We Love It's Guide to…
Walk a remote Hebridean island as fragments of a letter and an uncertain story emerge through narration and scenery.
Follow a Fragmented Letter
Walk a Desolate Island
Explore Glowing Caves
Begin a journey through one of the most original first-person games of recent years.
Developed by The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe · Published by Secret Mode









You explore a remote, deserted island in the Hebrides in first person. As you make your way across it, a narrator reads fragments of a letter, introducing a story shaped by memory, loss, and uncertainty.
The main activity is walking through the island’s beaches, cliffs, and underground tunnels, taking in the landscape and details of the environment. There are no conventional puzzles or combat to interrupt the journey.
Progress is a largely linear journey through the island, with narration and environmental details providing the story. The fragments can vary between playthroughs, leaving room to interpret how the different accounts fit together.
Players who enjoy Dear Esther often praise its haunting island atmosphere, music, scenery, and restrained narration, describing the experience as immersive and reflective. Some also appreciate its poetic, open-to-interpretation story. Other reviewers find the limited activity, slow walking, or vague narrative difficult to engage with, and a few note that the experience is short.
| Platforms | Windows, macOS |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 0 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| Metacritic | 75/100 View on Metacritic |
| Website | Official website |