The Backrooms: Survival similar games & best alternatives
The Backrooms: Survival
2023
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Quick resume
Survival horror with roguelike elements. Explore randomized levels with different items and entities while trying to maintain your thirst, hunger, and sanity, ensuring a new experience every time. Play alone or with up to TEN friends online! Cross-platform multiplayer with Nintendo Switch.
Global score
82/100
Genres
Action, Adventure, Indie, Massively Multiplayer, Simulator, Role-playing (RPG)
Similar games
Pros
- Strong horror atmosphere and tension
- Procedurally generated levels with replayability
- Active developer with frequent updates
- Engaging multiplayer cooperative mode
- Good value for price
Cons
- Repetitive level design and enemy behavior
- Bugs and glitches especially in multiplayer
- Loud and repetitive jump scares
- Limited crafting and item variety
- Some performance and control issues
Analysis
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 Survival. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Story, Relaxation.
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
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Autonomy3
"Players can choose character appearance, voice, and profession with unique bonuses, and decide how to approach encounters (fight or flee), indicating moderate control over actions."
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Competence3
"The game involves survival mechanics, managing hunger, thirst, sanity, and combat with weapons, requiring skill and strategy to progress."
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Competition1
"Leaderboards and entity kill counts exist, but competition is not a primary focus; gameplay is mostly cooperative or solo survival."
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Continuation4
"Procedural generation, permadeath, and weekly updates encourage repeated play and long-term engagement."
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Cooperation4
"Multiplayer with friends is highlighted as a fun and engaging experience, with proximity voice chat and cooperative survival."
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Creativity2
"Character customization and crafting system exist, though crafting is limited; players can personalize characters and use various items."
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Domination-3
"Interactions emphasize survival and cooperation rather than exerting control or superiority over others; multiplayer is cooperative."
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Escapism5
"Strong horror atmosphere, tension, and anxiety relief through immersive survival gameplay provide significant escape from reality."
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Expectation-4
"Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment; no evidence of obligation or external pressure."
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Experimenting3
"Procedural levels and random item spawns encourage exploration of new layouts and strategies each run."
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Exploration4
"Randomly generated mazes and multiple themed levels promote discovery and curiosity-driven navigation."
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Expression2
"Character creator allows for appearance and voice customization; some cosmetic options exist but limited."
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Fantasy3
"Game features supernatural entities and surreal environments inspired by Backrooms lore, blending fiction and horror."
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Fellowship3
"Multiplayer mode and community interaction foster a sense of belonging and shared experience."
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Growth3
"Players learn survival mechanics, combat, and map navigation over repeated runs, improving skills and strategies."
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Health-4
"Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; intense audio and jump scares may cause stress rather than promote health."
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Idle-4
"Requires continuous attention and focus due to survival mechanics and threat of entities."
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Intimacy1
"Some social interaction in multiplayer, but limited evidence of close emotional connections or deep relationships."
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Leadership-2
"No clear evidence of leadership roles; multiplayer is cooperative with shared decision-making."
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Progression4
"Players collect weapons, items, and blueprints; permadeath and level advancement provide a sense of progression."
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Relaxation-3
"Game is tense and anxiety-inducing with frequent jump scares and high suspense, limiting relaxation."
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Sensation4
"Strong sensory stimulation through audio scares, visual effects, and atmospheric tension."
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Status1
"Leaderboards and achievements provide some recognition, but social status is not a major motivator."
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Story-3
"No overarching narrative; gameplay focuses on survival and exploration rather than story immersion."
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Strategy3
"Players must manage resources, decide when to fight or flee, and plan routes through mazes, requiring strategic thinking."
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Thrill5
"High suspense, jump scares, and unpredictable encounters create intense thrill and adrenaline."
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Value4
"Players perceive good value for price due to frequent updates, content variety, and replayability."
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Violence3
"Combat with weapons and killing entities is a core mechanic, involving destruction and aggression."
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Survival5
"Central focus on managing hunger, thirst, sanity, and avoiding or fighting deadly threats to stay alive."
Last update: 29/04/2026