Spelunky similar games & best alternatives

Spelunky - Trailer
Spelunky - spelunky_1.avif
Spelunky - spelunky_2.avif
Spelunky - spelunky_3.avif
Spelunky - spelunky_4.avif
Spelunky - spelunky_5.avif
Spelunky - spelunky_6.avif

Spelunky

PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch • 2013

Should you play it?

Spelunky is a unique platformer with randomized levels that offer a challenging new experience each time you play. Journey deep underground and explore fantastic places filled with all manner of monsters, traps, and treasure.

What works

  • Highly replayable with procedural generation
  • Challenging but fair gameplay
  • Tight and responsive controls
  • Rich emergent interactions and secrets
  • Local co-op and competitive modes

Things to keep in mind

  • Steep difficulty curve may frustrate some players
  • No online multiplayer
  • Can be punishing and unforgiving
  • Some players find music repetitive
  • Lack of narrative depth

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Spirits Abyss

  • 1001 Spikes

  • Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate

  • Nuclear Throne

  • Crypt of the NecroDancer

  • Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon

Less social

Games that feels like Spelunky but with less teamwork and cooperation

  • Super Meat Boy

  • Rogue Empire: Dungeon Crawler RPG

  • Wings of Vi

  • Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition

  • UnderMine

  • Mega Serval

More intimate

Games that feels like Spelunky but with more focus on close relationships

  • Hammerwatch

  • Hammerwatch Anniversary Edition

  • Heroes of Hammerwatch II

  • Orake Classic

  • Magicite

  • UnderMine 2

Less competitive

Games that feels like Spelunky but with less competition against others

  • Dungreed

  • Aground

  • Vagante

  • Caveblazers

  • Catacomb Kids

  • Enter the Gungeon

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 Spelunky. 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 Spelunky. These titles are not in What to play next.

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

Last update: 21/08/2026