Games like Cave Story+ · Find similar →
We filtered the 41 games similar to Cave Story+ down to the 14 that fit the “Xbox” category. Supraland, Cuphead and Condemned: Criminal Origins top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Cave Story+.
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Within the “Xbox” category, the closest game to Cave Story+ is Supraland — scoring 69/100 on our similarity scale. Cuphead and Condemned: Criminal Origins follow close behind.
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Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Cave Story+. Each one has been evaluated across 14 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.
Its point of contact with Cave Story+ is shooting mechanics, ranged combat and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery. Where the two diverge is visuals: a first-person view.
Released 9 years after Cave Story+.
Genre puts it alongside Cave Story+, and so does punishing difficulty, ranged combat and single-player focus. Both also lean on 2D presentation. The distance is in setting and game mode — its own ground is a cartoon aesthetic and multiplayer gameplay.
Released 7 years after Cave Story+.
Same family as Cave Story+: strong narrative focus, melee combat and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is setting and visuals: horror setting and a first-person view.
It comes from the same genre as Cave Story+ and shares punishing difficulty, melee combat and a sci-fi setting. Both also lean on single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and setting — its own ground is a cyberpunk setting and an isometric view.
Released 7 years after Cave Story+.
The genre is the same as Cave Story+’s, and with it strong narrative focus, ranged combat and a sci-fi setting. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on visuals and setting: this one brings post-apocalyptic world and multiplayer gameplay.
Shelved next to Cave Story+ for good reason: punishing difficulty, melee combat and a sci-fi setting. The common ground extends to pixel art and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is game mode and setting: post-apocalyptic world and multiplayer gameplay.
Released 5 years after Cave Story+.
The genre is the same as Cave Story+’s, and with it punishing difficulty, ranged combat and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and pixel art. Where the two diverge is setting and game mode: fantasy world and multiplayer gameplay.
Released 6 years after Cave Story+.
It comes from the same genre as Cave Story+ and shares strong narrative focus, melee combat and single-player focus. The distance is in setting and visuals — its own ground is stealth mechanics and horror setting.
Released 7 years after Cave Story+.
It comes from the same genre as Cave Story+ and shares punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. The distance is in setting and visuals — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere and horror setting.
Released 5 years after Cave Story+.
It comes from the same genre as Cave Story+ and shares punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds pixel art. They part company on visuals and tone: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and an isometric view.
The thread back to Cave Story+ runs through punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. Both also lean on 2D presentation. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is an isometric view.
Released 5 years after Cave Story+.
Shelved next to Cave Story+ for good reason: punishing difficulty, melee combat and a sci-fi setting. The common ground extends to single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals and setting: a cyberpunk setting and a first-person view.
Released 10 years after Cave Story+.
Shelved next to Cave Story+ for good reason: punishing difficulty, ranged combat and a sci-fi setting. Both also lean on single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and game mode — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere and horror setting.
It predates Cave Story+ by 17 years, with what that implies technically.
Shelved next to Cave Story+ for good reason: punishing difficulty, melee combat and a sci-fi setting. The common ground extends to single-player focus and pixel art. Where the two diverge is game mode and visuals: multiplayer gameplay and a third-person camera.
Released 6 years after Cave Story+.
Found one on the list you already love? Open its own list: the games that play most like it, ranked, with the reason for each.
If Cave Story+ left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the platformer or the adventure that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on PlayStation, Xbox and Mobile, filter by platform and skip the games you could not play anyway.
Sometimes what you want is not a Cave Story+ look-alike but simply the best Arena FPS Games there are. That is what these rankings are for: no comparison to anything, just the highest-rated games. And if you feel like widening the net, the Shooter Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.