• Platforms: PC, Mac, iOS (Apple Arcade)

Assemble With Care has you fixing more than just broken gadgets. You play as Maria, a traveling restorer who helps a town of strangers repair their most cherished possessions--cameras, cassette players, and family heirlooms. Each repair tells a small story, revealing how memories and emotions are often wrapped up in the objects we keep.

Where Unpacking unfolds a life through placement, Assemble With Care does it through restoration. Both games let you learn about a character’s history without a single line of dialogue telling you what to feel. The tactile puzzle-solving also scratches the same itch--you twist screws, slot in gears, and reassemble each piece until it clicks into place.

It’s a brief but powerful experience about empathy and craftsmanship, and one of the most emotionally resonant puzzle games you can find.

• Developer: Visai Games
• Release Date: July 31, 2023
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

Venba tells the story of an Indian immigrant family rebuilding their lives in Canada, expressed entirely through food. You’ll cook traditional Tamil dishes, following recipes handed down through generations, while uncovering the challenges of balancing heritage and assimilation.

Much like Unpacking, Venba uses simple mechanics to explore complex emotions. Every action--stirring a pot, kneading dough, tasting spices--feels deeply personal, tied to memory and belonging. You aren’t just completing tasks; you’re preserving culture and reconnecting with family.

It’s a touching and beautifully-illustrated story that captures the same kind of quiet, introspective tone. Instead of unpacking boxes, you’re unpacking identity.

• Developer: Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg
• Release Date: August 29, 2019
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One

If you loved the organizing aspect of Unpacking, Wilmot’s Warehouse takes that concept to its most literal extreme. You play as Wilmot, a cheerful little square tasked with sorting and delivering boxes in a warehouse. There are no labels, no instructions--just a sea of colorful icons and your own system to make sense of it all.

As the game progresses, your warehouse fills with hundreds of unique items, forcing you to adapt your layout and memory to keep up. The challenge is simple but satisfying: efficiency meets creativity. It’s a celebration of the human urge to impose order on chaos, and the satisfaction that comes when everything finally fits just right.

While Unpacking ties emotion to personal belongings, Wilmot’s Warehouse finds its beauty in pure organization. It’s a different kind of zen, one where structure and flow replace narrative.

• Developer: Toukana Interactive
• Release Date: April 28, 2022
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Dorfromantik transforms the idea of "building a world" into a soothing, tile-based art form. You place hexagonal tiles one by one to create sprawling landscapes of villages, forests, and rivers, watching your tranquil little world unfold with each move.

What connects Dorfromantik to Unpacking is its pace and purpose. There’s no rush, no competition--just you, your tiles, and the satisfaction of making something harmonious. Every placement brings calm, and every new tile opens up a chance for discovery.

It’s a perfect wind-down game that offers the same sense of calm progress that Unpacking nails so effortlessly. If you’re looking for a low-stakes puzzle that rewards patience and pattern-making, this is it.

• Developer: Oskar Stålberg
• Release Date: August 26, 2021
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android Xbox Series X|S

There are no goals, timers, or points in Townscaper--just an infinite sea and your imagination. Click anywhere to build a colorful house, connect them into streets, or let crooked towers rise over gentle waves. Every block you place snaps into charming shapes, creating a miniature city that feels alive.

Like Unpacking, it’s a meditation on creation and discovery. Each tap adds another story or possibility, and watching your seaside town come together has the same quiet satisfaction as placing the final item on a shelf. There’s a kind of storytelling that emerges naturally from your designs--you might start imagining who lives in that blue house or what goes on in that hilltop tower.

Townscaper is proof that structure and serenity can come from the simplest mechanics. It’s the perfect space to unwind and let your creativity drift.

• Developer: DU&I
• Release Date: October 12, 2020
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch

Cats Organized Neatly asks a simple but delightful question: how many oddly shaped cats can you fit into one box? Each puzzle presents a cozy grid and a handful of cats in different poses --stretching, curling, or loafing-- that you’ll rotate and arrange until everything fits perfectly.

Like Unpacking, it captures that unique satisfaction of placement--the joy of finding the right spot for each piece. Every solved level delivers a little burst of calm, accompanied by gentle music and a cast of cats so cute you’ll wish they were real.

It’s a game about tidiness, spatial reasoning, and feline comfort. If Unpacking’s organizing appealed to your inner perfectionist, Cats Organized Neatly will have you smiling with every snug fit.

• Developer: FuturLab
• Release Date: July 14, 2022
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch

Few things are more satisfying than seeing dirt disappear under a steady stream of water, and PowerWash Simulator, and its recent sequel, bottles that feeling perfectly. You’ll clean everything from garden furniture and vans to entire amusement parks, transforming grime-covered surfaces into spotless works of art.

It’s a very different setting than Unpacking, but the core feeling is the same: slow, methodical progress that rewards patience. The rhythmic hiss of the power washer, the subtle shine of freshly cleaned metal--it’s a surprisingly meditative loop that invites you to zone out and unwind.

PowerWash Simulator turns an everyday chore into something peaceful and purposeful. Like Unpacking, it’s not about winning or losing; it’s about the quiet joy of completion.

• Developer: Empyrean
• Release Date: May 17, 2018
• Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch

House Flipper and its 2023 sequel expand Unpacking’s decorating DNA into full-blown renovation. You’ll buy rundown properties, clean every room, fix walls, paint surfaces, and fill each space with furniture and décor. It’s part simulation, part creative outlet, and every makeover feels like your own personal HGTV episode.

Much like Unpacking, there’s something deeply personal about transforming a space. You start with clutter and decay, but through patience and creativity, you bring warmth and personality to each home. There’s no wrong way to design, just endless ways to express your vision.

House Flipper captures that sense of tangible progress--of shaping chaos into comfort. It’s bigger and busier than Unpacking, but the spirit of restoration remains at its heart.

• Developer: Hyper Three Studio
• Release Date: May 26, 2023
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch

The Shape of Things turns the idea of organizing into something delightfully abstract. Each puzzle asks you to rotate and slide pieces of everyday objects until they click together into a recognizable form. It’s part 3D jigsaw and part meditative sculpting session.

Like Unpacking, it’s a celebration of the small and tactile. There’s no timer or pressure--just a soft soundtrack and the gentle rhythm of discovery as you fit each piece into place. The game’s slow pace encourages you to focus on the process rather than the outcome, rewarding patience and observation.

Every completed object feels like a little victory, a reminder that even in the simplest tasks, there’s beauty in attention and care. It’s the same feeling Unpacking delivers with every perfectly placed item.

• Developer: Spellgarden Games
• Release Date: July 17, 2023
• Platforms: PC

Sticky Business blends creativity and storytelling into one cozy little business sim. You design and print your own stickers, package orders for customers, and manage your growing online shop. Between crafting designs and fulfilling requests, you’ll learn about your customers’ lives through heartfelt messages that come with each order.

Much like Unpacking, it’s a game about the emotional connections behind ordinary objects. The stickers you create become small pieces of someone else’s story, and your workspace fills with life and meaning over time. It’s calm, personal, and delightfully expressive.

Sticky Business captures that same peaceful momentum of organizing and creating something by hand. It’s not about efficiency--it’s about putting a little piece of yourself into every package.

• Developer: Okidokico
• Release Date: October 14, 2021
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch

A Little Golf Journey reimagines golf as a tranquil exploration rather than a competitive sport. You’ll guide your ball through serene, diorama-like courses, uncovering hidden paths and secret collectibles as you play. There’s no rush--just peaceful landscapes and satisfying physics.

What ties it to Unpacking is the atmosphere. Each shot feels deliberate, each small success is fulfilling. The minimalist visuals and gentle soundtrack create a rhythm that lets your thoughts wander, offering the same kind of mindful escape.

It’s a game that encourages you to slow down and savor the moment. Whether you’re knocking a ball across a wooden bridge or over a sleepy forest, it channels the same calm curiosity that makes Unpacking so endearing.

• Developer: Bitten Toast Games
• Release Date: December 18, 2018
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch

Garden Paws lets you run a cozy shop in a colorful world filled with adorable animal villagers. You’ll farm crops, decorate your home, manage your store, and explore the surrounding countryside at your own pace. It’s as gentle as it sounds--a sandbox for anyone who loves wholesome progression and creative freedom.

Like Unpacking, it’s built on the joy of tending and curating. Every new shelf arrangement or garden plot feels personal, reflecting the care you put into it. The game doesn’t rush you or weigh you down with complex systems--it’s all about relaxation through routine.

Garden Paws is the kind of game that feels like coming home after a long day. It shares Unpacking’s sense of quiet purpose, where the smallest actions carry meaning.

• Developer: Tomorrow Corporation
• Release Date: November 19, 2012
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS

Little Inferno is deceptively simple: you burn toys in a fireplace. But as you stack and ignite strange objects, an unsettling and emotional story unfolds behind the flames. It’s about warmth and destruction, nostalgia and letting go.

At first, it feels playful and chaotic, but the more you play, the clearer its message becomes. Every toy you burn reveals fragments of a larger narrative about childhood, consumerism, and change. It’s not about progress in the traditional sense--it’s about introspection.

Despite the darker edge, Little Inferno’s core is the same as Unpacking’s: finding meaning in everyday objects and understanding how they shape who we are. It’s cozy yet haunting.

• Developer: Free Lives, Clockwork Acorn
• Release Date: March 28, 2023
• Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch

Terra Nil flips the usual city-builder concept on its head. Instead of constructing sprawling urban centers, you’re tasked with healing a barren wasteland. You’ll place wind turbines, irrigation systems, and tree planters to transform dead ground into vibrant ecosystems filled with life.

The connection to Unpacking lies in its intent and rhythm. Both games celebrate care--the gentle act of restoring balance rather than conquering or competing. Watching green grass spread across cracked earth feels every bit as satisfying as unwrapping a cherished memento from a moving box.

It’s a thoughtful, hopeful game that turns environmental restoration into art. When you finally pack up your machines and leave behind a thriving wilderness, you’ll feel the same quiet fulfillment that Unpacking delivers.