Adventure · September 19, 2018
The Gardens Between (2018)
The Gardens Between is a single-player adventure-puzzle game about time, memory and friendship. Best friends Arina and Frendt fall into a series of vibrant, dreamlike island gardens peppered with everyday objects from their childhood. Together they embark on an emotional journey that examines the significance of their friendship. Manipulate time to solve puzzles and reach the apex of each isle. Follow the duo as they unpack and explore their precious moments spent together, lighting up constellations and illuminating threads of a bittersweet narrative. Features Vibrant, storybook-inspired art style Dreamy tale of adventure, friendship and growing-up Gorgeous single player experience with a meaningful personal story Bespoke ingenious puzzles require the manipulation of time to solve Accessible design; simple controls, and no text, speech, time pressure or complex UI Relaxing, ambient soundtrack by feature-artist Tim Shiel Play in full detail on your gorgeous 4k screen Reception 'Magical moments.' - GameSpot 'Incredibly clever.' - Nintendo Life 'Every element works in unison.' - Shindig.nz 'A magical journey.' - Polygon 'You really need to play it.' - Engadget Awards and Festivals 'Excellence In Art' Winner IMGA 2020 'Apple Design Award' Winner 2019 'Best Puzzles' Winner Webby Awards 2019 Apple 'Mac Game of the Year' Winner 2018 'Game of the Year' Winner at the Australia Game Developer Awards 2018 'Most Innovative Game' Winner by Game Two 2018 'Best Technology' Winner at Sense Of Wonder Night 2018 'Best of MIX' Winner at MIX Seattle 2018 'Game Design Excellence' Winner BIC Fest 2017
Adventure releases from 2018
73 Adventure titles launched in 2018 — top 6 by review volume.
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Short · 282
- Time Manipulation · 275
- Emotional · 271
- Story Rich · 259
- Walking Simulator · 255
- Nostalgia · 245
- Surreal · 245
- Relaxing · 243
- Atmospheric · 235
- Mystery · 221
- Linear · 218
- Puzzle · 214
- Female Protagonist · 213
- Logic · 212
- Narrative · 212
Peer Adventure titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Position in Adventure
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 2.7k Steam reviews | Top 78% in Adventure |
| Positive rating | 94% positive | Genre average: 87% — this title sits in top 34% |
| Metacritic | 80/100 | Genre average 77 — top 44% of Adventure titles |
| Engagement hours | 2 h average | Top 93% for session depth among Adventure |
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (12)
- English
- French
- Italian
- German
- Spanish - Spain
- Dutch
- Portuguese - Portugal
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese - Brazil
- Russian
- Simplified Chinese
Reception Metrics
Steam community
94%Very Positive · 2.7k reviews
2.5k positive · 161 negative
Metacritic
80/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
7.1/10
Curator recommendations
2.3k
Press Quotes
“A masterwork. Impeccably crafted.” 4 / 5 – The Guardian “A masterpiece. Shockingly moving.” 9.5 / 10 – Gaming Trend “Mind-boggling goodness.” Destructoid
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
2h
brief (under 5 hours)
Median
2h
Typical completion time
Achievements
17
Steam unlocks available
Features & Capabilities
Community
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Cloud
- Remote Play on TV
Input & Comfort
- Full controller support
Other
- Single-player
- Family Sharing
Release & Availability
| Release date | Sep 19, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Developer | The Voxel Agents |
| Base price | $6.79 -66% |
| DLC / Add-ons | 1 released |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Estimated owners | 10k–100k |
| External links | Official site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected] |
Editions & Packages
Buy The Gardens Between











