What Never Was

First-person puzzle adventure about secrets in a grandfather's attic

Acke Hallgren · Released Jan 11, 2019

Reviews: Very Positive; 95% of 5,108
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 100% of 11 in 30 days
Players: 3; daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck: Verified
Last update on Steam: 7 years ago; Apr 22, 2019
Minimum PC: DX11 compatible; 4 GB RAM · 0.7 GB disk; Full requirements

What is What Never Was?

You play as Sarah in a short, first-person adventure set in her late grandfather's attic. Sent to clear it out, she examines objects, solves small puzzles, and pieces together his story.

For you if...

+you enjoy inspecting objects for clues in one setting
+you prefer straightforward puzzles and a brief story

Not for you if...

−you want a longer adventure with more challenging puzzles

What players say

95% of 5,108 reviews are positive · 100% of 11 in the last 30 days

Players praise the attic atmosphere, voice acting, and story. The most common complaint is that the game ends just as the story gets going, with too few puzzles.

How many players finish What Never Was?

55% of Steam players have unlocked «What Never Was», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

What Never Was system requirements

Minimum: DX11 compatible, 4 GB RAM, 0.7 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run What Never Was?

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Minimum

OS: Windows 7 64-bit (requires 64 bit OS)
Processor: Dual Core Processor, 2.5 GHz or higher
Graphics: DX11 compatible video card
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 700 MB available space
DirectX: Version 11

Does What Never Was have co-op or multiplayer?

No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.

Single-player

Does What Never Was run on Steam Deck?

Verified Yes, Verified by Valve: it works on Steam Deck out of the box.

All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Shows Steam Deck controller icons
In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
External controllers are not supported for the primary player

PC version details

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Achievements: 6
Steam features: Family Sharing
Languages: Full audio: English.

Does What Never Was use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 25, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam