StarCrawlers similar games & best alternatives

StarCrawlers

PC (Microsoft Windows), Linux, Mac • 2017

Should you play it?

StarCrawlers is a modern take on a classic cRPG dungeon crawler set in a gritty spacepunk universe. Build a crew of renegade adventurers on the fringes of space, taking jobs from megacorps to hunt bounties, sabotage rivals and conduct corporate espionage.

What works
  • Deep tactical combat
  • Meaningful story choices
  • High replayability
  • Diverse classes and skill trees
  • Immersive cyberpunk setting
Things to keep in mind
  • Some grinding required
  • Limited enemy and environment variety
  • Lack of multiplayer or social features
  • Minor bugs and ui quirks
  • Limited healing options in combat

What to play next

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

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Paper Sorcerer

  • Cosmic Star Heroine

  • Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition

  • Kingdoms of the Dump

  • The Iron Oath

  • SKALD: Against the Black Priory

  • Monsters' Den: Godfall

  • Galaxy of Pen & Paper +1

  • SteamWorld Heist II

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Kingdoms of the Dump

  • Monsters' Den: Godfall

  • City of Chains

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Autonomy

    Chernobylite Complete Edition

  • Competence

    Avernum 2: Crystal Souls

  • Continuation

    Cave Crawlers

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).

StarCrawlers: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Violence, Survival, Cooperation. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Cooperation, Violence.

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 choose missions, playstyle (stealth or combat), and make impactful story decisions with ability to alter past choices."

    Capsule for Chernobylite Complete Edition Chernobylite Complete Edition

    "Players have freedom to choose missions, party composition, skill trees, and make meaningful story choices affecting factions and reputation."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    4

    "The game offers challenging turn-based tactical combat with skill trees and character development requiring strategic thinking and mastery."

    Capsule for Avernum 2: Crystal Souls Avernum 2: Crystal Souls

    "Turn-based tactical combat with skill trees and gear upgrades requires strategic thinking and mastery."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -3

    "Focus is on personal progression and story; no evidence of PvP or ranked modes."

    Capsule for Ys SEVEN Ys SEVEN

    "Focus is on personal progression and story; no evidence of PvP or ranked modes."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    4

    "High replayability with procedural generation, meta progression, and frequent updates encourage habitual play and long sessions."

    Capsule for Cave Crawlers Cave Crawlers

    "High replayability with procedurally generated side missions and new game plus modes encourage long-term play."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -2

    "Gameplay is primarily single-player; cooperation is limited to managing party members rather than multiplayer teamwork."

    Capsule for TRIANGLE STRATEGY TRIANGLE STRATEGY

    "Players manage a party of characters but gameplay is single-player with no multiplayer cooperation."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players can customize characters, skill trees, and use modding tools to create portraits and levels."

    Capsule for The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition

    "Character customization via skill trees and gear upgrades, plus some modding of portraits."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -4

    "Interactions with factions are balanced and political; no evidence of exerting superiority or dominance over other players."

    Capsule for This Is the Police This Is the Police

    "Interactions with factions involve reputation and consequences but no evidence of player dominance over others."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "The dark, complex story and immersive dungeon crawling provide a strong escape from real life."

    Capsule for Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society

    "Immersive sci-fi setting and dungeon crawling provide strong escape from real life."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic enjoyment, with no indication of obligation or external pressure."

    Capsule for Vagante Vagante

    "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic enjoyment, with no pressure or obligation."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    4

    "Players experiment with different skill builds, party compositions, and combat strategies."

    Capsule for The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition

    "Players experiment with different classes, skill trees, party compositions, and strategies."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    3

    "Procedurally generated dungeons and secret areas promote discovery and curiosity."

    Capsule for One More Dungeon One More Dungeon

    "Procedurally generated dungeons and secrets encourage discovery and curiosity."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    3

    "Players can customize character portraits and approach, though cosmetic customization is limited."

    Capsule for Monomyth Monomyth

    "Players can customize character appearance and portraits."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    4

    "Set in a futuristic cyberpunk world with imaginative sci-fi elements and narrative."

    Capsule for Transistor Transistor

    "Fictional cyberpunk sci-fi setting with imaginative classes and story."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -3

    "Primarily single-player with minimal social or community interaction described"

    Capsule for Sonic Frontiers Sonic Frontiers

    "Single-player game with minimal social interaction beyond faction reputation."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Skill trees, leveling, and gear upgrades support learning and character development."

    Capsule for Assassin's Creed® Odyssey Assassin's Creed® Odyssey

    "Character leveling, skill trees, and gear upgrades provide learning and development."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -4

    "Typical sedentary gameplay with no physical activity."

    Capsule for Kohan II: Kings of War Kohan II: Kings of War

    "Typical sedentary gameplay with no physical activity."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires active attention and focus during combat and exploration."

    Capsule for FATE FATE

    "Requires focused attention during combat and exploration."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -4

    "Limited social interaction and no evidence of close relationships or emotional sharing."

    Capsule for Dwarven Realms Dwarven Realms

    "Limited social interaction, no evidence of close relationships."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    3

    "Player leads a party of characters, managing their abilities and coordination."

    Capsule for NEO: The World Ends with You NEO: The World Ends with You

    "Players lead a party of characters, managing their skills and equipment."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    4

    "Strong emphasis on leveling up, acquiring gear, base upgrades, and unlocking new abilities."

    Capsule for Dead Age 2: The Zombie Survival RPG Dead Age 2: The Zombie Survival RPG

    "Strong emphasis on leveling up, acquiring and upgrading gear, and faction reputation."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    2

    "Turn-based pace allows for thoughtful play and some flow, though some find battles slow or tedious."

    Capsule for Age of Wonders Age of Wonders

    "Turn-based combat allows for thoughtful pacing, though some find grinding tedious."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Pleasant graphics, music, and sound effects provide sensory enjoyment"

    Capsule for Ember Ember

    "Enjoyable graphics, sound effects, and music enhance sensory experience."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -3

    "No social recognition or multiplayer status systems."

    Capsule for Game Dev Tycoon Game Dev Tycoon

    "No social status or multiplayer recognition features."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    3

    "Nonlinear story with lore and multiple endings; story is important but not always central."

    Capsule for A.I.M.2 Clan Wars A.I.M.2 Clan Wars

    "Non-linear story with meaningful choices and multiple endings."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    4

    "Combat and party building require planning, problem solving, and tactical decision-making."

    Capsule for Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society

    "Combat and party building require tactical planning and problem solving."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    2

    "Some suspense from combat difficulty and story consequences, but generally controlled gameplay."

    Capsule for City of Chains City of Chains

    "Some suspense from challenging combat and faction consequences, but generally controlled."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "Players report high enjoyment and replay value relative to price."

    Capsule for Kitty Powers' Matchmaker Kitty Powers' Matchmaker

    "Players report high enjoyment and replay value for the price."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Combat involves fighting and destroying enemies with various attacks and weapons."

    Capsule for UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER – The Feast of the Wolves UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER – The Feast of the Wolves

    "Combat involves fighting and destroying enemies with various weapons and abilities."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    3

    "Players must manage health, stamina, and resources to survive and succeed in missions."

    Capsule for Caliber Caliber

    "Players must manage health and resources to survive increasingly difficult missions."

Last update: 01/06/2026