ROUTINE

Is ROUTINE worth it?

This suits players who want slow first-person horror where reading a room and remembering its layout matter more than combat. The main trade-off is that the game gives no waypoints, so navigation takes patience and some frustration. Skip it if you want action, clear objective markers, or a game without frequent gore.

How the game actually plays

ROUTINE is a first-person science-fiction horror game set on an abandoned lunar base shaped by an 1980s vision of the future. You move through very different spaces, from deteriorating living quarters and tram stations to an abandoned mall, looking for evidence about why the base went quiet. There are no waypoint markers, so noticing the layout, reading terminals and recognizing landmarks are part of making progress rather than chores around a map.

Your Cosmonaut Assistance Tool, or C.A.T., is both a practical interface and a source of clues: the Store says it can access critical terminals, help navigate and identify evidence. The threat changes the meaning of exploration, because the enemy believes you are the danger. You may keep investigating, retreat and hide, or try to defend yourself with the C.A.T. as a last resort; the game asks you to judge when information is worth the risk.

Choose it if you enjoy slow, atmospheric exploration where listening and reading a room matter as much as moving forward. Its minimal interface and missing waypoints support immersion, but they also mean the game will not constantly tell you where to go. The Store warns of frequent violence or gore, so the tense mood and mature horror content may be a poor fit if you want action without disturbing scenes or clear objective markers.

At a new junction, pause and pick out a landmark you can recognize on the return trip; a small mental route map is more useful here than rushing toward the next door. Read terminal records and environmental signs before leaving a room, then use the C.A.T. when a machine or clue gives you a reason to. When danger appears, remember that running or hiding is a real option and that the tool is described as a last resort for defense.

Steam Store: ROUTINE ↗

Before you buy

The enemy believes you are the threat, so running or hiding is the main response and the C.A.T. is kept as a last resort. If you want to push through by force, this is not that game. Players who enjoy that pressure will find it holds up across a long session.

This is single-player only, with no co-op or PvP, so the whole experience is solo. The controller is fully supported, and the Steam Deck status is playable rather than verified, so expect to adjust settings for the handheld. The only add-on listed is the official soundtrack, so there is no expansion to weigh. The Windows minimum asks for 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 1060 or RX 570, and 10 GB of storage. Korean and Japanese cover interface and subtitles, which means reading the in-game text rather than hearing localized voice work.

Outer Wilds is the related game with a guide, and it is the natural comparison here. ROUTINE's defining difference is that curiosity turns into survival once the base goes quiet, and an enemy who treats you as the danger keeps that pressure on. If that pressure is the draw, ROUTINE is the pick.

Consider it if you want

• Choose it if you enjoy slow, atmospheric exploration where listening and reading a room matter as much as moving forward.
• Its minimal interface and missing waypoints support immersion, but they also mean the game will not constantly tell you where to go.

At a new junction, pause and pick out a landmark you can recognize on the return trip; a small mental route map is more useful here than rushing toward the next door. Read terminal records and environmental signs before leaving a room, then use the C.A.T. when a machine or clue gives you a reason to. When danger appears, remember that running or hiding is a real option and that the tool is described as a last resort for defense.

You might prefer something else if

Choose it if you enjoy slow, atmospheric exploration where listening and reading a room matter as much as moving forward. Its minimal interface and missing waypoints support immersion, but they also mean the game will not constantly tell you where to go. The Store warns of frequent violence or gore, so the tense mood and mature horror content may be a poor fit if you want action without disturbing scenes or clear objective markers.

ROUTINE beginner tips

1. Run or hide before using the C.A.T.Running or hiding is the main response to threats. The C.A.T. is a last resort for defense, where it can temporarily stun an enemy.
2. Batteries power the C.A.T.Batteries power the C.A.T., and you find them while exploring levels with hidden areas. Save them for terminals and clues that need the tool.
3. Mark a landmark at each junctionAt a new junction, pick out a landmark you can recognize on the return trip. A small mental route map helps more than rushing toward the next door.
4. Read terminals and signs before leaving a roomThere are no waypoints, so read terminal records and environmental signs before you leave a room to work out where to go next.

Games like ROUTINE

• Outer Wilds

  Choose it if you want to read a space and piece together how places connect, with a guide ready when you get stuck.

• Portal 2

  Choose it if you want first-person puzzles built on precise rules and a scripted story, with a lighter tone than ROUTINE.

Frequently asked questions