Phoning Home

Phoning Home

ION LANDS · February 7, 2017 · Adventure, Action, Indie, Survival, Open World Survival Craft

Phoning Home is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

PC
Mixed69% · 1,08461Metacritic
Best price
Free
Get it free on Steam

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Cheapest Phoning Home keys — keyshops

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Eneba
Standard Edition · Steam
$0.65
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Gameseal
Standard Edition · Steam
$0.79
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Kinguin
Standard Edition · Steam
$1.20
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CJS CD Keys
CJS CD Keys
Standard Edition · Steam
$1.59
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Screenshots

Phoning Home price

Phoning Home is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About Phoning Home

✦ AI summary

Guide two stranded robots across a hostile alien world full of environmental puzzles, combat encounters, and crafting challenges as you search for a way to contact home. Uncover the mysteries of an ancient alien civilization while protecting your eccentric companion ANI in this atmospheric blend of exploration, action, and mystery that features stunning dynamic environments from frozen peaks to scorching deserts.

A tale of survival about two shipwrecked robots - ION and ANI - on their life-defining journey in this unique genre-mix of exploration, puzzle and survival.

Phoning Home — game info

Platforms
Windows
Player modes
Single-player
Controller
Full controller support
PC Game Pass
Not included

DLC & expansions

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

✦ AI summary

Phoning Home is a survival exploration adventure that blends puzzles, crafting, and story around two robots stranded on an alien planet, with players praising its engaging exploration across diverse biomes, charming companion dynamics, and melancholic sci-fi atmosphere despite some logical inconsistencies and occasional bugs. The game resonates particularly with those seeking contemplative sci-fi experiences with meaningful companionship themes, though some find the companion character occasionally annoying. Players suggest it's worth experiencing, particularly given its modest price point.

Recommended Jun 2, 2026
peanut would love some pets and treats :)      🌸>  フ      |  _  _ l     /` ミ_xノ     /      |    /  ヽ   ノ   │  | | | / ̄|   | | | | ( ̄ヽ__ヽ_)__) \二つ
8 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 15, 2026
This game is a true gem. A hint of The Solus Project, a touch of WALL-E, and a whole lot of entertaining dialogue. Is it logical from beginning to end? No. Is the story consistent? No. Does it have bugs and glitches? Yes. None of the above really matters, though—it doesn’t diminish the fun at all. You find companionship in solitude, beauty in the dystopia of a vanished civilization, and meaning and purpose in the vastness of infinite emptiness. If you enjoy puzzles, exploring biomes, have a fascination with technology, and are looking for melancholic sci-fi, you’ll find plenty to love here. I’m practically thirsting for a sequel. As the alien says in the final dialogue: “I never give up hope.”
3 found this helpful
Recommended Aug 18, 2026
Phoning Home is an unusual science-fiction adventure that blends survival, exploration, crafting, puzzles, and light action into a journey built around isolation and companionship. Developed and published by ION LANDS, it casts the player as ION, a robotic exploration unit originally sent to gather natural resources. A catastrophic crash leaves ION stranded on an alien planet with a severely damaged ship, transforming what should have been a routine mission into a struggle to survive long enough to contact home. The premise works particularly well because ION is not presented as a conventional action hero. Exploration and problem solving are more important than simply destroying everything encountered. After setting out with the ship's artificial intelligence as the only source of company, ION eventually discovers ANI, another stranded robot whose eccentric personality contrasts nicely with the protagonist's comparatively reserved nature. ANI becomes central to both the story and gameplay, since escaping the planet increasingly depends on the two machines cooperating. Protecting her can occasionally resemble an escort mechanic and produce frustrating situations, but her presence a…
1 found this helpful
Recommended Aug 30, 2026
ani is either cronical stupid or stuck in the canyon where u find her trying to get up edit: nvm i just realised i need the attractor
Recommended Aug 17, 2026
Phoning Home is a survival adventure where I play as ION, a small exploration robot that crash lands on a strange alien planet after a mission goes badly wrong. From there I have to explore the planet, collect resources, repair equipment and find a way to contact home. It has a nice mix of exploration, survival, crafting and story, but what really makes it stand out to me is the relationship between ION and another robot called ANI. The whole journey feels lonely at first, and then gradually becomes much more about the two of them trying to survive together. The exploration is easily my favourite part. The planet is huge and has forests, deserts, snowy mountains, oceans, volcanoes and plenty of other areas that make travelling around feel like a proper adventure. I like having to look around for resources instead of simply being handed everything I need. There are also strange remains of an alien civilisation to discover, and the mystery surrounding the planet gives me a reason to keep exploring even when I am not following the main objective. The survival systems are fairly simple, but I think they work well for this type of game. I need to keep track of things like energy, fuel…
Recommended Jul 31, 2026
This has been a pretty fun survival game with some light crafting, the little companion can be a tad annoying but for free it's hard to beat

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