CRYPTARK similar games & best alternatives

CRYPTARK

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Linux, Mac • 2017

Should you play it?

Cryptark is a 2D sci-fi shooter where you take on the role of a heavily armed privateer seeking to earn government contracts by boarding deadly alien space-hulks. It's up to you to strategize a plan of attack, pick an equipment loadout, and destroy the central core to be victorious.

What works
  • Deep strategic gameplay
  • Varied weapons and mechs
  • Procedurally generated levels
  • Immersive sci-fi atmosphere and soundtrack
  • Challenging but rewarding
Things to keep in mind
  • Steep learning curve
  • Some technical bugs and glitches
  • Short campaign length
  • Limited online community and multiplayer
  • Occasional difficulty spikes

What to play next

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

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Atomicrops

  • Enter the Gungeon

  • Black Future '88

  • Moros Protocol

  • Roboquest

  • Turbo Overkill

  • Super Time Force Ultra

  • DarkMaus

  • Teleglitch: Die More Edition
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • HeXen II

  • RAM: Random Access Mayhem

  • Brigand: Oaxaca
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Strategy

    Sixty Four
  • Autonomy

    Cosmodread
  • Competence

    The Brookhaven Experiment

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).

CRYPTARK: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Violence, Survival, Cooperation. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Cooperation, Fellowship. 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 freedom to explore procedurally generated ship layouts, choose weapons, craft items, and decide strategies."

    Capsule for Cosmodread Cosmodread

    "Players freely choose loadouts, mechs, and routes through procedurally generated ships, enabling personal control and strategic planning."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    4

    "The game requires skillful aiming, resource management, and strategic prioritization of enemies, with increasing difficulty and feedback on performance."

    Capsule for The Brookhaven Experiment The Brookhaven Experiment

    "The game demands skillful aiming, tactical decision-making, and mastery of enemy patterns with meaningful feedback on performance."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -3

    "Focus is on personal, casual play and self-set goals; leaderboards exist but are not a central feature."

    Capsule for Rain on Your Parade Rain on Your Parade

    "Focus is on individual progression and self-set challenges; leaderboards exist but are not a major feature and some players avoid them."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    3

    "Players engage in multiple runs with unlocks and story progression encouraging habitual play, though some note limited long-term variety."

    Capsule for Cobalt Core Cobalt Core

    "Players engage in repeated runs with unlockables and challenges encouraging habitual play, though some find the campaign short."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    2

    "Local co-op mode available, but majority of gameplay and reviews focus on solo play and individual progression."

    Capsule for Steredenn: Binary Stars Steredenn: Binary Stars

    "Local co-op mode is available, but most gameplay and reviews emphasize solo play and individual strategy."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Variety of weapons and loadout customization allow players to experiment with different combat styles."

    Capsule for Sora Sora

    "Wide variety of weapons, mechs, and loadouts allow players to customize and experiment with different playstyles."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -4

    "Interactions are balanced with no evidence of power imposition or trash talk; gameplay is about survival and puzzle-like tactics."

    Capsule for HyperRogue HyperRogue

    "Interactions are balanced with no evidence of power imposition or trash talk; gameplay is focused on personal challenge."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    3

    "Players enjoy immersive sci-fi setting and strategic gameplay as a distraction and stress relief."

    Capsule for DG2: Defense Grid 2 DG2: Defense Grid 2

    "Immersive sci-fi setting and atmospheric music provide a strong escape from reality, though some players focus on strategic engagement."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic interest and challenge; no indication of obligation or external pressure."

    Capsule for Surviving Mars Surviving Mars

    "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic interest and challenge; no evidence of obligation or external pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    4

    "Players encouraged to try new weapons, movement techniques, and build synergies; game supports exploration of mechanics."

    Capsule for GTTOD GTTOD

    "Encouraged to try new weapons, mechs, and strategies; procedural generation and unlockables promote exploration of game mechanics."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    3

    "Procedurally generated ships and missions encourage discovery of new layouts and creative approaches."

    Capsule for Heat Signature Heat Signature

    "Procedurally generated ships and multiple routes encourage discovery and tactical exploration."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    2

    "Some customization via mech skins and weapon upgrade choices, but limited cosmetic personalization."

    Capsule for Demon Hunt Demon Hunt

    "Some cosmetic customization via mech skins unlocked by artifacts, but limited compared to gameplay customization."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    4

    "Strong sci-fi fantasy theme with alien enemies, space battles, and imaginative technology."

    Capsule for Space Crew: Legendary Edition Space Crew: Legendary Edition

    "Strong sci-fi fantasy theme with alien technology, mechs, and imaginative settings."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -2

    "Mostly solo play with minimal social interaction; local co-op exists but online community features are absent."

    Capsule for Music Racer Music Racer

    "Primarily solo play with limited social interaction; local co-op exists but online community is small."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    3

    "Players learn enemy behaviors, improve combat skills, and unlock new weapons and masks, supporting personal development."

    Capsule for PIGFACE PIGFACE

    "Players learn enemy patterns, improve skills, and unlock new equipment and mechs, supporting personal development."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -4

    "Requires long sedentary play sessions with intense focus; no physical activity elements."

    Capsule for Gothic II: Gold Edition Gothic II: Gold Edition

    "Requires long sedentary play sessions with intense focus; no physical activity or health-related features."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement due to fast-paced, punishing gameplay."

    Capsule for TTV2 TTV2

    "Requires constant attention and focus; gameplay is fast-paced and punishing."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -4

    "Minimal social or emotional connections described; interactions are mostly gameplay-focused and individual."

    Capsule for Warlords Battlecry III Warlords Battlecry III

    "Minimal social or emotional connection; interactions are mostly gameplay-focused and individual."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -3

    "No evidence of leadership roles; players act independently or cooperatively without hierarchical dynamics."

    Capsule for Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection

    "No evidence of leadership roles; players act independently or cooperatively without hierarchical dynamics."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    4

    "Strong progression through unlocking mechs, weapons, upgrades, and leveling in simulation and campaign."

    Capsule for HARDCORE MECHA HARDCORE MECHA

    "Strong progression through unlocking mechs, weapons, and artifacts; resource management and upgrades are core."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    -2

    "Gameplay is tense and challenging with sustained pressure; some players find it stressful rather than relaxing."

    Capsule for Graviteam Tactics: Operation Star Graviteam Tactics: Operation Star

    "Challenging and tense gameplay with time pressure; some players find it stressful rather than relaxing."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Enjoyable audio-visual effects, gun sounds, and atmospheric music enhance sensory experience."

    Capsule for Call of Duty®: Black Ops Call of Duty®: Black Ops

    "Engaging visual and auditory effects with impactful shooting and atmospheric music provide sensory stimulation."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -3

    "Little focus on social recognition or status; achievements are personal and community visibility is limited."

    Capsule for Axis Football 2023 Axis Football 2023

    "Limited social recognition; achievements exist but community visibility and status seeking are minor."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    2

    "Narrative is present but minimal and surreal; story supports atmosphere rather than driving gameplay."

    Capsule for Hylics 2 Hylics 2

    "Narrative is minimal but present through artifacts and voice acting; story supports atmosphere rather than driving gameplay."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    5

    "Core gameplay revolves around strategic planning, optimization, and problem solving."

    Capsule for Sixty Four Sixty Four

    "Core gameplay revolves around strategic planning of routes, loadouts, and system prioritization."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    3

    "Challenging battles and suspenseful moments provide thrill and tension release."

    Capsule for Labyronia RPG 2 Labyronia RPG 2

    "High tension from time limits, resource management, and challenging enemies creates thrilling moments."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "Players perceive good value for time and money due to engaging gameplay, content depth, and replayability."

    Capsule for New Star™ GP New Star™ GP

    "Players perceive good value for time with engaging gameplay, replayability, and content for price paid."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Gameplay centers on combat, destruction, and killing via drones."

    Capsule for FPV Kamikaze Drone FPV Kamikaze Drone

    "Combat and destruction of enemy systems and drones are central to gameplay."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    4

    "Players must avoid death and manage resources carefully to survive missions."

    Capsule for ARMA: Cold War Assault ARMA: Cold War Assault

    "Players must manage resources and avoid death to survive missions and progress."

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Last update: 01/06/2026