Battle Brothers similar games & best alternatives

Battle Brothers

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One • 2017

Should you play it?

Battle Brothers is a turn based tactical RPG which has you leading a mercenary company in a gritty, low-power, medieval fantasy world. You decide where to go, whom to hire or to fight, what contracts to take and how to train and equip your men in a procedurally generated open world campaign.

What works
  • Deep and challenging tactical combat
  • High replayability with procedural generation
  • Rich character customization and development
  • Immersive low fantasy atmosphere
  • Strong developer support and quality dlcs
Things to keep in mind
  • Steep learning curve and punishing difficulty
  • Frustrating rng elements
  • Limited mission variety
  • Lack of multiplayer or social features
  • No official localization for some languages

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Darkest Dungeon® II

  • Xenonauts 2

  • Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery

  • Darkest Dungeon®

  • Mewgenics

  • XCOM: Enemy Unknown

  • Tactics Ogre: Reborn

  • The Hand of Merlin

  • Shardpunk
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • The Hand of Merlin

  • Shardpunk

  • Fantasy Wars
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

Battle Brothers: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Violence, Survival, Cooperation. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Survival. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    4

    "Players have high freedom to create characters, choose mercenaries, plan tactics, and manage resources with many strategic options."

    Capsule for Jagged Alliance 2 - Wildfire Jagged Alliance 2 - Wildfire

    "Players have freedom to manage their mercenary company, choose contracts, recruit and develop characters, and decide tactics and equipment."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    5

    "High skill ceiling with challenging tactical combat, resource management, and strategic planning requiring mastery and learning."

    Capsule for X-COM: UFO Defense X-COM: UFO Defense

    "High skill ceiling with complex tactical combat, character development, and resource management requiring mastery and strategic thinking."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -3

    "Focus is on personal progression and survival rather than direct competition with others; no multiplayer or leaderboards."

    Capsule for Rencounter Rencounter

    "Focus is on personal progression and survival rather than direct competition or leaderboards; no multiplayer."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    5

    "Highly engaging with long playtimes, replayability, and players expressing attachment and desire to continue playing."

    Capsule for Horizon Zero Dawn™ Complete Edition Horizon Zero Dawn™ Complete Edition

    "Strong desire to keep playing due to deep mechanics, replayability, and attachment to characters despite difficulty and frustration."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -4

    "Gameplay centers on individual mercenary company management and solo tactical combat; limited multiplayer or cooperative elements."

    Capsule for The Iron Oath The Iron Oath

    "Primarily a single-player experience focusing on individual management and tactical control of own mercenary company."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players can customize characters, build teams, and experiment with various strategies and character builds."

    Capsule for Disgaea 4 Complete+ Disgaea 4 Complete+

    "Players customize and develop characters, choose equipment and tactics, and experiment with builds and strategies."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -4

    "Interactions are balanced and respectful; no evidence of trash talk or power imposition."

    Capsule for Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga

    "Interactions are balanced and respectful; no evidence of trash talk or power imposition over others."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Players use the game to immerse in a medieval fantasy world, escaping real life through roleplay and epic battles."

    Capsule for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

    "Players use the game as a challenging fantasy escape from real life, immersing in a harsh medieval world."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and intrinsic motivation, not obligation or external pressure."

    Capsule for Cold Waters Cold Waters

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and intrinsic motivation, not obligation or external pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    4

    "Encourages trying different characters, builds, and strategies to overcome challenges."

    Capsule for Runestone Keeper Runestone Keeper

    "Strong encouragement to try different tactics, character builds, and approaches to overcome challenges."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    3

    "Procedurally generated maps and branching dialogue encourage discovery of new events and secrets."

    Capsule for Shigatari Shigatari

    "Procedurally generated maps and random events encourage discovery of new locations and secrets."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    3

    "Character customization and mercenary creation allow for self-expression through avatar personalization."

    Capsule for SpellForce 3 Soul Harvest SpellForce 3 Soul Harvest

    "Players can rename, customize appearance, and develop unique personalities for their mercenaries."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    4

    "Set in a low fantasy medieval world with mythical elements and imaginative fiction."

    Capsule for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy

    "Set in a low fantasy medieval world with mythical creatures and dark themes, blending realism and fantasy."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -3

    "Minimal social connection; primarily a solo experience with limited community interaction."

    Capsule for Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach

    "Minimal social connection; primarily a solo experience with limited community interaction."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    5

    "Strong focus on learning game mechanics, character development, and improving skills over time."

    Capsule for Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

    "Heavy focus on learning game mechanics, character progression, and improving tactical skills over time."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -4

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; players spend long hours managing the game."

    Capsule for Prison Architect Prison Architect

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; players spend long hours managing and battling."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -4

    "Requires sustained attention and focus during battles and campaign management; not suited for idle play."

    Capsule for Total War: WARHAMMER Total War: WARHAMMER

    "Requires constant attention and focus during tactical battles and management; not suited for idle play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -4

    "Limited social interaction; emotional attachment is primarily to in-game characters rather than real social bonds."

    Capsule for XCOM: Enemy Unknown XCOM: Enemy Unknown

    "Limited social interaction; emotional attachment is to in-game characters rather than real social bonds."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    4

    "Players lead and manage a mercenary company, making strategic decisions and guiding team development."

    Capsule for The Iron Oath The Iron Oath

    "Players lead and manage a mercenary company, making strategic and tactical decisions."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    5

    "Strong emphasis on leveling characters, acquiring new talents, and collecting/upgrading equipment."

    Capsule for Heroes of Steel RPG Heroes of Steel RPG

    "Strong emphasis on leveling characters, acquiring and upgrading equipment, and advancing the company."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    -3

    "Gameplay is intense and challenging, causing tension rather than relaxation."

    Capsule for ScourgeBringer ScourgeBringer

    "Gameplay is challenging and can be frustrating, causing tension rather than relaxation."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Visual and auditory feedback is polished and satisfying, enhancing emotional engagement and fun."

    Capsule for Tower Dominion Tower Dominion

    "Visual and auditory feedback is satisfying and immersive, enhancing emotional engagement."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -3

    "Achievements and progress are personal; no emphasis on social recognition or popularity."

    Capsule for Xenonauts 2 Xenonauts 2

    "Achievements and progress are personal; no social recognition or popularity mechanisms."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    3

    "Procedural narrative elements and lore provide context and immersion, though story is emergent and player-driven."

    Capsule for Slaughter Horse 2 Slaughter Horse 2

    "Procedural narrative and emergent stories from gameplay create a unique story experience."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    5

    "Core gameplay revolves around deep strategic planning, resource management, and tactical combat."

    Capsule for Heroes® of Might & Magic® III - HD Edition Heroes® of Might & Magic® III - HD Edition

    "Core gameplay revolves around deep tactical combat, resource management, and strategic planning."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    4

    "High difficulty, risk of sudden death, and unpredictable RNG create suspense and excitement."

    Capsule for Spirits Abyss Spirits Abyss

    "High stakes and unpredictable RNG create suspense and emotional highs and lows."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "High replayability and depth provide strong value for time and money invested."

    Capsule for Sword of the Stars: Complete Collection Sword of the Stars: Complete Collection

    "High replayability and depth provide strong perceived value for time and money invested."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Combat involves graphic violence, including critical hits and brutal death animations."

    Capsule for Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

    "Combat involves brutal melee and ranged violence with graphic depictions of injuries and death."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    5

    "Players must avoid death, manage resources, and survive threats in a hostile environment."

    Capsule for Hunt: Showdown 1896 Hunt: Showdown 1896

    "Players must manage resources, avoid defeat, and keep their mercenaries alive in a hostile world."

Come talk about it on Discord!

Last update: 01/06/2026