Best Hiking Games for PC

Why it's here: Death Stranding is the hiking game that treats every slope as a puzzle. You plan a route, balance your cargo and read the terrain before each step, and the ladders and ropes other players leave behind turn the map into a shared trail network. Player reviews split hard on pace, and the cutscenes run long. 90% of nearly 21,000 Steam reviews for the Director's Cut are positive, rated Mature. Start here if you want the walk itself to be the challenge.

Why it's here: Firewatch is the best story you can hike through. You spend a Wyoming summer on the trails around a fire lookout, map and compass in hand, while a supervisor named Delilah talks you through it by radio. Players praise the writing but call the mystery's ending a letdown, and there is little to do beyond walking and talking. 89% of about 57,000 Steam reviews are positive, rated Mature. Pick it for a short trek where the conversation matters as much as the view.

Why it's here: A Short Hike is the one I would clear to 100% first. You climb, glide and wander Hawk Peak Provincial Park toward a summit with phone signal, and every side trail hides a fishing spot, a buried chest or a golden feather that lets you climb higher, so none of it is padding. The recurring complaint in Steam reviews is simply how fast it ends. 99% of about 12,700 Steam reviews are positive, rated E, the best-reviewed pick here.

Why it's here: Lushfoil Photography Sim is the hike for anyone who stops every few steps to frame a shot. You walk landscapes inspired by real places with a full manual camera, and finding the vantage point is the whole game. Its most-read negative Steam reviews come from working photographers who say the lenses feel cropped rather than like true optics, a purist complaint more than a dealbreaker. 91% of about 1,800 Steam reviews are positive, rated E. Bring patience and a good eye.

Why it's here: Eastshade gives every view a purpose: you are a travelling painter, and the scenes you set an easel in front of become quest rewards. The island has no combat and pays off wandering off the road, with side errands from the locals that unlock new tools and areas. Critical Steam reviews flag save bugs that cost some players hours, so save often. 89% of about 3,600 Steam reviews are positive, rated E10+. It is the most relaxed full-size world on this list.

Why it's here: Plenty of players treat theHunter: Call of the Wild as a hiking game with the rifle stowed, and it is the most realistic wilderness to walk on PC. The reserves are huge, with dynamic weather, a day and night cycle and wildlife you track for miles. Player reviews call the pace slow and the reliance on paid DLC maps heavy. 89% of about 76,000 Steam reviews are positive, rated T. Buy the base game for the long quiet walks, and add maps only if you want more.

Why it's here: If you want the trail to fight back, The Long Dark is the survival trek: every hike across frozen Great Bear Island is a calculation of warmth, calories and daylight. Its Survival sandbox is why it is here, a direction picked, the weather read, and a hope that the next shelter is closer than the storm. Players criticise the later Wintermute story episodes for pacing and writing, so start in the sandbox. 87% of about 41,000 Steam reviews are positive, rated T.

Why it's here: Journey is a wordless pilgrimage toward a distant mountain and the most focused walk on this list. Sand slopes, ruins and snow carry you upward in a single evening, with a stranger sometimes joining you along the way. Its negative Steam reviews point to audio issues in the PC port and to having no way to travel with a chosen friend, only random strangers. 92% of nearly 13,000 Steam reviews are positive, rated E. Play it in one sitting.

Why it's here: TOEM is a hand-drawn walk up a mountain where the camera solves the puzzles, and its stamp card is the side system worth finishing. Each stop along the route is a small area full of residents who want a particular photo, and every request pays back a stamp or a new item rather than filler. Players love the charm but note the short length and a few confusing puzzles. 98% of about 3,500 Steam reviews are positive, rated E. Couldn't recommend a gentler weekend hike.

Why it's here: Alba: A Wildlife Adventure turns a walk around a Mediterranean island into a wildlife survey: you photograph birds and animals with a phone camera to fill a species log, and the conservation story gives the walking a reason. Players praise the relaxing loop but call it short and simple, and many advise buying on sale. 97% of about 3,300 Steam reviews are positive, rated E. It is the family pick here, where spotting a rare bird is the reward.

Why it's here: SEASON: A letter to the future is the road trip of the list, a journey on foot and by bicycle through a valley before a coming cataclysm. You record what you find with a camera, a sound recorder and a journal, which suits a player who documents everything. Its critical Steam reviews say the route is more linear than the trailers suggest. 93% of about 1,800 Steam reviews are positive, rated E. Take it slowly, the most melancholy journey here.