Short Games Like Journey That Fit a Single Evening
Games like Journey, sorted by the evening: Flower and Abzû run about 2 hours by community data, Gris about 3½. Here’s which one to start.
Table of Contents
🎟️ How we got it: No publisher codes and no paid placements. This roundup is built from official storefront listings and community completion data.
Best games like Journey for one night: the quick answer
Loved Journey and have one free evening? You want something wordless, calm, and finished before bed.
⚖️ The Verdict: Play Abzû tonight. Giant Squid’s underwater adventure is billed by its publisher as coming from the artistic mind behind Journey, and HowLongToBeat’s community data puts its main story at about 2 hours. On a tighter budget, Flower runs the same length for less; with closer to four hours free, pick Gris.
Our pick for a two-hour evening
Abzû swaps the desert for the ocean but keeps Journey’s quiet, music-led pull. Flower is the pick if price matters more than pedigree.
If you have closer to four hours
Gris and Omno each run about 3½ hours, per community data. Both are part of our guide to short games sorted by how many evenings they take.
Pick by how much of the night you actually have
Start with the clock, not the genre.
About 2 hours: Abzû or Flower
Abzû and Flower both land at about 2 hours for the main story in HowLongToBeat’s community data, the same as Journey. Exploring adds roughly half an hour, going by each game’s “Main + Extra” figure. Replaying Journey itself? It fits the same slot.
3–4 hours: Gris or Omno
Gris and Omno sit near 3½ hours. Start by 8pm and you’ll finish before midnight with time to wander.
Only get scattered half-hour sessions? Flower’s six short levels break up neatly. Got the whole weekend instead? Try our list of games you can beat in a weekend.
What makes a game feel like Journey
Every pick here is short, mostly wordless, and hard or impossible to fail. Everything below is described at premise level only.
Wordless, music-led storytelling
Journey tells its story without words, through play and visual-only cutscenes, and you can meet one other online player along the way. Gris is almost entirely free of text and leans on visuals and its score. Abzû and Flower work the same way, carried by movement and music.
No way to fail
Flower has no enemies and no time limits, and you can’t lose. Gris’s publisher describes it as free of danger, frustration or death.
For parents: Journey, Abzû, Gris and Omno carry an ESRB Everyone rating in their store listings. Check Flower’s rating on the ESRB site, because listings disagree.
How long each Journey-like game takes to finish
Here’s every pick side by side, using community completion data.
| Game | Main story | Main + Extra | Completionist | Evenings at 2 hrs/night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journey | 2 hrs | 2½ hrs | 5½ hrs | 1 |
| Abzû | 2 hrs | 2½ hrs | 4 hrs | 1 |
| Flower | 2 hrs | 2½ hrs | 5 hrs | 1 |
| Gris | 3½ hrs | 4 hrs | 6½ hrs | 2, or one long night |
| Omno | 3½ hrs | 4 hrs | 4½ hrs | 2, or one long night |
Source: HowLongToBeat community-submitted estimates, checked 29 Sept 2026. The Evenings column is our own calculation.
Main story vs. seeing everything
For four of the five games, a completionist run takes about twice as long as the main story or more. A one-night plan therefore means main story only. For Omno, another tracker puts the main story nearer 4 hours, so treat it as a full evening.
Evenings needed at two hours a night
On a typical two-hour weeknight, Journey, Abzû and Flower each fit in one sitting. Gris and Omno need a longer night or two weeknights.
⏱️ Time Check: These are community-submitted averages from HowLongToBeat, not promises. Slow explorers should add roughly half an hour to an hour, per the Main + Extra column.
Cost per hour: which one is worth full price
Divide the list price by the community main-story hours and the ranking flips.
🔄 Last Verified: 29 September 2026. Prices change often; check the storefront before you buy.
At list price
| Game | List price | Per hour (list) | Per hour (lowest recorded) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flower | $6.99 | ~$3.50 | ~$0.70 |
| Omno | $15.99 | ~$4.57 | ~$0.68 |
| Gris | $16.99 | ~$4.85 | ~$0.85 |
| Journey | $14.99 | ~$7.50 | ~$1.50 |
| Abzû | $19.99 | ~$10.00 | ~$1.00 |
Prices from Deku Deals price tracking, checked 29 Sept 2026. Our calculation.
Flower is the clear value pick at full price. Abzû is the most expensive per hour.
At historical lows
Every pick has dropped to about $1.50 an hour or less at its lowest recorded price.
💰 Value Math: Abzû is the tonal pick, but at list price it costs about $10 an hour. It has sold for as little as $1.99, so if it isn’t discounted today, wait for a sale or play Flower tonight.
Where you can play each one right now
Check your platform before you get attached to a pick.
🔄 Last Verified: 29 September 2026. Platforms and subscription catalogues change, so check before you buy.
Switch and handheld
Abzû, Gris and Omno are on Nintendo Switch. Journey and Flower aren’t listed for Switch in the storefront data we checked.
PC, PlayStation and Xbox
Journey is on Steam (see Journey’s Steam listing), Epic and PS4, and it also has an iOS version listed by its publisher. Flower is on Steam, Epic and PS4.
Gris is on Steam plus PS5, PS4 and both Xbox generations. Abzû is on PS4, Xbox One and Steam.
We didn’t confirm any of these in a subscription catalogue today, so check PS Plus or Game Pass before paying.
Popular Journey picks that won’t fit one night
Other lists recommend these, and they’re good games. They just don’t fit one evening.
Sky: Children of the Light
Sky comes from Journey’s creators and costs nothing to start. It’s a free-to-play multiplayer game, still in Early Access on Steam, built for ongoing play with optional in-game purchases. There’s no single-night ending to chase, so check the purchase details on Sky’s Steam listing yourself before you start.
Longer favourites for another week
Spiritfarer tops fan-voted Journey lists, but community data puts its main story around 25 hours. Want something wordless but darker? Read our verdict on Inside, or browse more games you can finish in one sitting.
Games like Journey: quick answers
1. What game is most like Journey?
Abzû is the closest one-evening match. It’s billed as coming from the artistic mind behind Journey and is similarly short and wordless.
2. How long is Journey?
HowLongToBeat’s community data puts Journey’s main story at about 2 hours, which makes it a true one-sitting game.
3. Is Abzû made by the same people as Journey?
Not the same studio. Giant Squid made Abzû, but its publisher bills it as coming from the artistic mind behind Journey.
4. Is Flower shorter than Journey?
No. Community data puts both at about 2 hours for the main story, though Flower costs less than Journey at list price.
5. Can you finish Gris in one night?
Yes, on a long night. Community data puts the main story of this Journey-like game around 3½ hours, so start early.
6. Is Sky like Journey?
It shares Journey’s creators and flight, but Sky is an ongoing free-to-play multiplayer game, not a one-night game. Check its store listing’s in-game purchase details yourself.
7. Are games like Journey on Switch?
Abzû, Gris and Omno are on Switch. Journey and Flower aren’t listed there in the storefront data we checked.
8. Is Abzû worth full price?
Among games like Journey, Abzû is the priciest per hour at list price. If it isn’t discounted, wait for a sale or play Flower.
9. Can you die in Gris?
No. Its publisher describes Gris as free of danger, frustration or death, which makes it one of the gentlest games like Journey.
10. Can I play Journey co-op?
Yes. Journey lets you meet and travel with one other online player during your journey, without any lobby or chat.
So what are you playing tonight?
Two free hours: play Abzû, or Flower if you’d rather spend less. A long night: Gris. Stop at the credits, count it as finished, and enjoy an evening that actually ends. Prices move, so check the storefront before you buy. The next time you’re between long RPGs, our palate cleanser picks cover the same need.
