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Outer Wilds

Hacker Approved

The most recommended of 45 puzzle games

Exploration puzzle game praised for its story, sense of wonder and discovery, best played blind. Critics find the controls fiddly and say some puzzles are hard to finish without spoilers.

Exploration puzzle game praised for its story, sense of wonder and discovery, best played blind. Critics find the controls fiddly and say some puzzles are hard to finish without spoilers.

72 people gave an opinion

recommend it
65
criticize it
7
approval share
90%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 9 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: recommended
  2. December 2025: recommended
  3. January 2026: recommended
  4. February 2026: not recommended
  5. March 2026: recommended
  6. April 2026: recommended
  7. May 2026: not recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: recommended
  10. August 2026: recommended
  11. September 2026: recommended
  12. October 2026: recommended
  13. November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Why it carries the badge

  • 65 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
  • 9.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
  • Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

What people say about it

The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.

Why people recommend it

Each mark is one comment

  • Mind-blowing story and universe design

    “The ending is mind-blowing, and, similar to Return of the Obra Dinn, the whole universe story is weaved perfectly”

    Comment from 20 Mar 2026 in “Return of the Obra Dinn: spherical mapped dithering for a 1bpp first-person game”

    “If you liked The Last Question and can fit a video game into your life, you will probably like Outer Wilds.”

    Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”

    “All masterpieces that take various approaches to Diegetic, Non-Diegetic and meta-Diegetic storytelling”

    Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Video Games as Art”
  • Awe, wonder and strong emotion

    “Then I discovered Outer Wilds, went in completely blind, played in VR, and had one of the most engaging experiences of my life.”

    Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “PlayStation 2 Recompilation Project Is Absolutely Incredible”

    “approximating a theme park ride that evokes the vastness of the universe can be breathtaking”

    Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “No Man's Sky Cosmos”

    “Falling into the black hole the first time was one of my most scared moments in gaming.”

    Comment from 27 Jul 2026 in “Show HN: Physically accurate black hole you can put in your room”
  • Real exploration and discovery

    “Outer Wilds is a much stronger fit for the category where the entire world is accessible from the start.”

    Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “A Landscape of Knowledge Games”

    “At it's core, it's a game about exploration to understand what's happening.”

    Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”

    “The thing they did really really well is that it's true exploration”

    Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “No Man's Sky Cosmos”
  • Ranks among favorite games ever

    “Outer Wilds, and imperatively its DLC, are transcendent gaming experiences.”

    Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

    “I really didn't expect to get a new favourite game of all time in my 30s”

    Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “PlayStation 2 Recompilation Project Is Absolutely Incredible”

    “I would still rank Outer Wilds as one of my all-time top favorite games.”

    Comment from 10 Aug 2026 in “Mars Bar from 1991 found – and it's 20g bigger than today's”

What people warn about

Each mark is one comment

  • Frustrating controls and movement

    “it had some surprisingly intensive dexterity requirements in sections of the game that make it impossible to progress without looking up spoilers”

    Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

    “The game still punishes you even if you try to feather the inputs with brief taps.”

    Comment from 30 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

    “The movement mechanics are a sign of lack of respect for the player.”

    Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”
  • Story unclear or uncaptivating

    “didn't see whatever it is that people love about the story, and the game loop made me quit”

    Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

    “that was a bit unfortunate, because all the end-of-game exposition mostly confused me!”

    Comment from 20 Mar 2026 in “Return of the Obra Dinn: spherical mapped dithering for a 1bpp first-person game”

    “I concluded I could not have completed the game at all without being nearly told.”

    Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”
  • Spoilers needed to progress

    “it had some surprisingly intensive dexterity requirements in sections of the game that make it impossible to progress without looking up spoilers”

    Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

    “I concluded I could not have completed the game at all without being nearly told.”

    Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”
  • Gameplay loop feels tedious

    “didn't see whatever it is that people love about the story, and the game loop made me quit”

    Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

    “didn't like the gameplay loop”

    Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

Other puzzle games people recommend

The four most recommended other puzzle games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.

Outer Wilds compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Outer WildsThis page65790%9—Approved
enclose.horse641086%4—Approved
The Witness601976%8—Approved
Braid36588%5—Approved
Blue Prince30683%10—Approved
See all 45 puzzle games, ranked

What people said

40 of the 84 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“The thing they did really really well is that it's true exploration”

RecommendsComment from 9 Sep 2026 in “No Man's Sky Cosmos”

“Outer Wilds is really an amazing game. I highly recommend playing it without looking at anything online”

RecommendsComment from 9 Sep 2026 in “No Man's Sky Cosmos”

“one of those games where i wish i could erase my memory just to play it again”

RecommendsComment from 9 Sep 2026 in “No Man's Sky Cosmos”

“approximating a theme park ride that evokes the vastness of the universe can be breathtaking”

RecommendsComment from 9 Sep 2026 in “No Man's Sky Cosmos”

“I would still rank Outer Wilds as one of my all-time top favorite games.”

RecommendsComment from 10 Aug 2026 in “Mars Bar from 1991 found – and it's 20g bigger than today's”

“Outer Wilds is a great work of sci-fi but it's not especially physically accurate.”

RecommendsComment from 27 Jul 2026 in “Show HN: Physically accurate black hole you can put in your room”

“That game exposed some phobias that I'd only been vaguely aware of before.”

RecommendsComment from 27 Jul 2026 in “Show HN: Physically accurate black hole you can put in your room”

“Falling into the black hole the first time was one of my most scared moments in gaming.”

RecommendsComment from 27 Jul 2026 in “Show HN: Physically accurate black hole you can put in your room”

“If you haven't played Outer Wilds and you enjoy exploration/puzzle games go play it.”

RecommendsComment from 8 Jul 2026 in “EVE Online's Carbon engine is now open source: Fenris Creations explains why”

“Outer Wilds worked for me even so. In Outer Wilds I found the time loop liberating.”

RecommendsComment from 22 Apr 2026 in “10 years: Stephen's Sausage Roll still one of the most influential puzzle games”

“Probably because it really doesn't take much at all to get right back to where you were.”

RecommendsComment from 21 Apr 2026 in “10 years: Stephen's Sausage Roll still one of the most influential puzzle games”

“At it's core, it's a game about exploration to understand what's happening.”

RecommendsComment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”

“Outer Wilds, the video game, does a brilliant job expanding on this theme”

RecommendsComment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”

“If you liked The Last Question and can fit a video game into your life, you will probably like Outer Wilds.”

RecommendsComment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”

“that was a bit unfortunate, because all the end-of-game exposition mostly confused me!”

CriticizesComment from 20 Mar 2026 in “Return of the Obra Dinn: spherical mapped dithering for a 1bpp first-person game”

“The ending is mind-blowing, and, similar to Return of the Obra Dinn, the whole universe story is weaved perfectly”

RecommendsComment from 20 Mar 2026 in “Return of the Obra Dinn: spherical mapped dithering for a 1bpp first-person game”

“some of the best scifi works of the current generation come from interactive media/video games”

RecommendsComment from 8 Mar 2026 in “Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?”

“Then I discovered Outer Wilds, went in completely blind, played in VR, and had one of the most engaging experiences of my life.”

RecommendsComment from 30 Jan 2026 in “PlayStation 2 Recompilation Project Is Absolutely Incredible”

“I really didn't expect to get a new favourite game of all time in my 30s”

RecommendsComment from 30 Jan 2026 in “PlayStation 2 Recompilation Project Is Absolutely Incredible”

“The game still punishes you even if you try to feather the inputs with brief taps.”

MixedComment from 30 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“All of these games tell a story, each of this game does it in its own, magnificent way.”

RecommendsComment from 30 Jan 2026 in “PlayStation 2 Recompilation Project Is Absolutely Incredible”

“Outer Wilds has puzzles and open world and mystery element to it - and all of those have been done before.”

RecommendsComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “PlayStation 2 Recompilation Project Is Absolutely Incredible”

“Calling outer wilds or Clair Obscur "not innovative" just tells me you haven't played these games from start to finish”

RecommendsComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “PlayStation 2 Recompilation Project Is Absolutely Incredible”

“The movement mechanics are a sign of lack of respect for the player.”

CriticizesComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“I concluded I could not have completed the game at all without being nearly told.”

CriticizesComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“very few gameshave come close to the experience that was Outer Wilds”

RecommendsComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“I found the fine control needed too frustrating”

CriticizesComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“it's a great game, you get a board where you can see everything you've discovered, whether you missed anything important”

RecommendsComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“I just wasn't really captivated by the story.”

MixedComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“interest world design and ideas that have stuck with me for years”

RecommendsComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“it had some surprisingly intensive dexterity requirements in sections of the game that make it impossible to progress without looking up spoilers”

MixedComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“didn't like the gameplay loop”

CriticizesComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“didn't see whatever it is that people love about the story, and the game loop made me quit”

CriticizesComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“I like you bounced off of it because of the controls”

MixedComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“Outer Wilds, and imperatively its DLC, are transcendent gaming experiences.”

RecommendsComment from 28 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”

“All masterpieces that take various approaches to Diegetic, Non-Diegetic and meta-Diegetic storytelling”

RecommendsComment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Video Games as Art”

“more unusual games out there with reasonable budgets, like ... The Outer Wilds”

RecommendsComment from 28 Dec 2025 in “Rainbow Six Siege Hacked as Players Get Billions of Credits and Random Bans”

“Playing it genuinely gets me feeling like a child, and that's something truly special.”

RecommendsComment from 24 Dec 2025 in “Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi Games (Yields) Reduced Burnout Risk”

“Outer Wilds is a much stronger fit for the category where the entire world is accessible from the start.”

RecommendsComment from 18 Nov 2025 in “A Landscape of Knowledge Games”

“Give me an experience that is thoughtful and enjoyable over one that is intended to frustrate any day”

RecommendsComment from 17 Nov 2025 in “Dark Pattern Games”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.