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If you want a puzzle game, play Void Stranger first. It is explicitly a Sokoban-style puzzle game built around careful movement and traps. End of Abyss is a different kind of experience: a sci-fi action-adventure focused on exploring a dangerous facility, fighting creatures, and improving your gear. The two share some mystery and atmosphere, but they are not close substitutes for puzzle solving.
At a glance: puzzle solving or action-adventure?
| What you want | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Deliberate, tile-based puzzles | Void Stranger | Its Steam listing describes it as a 2D Sokoban-style puzzle game where each move matters. |
| Sci-fi exploration, combat, and upgrades | End of Abyss | The Epic Games Store listing centers on exploring an underground facility, confronting creatures, upgrading gear, and opening new routes. |
| An atmospheric, unsettling mood | Either, for different reasons | End of Abyss leans into sci-fi action-horror and environmental exploration; Void Stranger pairs its puzzles with mystery and horror elements. See the developer’s Xbox Wire description and Steam’s description. |
| Less emphasis on combat | Void Stranger is the safer choice | Its official description foregrounds puzzles, while combat is a core feature of End of Abyss. That is a genre-based recommendation, not a claim that Void Stranger has no danger or tension. |
What playing Void Stranger is like
Developed and published by System Erasure, Void Stranger was released on September 1, 2023. Steam describes it as a 2D Sokoban-style game: you move through a labyrinth, plan around traps, and solve puzzles where a step can have consequences. A story and mysteries emerge as you progress, so it offers more than isolated puzzle rooms.
Steam says the game autosaves between rooms. That detail may make it easier to approach in short sessions, though it does not mean every puzzle is easy or that a mistake within a room carries no cost. For the official description and current store information, see Void Stranger on Steam.
What playing End of Abyss is like
End of Abyss follows Cel, a young combat technician exploring a large underground facility. Its core loop combines navigation and discovery with fighting hostile creatures, upgrading equipment, and using a scanner and unlocked tools to reach branching paths. The official genre is action/adventure, not Sokoban-style puzzle game.
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#1 Best Overall
- A chilling journey into the dark mind: Explore the Hanwell Mental Institute and uncover its dark past.
- Experience a mind-bending original storyline as recurring hallucinations blur the line between memory and reality.
- Investigate a detailed, decrepit asylum through point-and-click adventure gameplay.
- Solve evocative challenges that reward wit and observation.
- Enter an engrossing atmosphere with a memorable soundtrack inspired by 1980s horror films and John Carpenter.
Section 9 Interactive co-founder Marcus Ottvall described how the project’s focus developed: “What started as an action-based top-down shooter, developed into a slower, more dynamic and atmospheric experience as we became more interested in exploration and creating a stronger sense of tension.” The comment helps explain the game’s slower, exploratory direction; it does not mean combat has disappeared. Read the full statement in the Xbox Wire article.
How the mood and pacing compare
Both games can appeal to players who like mystery and an ominous atmosphere, but they deliver that mood through different activities. In Void Stranger, tension sits alongside deliberate puzzle solving and the gradual discovery of a story. In End of Abyss, atmosphere comes through exploring a sci-fi facility, facing its creatures, and finding ways into new areas.
Rank #2
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
A GamingBolt review of the PS5 version, published October 3, 2026, praised End of Abyss’s art direction and atmosphere while criticizing its pacing, combat design, difficulty spikes, and backtracking. That is one outlet’s assessment, not a universal verdict. Read the full GamingBolt review if those factors matter to your choice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where you can play them
The official listings identify Void Stranger on Steam and End of Abyss on Windows through the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Availability can vary by region, so check the relevant store before deciding based on a platform you already own.
Rank #3
- EXPERIENCE THE STRANGER THINGS UNIVERSE: Play as the kids of Hawkins, Indiana, in a cooperative adventure to stop the Upside Down and Hawkins National Laboratory’s sinister operatives.
- TWO SEASONS OF PLAY: The double-sided game board lets players relive the events of Stranger Things Seasons 1 and 2 for endless excitement.
- HIGHLY DETAILED MINIATURES: Includes 11 miniatures of fan-favorite characters and creatures, including the Demogorgon and Demodogs, adding immersive visuals to gameplay.
- COOPERATIVE STRATEGY GAME: Work together to clear token stacks and save Hawkins before time runs out, creating a thrilling and collaborative experience for all players.
- PERFECT FOR FANS & FAMILIES: Designed for 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, with a 60-minute average playtime, this game is a must-have for Stranger Things enthusiasts and board game lovers.
- Void Stranger: Steam.
- End of Abyss: Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox Series X|S, as listed in Xbox Wire’s launch article.
The official sources list October 1, 2026, as the launch date for End of Abyss. Its Epic listing also gives Windows system requirements and says an Epic ID is required; check that listing for current details before purchasing or installing.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Explore a mysterious planet to find your way home
Rank #4
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- From Your Bedroom to the World's Biggest Stages: Start at the bottom, work your way up with your passion and talent, and become the icon you've always dreamt of being!
Which should you play first?
- Choose Void Stranger if solving carefully designed, tile-based puzzles is the main reason you are looking for a game.
- Choose End of Abyss if you would rather explore a ruined sci-fi setting, fight threats, upgrade equipment, and open new routes.
- If you want atmosphere more than a specific genre, choose based on the activity you want moment to moment: puzzle planning in Void Stranger or action and exploration in End of Abyss.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
