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StarCrawlers similar games & best alternatives

StarCrawlers

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Linux • 2017

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Quick resume

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.

Global score

84/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Role-playing (RPG)

Similar games

    Pros

    • Deep tactical combat
    • Meaningful story choices
    • High replayability
    • Diverse classes and skill trees
    • Immersive cyberpunk setting

    Cons

    • Some grinding required
    • Limited enemy and environment variety
    • Lack of multiplayer or social features
    • Minor bugs and ui quirks
    • Limited healing options in combat

    Analysis

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

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • 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.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      4

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

    • Competence
      4

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

    • Competition
      -3

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

    • Continuation
      4

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

    • Cooperation
      -2

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

    • Creativity
      3

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

    • Domination
      -4

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

    • Escapism
      4

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

    • Expectation
      -4

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

    • Experimenting
      4

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

    • Exploration
      3

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

    • Expression
      3

      "Players can customize character appearance and portraits."

    • Fantasy
      4

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

    • Fellowship
      -3

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

    • Growth
      4

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

    • Health
      -4

      "Typical sedentary gameplay with no physical activity."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires focused attention during combat and exploration."

    • Intimacy
      -4

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

    • Leadership
      3

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

    • Progression
      4

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

    • Relaxation
      2

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

    • Sensation
      3

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

    • Status
      -3

      "No social status or multiplayer recognition features."

    • Story
      3

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

    • Strategy
      4

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

    • Thrill
      2

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

    • Value
      4

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

    • Violence
      4

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

    • Survival
      3

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

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026