
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person story-driven mystery. Purchase this game to get both the original and the Unreal Engine 4 remaster called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux.
Modeled estimate, not a reported figure. How we estimate →
Prices
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About
GOOD NEWS EVERYONE: By purchasing the game, you actually get two games now: 1) The original The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, 2) The Unreal Engine 4 remaster called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux. Please see The Astronauts website for details.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person story-driven mystery game that focuses entirely on exploration and discovery. It contains no combat or explosions of any kind. If our game leaves any scars, we hope you won’t be able to see them.
You play the game as Paul Prospero, an occult-minded detective who receives a disturbing letter from Ethan Carter. Realizing the boy is in grave danger, Paul arrives at Ethan’s home of Red Creek Valley, where things turn out to be even worse than he imagined. Ethan has vanished in the wake of a brutal murder, which Paul quickly discerns might not be the only local murder worth looking into.
Inspired by the weird fiction (and other tales of the macabre) from the early twentieth century, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter aims to significantly evolve immersive storytelling in games. While it features a private detective and quite a few mental challenges, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is not an especially puzzle-ridden game. Our focus is on atmosphere, mood, and the essential humanity of our characters.
Still, the discoveries won’t happen on their own, or without your help. Using both Paul’s supernatural skill of being able to communicate with the dead, and your own powers of observation, you will discover the mystery behind a trail of corpses, the roots of a dark ancient force lurking in Red Creek Valley, and the fate of a missing boy.
Explore and interact with the beautiful yet ominous world of Red Creek Valley, which was created with the use of revolutionary photogrammetry technology that allows for nearly photorealistic environments.
Communicate with the dead and see how they died in order to gather clues that help you piece together the truth behind Ethan’s disappearance -- and the fate of his family.
Experience, in non-linear fashion, a story that combines the pleasures of pulp, private eye, and horror fiction, all of it inspired by writers such as Raymond Chandler, Algernon Blackwood, Stefan Grabinski, and H. P. Lovecraft.
Conduct the investigation on your own terms and at your own pace. Although there are a few scary bits in the game, players will have no need for sedatives. Our game is less about terror and more about clammy unease.
Add-ons
Each DLC is estimated with the same model as a game, then summed — a modeled figure, not reported DLC sales.
Sums Steam only; PlayStation, GOG, Xbox, Epic publish no volume signal, so the true total is higher by an unknown amount.
| Store | Price | Audience | Score | Chart | Est. revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SteamYou are here | $19.99 | 9Kreviews | 88% | — | $3.2M |
| $19.99 | 8.4Kratings | 88% | — | not modelled | |
Updates
Build ids and update times come straight from Steam's PICS — the same source SteamDB reads. Patch history grows as we record new builds.
Engagement
Reviews
Themes across 807 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
Reviews
In one hour of my playthrough i managed to: - be obducted by alien spaceship after chasing an astronaut in a forest - find out about some an evil demon - listen to the most cliche pseudophilosophical monologue I've ever heard - skip tutorial, which was so hidden it almost seemed like the developers didn't want me to understand the mechanics The plot didn't grab my interest at all, so I decided to drop it. I really wish it was a more linear walking simulator, because the world is utterly stunning. Unfortunately, The Astronauts decided to add annoying "detective mode" and generic enviormental puzzles. I think it's a game "you're supposed to like" as a open-minded player, but in reality it falls short when compared to great walking simulators such as Dear Esther, Hellblade, or even games as simple as Shelter. Steam didn't let me review the Redux version, since my very short playtime.
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Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English*, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Polish*, Czech*languages with full audio support
| $19.99 |
| 657ratings |
| 82% |
| — |
| not modelled |
| $19.99 | 401ratings | 82% | — | not modelled |
| $19.99 | — | 85% | — | not modelled |
Matched by title — a reused name can pair the wrong games. * is a critic aggregate. Prices and positions are each store's United States storefront; Epic charts worldwide. Audience and Score too, except Steam's, which is worldwide.
Hours played at review time, across 808 reviews with recorded playtime.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
It's really hard to speak about this game without getting into spoiler territory. I can say this though. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a relaxing and intriguing game with a lot of surprises up its sleeve. One minute you're playing a detective game, trying to find clues. The next minute you're playing a Lovecraftian horror game. One minute you're relaxed and the next minute you're like WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥!!!??? The game all around is fantastic but I would have to say that the best part about this game are the gigantic landscapes and mountains you see in the distance. This is the very first game that has made me say "Wow" out loud. The visuals work in its favour as well, the landscapes are absolutely jaw dropping and I have taken at least 20 screenshots of this game just so I can post them to my steam profile. I don't have any gripes with this game... For the most part. I can see the ending pissing off a LOT of people, for how far everyone has come and for them to see that ending, I think people will be disappointed. I can personally I wasn't disappointed but I wasn't satisfied. I would buy this game for the visuals and backdrops alone, they're that magnificent. I am so glad I got to this game and I will definitely play this again sometime.
"This game does not hold your hand" You might say the game warned me. But when I read that I expected it to be challenging. Not ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ make me walk aimlessly for an hour. Maybe it gets better, maybe I haven't gotten to the good part yet. But the thing is... it is taking waay too long to get the the good part. No mini map, no directions, no fast travel, no manual save... Am I supposed to walk aimlessly for hours until I find something I can zoom into and inspect? And if I quit do I have to go through it all over again? Yes and it sucks. Even a walking simulator would have an interesting voice over story or good music at least!! This game just has this engine like wind sound blowing in your ears the entire time you play. Why would anyone want this??
The most recent game in my effort to play more cool short indie games that tell stories unique to the medium of games. I wasn't disappointed, Ethan Carter is really good. On a surface level the game is absolutely gorgeous, and I don't just mean the graphics. The game is really good at purposely framing it's beautiful landscapes to look like pieces of art. I also love how ambiguous the story can be, and the payoff when you solve the mystery at the end is really great. It doesn't feel unfair or cheap. Totally recommend if you want a short, impactful game.
superbe histoire dont on imagine pas la fin. J'y rejoue régulièrement. L'environnement et l'ambiance sont superbes.
Это лучший детектив в который я играл. Музыка и визуал великолепны
A perfect example of a story driven game. There are not many game mechanics but I enjoyed the whole experience and the visuals are really stunning. The end was really hard.
(Ben redux sürümünü oynadım ve bitirmek 2,9 saatimi aldı. Tüm inceleme ona göre yazıldı. Burdaki oynama saati ise kart düşsün diye.) Güzel bir yürüme similasyonu [h1] Hikaye [/h1] Adı üstünde kaybolan Ethanı bulmak için uğraşıyoruz ve hikaye beklemediğiniz ama güzel bir yönde ilerliyor. [h1] Oynanış [/h1] Yani yok gibi, yürüyorsun arada tıklıyorsun o kadar ama bazı bulmacalar cidden adamı çıldırtıyor, internetten bakmadan oyunu bitirmek ciddi vakit alır. Ve vaktinizin çoğunu yürümek alıyor. Atmosfer ise çok iyi, oldukça gerici bir çevresi var. Hiçbir şey çıkmıyor olsa bile diken üstünde oynuyorsunuz. [h1] Grafikler [/h1] Motorun tüm nimetlerinden yararlanmışlar oldukça güzel grafikleri var
it's so bad i cried from boredom
Одна из игр, которая запала мне в душу ещё давно... Музыка, история, атмосфера. И если меня спросят, какую игру посоветовать в таком жанре, то я сразу отвечу: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Ещё маленьким, не имея своего ПК, я смотрел видеообзоры игр от разных блогеров и случайно наткнулся на этот шедевр, но со временем забыл о нём. И вот у меня появился свой собственный ПК. Я покупал игры, но они меня не сильно затягивали. А через какое-то время я увидел это и сразу понял, что должен купить это прямо сейчас. После покупки и запуска игры меня бросило в дрожь: какая же всё-таки атмосферная и классная графика, которую не передать через летсплеи. Хочется просто осмотреть всё, что есть на карте, ведь тут всё сделано со вкусом. Для своего года выпуска игра это просто золото (чисто субъективное мнение). Если затронуть сюжет, то он может показаться запутанным для многих, и я не исключение) Если коротко : мы играем за детектива, которому пришло письмо о помощи от мальчика Итана. Детектив Пол приходит в то место, где жил мальчик, и там он начинает расследование, решая загадки с помощью своей сверхспособности, он видит прошлое. Сама игра говорит, что не будет вести нас за руку по сюжету, и я думаю, что это её достоинство. Дальше ты просто решаешь загадки, параллельно узнавая всё больше о лоре. В конце мы видим призрачного мальчика, то есть самого Итана, который умер от угарного газа, лёжа на матрасе. Я видел много теорий о сюжете этой игры, но больше всего придерживаюсь именно такого варианта: Итан и есть спящий (как в конце). Все сцены, которые видел Пол через свою способность, это отражение всех ссор, которые были в семье и которые видел маленький Итан. Все его ругали, придирались и не прислушивались к нему, но был тот, кого Итан любил, это дед (вроде Эд). Одна из сцен, которую раскрыл Пол: где Эд спасает Итана от его брата Трэвиса. От бесконечных ссор и непонимания Итан сделал себе потайную комнату в подвале. Там он создавал рассказ или историю про Пола, очень умного детектива, который разгадывал загадки. В один из моментов, когда он сидел в своём убежище, к нему спустилась вся семья из-за того, что мать закатила скандал. В этой суматохе они опрокинули керосиновую лампу которая подожгла их деревянный дом. Дверь Итана завалило деревянными палками, и он не смог открыть её, чтобы спастись вместе с семьей. В последние минуты он вспомнил про своего выдуманного детектива и подумал, как тот спасёт его. Эта мысль была с ним до самой смерти. Самая душераздирающая мысль это то, что мы всё время играли за Пола, который был выдуман мальчиком. Мальчик очень сильно любил своего персонажа, так что даже умирая, думал о нём и хотел, чтобы он спас его.
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