The Citadel similar games & best alternatives

The Citadel

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2020

Should you play it?

The Citadel is a brutal first person shooter, and a love letter to classic games such as Marathon, Doom and Wolfenstein 3d. Descend into the depths of a dark citadel, and fight through 6 Episodes and 30 levels of action packed with 6 challenging bosses. Go forth, Martyr.

What works
  • Satisfying and tactical gunplay
  • Unique anime and sci-fi aesthetic
  • Challenging and rewarding gameplay
  • Varied weapons with upgrades and alternate fire
  • Interesting lore and atmosphere
Things to keep in mind
  • Technical instability and crashes
  • Visually repetitive environments
  • Punishing death and checkpoint system
  • Somewhat sparse story
  • Platforming sections can be frustrating

What to play next

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

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Beyond Citadel

  • Forgive Me Father

  • Dread Templar

  • DOOM: The Dark Ages

  • Little Witch Nobeta

  • Tower of Guns

  • Blood West

  • SPRAWL

  • Project Warlock II

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Viscerafest

  • Fida Puti Samurai

  • INCISION

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Violence

    Dying Light: The Beast

  • Autonomy

    Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation

  • Competence

    Halfway

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).

The Citadel: 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 Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation, Leadership.

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 weapons and playstyle, and can decide how to approach combat and movement."

    Capsule for Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation

    "Players have freedom to choose weapons, tactics, and movement styles including tactical leaning, manual reloads, and platforming."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    4

    "The game offers challenging tactical combat requiring skillful positioning, resource management, and strategic use of abilities."

    Capsule for Halfway Halfway

    "The game is challenging with tactical combat, requiring skillful aiming, resource management, and strategic positioning."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -3

    "Focus is on personal progression and challenge rather than competing against others; no mention of multiplayer or leaderboards."

    Capsule for Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

    "Focus is on individual progression and personal skill rather than competing against others; no mention of multiplayer or leaderboards."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    3

    "Players report habitual play and replay value due to exploration, secrets, and weapon variety."

    Capsule for Shrine II Shrine II

    "Players report multiple playthroughs and replay value due to weapon upgrades and secrets, indicating habitual engagement."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements mentioned."

    Capsule for Hollow Knight Hollow Knight

    "Single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements mentioned."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players can customize weapons with alternate fire modes and upgrade paths, and experiment with combat approaches."

    Capsule for METAL EDEN METAL EDEN

    "Players can customize weapons with upgrades and alternate fire modes; some exploration and secret hunting."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; gameplay is solo and balanced."

    Capsule for Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

    "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; gameplay is solo and balanced."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Players use the game to immerse in a dark, challenging sci-fi world, escaping real life through exploration and puzzles."

    Capsule for Haydee 2 Haydee 2

    "Players use the game as a unique, immersive experience to escape reality with dark sci-fi and anime aesthetics."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment; no indication of obligation or pressure."

    Capsule for State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment; no indication of obligation or pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    3

    "Game encourages trying different weapons, tactics, and puzzle approaches; some exploration of mechanics and upgrades."

    Capsule for Disney G-Force Disney G-Force

    "Game encourages trying different weapons, tactics, and movement mechanics; some novelty in gameplay."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    2

    "Players explore varied environments with hidden caches and secrets, though some repetition in level design noted."

    Capsule for Arizona Sunshine® 2 Arizona Sunshine® 2

    "Players explore levels for secrets and upgrades, though environments are visually repetitive."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    2

    "Character and weapon upgrades allow some degree of self-expression through playstyle customization."

    Capsule for The Evil Within 2 The Evil Within 2

    "Some character customization in terms of outfit options; weapon upgrades allow personal playstyle expression."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    4

    "Strong surreal and psychological horror elements with fictional worlds, characters, and metaphysical themes."

    Capsule for Hello Charlotte EP3: Childhood's End Hello Charlotte EP3: Childhood's End

    "Strong sci-fi, religious, and cosmic horror themes with anime-style characters and surreal narrative."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "No social or community features; strictly single-player experience."

    Capsule for Metal Wolf Chaos XD Metal Wolf Chaos XD

    "No social or community features; strictly single-player experience."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Players learn weapon modes, upgrade strategies, and combat skills; progression through upgrades and experience."

    Capsule for Hard Reset Redux Hard Reset Redux

    "Players learn tactical combat, weapon management, and movement skills; progression through upgrades."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "No physical activity involved; sedentary gameplay with no health or rehab elements."

    Capsule for ALTF4 ALTF4

    "No physical activity involved; sedentary gameplay with no rehab or exercise elements."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention during combat and platforming; not designed for casual or background play."

    Capsule for STAR WARS™ - The Force Unleashed™ Ultimate Sith Edition STAR WARS™ - The Force Unleashed™ Ultimate Sith Edition

    "Requires focused attention due to tactical combat and platforming; not casual or background play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -5

    "No close social interactions or relationship building; solo gameplay."

    Capsule for Tomb Raider V: Chronicles (2000) Tomb Raider V: Chronicles (2000)

    "No close social relationships or emotional sharing; solo gameplay."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management elements; player acts independently."

    Capsule for Hi-Fi RUSH Hi-Fi RUSH

    "No leadership or group management elements; player acts independently."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    4

    "Players accumulate weapons, upgrades, skill points, and unlock new abilities throughout the game."

    Capsule for Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem

    "Players accumulate weapons, upgrades, and abilities; unlock new features and secrets."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    -2

    "Gameplay is tense and challenging with frequent deaths and pressure, limiting relaxation or flow states."

    Capsule for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas

    "Gameplay is tense and challenging with punishing death mechanics; some moments of flow but overall high tension."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    4

    "Strong sensory stimulation through gunplay feedback, gore effects, sound design, and atmosphere."

    Capsule for VLADiK BRUTAL VLADiK BRUTAL

    "Strong sensory stimulation from detailed gore, sound design, and impactful gunplay."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

    "No social recognition or ranking systems; focus is on individual experience."

    Capsule for Atomic Heart Atomic Heart

    "No social recognition or ranking systems; focus is on individual experience."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    2

    "Narrative is present but subtle and fragmented; story adds atmosphere but is not the main focus."

    Capsule for Nightmare Reaper Nightmare Reaper

    "Sparse but intriguing lore and narrative fragments; story is not a major focus but present."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    4

    "Requires tactical planning, positioning, skill synergy, and resource management for success."

    Capsule for Gears Tactics Gears Tactics

    "Requires tactical thinking, resource management, and planning; encourages careful approach and positioning."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    3

    "High stakes combat with risk of instant death creates suspense and thrill."

    Capsule for RUNNING WITH RIFLES RUNNING WITH RIFLES

    "High stakes combat with risk of death and punishing mechanics create suspense and excitement."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    3

    "Many players find the game worth the price, especially on sale, with good content and replayability."

    Capsule for Dead Island 2 Dead Island 2

    "Players find the game worth the price for its unique gameplay and replayability, though some mention crashes."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    5

    "Highly detailed gore and brutal combat are core features; visceral dismemberment and bloody violence."

    Capsule for Dying Light: The Beast Dying Light: The Beast

    "Extremely graphic and detailed gore with brutal dismemberment and visceral combat."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    3

    "Players must manage health, ammo, and resources to survive challenging encounters."

    Capsule for Hands of Necromancy Hands of Necromancy

    "Players must manage health, ammo, and resources carefully to survive challenging encounters."

Last update: 01/06/2026