The Evil Within 2 similar games & best alternatives

The Evil Within 2

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One • 2017

Should you play it?

Detective Sebastian Castellanos has lost everything, including his daughter, Lily. To save her, he must descend into the nightmarish world of STEM. Horrifying threats emerge from every corner, and he must rely on his wits to survive. For his one chance at redemption, the only way out is in.

What works
  • Engaging and emotional story
  • Improved gameplay and controls over first game
  • Semi-open world exploration
  • Strong horror atmosphere and suspense
  • Good progression and customization systems
Things to keep in mind
  • Some pacing and repetition issues
  • Occasional bugs and optimization problems
  • Less scary than first game for some players
  • Open world sections sometimes feel shallow
  • No multiplayer or cooperative features

What to play next

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

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Dead Space

  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

  • RoboCop: Rogue City

  • Resident Evil 2

  • BioShock™ Remastered

  • Terminator: Resistance

  • Atomic Heart

  • Resident Evil Village

  • Metro 2033 Redux

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Eternal Evil

  • You Will Die Here Tonight

  • Beyond Hanwell

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Fantasy

    Deep Sleep Trilogy

  • Story

    Mafia

  • Autonomy

    Seven: Enhanced Edition

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 Evil Within 2: 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 Story. 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 explore the open world, choose stealth or combat approaches, and customize skills and equipment."

    Capsule for Seven: Enhanced Edition Seven: Enhanced Edition

    "Players can explore semi-open world areas freely, choose stealth or combat approaches, and upgrade skills and weapons at their discretion."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    3

    "The game offers skill-based combat, parkour, and stealth mechanics with multiple difficulties and challenges, rewarding player mastery."

    Capsule for Sword With Sauce Sword With Sauce

    "The game offers a balanced challenge with stealth and combat mechanics, crafting, and progression systems that reward skill and strategy."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -4

    "Focus is on single-player experience without competitive multiplayer or leaderboards; players progress at their own pace."

    Capsule for Overlord™: Raising Hell Overlord™: Raising Hell

    "Focus is on single-player experience with no multiplayer or leaderboard elements; players progress at their own pace."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    3

    "Players report long play sessions, engagement with story and exploration, and New Game+ mode encouraging replay."

    Capsule for Child of Light Child of Light

    "Many players report long play sessions, replayability with new game plus, and engagement with story and exploration."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Entirely single-player with no cooperative multiplayer or teamwork elements."

    Capsule for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

    "Entirely single-player with no cooperative multiplayer or teamwork elements."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players can build and customize bases, craft items, and choose different playstyles, supporting creative problem solving."

    Capsule for Hobo: Tough Life Hobo: Tough Life

    "Players can customize skills and weapons, craft items, and choose different playstyles, encouraging creative problem solving."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No social or multiplayer dominance elements; interactions are individual and narrative-driven."

    Capsule for Scars Above Scars Above

    "No social or multiplayer dominance elements; interactions are individual and narrative-driven."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Strong psychological horror and dark story provide immersive escape from reality."

    Capsule for Tokyo Dark Tokyo Dark

    "Strong psychological horror and immersive story provide an escape from reality into a dark, fictional world."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and intrinsic motivation; no evidence of obligation or external pressure."

    Capsule for Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and intrinsic motivation; no evidence of obligation or external pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    3

    "Exploration of a large open world and trying different combat and stealth approaches encourages experimentation."

    Capsule for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

    "Open world design and multiple gameplay approaches encourage experimentation with stealth, combat, and exploration."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    4

    "Large open-world areas with many secrets, lore, and side quests encourage discovery and curiosity-driven play."

    Capsule for Dragon Age™ Inquisition Dragon Age™ Inquisition

    "Semi-open world areas with side missions and hidden items encourage discovery and curiosity-driven play."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    2

    "Weapon and character upgrades allow some degree of self-expression through customized playstyles."

    Capsule for Dread Templar Dread Templar

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

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    5

    "Strongly rooted in surreal, dreamlike horror fiction with imaginative creatures and settings beyond reality."

    Capsule for Deep Sleep Trilogy Deep Sleep Trilogy

    "Strongly rooted in imaginative fiction with surreal horror elements, supernatural enemies, and psychological themes."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "No social or multiplayer features; experience is solitary and story-focused."

    Capsule for Nocturne: Prelude Nocturne: Prelude

    "No multiplayer or community features; experience is solitary and story-focused."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Skill trees and weapon upgrades provide learning and personal development opportunities."

    Capsule for Forgive Me Father Forgive Me Father

    "Skill trees, weapon upgrades, and crafting systems support player learning and personal development."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay typical of survival horror; no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

    Capsule for SIGNALIS SIGNALIS

    "Sedentary gameplay typical of survival horror; no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement; not designed for casual or background play."

    Capsule for Metro: Last Light Redux Metro: Last Light Redux

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement; not designed for background or casual play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -4

    "No social or emotional connections beyond player and narrative; no interpersonal interaction."

    Capsule for The Mammoth: A Cave Painting The Mammoth: A Cave Painting

    "Narrative includes emotional connections but no social or interpersonal player interactions."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management elements; single-player experience."

    Capsule for Who's Lila? Who's Lila?

    "No leadership or group management elements; single-player experience."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    4

    "Players accumulate upgrades, weapons, and abilities; skill trees and crafting support progression."

    Capsule for Atomic Heart Atomic Heart

    "Players accumulate upgrades, weapons, and resources, progressing through skill trees and crafting."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    -3

    "Tense atmosphere and survival horror elements create sustained tension rather than relaxation."

    Capsule for Among Ashes Among Ashes

    "Tense atmosphere and survival horror elements create sustained tension rather than relaxation."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Strong sensory stimulation through detailed visuals, sound design, and horror elements creating emotional engagement."

    Capsule for Platform 8 Platform 8

    "Strong sensory stimulation through visuals, sound design, and horror elements evoke emotional responses."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

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

    Capsule for The Descendant The Descendant

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

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Highly praised narrative immersion with strong characters and emotional storytelling."

    Capsule for Mafia Mafia

    "Highly praised narrative immersion with emotional, psychological, and character-driven storytelling."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    3

    "Players use stealth, planning, and tactical combat approaches requiring problem solving."

    Capsule for Far Cry® 4 Far Cry® 4

    "Players use stealth, resource management, and tactical combat requiring planning and problem solving."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    4

    "Suspense, tension, and horror elements create thrilling and exciting gameplay moments."

    Capsule for System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster

    "Horror and suspense elements create tension, fear, and relief, contributing to thrilling gameplay."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    3

    "Players perceive good value for time invested due to extensive content and replayability, especially on sale."

    Capsule for Grand Theft Auto V Legacy Grand Theft Auto V Legacy

    "Players perceive good value for time invested, especially on sale; praised for content and story length."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Combat and destruction of enemies are core gameplay elements, with emphasis on survival through violence."

    Capsule for Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999)

    "Combat and destruction of enemies are core gameplay elements, with graphic violence and gore."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    4

    "Resource scarcity, death penalties, and enemy threats emphasize survival elements."

    Capsule for Blood West Blood West

    "Resource scarcity, stealth, and combat mechanics emphasize staying alive and overcoming threats."

Last update: 01/06/2026