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Dead Cells

35 Games like Dead Cells that you should try

Games like Dead Cells · Find similar →

Dead Cells is hard to replace: few games combine adventure storytelling, punishing difficulty and procedural generation in quite the same way. The NextGameLike team compared Dead Cells against over 6,700 titles across 17 gameplay attributes and found 35 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Rogue Legacy, Rogue Legacy 2 and Carrion lead the list, with Rogue Legacy reaching a 85/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes Dead Cells special.

NextGameLike90/ 100

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GenreAdventureSubgenreMetroidvania
Tags
HardcoreDarkSolo
Year 2018Dev Plug In Digital

Quick answer

The closest game to Dead Cells is Rogue Legacy — scoring 85/100 on our similarity scale. Rogue Legacy 2 and Carrion follow close behind.

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Top games similar to Dead Cells

35 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Dead Cells. Each one has been evaluated across 17 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.

1

Rogue Legacy

85
NGL89
Rogue Legacy
Closest overall match
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloRangedMeleeProceduralFantasyExploration2DPixel Art
Year 2013Dev Abstraction Games · Cellar Door GamesOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux

What brings it close to Dead Cells is procedural generation, ranged combat and fantasy world, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and world. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. The distance is in setting — its own ground is a medieval setting.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals100Combat78
2

Rogue Legacy 2

79
NGL90
Rogue Legacy 2
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreProceduralExploration2D
Year 2022Dev Cellar Door GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

What brings it close to Dead Cells is punishing difficulty, procedural generation and melee combat, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and world. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. They part company on tone and visuals.

Released 4 years after Dead Cells.

Genre100Game mode100World100Progression100Combat68Visuals55
3

Carrion

68
NGL85
Carrion
Closest on tone
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeDarkNarrativeHardcoreExplorationPixel Art2D
Year 2020Dev Phobia Game Studio · Devolver DigitalOn PS4 · Linux · Android

It shares the essentials of what Dead Cells does: dark, oppressive atmosphere, melee combat and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and pixel art. Where the two diverge is setting: horror setting.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Progression100Visuals100Combat71
4

Berry

62
NGL99
Berry
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeNarrativeExploration2DPixel Art
Year 2021Dev Leuns · DegicaPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Web

Held in common with Dead Cells: strong narrative focus, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. They part company on tone: this one brings cozy, relaxing feel.

Released 3 years after Dead Cells.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals84Combat74Tone25
5

The Messenger

63
NGL88
The Messenger
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreExplorationPixel Art2D
Year 2018Dev Sabotage · Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Dead Cells is punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and progression. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and pixel art. The distance is in tone.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Combat71Tone56
6

Owlboy

64
NGL84
Owlboy
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeNarrativeFantasyExplorationPixel Art2D
Year 2016Dev D-Pad StudioPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Xbox

If Dead Cells worked for you because of strong narrative focus, melee combat and fantasy world, the same is here. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on tone: this one brings cozy, relaxing feel.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Setting72Combat71
7

Hollow Knight: Silksong

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NGL90
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Closest on setting
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeNarrativeFantasyExploration2D
Year 2025Dev Team CherryOn Xbox · PS4 · Linux

What brings it close to Dead Cells is strong narrative focus, melee combat and fantasy world, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and setting. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. They part company on tone and visuals.

Released 7 years after Dead Cells.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Progression100Combat66Visuals54
8

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap

63
NGL83
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreFantasyExploration2D
Year 2017Dev Lizardcube · DotEmuOn PS4 · Linux · Android

What brings it close to Dead Cells is punishing difficulty, melee combat and fantasy world, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and setting. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. The distance is in tone and visuals — its own ground is cozy, relaxing feel.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Progression100Combat73Visuals55
9

Raider Kid and the Ruby Chest

63
NGL78
Raider Kid and the Ruby Chest
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeFantasyExploration2D
Year 2003Dev Jupiter · NintendoOn Nintendo

If Dead Cells worked for you because of melee combat, fantasy world and single-player focus, the same is here. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. Where they diverge is visuals.

It predates Dead Cells by 15 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Progression100Combat70Visuals54
10

Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit

65
NGL64
Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit
Closest on combat
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeRangedDarkExploration2D
Year 2012Dev Arkedo Studio · SEGAPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Dead Cells is dark, oppressive atmosphere, melee combat and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, combat and game mode. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. They part company on tone and visuals: this one brings puzzle design.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals55Tone36
11

Teslagrad

61
NGL82
Teslagrad
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreNarrativeExploration2D
Year 2013Dev Rain Games · CIRCLE EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux

Genre puts it alongside Dead Cells, and so does punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is setting and visuals: a sci-fi setting.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Tone71Combat66Visuals55
12

Metroid Dread

60
NGL86
Metroid Dread
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloHardcoreNarrativeExploration2D
Year 2021Dev Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development · NintendoOn Switch

On paper it is what Dead Cells is — exploration and discovery, punishing difficulty, and single-player focus — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. Both also lean on 2D presentation. The distance is in setting and visuals — its own ground is a sci-fi setting.

Released 3 years after Dead Cells.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Tone77Visuals54Setting0
13

The Fall

61
NGL82
The Fall
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkExploration2D
Year 2014Dev Over The MoonOn PS4 · Linux · PC

On paper it is what Dead Cells is — strong narrative focus, melee combat and single-player focus — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is setting and visuals: a sci-fi setting.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Combat69Tone65Visuals55
14

Gato Roboto

59
NGL85
Gato Roboto
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreExploration2DPixel Art
Year 2019Dev doinksoft · Devolver DigitalOn PC · Xbox · Switch

If Dead Cells worked for you because of punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus, the same is here. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and pixel art. They part company on setting and tone: this one brings cozy, relaxing feel and a sci-fi setting.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Combat72Tone42
15

Iconoclasts

59
NGL85
Iconoclasts
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeNarrativeExplorationPixel Art2D
Year 2018Dev Joakim Sandberg · Bifrost EntertainmentOn PS4 · Linux · PC

What brings it close to Dead Cells is strong narrative focus, melee combat and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and progression. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and pixel art. They part company on setting and tone: this one brings cozy, relaxing feel and a sci-fi setting.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Combat73Tone34

More similar-games lists to keep going

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.

Explore games similar to Dead Cells by category

If Dead Cells left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the RPG or the hardcore that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PlayStation, Xbox and Mobile, filter by platform and skip the games you could not play anyway.

Rankings in the same genre

Sometimes what you want is not a Dead Cells look-alike but simply the best Metroidvania 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 Adventure Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.