Curse of the Dead Gods similar games & best alternatives

Curse of the Dead Gods

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One • 2021

Should you play it?

You seek untold riches, eternal life, divine powers - it leads to this accursed temple, a seemingly-infinite labyrinth of bottomless pits, deadly traps, and monsters.

What works
  • Challenging and rewarding combat
  • Unique curse and light/darkness mechanics
  • Variety of weapons and builds
  • Immersive dark atmosphere and art style
  • Strong meta progression and replayability
Things to keep in mind
  • Limited story and narrative depth
  • Some grind and repetition in progression
  • Few temple types and enemy variety
  • Punishing difficulty may frustrate some players
  • Lack of multiplayer or social features

What to play next

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

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Swarm Grinder

  • Unworthy

  • Dragon Is Dead

  • Magicraft

  • Slasher's Keep

  • BELOW

  • Spiritfall

  • EMPTY SHELL

  • Void Sols
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Dragon Is Dead

  • Void Sols

  • Void Sols: Prologue
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Competence

    Sifu
  • Autonomy

    Roundguard
  • Escapism

    The Bleakest Keep

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).

Curse of the Dead Gods: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Violence, Survival, Cooperation. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Story, Expression, 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 choose characters, skills, relics, and paths through the dungeon, allowing meaningful decision-making and control over play style."

    Capsule for Roundguard Roundguard

    "Players choose their own paths through procedurally generated dungeons and select weapons, relics, and upgrades, allowing significant control over playstyle and decisions."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    5

    "High skill ceiling with challenging combat requiring mastery of timing, parrying, dodging, and combos."

    Capsule for Sifu Sifu

    "High skill ceiling with challenging combat requiring mastery of dodging, parrying, stamina management, and enemy patterns; player improvement is clearly felt."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -3

    "Focus is primarily on personal challenge and mastery rather than direct competition or leaderboards."

    Capsule for I'm on Observation Duty 7 I'm on Observation Duty 7

    "Focus is primarily on individual runs and personal mastery rather than direct competition; some leaderboards or daily challenges exist but are not core."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    3

    "Players report long play sessions and habitual engagement despite some grind and repetition."

    Capsule for Demonologist Demonologist

    "Players report habitual play and long sessions to improve and progress, though some find the grind and repetition fatiguing over time."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Entirely single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative elements."

    Capsule for MiSide MiSide

    "Entirely single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative elements."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players experiment with many item and weapon synergies and character builds, though within predefined game systems."

    Capsule for Neon Abyss Neon Abyss

    "Players experiment with weapon combos, curse management, and build synergies, but within predefined systems and randomized loot."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No social dominance or power over others; interactions are solo and self-directed."

    Capsule for Etrian Odyssey HD Etrian Odyssey HD

    "No social dominance or power over others; interactions are solo and self-contained."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Players use the game as a challenging distraction and stress relief with immersive dark atmosphere and gameplay."

    Capsule for The Bleakest Keep The Bleakest Keep

    "Dark, atmospheric setting and challenging gameplay provide immersive distraction and stress relief for many players."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment; no reports of obligation or external pressure."

    Capsule for Kingdom Rush Frontiers - Tower Defense Kingdom Rush Frontiers - Tower Defense

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment; no reports of obligation or external pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    4

    "Encourages trying new builds, spells, and item merges; players adapt to RNG and explore different strategies."

    Capsule for Tower of Kalemonvo Tower of Kalemonvo

    "Encourages trying different weapons, builds, and curse strategies; players enjoy discovering synergies and adapting to RNG."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    2

    "Procedurally generated dungeons offer some novelty, though environments are limited in variety."

    Capsule for Escape Dungeon 2 Escape Dungeon 2

    "Procedurally generated dungeons offer some novelty, but limited number of temple types and repeated layouts reduce exploration variety."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    -3

    "Minimal character customization or visual expression; focus is on gameplay mechanics rather than avatar personalization."

    Capsule for Fights in Tight Spaces Fights in Tight Spaces

    "Minimal character customization or cosmetic expression; focus is on gameplay mechanics rather than avatar personalization."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    4

    "Set in a mythical Aztec-inspired world with gods, ancient artifacts, and supernatural enemies, offering strong fantasy elements."

    Capsule for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

    "Set in a dark fantasy Aztec temple with curses, gods, and supernatural elements; strong imaginative fiction."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "No social or community gameplay elements; strictly single-player."

    Capsule for AMID EVIL AMID EVIL

    "No social or community gameplay elements; strictly single-player."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Players learn and improve movement and combat skills; meta progression and upgrades support personal development."

    Capsule for GTTOD GTTOD

    "Players develop skills in combat and strategy; meta progression unlocks new weapons and upgrades enhancing personal development."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

    Capsule for DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -4

    "Requires constant attention and focus; gameplay is intense and punishing, discouraging idle play."

    Capsule for Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad with Rising Storm Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad with Rising Storm

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement; punishing difficulty discourages idle or distracted play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -5

    "No social or emotional relationship building; solo experience."

    Capsule for AMID EVIL AMID EVIL

    "No social or emotional relationship building; solo experience."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management roles; purely individual gameplay."

    Capsule for Slay the Spire Slay the Spire

    "No leadership or group management roles; purely individual gameplay."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    4

    "Strong meta-progression system with upgrades and unlocks that enhance player abilities and weapons."

    Capsule for It Has My Face It Has My Face

    "Strong meta progression system with unlockable weapons, altars, and blessings; players accumulate upgrades over time."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    -2

    "Game is challenging and punishing, causing tension and frustration at times, though some find flow in combat."

    Capsule for Slasher's Keep Slasher's Keep

    "Game is challenging and tense; some players find it rewarding and flow-inducing, but overall it is demanding and punishing."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Visually and aurally immersive with atmospheric design and satisfying combat feedback."

    Capsule for Dishonored®: Death of the Outsider™ Dishonored®: Death of the Outsider™

    "Visuals and sound design create an immersive and atmospheric experience with satisfying combat feedback."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -4

    "Achievements and leaderboards exist but social recognition is limited; focus is on personal accomplishment."

    Capsule for Bastion Bastion

    "Achievements and leaderboards exist but social recognition is limited; focus is on personal accomplishment."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    -2

    "Minimal narrative with little impact on gameplay; story mostly background flavor."

    Capsule for BEEP BEEP

    "Minimal narrative presented through bestiary entries and lore; no in-game dialogue or cutscenes, story is background flavor."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    4

    "Players must plan builds, manage resources, and adapt tactics to enemy patterns and RNG elements."

    Capsule for Death Must Die Death Must Die

    "Requires planning routes, managing curses, and tactical combat decisions; players must adapt to RNG and enemy behaviors."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    4

    "High tension and challenge create suspense and excitement, especially in boss fights."

    Capsule for Void Sols: Prologue Void Sols: Prologue

    "High tension from punishing difficulty, risk-reward curse system, and challenging boss fights creates suspense and excitement."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "Players report good entertainment value for the price, with many hours of gameplay and replayability."

    Capsule for RUNGORE RUNGORE

    "Players report good entertainment value especially on sale; many hours of gameplay and replayability for price."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Combat focused on defeating enemies with weapons and abilities; destruction and fighting are core gameplay elements."

    Capsule for The Baconing The Baconing

    "Combat focused on melee and ranged attacks, parrying, and defeating enemies; destruction and violence are core gameplay elements."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    4

    "Players must manage health, stamina, and resources to survive challenging enemies and traps."

    Capsule for DarkMaus DarkMaus

    "Players must manage health, stamina, curses, and resources to survive increasingly difficult enemies and bosses."

Come talk about it on Discord!

Last update: 01/06/2026