There's More To "Walking Sims"

When Is a Walking Sim Not a Walking Sim? | Walking Simulator Games With No Walking

Welcome to a deep dive into the strange and fascinating world of walking simulators that barely involve any walking at all. In this video, we explore the genre's quirks, contradictions, and unexpected evolutions by looking at several standout games that are labeled as walking sims... but subvert the label entirely.

Games Featured:

Flower – A beautiful petal-floating experience from the creators of Journey

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture – A post-apocalyptic mystery where you’re technically not walking because you're technically not alive

ABZÛ – A stunning underwater adventure filled with sea life, emotion, and zero land-based movement

Jusant – A climbing-based puzzle-platformer that redefines what exploration looks like

These games all fall under the "walking simulator" category, yet ironically feature almost no actual walking. So what really defines a walking sim? Is it the pace, the storytelling, the emotional tone, or just the lack of traditional action gameplay?

In this video, we’ll cover:

The history and evolution of the walking sim genre

Why the term “walking simulator” may be outdated or misleading

How these games push boundaries through storytelling, exploration, and atmosphere

Whether it’s time to rethink how we categorize games

If you have any great examples of non-walking walking simulators that didn’t make the list, let me know in the comments. I’m always up for discovering more games that challenge expectations.

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