Games like Owlboy · Find similar →
Owlboy is hard to replace: few games combine adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and melee combat in quite the same way. The NextGameLike team compared Owlboy against over 6,700 titles across 13 gameplay attributes and found 38 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Ori and the Blind Forest, Iconoclasts, and Ato lead the list, with Iconoclasts reaching a 95/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes Owlboy special.
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The closest game to Owlboy is Iconoclasts — scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. Ori and the Blind Forest and Ato follow close behind.
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Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Owlboy. Each one has been evaluated across 13 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.
Of everything here, this is the nearest thing to Owlboy — the two agree on genre, combat and game mode. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. Where they diverge is setting.
Same family as Owlboy: strong narrative focus, melee combat and fantasy world. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. The distance is in visuals and progression — its own ground is loot and gear systems.
It shares the essentials of what Owlboy does: strong narrative focus, melee combat and fantasy world. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is tone and setting: punishing difficulty.
Released 3 years after Owlboy.
It shares the essentials of what Owlboy does: strong narrative focus, melee combat and a sci-fi setting. The common ground extends to 2D presentation and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is visuals and setting: punishing difficulty.
It shares the essentials of what Owlboy does: strong narrative focus, 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.
Released 8 years after Owlboy.
If Owlboy worked for you because of strong narrative focus, melee combat and single-player focus, the same is here. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and pixel art. They part company on tone: this one brings punishing difficulty.
Released 5 years after Owlboy.
If Owlboy worked for you because of strong narrative focus, melee combat and a sci-fi setting, the same is here. To that it adds pixel art and single-player focus. They part company on tone and setting: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and horror setting.
Released 4 years after Owlboy.
It shares the essentials of what Owlboy does: cozy, relaxing feel, melee combat and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. It sets itself apart with a top-down view.
Released 5 years after Owlboy.
What brings it close to Owlboy is strong narrative focus, melee combat and a sci-fi setting, and the two track each other on genre, combat and game mode. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. They part company on visuals and tone: this one brings punishing difficulty and a space setting.
Released 3 years after Owlboy.
It shares the essentials of what Owlboy does: strong narrative focus, melee combat and a sci-fi setting. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is tone and setting: dark, oppressive atmosphere and horror setting.
What brings it close to Owlboy is strong narrative focus, melee combat and a sci-fi setting, 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.
If Owlboy worked for you because of strong narrative focus, fantasy world and single-player focus, the same is here. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and pixel art. They part company on tone and setting: this one brings a casual, approachable feel.
The genre is the same as Owlboy’s, and with it cozy, relaxing feel, fantasy world and single-player focus. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is visuals and setting: open world exploration.
It shares the essentials of what Owlboy does: exploration and discovery, strong narrative focus, and single-player focus. Both also lean on pixel art. The distance is in tone — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere.
Released 3 years after Owlboy.
Shelved next to Owlboy for good reason: strong narrative focus, a sci-fi setting and single-player focus. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. The distance is in setting and visuals — its own ground is a space setting.
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 Owlboy left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the puzzle or the narrative 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.
Sometimes what you want is not a Owlboy 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.