NextGameLike
Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

45 Games like Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter that you should try

Games like Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter · Find similar →

Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is hard to replace: few games combine shooting mechanics, dark, oppressive atmosphere and melee combat in quite the same way. The NextGameLike team compared Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter against over 6,700 titles across 13 gameplay attributes and found 45 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Nuclear Throne, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth and Paint the Town Red lead the list, with Nuclear Throne reaching a 91/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter special.

NextGameLike88/ 100

Did you find what you were looking for?

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS
Tags
DarkHardcoreSoloMultiplayer
Year 2001Dev Croteam

Quick answer

The closest game to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is Nuclear Throne — scoring 91/100 on our similarity scale. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth and Paint the Town Red follow close behind.

🗳️

Help us build the best rankings

Community powered

Vote on each result below — good match or not. Every vote directly shapes how we rank similar games for everyone.

Top games similar to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

45 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter. 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.

1

Nuclear Throne

91
NGL89
Nuclear Throne
Closest overall match
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeRangedHardcoreSci-Fi
Year 2015Dev VlambeerPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Genre puts it alongside Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter, and so does punishing difficulty, melee combat and a sci-fi setting. To that it adds single-player focus. They part company on visuals and setting: this one brings post-apocalyptic world and pixel art.

Released 14 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone74Setting63Visuals0
2

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

88
NGL91
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloCo-opMultiplayerOfflineMeleeRangedDarkHardcore
Year 2014Dev NicalisPlaytime ~31hOn PC · PS · Xbox

It comes from the same genre as Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter and shares dark, oppressive atmosphere, melee combat and single-player focus. The distance is in setting and visuals — its own ground is horror setting and an isometric view.

Released 13 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Game mode100Tone92Combat84Setting0Visuals0
3

Paint the Town Red

87
NGL82
Paint the Town Red
Closest on tone
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeRangedDarkHardcoreFirst Person
Year 2015Dev South East GamesPlaytime ~4hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh

It shares the essentials of what Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter does: dark, oppressive atmosphere, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds a first-person view. They part company on setting and visuals: this one brings horror setting and an isometric view.

Released 14 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Combat100Tone100Game mode90Visuals68Setting0
4

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

85
NGL87
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
Closest on setting
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Year 2009Dev Croteam · Devolver DigitalOn PC

If Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter worked for you because of dark, oppressive atmosphere, melee combat and a sci-fi setting, the same is here. Both also lean on multiplayer gameplay and a first-person view. The distance is in combat — its own ground is online features.

Same studio: Croteam.

Genre100Tone100Setting100Visuals100Game mode81Combat51
5

Enter the Gungeon

84
NGL87
Enter the Gungeon
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineRangedMeleeHardcore
Year 2016Dev Dodge Roll · Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Shelved next to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter for good reason: punishing difficulty, ranged combat and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is setting and visuals: fantasy world and an isometric view.

Released 15 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone70Setting0Visuals0
6

Cuphead

83
NGL91
Cuphead
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineRangedMeleeHardcore
Year 2017Dev Studio MDHR · StudioMDHR EntertainmentPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Same family as Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter: punishing difficulty, ranged combat and single-player focus. Where the two diverge is setting and visuals: a cartoon aesthetic and 2D presentation.

Released 16 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Game mode100Combat85Tone78Setting0Visuals0
7

DOOM

82
NGL92
DOOM
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opRangedMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Year 1993Dev SEGAOn PC · PS · Xbox

What brings it close to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is dark, oppressive atmosphere, ranged combat and a sci-fi setting, and the two track each other on genre, combat and tone. Both also lean on single-player focus and a first-person view. The distance is in setting — its own ground is horror setting.

It predates Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Tone100Visuals100Game mode90Setting67
8

Brotato

80
NGL88
Brotato
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineRangedMeleeHardcoreSci-Fi
Year 2022Dev BlobfishPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

If Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter worked for you because of punishing difficulty, ranged combat and a sci-fi setting, the same is here. To that it adds multiplayer gameplay. They part company on visuals and tone: this one brings a casual, approachable feel and an isometric view.

Released 21 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Setting100Tone50Visuals0
9

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

79
NGL88
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerRangedMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Year 2007Dev GSC Game WorldPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

Same family as Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter: dark, oppressive atmosphere, ranged combat and a sci-fi setting. The common ground extends to single-player focus and a first-person view. Where the two diverge is setting and game mode: strong narrative focus and post-apocalyptic world.

Released 6 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Visuals100Combat80Tone66Game mode61Setting36
10

Metal Slug X

78
NGL85
Metal Slug X
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcore
Year 1999Dev SNKOn Linux · Android · PC

Same family as Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter: punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. The distance is in visuals and combat — its own ground is 2D presentation.

Genre100Game mode100Combat54Tone54Visuals0
11

Roboquest

74
NGL88
Roboquest
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opRangedMeleeHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Year 2020Dev RyseUp StudiosPlaytime ~4hOn PC

Held in common with Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter: punishing difficulty, ranged combat and a sci-fi setting. To that it adds multiplayer gameplay and a first-person view. They part company on setting: this one brings post-apocalyptic world.

Released 19 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Combat100Visuals100Game mode73Tone70Setting56
12

SCP: Secret Laboratory

72
NGL91
SCP: Secret Laboratory
ShooterFPSArena FPS
MultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Year 2017Dev Northwood StudiosOn PC

On paper it is what Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is — dark, oppressive atmosphere, melee combat and a sci-fi setting — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. Both also lean on a first-person view and multiplayer gameplay. The distance is in combat and setting — its own ground is a casual, approachable feel and horror setting.

Released 16 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Visuals100Game mode69Tone58Setting50Combat45
13

Quake III Arena

71
NGL92
Quake III Arena
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerRangedMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Year 1999Dev id Software · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Apple Macintosh

What brings it close to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is dark, oppressive atmosphere, ranged combat and a sci-fi setting, and the two track each other on genre, combat and setting. To that it adds a first-person view and single-player focus. They part company on game mode and tone: this one brings competitive edge and PvP competition.

Genre100Combat100Setting100Visuals100Tone61Game mode53
14

Ultimate Chicken Horse

72
NGL88
Ultimate Chicken Horse
ShooterFPSArena FPS
MultiplayerOfflineCo-opSoloMeleeHardcore
Year 2016Dev NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios · Clever Endeavour GamesPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Xbox

On paper it is what Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is — punishing difficulty, melee combat and multiplayer gameplay — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. Where the two diverge is visuals and tone: a casual, approachable feel and 2D presentation.

Released 15 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Genre100Game mode78Combat45Tone27Visuals0
15

Broforce

73
NGL85
Broforce
ShooterFPS
MultiplayerCo-opSoloOfflineMeleeRangedDarkSci-Fi
Year 2015Dev Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Apple Macintosh

With Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter it shares shooting mechanics, dark, oppressive atmosphere and melee combat. Both also lean on a sci-fi setting and multiplayer gameplay. The distance is in visuals and tone — its own ground is a casual, approachable feel and pixel art.

Released 14 years after Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

Combat100Game mode100Setting100Genre75Tone39Visuals0

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 Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter by category

If Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the adventure or the dark 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.

Rankings in the same genre

Sometimes what you want is not a Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter 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.