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The Messenger

6 Games like The Messenger on Mobile that you should try

Games like The Messenger · Find similar →

We filtered the 42 games similar to The Messenger down to the 6 that fit the “Mobile” category. Carrion, Teslagrad and Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to The Messenger.

NextGameLike87/ 100

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GenreAdventureSubgenreMetroidvania
Tags
HardcoreSolo
Year 2018Dev Sabotage

Quick answer

Within the “Mobile” category, the closest game to The Messenger is Carrion — scoring 84/100 on our similarity scale. Teslagrad and Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap follow close behind.

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The best games like The Messenger on Mobile

6 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to The Messenger. Each one has been evaluated across 9 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

Carrion

84
NGL85
Carrion
Closest overall match
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreExplorationPixel Art2D
Year 2020Dev Phobia Game Studio · Devolver DigitalOn PS4 · Linux · Android

What brings it close to The Messenger is punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, combat and game mode. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and pixel art. The distance is in tone — its own ground is dark, oppressive atmosphere.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Tone47
2

Teslagrad

82
NGL82
Teslagrad
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreExploration2D
Year 2013Dev Rain Games · CIRCLE EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux

It shares the essentials of what The Messenger does: punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is puzzle design and strong narrative focus.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Tone75Visuals55
3

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap

82
NGL83
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreExploration2D
Year 2017Dev Lizardcube · DotEmuOn PS4 · Linux · Android

It shares the essentials of what The Messenger does: punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. They part company on visuals and tone: this one brings cozy, relaxing feel.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Tone68Visuals55
4

Dead Cells

82
NGL91
Dead Cells
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreExploration2DPixel Art
Year 2018Dev Plug In DigitalPlaytime ~10hOn PC · PS · Xbox

It shares the essentials of what The Messenger does: punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and 2D presentation. They part company on tone: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere.

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Combat71Tone56
5

VVVVVV

81
NGL85
VVVVVV
Closest on tone
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeHardcoreExplorationPixel Art2D
Year 2010Dev NicalisPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · iOS

What brings it close to The Messenger is punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus, and the two track each other on genre, combat and tone. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and pixel art. The distance is in game mode — its own ground is multiplayer gameplay.

It predates The Messenger by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Tone100Progression100Visuals100Game mode56
6

Waking Mars

73
NGL76
Waking Mars
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeExploration2DNarrative
Year 2012Dev Tiger Style · Tiger Style GamesPlaytime ~1hOn PC · iOS · Android

If The Messenger worked for you because of exploration and discovery, melee combat, and single-player focus, the same is here. Both also lean on 2D presentation. The distance is in tone and visuals — its own ground is strong narrative focus.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals55Tone0

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 The Messenger by category

If The Messenger left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the hardcore or the melee 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 The Messenger 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.