They Always Run similar games & best alternatives

They Always Run - Trailer
They Always Run - they-always-run_1.avif
They Always Run - they-always-run_2.avif
They Always Run - they-always-run_3.avif
They Always Run - they-always-run_4.avif
They Always Run - they-always-run_5.avif
They Always Run - they-always-run_6.avif

They Always Run

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch • 2021

Should you play it?

Become Aiden, a three-armed mutant who hunts the most dangerous bounties in the galaxy. Catch, slice, dice and destroy enemies in this exciting 2D platformer with a space-western setting.

What works

  • Beautiful art style and animation
  • Engaging combat system
  • Compelling story with plot twists
  • Satisfying soundtrack
  • Linear progression with upgrades

Things to keep in mind

  • Clunky and sometimes unresponsive controls
  • Janky platforming and collision detection
  • Repetitive enemy types and combat
  • Abrupt cliffhanger ending
  • Some bugs and glitches reported

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Bladed fury

  • Dark Light

  • Valfaris

  • The Vagrant

  • The Devil Within: Satgat

  • Deepening Fire

More exploratory

Games that feels like They Always Run but with more exploration of areas and secrets

  • Turbo Kid

  • MIO: Memories in Orbit

  • HAAK

  • Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition

  • DOOMBLADE

  • MindSeize

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with They Always Run. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • 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 to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with They Always Run. These titles are not in What to play next.

They Always Run: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Competition. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Expression, Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Exploration.

Last update: 21/08/2026