Best Time Manipulation Games on Steam
Games where rewinding, slowing, stopping, or bending time drives play.
Browse all Time Manipulation →
1Life is Strange - Episode 1
- Players say: A photography student discovers she can rewind time, reconnects with an old friend, and begins investigating a disappearance. Players like: Emotional Story · Max and Chloe · Memorable Soundtrack
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Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.
Jan 29, 2015
In this game, you can…
- rewind a classroom shooting to stop it and save the target.
- rewind time to preview a choice, watch the reaction, then redo it before you commit.
- end the story by choosing to save one person or sacrifice an entire town.
- set up the room, trigger a mess, then rewind so the objects stay positioned for what you need next.
- engineer paint to spill on a bully blocking your way, then rewind to choose whether to expose her or befriend her.
- reunite with a childhood friend you just saved, then follow a storm vision to a lighthouse and start chasing a tornado mystery.
- sit on a bed, swing, or bench and just watch the world in silence while music plays.
2Katana ZERO
- Players say: As katana-wielding assassin Zero, plan lethal 2D missions, bend time through deadly fights, and piece together your past. Players like: Satisfying Fast Combat · Memorable Soundtrack · Intriguing Story
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Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.
Apr 18, 2019
In this game, you can…
- slow time until bullets hang in the air, then slice them back into shooters.
- finish a level and watch a security-camera replay of your one perfect run after all the rewinds.
- interrupt someone mid-sentence and shatter the text box to force your response through.
- die, hear "No… That won't work," rewind instantly, and retry until the route finally works.
- solve a room by mixing one-hit slashes, dodge rolls, bullet deflects, and thrown objects into a clean chain.
- turn the environment into a kill plan by stealing guns, triggering traps, and setting off lasers or explosions.
- pick dialogue on a timer, so conversations demand the same split-second decisions as fights.
- chase platinum ranks with an in-game timer and built-in speedrun mode, replaying rooms to shave off seconds.
3SUPERHOT
- Players say: Plan each move in a first-person shooter where time advances as you act, dodging bullets and taking weapons from enemies. Players like: Time-Based Combat · Puzzle-Like Encounters · Minimalist Visual Style
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SUPERHOT is the smash-hit FPS where time moves only when you move. No regenerating health bars. No conveniently placed ammo drops. It's you, alone, outnumbered and outgunned. Snatch weapons from fallen enemies to shoot, slice and dodge through a truly cinematic hurricane of slow-motion bullets.
Feb 25, 2016
In this game, you can…
- stand still to almost freeze time, then move an inch to make bullets start crawling again
- slice bullets out of the air with a katana
- jump into an enemy's body mid-fight to attack from their position, including setups like throwing a katana and catching it after the swap
- throw a bottle or gun to make someone flinch, watch them drop their weapon, then grab it and keep fighting
- knock someone out with a TV, catch their rifle as it falls, then use it to wipe out the next attackers
- finish a level, then watch your whole slow-motion plan replayed in real time as a clean action-movie spree
- play rule-twisting modes like katana-only, punching-only, throwables-only, or one-hit-kill that force totally different solutions through the same rooms
- dig through hidden terminals and fake file menus to uncover chat logs, secret areas, and weird extra programs
4Touhou Luna Nights
- Players say: As maid Sakuya explores a strange mansion-like world, she uses time control, knives, and close-range dodges to fight through a 2D action adventure. Players like: Time-Stop Combat · Memorable Boss Fights · Detailed Pixel Art
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Touhou Luna Nights is a Metroidvania title with a heavy emphasis on exploration and action. Developed by Team Ladybug, creators of multiple fantastic action games thus far.
Feb 25, 2019
In this game, you can…
- throw knives, stop time, and use the frozen knives as platforms to cross gaps, hazards, and even run across water.
- fight bosses whose attacks keep moving during time stop, so you have to manage frozen-time threats and normal patterns together.
- stop time, stack dozens of thrown knives around enemies, then unfreeze time so the whole blade storm hits at once.
- heal and refill resources by barely dodging bullets and enemies, turning near-misses into HP, MP, and time recovery.
- pepper walls and enemies with knives, freeze them midair to set up exact placements, then unfreeze time and watch the entire setup detonate.
- dial a phone from anywhere, race to a phone booth, and save by having someone answer and write down your data after the call.
- return to earlier areas with new time abilities that reveal previously unreachable rooms and secret paths, turning backtracking into an exploration puzzle.
5Braid
- Players say: Guide Tim through painterly 2D worlds, rewinding and reshaping time to solve platform puzzles and pursue an abducted princess. Players like: Time-Bending Puzzles · Clever Level Design · Painterly Art
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This is the original version of Braid from 2009, which may not work well on newer systems. For an updated version of the game with nicer graphics, more levels and a large amount of developer commentary, see Braid, Anniversary Edition.
Apr 10, 2009
In this game, you can…
- sacrifice a past version of yourself so they hold a switch while you move on.
- make moving left reverse time and moving right push it forward, turning basic movement into the puzzle.
- record your actions so a shadow version of you repeats them, letting you coordinate with your own past movements.
- rewind time instead of dying.
- rewind time to undo mistakes, then use the rewind itself to solve the level.
- drop a ring that freezes time in a small radius, then use the frozen bubble to navigate hazards and timing puzzles.
- revisit earlier worlds after learning new time rules, then return with a fresh mechanic that makes old puzzles solvable.
- collect jigsaw puzzle pieces to fill in pictures at your house, unlocking new rooms and the final area as the wall completes.
6Chill Corner
- Players say: Decorate a cozy 3D room, choose music and weather, care for pets, and set tasks and timers while your character idles. Players like: Relaxing Background Atmosphere · Lo-fi Music Selection · Room Decorating Options
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This is just an idle game for chilling, relaxing or focusing.
Dec 17, 2021
In this game, you can…
- read strangers' letters and emails, translate them, reply with your own message, and send cute stickers back and forth
- ask anonymous strangers for advice or recommendations and get real replies from people around the world
- rearrange furniture to trigger different lounging animations, like sitting at a desk chair, folding chair, or sofa based on layout
- pick a task, set a timer, and leave the game running in the background while you actually study or work
- switch the room's ambience between rain, wind, winter, and other weather moods to change the soundscape
- feed and pet your dog or cat, water plants, and turn those little routines into coins or chill points
- decorate empty rooms from scratch, unlock furniture over time, and build multiple rooms that are all yours
- make your own playlists, loop tracks, and even play your own external music while the game stays open
75D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel
- Players say: A chess variant where moves reach into the past or parallel timelines, branching boards and reshaping the path to checkmate. Players like: Mind-Bending Chess · Clever Time Tactics · Satisfying Eureka Moments
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It's the first ever chess variant with spatial, temporal, and parallel dimensions. It's 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel! Move pieces back in time to create branching timelines. Send a rook to a parallel dimension. Protect your kings in the present and in the past!
Jul 22, 2020
In this game, you can…
- have ten active timelines where a single move can put five past kings in check at once.
- watch the AI create nine parallel dimensions, then checkmate it three moves in the past in two different dimensions.
- move a king into an alternate dimension, creating a parallel present where there are now two enemy kings to deal with.
- send a queen back to the start of the game to try to win before the present ever happens.
- answer a time-travel queen by positioning a bishop in a different timeline to capture it in an alternate present.
- checkmate an opponent five turns in the past, after the present has already spiraled into multiple timelines.
- make moves that shift pieces across timelines so one turn can involve moving five pieces between dimensions.
- use a move that threatens a king that used to exist, winning by targeting where it was rather than where it is.
8TheDawn
- Players say: In an AI-ruled future, Maya fights robot forces with guns and time powers while hacker Max supports her mission. Players like: Time-Control Abilities · Satisfying Combat · Distinct Visual Style
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TheDawn is a third-person shooting game about the journey of Maya, the superpowers who can manipulate time, and Max, the hacker who helps her. Will they be able to save mankind and face a new dawn?
Dec 11, 2020
In this game, you can…
- freeze a crowd, dash in, wipe them out, and dash back out before time starts again.
- stop time, sprint at super speed, then rewind to undo damage mid-fight.
- blink through a barrier, fall off the map, then reverse time to pop back out like nothing happened.
- swap one weapon between precise long-range shots and a close-range spray just by aiming or hip-firing.
- pause time to get behind shielded enemies, blink through their barriers, and reposition before they can react.
- get swarmed by waves of robots, drones, shield troops, and flying mechanical birds, then survive by chaining time stop, dodges, and precision shots.
- trigger an ultimate super attack that can one-shot enemies, but is rare enough that you save it for clutch moments.
- fight a final boss that forces pattern learning, including phases where you shoot placed containers from full to empty and dodge attack-ball barrages.
9The Silent Age
- Players say: As janitor Joe, travel between 1972 and a desolate future, solving point-and-click puzzles to uncover humanity’s fate. Players like: Atmosphere and Music · Time-Travel Puzzles · Story and Mystery
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Experience a post-apocalyptic world like never before in The Silent Age, a thrilling point-and-click adventure game. Use time travel to unravel the mystery behind humanity's disappearance and save the world from extinction. Start your journey now!
May 29, 2015
In this game, you can…
- use a battery on a dead body to trigger an achievement.
- kick open a door in the future after it's rusted out, then use what you find to progress back in 1972.
- hop between 1972 and 2012 to change a place in one era and use the results to solve the other.
- start as a janitor in 1972, get handed a time device, and jump into a dead-silent 2012.
- carry an item across timelines—grab it in the past, then use it in the future to clear the next obstacle.
- use decay as a tool: bypass a blocked passage by switching eras where the ruin has opened a new route.
- click basically anything and get custom reactions, including unique lines for weird item combinations.
- watch the story keep swerving, then land on an ending that keeps going past when you think it's done.
10The Drifter
- Players say: Hunted after witnessing a murder, Mick Carter investigates a conspiracy and solves point-and-click puzzles as death sends him back seconds. Players like: Gripping Story · Excellent Voice Acting · Logical Puzzles
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A Pulp Adventure Thriller - A murdered drifter awakens. Alive again, seconds before his death. Hunted and haunted, help him untangle a mad web of conspiracy in this fast-paced point 'n click thrill-ride.
Jul 17, 2025
In this game, you can…
- die, then wake up seconds before your death with new information to change what happens.
- witness a murder, get hunted by night-vision soldiers, tossed into a reservoir, drown, and then come back to try again.
- interrogate a crooked neurosurgeon, then climb out a high-rise window and dangle from a fraying extension lead.
- craft a Molotov cocktail from a bottle of over-proof rum.
- make snap decisions in high-pressure scenes where reacting fast determines whether you live or die.
- use strong booze to scrub graffiti off a map so it becomes readable.
- move with one stick and aim at nearby interactables with the other, so an adventure game plays smoothly on a controller.
