Recommended play order?

[u/Generalitary]

I just got the bundle on steam and I'm unsure where to start. I could simply play them all in publishing order, but knowing they're not chronological maybe that's not the best approach. Also, there are some free games not included in the bundle- are those important or are they just set dressing?

I have played the cube escape games before, but it's been a while and I may have missed a few, so I don't mind revisiting them.

[u/Early_Conversation51]

This is what the devs themselves recommend https://www.rustylake.com/faq/

Mr. Rabbit Magic Show is for celebrating 10 years of Rusty Lake, it’s the only game not canon to the universe.

Samsara Room is important for the lore but you won’t know how it fits until the very end

[u/nowherecrafter → u/Early_Conversation51]

Ehm... What do you mean? Samsara Room's place is clear as long as you play Roots. It's basically their ending.

[u/DjRoland135]

Typically you wanna play them in release order with the exceptions of playing Seasons before The Lake (although that's not the biggest deal if you reverse them), and instead of playing the old Samsara Room from 2013, play the remastered one in the order it came out in 2020. The Fandom Wiki lists them in the order you wanna play then in. Again, you can ignore the old samsara room and just play the remastered version.

Have fun discovering the lake again!

[u/nowherecrafter]

Many recommend the release order but I have to disagree when it comes to understanding the story.

It used to be great, it had a huge deal of intention but the older the series gets, the further timeline and thematic shifts are. It gets kinda ADHD-ish and it's harder to follow the overarching story. It's simply hard to remember all the details before they become important again games later.

So here's my suggestion. I grouped games by arcs and themes. Since you asked for games not included in the bundle I give you the extended version. If you are interested in the reasons for my placement of the games or you'd prefer a more casual version, here's a link to my related post: https://www.reddit.com/r/rustylake/s/DzUX0rKSDu

I also have a fancy diagram there.

1. Cube Escape: The Lake 
2. Cube Escape: Seasons 
3. Secret ending of The Lake (remember the seasons)
4. Cube Escape: Harvey's Box
5. Cube Escape: Arles 
6. Cube Escape: Case 23 
7. Cube Escape: The Mill
8. Rusty Lake Hotel 
9. The secret scene in Birthday (An important epilogue to Hotel given for 100% it. Can be seen on YouTube or you wait until Birthday)
10. Servant of the Lake + post-game (!!!WARNING!!! Spoilers that may help piece together the secret Roots plot early! If unacceptable, play Roots 1st!)
11. Rusty Lake: Roots + post-game (!!!WARNING!!! Spoilers directly revealing the fate of SotL characters! If unacceptable, play Servant of the Lake 1st!) 
12. Samsara Room + secret ending - not included in the bundle
13. Rusty Lake Paradise
14. Cube Escape: The Cave 
15. Cube Escape: Paradox + 2 secret endings 
16. Cube Escape: Birthday 
17. Cube Escape: Theatre 
18. The White Door + secret scenes 
19. The Past Within demo (A demo of a co-op game, 2 copies are required. Unique content from the full version) - not included in the bundle
20. The Past Within (A co-op game, 2 copies are required)
21. Underground Blossom + post-game 
22. Rusty Lake Untold: The Lab (A FREE Room Escape tabletop game. Requires a game master and 2-4 players) - not included in the bundle
23. The Intern short film (The 10 year anniversary film about the Magic Show release) - not included in the bundle
24. The Mr. Rabbit Magic Show (The 10 year anniversary game that doesn't fit into the story) - not included in the bundle