Dead Cells similar games & best alternatives

Dead Cells - Trailer
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Dead Cells

PlayStation 4, Linux, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch • 2018

Should you play it?

Dead Cells is a roguelite, metroidvania inspired, action-platformer. You'll explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle... assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers in 2D souls-lite combat. No checkpoints. Kill, die, learn, repeat.

What works

  • Fluid and satisfying combat
  • High replayability with diverse builds
  • Fair but challenging difficulty
  • Frequent developer updates and dlc
  • Engaging pixel art and soundtrack

Things to keep in mind

  • Steep learning curve for new players
  • Grind required for some unlocks
  • Story is minimal and somewhat vague
  • No multiplayer or cooperative modes
  • Difficulty spikes at higher levels

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Keeper's Toll

  • Rogue Legacy 2

  • Trinity Fusion

  • Katanaut

  • Mark of the Ninja: Remastered

  • Bloody Hell

More intense

Games that feels like Dead Cells but with a more intense feel

  • Wings of Vi

  • Nine Sols

  • Hollow Knight: Silksong

  • Aeterna Noctis

  • Valfaris

  • Deepening Fire

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Dead Cells. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • 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 to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Dead Cells. These titles are not in What to play next.

Dead Cells: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Survival, Fellowship, Intimacy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence, Continuation. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Leadership.

Last update: 21/08/2026