Heavy Rain is arguably the game with which Quantic Dream perfected its formula. A noir-tinged investigation game that puts players in the shoes of several characters, the game requires careful investigation and great timing in order to allow players to see several parts of a mystery unfold.
If you’ve already beaten the game and are looking for more, you may want to look at one of the similar games below.
Here are ten alternatives to “Heavy Rain” that we believe you will love.
1) L.A. Noire
Initially released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, L.A. Noire promised to be an entirely new type of crime game.
Though steeped in the same kind of noir-ish world as Heavy rain, this game went back to the roots of the genre and took place in the Los Angeles of post-War era.
A game that was more about detective work than anything else, the game also featured the same kind of open world mechanics that were present in games like Grand Theft Auto IV.
L.A. Noire’s big selling point was its interrogations, which were meant to feature suspects that had realistic facial and body animations that would-be detectives were supposed to be able to read.
Somewhat more successfully done on the updates that were available on PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Switch, the game did manage to create some of the same kind of feelings that Heavy Rain evoked during some of its more memorable sections.
2) Detroit: Become Human
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Detroit: Become Human would be somewhat similar to Heavy Rain.
This Playstation 4 game was made by the same studio and had the same lead developer, so it was probably a given that it would have a very similar set-up to the previous game.
What makes it really similar to Heavy Rain, though, is that it also features multiple protagonists that sometimes work at odds with one another.
“Detroit: Become Human” is a story about a society that’s learned to create incredibly life-like androids that are starting to display signs of sentience.
Players take control of three different androids throughout the game, getting close looks at not only what life is like for these artificial humans but what the growing movement for android freedom might look like from the perspective of different classes of artificial humans.
The game’s overall tone isn’t as bleak as Heavy Rain, but it does play and feel very similar.
3) Life Is Strange
With a remaster soon to find its way to next-gen systems, it’s a good time to look back at Life is Strange.
A narrative game that’s similar to Heavy Rain in that most of the action is confined to single button presses and the bulk of the game is dedicated to investigation and conversation, this game puts players in the shoes of a high school student with a secret power that she must use to try to navigate through a tricky situation.
First released on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, Life is Strange has become something of a phenomenon due to its excellent plot and unique characters.
Though the game is, much like Heavy Rain, slow in terms of action, it is nevertheless a gripping story.
The game was originally released episodically, so the pacing is a bit off if you play the game all at once but even then it is sure to scratch the itch for those players who are looking for another narrative-heavy game.
4) Beyond: Two Souls
Another game from Quantic Dream, this PS3 game that is now available on PC and on the PS4 is definitely cut from same cloth as Heavy Rain.
Not only does it feature almost exactly the same control scheme, but it also features the same kind of action commands that define most of the set-piece of Heavy Rain.
The real place where this game differs, though, is in the fact that it only gives players the perspective of a single character.
A game that’s more about life and death than Heavy Rain’s crime drama, Beyond puts players in control of a single character as she navigates some of the most important events of her life.
What sets her apart is her connection to a spectral being who can sometimes help her solve her dilemmas, but who is often the cause of many of her problems at the same time.
5) The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead from Telltale Games is one of the games that really brought the Adventure genre back to life, combining compelling characters with tough choices and a gripping narrative.
Similar to Heavy Rain in its emphasis on investigation and player choice, this game told an all-new story in the world of the hit comic book and allowed players their own chance to see how well they could survive with their humanity intact during a zombie apocalypse.
Though it’s an adventure game at heart, The Walking Dead definitely skewed a bit more modern than its predecessors.
The combat in the game might be based on action commands, for example, but players would still have to aim in order to hit their targets.
There is also an element of choice at the heart of the game that would carry from episode to episode, which would further allow players to determine how their worlds would grow.
6) Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy)
Fahrenheit, or Indigo Prophecy depending on where you purchased the game, was a 2005 game developed by Quantic Dream and released on the PC, Playstation 2, and Xbox.
The basic scaffolding that makes up Heavy Rain was really developed here, as the game features not only the same kind of action command action but also the same system of switching between multiple characters to get different views of the story.
In fact, Heavy Rain can really be seen as the true successor to this game.
A game that centers on millennial doomsday prophecies and the supernatural, Fahrenheit has one of the most memorable openings of any video games.
Players take control of a man who comes to his senses in the middle of a murder scene and must do what he can to clean up before he’s implicated in the murder.
From there, the game goes on to split its time between that man and two different police officers as they deal with a conspiracy unravelling around all three of them.
7) Until Dawn
Until Dawn was a Playstation 4 exclusive that really picked up the baton from games like Heavy Rain in order to better interrogate what narrative games could be.
Similar to the latter game in that it involves a great deal of investigation and action commands, this game skews more towards actual horror as players take control of a host of different characters who find themselves dealing with a murder and possibly supernatural circumstances as they are stuck in a remote cabin.
Until Dawn plays a bit more smoothly than Heavy Rain but the two games do feel like they come from the same kind of general design scheme.
What really makes this game feel like Heavy Rain, though, is the fact that the actions of each individual character in this game can have impacts on the scenarios you play a bit later.
Much like Heavy Rain, you’re playing through individual parts of a story with little idea of how your actions in one will impact the whole.
8) The Wolf Among Us
Another game from Telltale, The Wolf Among us is an investigation game that takes place in the world of Bill Willingham’s Fables.
Released during the Playstation 3/Xbox 360 generation, this game has since found its way not only onto the successors of those consoles but also the PC and various mobile devices.
Like Heavy Rain, this is a game of investigation that requires players to step into the role of a detective who might not be all that he seems.
The Wolf Among Us is cut from the same cloth as The Walking Dead, using that game’s control scheme and engine while focusing more on investigation like Heavy Rain.
The story is surprisingly dark for a game that’s so obviously cartoony, but it’s a satisfying follow-up for people who are looking for something more like Quantic Dream’s games.
9) The Last of Us
This hit PS3 game (which has since been remastered for the PS4) might not seem like the most obvious successor to Heavy Rain.
This game is far more action-packed and is a true action game rather than an adventure game, yet it does tonally feel a lot like the other game.
Like Heavy Rain, this game is largely based around a child. Unlike Heavy Rain, though, players are given the chance to be much more proactive in helping that child.
Players take on the role of Joel in this game, who must help a teen girl named Ellie navigate a unique zombie apocalypse.
Like parts Heavy Rain, this game is largely about a parent-child relationship and how far one will go to protect a child. Though the presentation is different, the games feel similar at their cores.
10) Murdered: Soul Suspect
Murdered: Soul Suspect is a game that feels like it really wants to be Heavy Rain but comes up a bit short.
Players take control of a detective who is killed and must come back as a ghost to investigate a crime, a unique premise that isn’t quite held up by its gameplay.
Nonetheless, the game does have similarities to Heavy Rain in its focus on investigation.
First released on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, this game is a bit of a mess.
With that said, those who can deal with the odd controls will find a game that does have a great plot.
Much like Heavy Rain, the real joy in this game comes from watching the plot unfold.
