Highlights

• Hidden object games on Steam offer a variety of options, from silly concepts like finding cats in different historical settings to sci-fi adventures or photography quests. There are games for every taste.
• Some hidden object games like Toem and Sizeable provide a more immersive and creative experience, offering unique gameplay mechanics and interactive environments.
• Cozy Grove and Hidden Through Time add depth to the hidden object genre by incorporating simulation elements and exploring different historical periods. These games provide a more engaging and narrative-driven experience.

Hidden object games are casual puzzle adventures in which players must find hidden items in scenes. The pictures in which the objects are hidden are often intricate and can have players look for things based on an image or word to describe the object. These games frequently have mystery, romance, horror, or fantasy elements.

There are many hidden object games on Steam, and several of them are parts of a series. While whole collections can be great, some titles end up more popular than others. Whether part of a series or a stand-alone title, hidden object games provide players the same joy as Where's Waldo? in an adult format and with more items to find.

Updated October 20, 2023, by Chris Birsner: Hidden object games continue to grow in popularity, as many titles are released across nearly all gaming platforms on a monthly basis. Of all the platforms out there, Steam is a big marketplace for hidden object games, especially for those by indie developers. Some are a bit more creative with their hidden objects, like having players interact with a more lively environment to find items or telling a unique story throughout the adventure. Either way, there are so many games of this type, and it is worth taking the time to find the best hidden object game that fits the tone or gameplay experience the player is going for.

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21 Cats In Time

While based on a silly concept, Cats in Time is a delightful puzzle game about finding cats inside dioramas. The story goes that Professor Tim Edger invented a time machine, but his cats got ahold of it and a bunch of them have been teleported to different points in history.

From western times to some point in the future, players will explore different settings as they search for cats, who can be hidden behind walls or just out in the open. While some cats can be found easily, others require players to fiddle with specific mechanics to unlock the door that is hiding them.

20 Space Legends: At the Edge of the Universe

Space Legends: At the Edge of the Universe is a sci-fi adventure to another planet at the end of the universe. The player must use their in-game journal and clues to save everyone and escape before everything is destroyed by a comet.

In this galactic game, players can do everything from repairing emergency ships and handling bad weather to healing a princess and trying to avoid being sent to jail. There are a variety of locations to explore with different detailed scenes. The game includes puzzles, mini-games, and stunning scenes of hidden items.

19 Toem

It is rare for hidden object games, even those with solid stories, to truly feel like an adventure. Toem changes this, as it puts the player in the shoes of a character who is on their way to see a landmark that needs to be seen to be believed.

Toem is a photography game, but not one that focuses on getting the perfect photo. Instead, the camera is used to identify objects that players must capture to complete quests that will help them reach new areas. Along the way, there are also plenty of characters to interact with, along with a beautiful soundtrack.

18 Hidden Through Time

In Hidden Through Time, players travel through the four great ages on various levels. Levels include the Stone Age with dinosaur eggs, Medieval Times with crowns, and more. Players enjoy discovering secrets while exploring the history of the world.

This colorful game includes cryptic hints and cute hand-drawn items to uncover. Players can even create and share their own worlds using the map editor.

17 Sizeable

Hidden object games are all about poking around in an environment to find the specific items the player is expected to find. But what if there wasn't a laundry list to identify, and instead it was three pillars that could be found by solving puzzles?

That is the general premise of Sizeable. Each level is a diorama of a specific setting or time period and the goal of the game is to resize different objects to see how it or the level itself changes. Through fiddling with the different items, players will discover each of the three pillars they need to complete the level.

16 Bubble People

Just like Sizeable has players playing around with their environment, Bubble People is a delightful and free hidden object game that is just about interacting with the environment and experiencing a short love story to go along with it. Although this game has a simple art style, it still has a magical feel to it as players go through each section.

The point-and-click game could only be fifteen to twenty minutes of gameplay if the player only cares about the story. But in addition, there is an endless mode that allows players to continue exploring different areas and interacting with every little thing that they come across. Despite its short length, the story does pack a nice punch for those who enjoy a good narrative.

15 Cozy Grove

Hidden object games typically are nothing more than point-and-click experiences, but Cozy Grove has some additional depth. Not only does it feature a controlled charater, but it also includes some simulation elements for those that like activities such as fishing and decorating.

Players take on the role of a Spirit Scout as they move around an island interacting with various ghostly animals. Each character will have a set of tasks that the scout must perform in Cozy Grove. These tasks involve finding objects in the environment and bringing them back to the ghosts. The goal of the game is to keep collecting objects and put the ghosts at ease. The game is meant to be played daily, as there are only a certain amount of tasks that can be completed before the next day.

14 100 Hidden Frogs

100 Hidden Frogs is one of the games released as part of the 100 Hidden series by Anatoliy Loginovskikh. This is a free-to-play game set in a magical forest full of frogs. Players must look closely at the black-and-white landscapes of multiple levels.

The hand-drawn and cartoon art style add to the uniqueness of this game and make it look like a coloring book. This is emphasized when the found frogs become the only color on the screen.

13 Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek

Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek is the first game in the Enigmatis collection. The plot centers around a character whose body remembers events that their mind can’t recall. Players must not save themselves from a lurking evil but also find a missing teenage girl. The story is immersive, with many layers to keep players engaged for hours.

This game showcases rural Vermont during autumn. Along with hidden objects, players must complete puzzles, and riddles, collect evidence, and more.

12 I Commissioned Some Bees 0

Those that just want a quick hidden object game fix should check out I Commissioned Some Bees 0. This free game on Steam is a collaboration between artists that worked together to hide bees in various pieces of artwork.

There are 10 canvases in all, and each has a wide variety of bees that are either hiding in plain sight are purposely hiding behind specific objects already established in the artwork. In addition to a bunch of bees, there are also some other objects that players can be tasked to find. Plus, there is an unlimited hint system for those who get stuck.

11 Tiny Lands

In a similar category to hidden object games are "find the difference" games. In these puzzles, a player is presented with two photos that look similar with the goal of finding all the ways the photos are unique from each other. Tiny Lands takes this concept and adds a third dimension.

Players will be able to look at the two dioramas on each side of the screen and zoom in to see all the details if they need help finding the difference. The stages can also be rotated to make sure any sneaky hidden differences can be caught by the player. While it is a different variant of the genre, Tiny Lands should still be considered one of the best hidden object games.

10 Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective

Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective is named after the bestselling children’s book series "Pierre The Maze Detective." Pierre must solve puzzles to recover a magical Maze stone stolen by the villain Mr. X and save Opera City. Players go through literal works of art, adventuring through colorful and detailed worlds.

Players take the role of a detective, with all the levels tying into an overarching narrative like that of a novel. The game features hilarious and eccentric characters, hand-drawn illustrations, and more than 100 hidden objects and trophies. There are items to find, interesting puzzles, and many mini-games to play.

9 A Building Full Of Cats

Sometimes, it is nice to have a relaxing time and just look for one type of object throughout a hidden object game. As the name would suggest, A Building Full of Cats is all about finding felines in every corner of rooms throughout the home.

Each room tends to be one gradient tone to make sure the cats are blended into the environment well. Along with finding these adorable house pets, there are some secret cats that are hidden so well that players will need to interact with specific furniture in the room. There may also be a mystery to solve along the way.

8 Birth

On the surface, Birth feels like it could be a macabre and uncomfortable experience. However, the puzzle game is actually one that tells the story of loneliness in a beautifully-drawn neighborhood despite a somewhat disturbing premise of finding body parts to create a friend.

In Birth, players explore a neighborhood and visit the various storefronts and homes within it. Each place has a variety of puzzles that are needed to be solved to earn a body part. These puzzles are mainly physics-based, and many of them feature hidden object elements.

7 QuickSpot: Master Of The Right Brain

Going back to spot-the-difference games, one title that had some popularity on the Nintendo DS is QuickSpot. This game used the dual-screens to show two images and ask the player to find the mistakes in the other image. Now, the title has made its way to Nintendo Switch with both a single player mode and a party mode with the name QuickSpot: Master of the Right Brain.

Developed by Bandai Namco, the Switch edition of QuickSpot features daily challenges and introduces a bevy of mechanics to change up how the brain figures out the major difference between the images that are shown. The party mode features puzzles for up to four players locally where players need to be the fastest to figure out the difference between the two images and gain points.

6 Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride

Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride is the first game in the Grim Legends series. The game is set in the gloomy village of Ravenbrook near an ominous, ancient forest. During a wedding, a stranger appears in the town and an adventure filled with dark secrets begins. The Forsaken Bride features setting such as spooky forests, forbidden temples, and abandoned temples.

The game has multiple hidden objects hidden in hand-painted scenes. Players can interact with a variety of characters, collect Spirits of the Forest, and learn the story of a local legend with The Book of Elusive Objects. Plus, players get a cat companion to join their journey.

5 Under Leaves

Hidden object games are usually peaceful experiences, so it makes sense that a game like Under Leaves shows up to be focused on finding items in various natural settings. The game is entirely hand-drawn with a watercolor appearance.

Over the course of nine levels, players will be tasked with finding various objects and animals in various environments, which range from jungles to underseas. The entire experience is meant to be taken at a relaxing pace for those who just want to spend time in the various colorful worlds.

4 Eventide: Slavic Fable

Eventide: Slavic Fable is the first game in the Eventide collection and is based on Slavic mythology. Players control a famous botanist who needs to save an endangered plant in Heritage Park. The plot becomes more sinister when the villain Boruta captures the player's grandma and plans to use the park's ancient magic to destroy the world.

The park is full of mythical Slavic creatures that the character must make alliances with if they want to save the world and solve the mystery of the Fern Flower. The game features tons of diverse and mysterious locations that allow the player to explore an old, mythical world through hidden items.

3 Wind Peaks

A normal camp trip takes a turn where a mysterious map points the way to something deeper lurking in the forest. That is the premise of Wind Peaks, a hidden object game that is actually a lot more wholesome than its premise may give off.

Emulating some of the best hidden object games, Wind Peaks features both scenarios that involve finding a specific item and going through extra steps to discover other things that are on the list. There are also some fun twists in this game, so it is truly a delightful experience to solve hidden object puzzles for adults and kids alike.

2 Milo And The Magpies

Of all the hand-drawn hidden object game experiences, Milo and the Magpies may be the most impressive in terms of its painted visuals. The point-and-click adventure game has players take control of a cat named Milo who is trying to get back to his home.

Across the nine yards that Milo explores, there are a variety of puzzles that need to be solved that are based on the basic premise of hidden object games. There are also a ton of characters to meet along the way and a soundtrack that blends in with the various environments, with each garden getting its own song.