Shank 2 similar games & best alternatives

Shank 2 - Trailer
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Shank 2

PlayStation 3, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox 360 • 2012

Should you play it?

The fan-favorite 2D brawler is back as ex-mob hit man Shank returns to action in Shank 2. With those closest to him under attack, Shank is once again forced on the offensive. Now he must put his trusty arsenal of handguns, shotguns, automatic weapons, chainsaws, machetes, grenades, plus all-new weaponry and moves to use in order to...

What works

  • Fast, fluid and brutal combat
  • Stylized cartoon graphics and animations
  • Challenging boss fights and survival mode
  • Cooperative multiplayer mode
  • Variety of weapons and unlockable characters

Things to keep in mind

  • Short campaign length
  • Lack of co-op campaign
  • Sometimes frustrating difficulty spikes
  • Limited story depth
  • Controller recommended over keyboard/mouse

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile

  • METAL SLUG X

  • Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition

  • Strike Force Heroes

  • Streets of Rage 4

  • Warhammer: Vermintide 2

Less competitive

Games that feels like Shank 2 but with less competition against others

  • Knights End

  • Shank

  • Infected Shelter

  • Rampage Knights

  • Remnant: From the Ashes

  • 9 Monkeys of Shaolin

More relaxing

Games that feels like Shank 2 but with a more relaxing feel

  • Zombie Vikings

  • MARVEL Cosmic Invasion

  • Castle Crashers®

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

  • Final Exam

  • Little Fighter 2 Remastered

Less intimate

Games that feels like Shank 2 but with less focus on close relationships

  • Borderlands 3

  • Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition

  • Neon Inferno

  • NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 3 Full Burst HD

  • LOST EPIC

  • Serious Sam Double D XXL

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • Shank

  • Rotwood

  • Don't Starve Together

  • Hot Lava

  • Griftlands

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Shank 2. 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 Shank 2. These titles are not in What to play next.

Shank 2: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Competition, Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

Last update: 21/08/2026