13 Games Like Dredge That Balance Calm and Unease

If you loved Dredge for its hauntingly peaceful atmosphere and slow-burn tension beneath tranquil waters, you’re not alone. There’s something oddly soothing about games that let you relax—while keeping one eye on the unknown lurking just out of sight.

These 13 titles capture that same blend of calm exploration and quiet dread, from eerie fishing trips to unsettling island mysteries.

Fishing Paradiso

What starts as a simple fishing adventure in the afterlife becomes a reflective journey of friendship and purpose. With charming pixel art and soft music, Fishing Paradiso balances its cozy vibe with existential undertones that echo Dredge’s bittersweet mystery.

Moonglow Bay

Set in a pastel seaside town, Moonglow Bay lets you fish, cook, and rebuild your community after personal loss. While it’s cozy at its core, its emotional storytelling and deep waters hint at sorrow beneath the calm surface.

Spiritfarer

A warm, yet melancholic management sim where you ferry spirits to the afterlife. Like Dredge, it’s both comforting and haunting—a game about saying goodbye wrapped in beautiful sunsets and gentle waves.

Sunless Sea

Sail into the dark, gothic underbelly of a subterranean ocean where every voyage feels like a whispered warning. The game’s slow pacing and looming dread mirror Dredge’s tension between serenity and fear of the deep.

Subnautica

Dive into a breathtaking alien ocean full of beauty—and danger. While its coral reefs and bioluminescent creatures mesmerize, the deeper you go, the stronger the feeling that something is always watching.

Eastshade

As a traveling painter exploring a tranquil island, Eastshade feels like the opposite of horror—until its quiet melancholy sinks in. Its stillness and emotional depth evoke the same reflective solitude that makes Dredge unforgettable.

Lake

Deliver mail, reconnect with old friends, and rediscover life’s simple joys in a small lakeside town. The peaceful rhythm of Lake contrasts with subtle emotional unease—perfect for fans who loved Dredge’s slow, contemplative pace.

The Pale Beyond

Lead a stranded polar expedition through icy isolation and moral dilemmas. Its cold stillness and creeping dread channel Dredge’s tension but replace the ocean’s mystery with human fragility and frostbitten resolve.

In Other Waters

You’re an AI guiding a stranded xenobiologist through an alien sea. The minimalist visuals and soothing narration mask an underlying sense of loneliness and wonder, much like the calm unease of Dredge.

ABZÛ

A meditative dive through vibrant underwater worlds filled with life and light. It’s a love letter to the ocean that manages to be serene and awe-inspiring—yet its silence carries a whisper of melancholy.

Cozy Grove

On an ever-changing haunted island, you help lost spirits find peace. Cozy Grove combines daily life sim comfort with ghostly charm, perfectly straddling that line between cozy and eerie.

Harvest Island

This farming sim starts idyllic but hides dark secrets beneath its rustic charm. As you tend your crops and explore, the sense of unease grows, making Harvest Island one of the most Dredge-like cozy horror hybrids around.

Saltsea Chronicles

Embark on a story-driven voyage across scattered islands in a post-flooded world. With its painterly art style and gentle pace, Saltsea Chronicles lulls you into calm exploration—yet every stop reveals quiet heartbreaks and hidden tensions beneath the surface, much like Dredge’s deceptively serene seas.