A rogue-like, dungeon crawler game, Hades was both developed and published by Supergiant games, and it was released in the fall of 2020 for Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, and macOS.
In the summer of 2021, the title was released for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Playstation 4, and Playstation 5. It’s the latest title from Supergiant, which combined their complete catalog of indie entries, which made for an action-packed game that took the world by storm.
If you’re a fan of Hades & looking for other titles that offers the same type of gameplay, you’re in luck, Here are 10 Similar games …
Hades Game Features
Release Date: | September 17, 2020 |
Developer: | Supergiant Games |
Publisher: | Supergiant Games |
Platforms: | macOS Nintendo Switch Windows PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Xbox One Xbox Series X/S |
Genre: | Roguelike, action role-playing |
Setting: | Fantasy World |
Game Modes: | Single-player |
1. Vampire Survivors
First up on our list of games that are similar to Hades is Vampire Survivors. It was developed and published by Luca Galante, and was released in the end of 2021 on macOS and Windows.
The title is amazingly popular and it’s trending, which is really remarkable, as the description on Steam is minimal, and the marketing is virtually non-existent. At the time of writing, there were more than 78 thousand reviews on the largest gaming storefront in the world, which says all you need to know.
Anyway, Vampire Survivors is a shoot ‘em up-style RPG game, the objective of which is to make it through the night and nab as much gold as you possibly can for the survivors under your wing. You’re in charge of a whole cast of characters, who, under your direction, combat hordes of monsters.
Depending on the stage you choose, you’ll win when you go beyond the 15 to 30 minute time. You’re rewarded with gold for surviving, and the longer you stay alive, the more gold you’ll get.
The gold can be used to buy a variety of things, including weapons, survivors, and character stats. You can gather gems, too, which can also be used to boost character stats, among other things.
You’ll start the game by choosing your character, starting weapons, and bonuses. Once you’re set up, you’re off and ready to play on the game loop, which runs on never-ending repeat. If you die, you have to start over. With that said, each time you successfully finish a level, you’ll get to choose more skills, weapons, and passives.
2. Returnal
A third-person rogue-lite game, Returnal was developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was released in the summer of 2021 for Playstation 5.
You’ll play as a space pilot from a program dubbed “Astra”, named Selene Vassos, as she explores an alien planet with the hope of locating the source of an unusual signal, known as the “White Shadow”.
Selene’s discovery brings her to a time loop, which she then has to escape. There are two different endings to this game, so in essence, it’s an action RPG game.
Your travels will take you to six different biomes, each of which feature a number of randomized instances. There’s a time theme, which forces you to complete objectives on a timer, in many of the instances; picking loot or making it to a certain spot, for example. We should point out that combat in this game is quite a challenge.
Returnal is divided into two distinct parts, and each of these two parts features three unique biomes. If you end up dying at any point, you’ll automatically be sent right back to the start of the half that you’re playing, no matter how far you’ve already gone.
Additionally, you’ll need to look currencies in order to unlock permanent upgrades for the space pilot’s suit. Some of these upgrades are for traversal, and others provide passive boosts, such as additional damage or damage mitigation.
What really makes Returnal similar to Hades is that the gameplay features third-person shooting, which are combined with psychologically horrifiying elements; two features that make the game feel familiar. You’ll have access to a decent arsenal of firearms, melee weapons, and gadgets and gizmos. There are tons of temporary upgrades that you’ll get to test out on each run, too.
3. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
Next up we have The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. It’s a remake of the hugely popular indie rogue like game. The game was developed and published by Nicalis, and it was released back in 2014 on a slew of platforms, including Windows, Linux, macOS, SteamOS, PS4, PS5, PSVita, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, and iOS.
There are three expansions available for this title, and each expansion offers roughly 5 hours of playtime, giving you a total of 20 hours of rogue-lite shooting to enjoy. You can play solo or on local co-op mode.
The main character of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a depressing take on Isaac of the Bible. You play as Isaac, a young boy who is fighting back against his mother, who is attempting to sacrifice her son, and is convinced that by doing so, she is doing the work of God. The game features randomized instances, as well as old-school 16-bit graphics, which give it a cool retro vibe.
The story starts out in Isaac’s room, and the objective is to escape the watchful eye of his mother. There are five episodic areas to go through in all, and like any title in this genre, if you die, you’ll be sent directly back to the start.
On each run, you’ll collect items that you can use to customize your temporary build. You can also modify your abilities, style, and attributes with a variety of combinations. There’s a special currency, too, which you can use to purchase permanent upgrades.
The combat in The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is very similar to a multidirectional shooter game. You’ll move the character around the screen as you shoot and avoid projectiles that are coming at you from all directions. You can also use a variety of skills, toss bombs, and use the tools that you loot.
4. Diablo III
Diablo III is one of the oldest titles on our list, as it was released back in May of 2012. The title was developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, and it’s available for Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Hailed as the definitive hack and slash title, Diablo III is a game that fans of Hades simply have to check out. It’s an action RPG game; however, if you want an experience that’s more punishing, then you can play in the Hardcore for permadeath, but you won’t get permanent upgrades.
You will play as one of the seven classes, and you’ll play through a total of five acts, each of which features several randomized areas. Characters progress via an endless cycle of nabbing loot and leveling up so that they can unlock skills.
The leveling system featured in Diablo III is pretty basic, yet highly effective. It lets players test all of the skills that are available to them at each level without restarts or respecs. All you need to do is swap out your skills and skill modifiers on your active skill slots. We should point out, however, that the slots are limited.
There isn’t any WASD movement in Diablo III, but there is controller support. If you’re playing on PC, you can move and aim your skills with the click and then you can utilize the skills featured on your action bar for combat. The actions are fiery, flashy, isometric, and they’re definitely familiar to fans of rogue-like games.
If you prefer a more classic experience, check out Diablo II: Resurrected, which is the remake of one of the most iconic isometric dungeon-crawler titles.
5. Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain 2 was created by Hopoo Games and was published by Gearbox Software. It was released in the summer of 2020 on Windows, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. Like Hades, it’s a dungeon-crawler, rogue-like game, and the shooting mechanics are in the third-person.
The title is the sequel to one of the most popular entries in the dungeon-crawler, rogue-like genre; however, Risk of Rain 2 is a top-seller on Steam, as well.
In Risk of Rain 2, you play as a survivor who is stranded on an alien planet. In order to survive, you need to explore linear instances and slay monsters, open up chests, and grab upgrades for your character. As you can probably imagine, difficulty increase the deeper you go into the run. Because it’s a third-person directional shooter, the mechanics are challenging, and you will have to aim, dodge, swap weapons, and use your abilities in order to survive.
The world in Risk of Rain 2 is procedurally generated the entire time, rather than taking you to specific areas. Your objective is to make it to a teleporter on every level, and the teleporter will take you to another random level. On each level, you’ll confront hordes of enemies, mini bosses, and you’ll have the opportunity to grab loot.
You can select XP and gold in combat to progress, and you can use the gold you collect to open up chests in order to obtain more powerful gear, as well as your XP, or to customize your character’s powers. There are additional activities to choose from on the game’s hub, as well as outside runs.
Furthermore, you can unlock characters, tools, and objects that will modify your gameplay. Finally, there are a variety of characters, all of which feature unique skills, weapons, and perks.
6. Death’s Door
An action-adventure game that features simple mechanics and a stunning presentation, Death’s Door is definitely a game that you’re going to want to check out if you’re a fan of Hades.
The title was developed by Acid Nerve and published by Devolver Digital, and it was released in the summer of 2021 on a variety of platforms, including Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
The combat in Death’s Door feels like a cross between Hades, which is isometric and fast, and Dark Souls games, which use skills-based combat. Combat depends on WASD movement, as well as clicks for attacks, just like in Hades.
With that said, however, the game would be better to play with a controller, as you’ll have an easier time blocking and dodging. Additionally, the character progression system of this title is more standard.
The gameplay in Death’s Door occurs in 3D, combined with isometric detail. You have the ability to launch projectiles, attack, dodge, and use a variety of tools, such as grappling hooks. Sword strikes create combos and reward ammo for your bow.
Lastly, there’s a wide variety of swords, ranges skills, and magical skills that you can use. The story of this game follows a collector of souls, a reaper who is uncovering a conspiracy on another world at Death’s Door. The objective of the game is collect three “Giant Souls”, which will allow you to open up the underworld. The lore is rich, the music is enchanting, and the themes and visuals are stunning.
7. Nobody Saves the World
DinkBox Studios developed and published the next title on our list of games that are like Hades, Nobody Saves the World. The game is new to the scene, as it was released in January of 2022, and it is available on a variety of platforms, including Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
While it isn’t the most popular game, Nobody Saves the World is definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of Hades; we like to think of it as a hidden gem.
This action-packed, dungeon-crawling RPG game features rogue-like elements. You play the title from a top-down perspective as an unlike hero named Nobody. The character has shape-shifting capabilities, with a total of 18 forms that you can unlock.
Each one of the forms offers different abilities, perks, and bonuses. You can mix and match one shape with the skills of another, which is really neat. For instance, your first form is a mouse, which lets you crawl into compact spaces in order to reach concealed areas.
You do need all of the shapes to explore the world, locate loot, and solve puzzles; in other words, to make it through the game.
In essence, the shapes that you can change into are your skill tree. Since there are so many enemies, you can swap between shapes on a moment’s notice so that you can utilize the different skills and bonuses of your different forms.
Wrapping up this overview, the map in Nobody Saves the World has an overworld that links the different areas, as well as the procedurally generated dungeons. Dungeons can be completed on a single run, and if you die in a dungeon, you will need to start back at the beginning; unless, that is, you have already found the boss.
8. Dead Cells
Next up on the list of games that are similar to Hades is Dead Cells. The title was developed by Motion Twin and Evil Empire, and it was published by Motion Twin and Playdigious. It was released in the summer of 2018 on several platforms, including macOS, Windows, Steam OS, Linux, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, iOS, and Android.
A rouge-like game, Dead Cells offers Metroidvania features, as well as souls-lite combat in 2D. The developers of the game have dubbed it “Roguevana”, and more notably, it offers stunning visuals, showy combat, and cool effects.
The main character in Dead Cells is really quite unique. It’s an amorphous humanoid that puppeteers a corpse through a dungeon. The dungeon features a Metroidvania-style map, and as such, all of the areas are connected and can be accessed right at the start.
With that said, however, you do need to locate weapons, learn skills, and find items in order to unlock the different areas.
As you make your way through the dungeons, you’ll come face-to-face with monsters, and as you fight and defeat them, you’ll acquire cells. This allows for permanent upgrades for your characters, as well as for some items.
If you die, you’ll lose all of the cells you have collected, but you will be able to retain your updates. You’ll also collect weapons, abilities, skins, and power-ups as you make your runs. You’ll lose pick-ups if you die, however, and at the end of each dungeon, you have no choice but to spend your cells in order to purchase an upgrade.
Finally, each level of Dead Cells is procedurally generated; however, it does mix pre-designed regions with randomized enemies, loot, items, and layouts. As such, the progress is non-linear. You can explore ramparts and ossuaries on one run, and then on the next run, you can explore sewers.
9. Streets of Rogue
Released in July of 2019, Streets of Rogue was developed by Matt Dabrowski and published by tinyBuild on Xbox One, Windows, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Linux, and macOS. As the name suggests – and because it’s a title that’s similar to Hades – Streets of Rogue is a rogue-like title.
The focus of this game is on the action of players, enjoyable mechanics, and chaotic results. Unlike other titles on this list, however, it also features stealth, as well as a toolbar.
In this game, you play through a variety of randomly generated floors in a city. Progressing the journey means that you can complete specific missions on every floor by utilizing the skills that your characters possessed. You’re fighting against a tyrannical major as part of the resistant for the story.
As far as permanent updates, there isn’t much to speak of, however; rather, you will unlock new abilities and gadgets that you can purchase for upcoming sessions after every run. Nevertheless, the upgrades are locked to the run.
Combat isn’t the biggest element of the game. Instead, you have the freedom to use combat, stealth, or diversion in order to complete the mission. You’ll play from a top-down perspective, and the graphics are 16-bit. You’ll interact with NPCs and different items in every area, explore, and fight.
Combat is point and click, and you can use any of the items in your inventory. Finally, the game features six different stages with three levels on each stage, with the exception of the final level. There are several characters, a lot of interactive NPCs, and there’s even support for 2-player local co-op.
10. Gunfire Reborn
An adventure-packed FPS game with rogue-lite and RPG elements, Gunfire Reborn is lots of fun. The game was developed and published by Duoyi Games and it was released in November of 2021 on Windows, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Android.
In this game, you’ll select a hero, play through a series of levels, and do runs, either on your own or as a part of a party of up to four players.
Every hero in Gunfire Reborn has unique abilities. Additionally, the levels in the game’s system are procedurally generated, as is the loot. Furthermore, unlike other titles in this genre, there are checkpoints, which are situated far from one another, but that allow you to preserve some of the progress you have made.
You play the game in the first-person perspective with stylized visuals, shooting, running, and upgrading your characters in a variety of ways, as you go. You’ll gain a variety of options that you can use to customize your characters and your skillsets with each run.
The journey take you through a total of four unique zones, and each one features various instances that you will need to clear in order to proceed. Your adversaries will drop a special currency, which you can collect and use to buy guns, as well as permanent upgrades.
Another neat feature of this title is the addition of a Game+ mode, which features new mechanics and increasingly difficult challenges after you complete the game. All in all, if you are a fan of Hades, then you’re definitely going to want to check out Gunfire Reborn, as it will be sure to impress.
Summing It Up
Hades was one of the most epic titles ever introduced in the rogue-like action-adventure, dungeon-crawler genre.
It was so popular, in fact, that several developers and publishers have put out a variety of similar titles. If you are a fan of Hades and you are looking for another game that will offer a similar experience, then you’re definitely going to want to check out the titles that have been included on this list.
While each title offers elements that are similar to Hades, they also offer their own unique elements, too.