- #1 Environmental Station Alpha
97% matchVery Positive83% of 1,601 reviews2015
Dev: Arvi TeikariPub: Hempuli Oy
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 6.2 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Explore an abandoned space station in this retro-themed explorative action platformer.
Why similar: Metroidvania 66.6%, Platformer 16.4%, Action 7.3%, Pixel Graphics 6.2%, Exploration 3.5%
Why You'll Like It: It shares the same minimalist, challenging pixel-art aesthetic and deep, non-linear exploration found in Tethys.
- #2 Axiom Verge
96% matchVery Positive90% of 6,442 reviews2015
Dev: Thomas Happ Games LLC
Windows · Linux
Median: 6.3 hrsMean: 9.6 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Explore and uncover the mystery of a surreal alien world by blasting aliens and glitching your environment in this intense retro side-scrolling action/adventure.
Why similar: Metroidvania 70%, Platformer 15.4%, Action 6.4%, Pixel Graphics 4.4%, Exploration 3.7%
Why You'll Like It: This title is a definitive sci-fi metroidvania that mirrors the sense of discovery and weapon-based progression of the seed game.
- #3 Gato Roboto
96% matchVery Positive94% of 5,065 reviews2019
Dev: doinksoftPub: Devolver Digital
Windows
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 5.4 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Pounce inside of your cozy armored mech and set off on a dangerous trek through an alien underworld full of irritable creatures and treacherous obstacles in a valiant effort to save your stranded captain and his crashed spaceship.
Why similar: Metroidvania 63.8%, Platformer 15.6%, Action 10.8%, Pixel Graphics 5.9%, Exploration 3.9%
Why You'll Like It: It features a similar retro-futuristic vibe where you navigate a hostile environment inside a mechanical suit.
- #4 Xeodrifter
95% matchMostly Positive76% of 855 reviews2014
Dev: Atooi
Windows
Median: 30 minMean: 2.3 hrs≥1hr: 40%
Xeodrifter is the story of an interstellar drifter traveling the stars on a simple mission of exploration. We join our nomad as he embarks on the investigation of a small cluster of four planets in the omega sector, after a collision with a rogue asteroid damaged his warp core.
Why similar: Metroidvania 54.7%, Platformer 21.6%, Action 9.3%, Exploration 8.9%, Pixel Graphics 5.4%
Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on short-burst, intense exploration and boss fights on alien planets that feel very close to the Tethys experience.
- #5 Rebel Transmute
94% matchMostly Positive75% of 272 reviews2024
Dev: Fatal Fawn GamesPub: JanduSoft
Windows
Rebel Transmute is a challenging 2D action-platformer epic with heart! Explore the twisting caverns of an alien planet, augment your play-style to fit your strengths, battle deadly bosses, and uncover a dark truth as Moon Mikono searches for her long lost mother.
Why similar: Metroidvania 53%, Platformer 15.9%, Exploration 10%, Action 8.2%, Action-Adventure 7.3%
Why You'll Like It: It provides a modern take on the classic metroidvania formula with a heavy emphasis on exploration and challenging combat encounters.
- #6 Ghost Song
93% matchVery Positive83% of 1,404 reviews2022
Dev: Old MoonPub: Balor Games
Windows
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 8.8 hrs≥1hr: 58%
On the desolate moon of Lorian, a long-dormant Deadsuit awakens from slumber. Journey beneath the surface on an atmospheric 2D adventure of self-discovery, ancient mysteries, and cosmic terror. Explore winding caverns and acquire new abilities to unearth this alien world’s long-buried secrets.
Why similar: Metroidvania 59.5%, Platformer 21.4%, Action 10.6%, Action-Adventure 8.5%
Why You'll Like It: This atmospheric sci-fi metroidvania excels at capturing the feeling of being stranded on a desolate, dangerous world.
- #7 Demon Peak
94% matchMixed69% of 242 reviews2017
Dev: Kajak Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 30 minMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 43%
In Demon Peak, you play as the nameless warrior, trapped inside the depths of an unholy Mountain. Explore the mysterious and perilous enviroments, fight against a multitude of different enemies and gather magical abilities to overcome the Mountain's evil inhabitants.
Why similar: Metroidvania 58.6%, Action 20.1%, Platformer 15.5%, Pixel Graphics 5.7%
Why You'll Like It: It mirrors the retro-inspired action-adventure loop of finding secret upgrades to overcome increasingly difficult terrain.
- #8 Haiku, the Robot
91% matchVery Positive90% of 3,390 reviews2022
Dev: Mister Morris Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 6.5 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Delve into the depths of a mechanical world in this cute, adventure-exploration game. Explore and fight in a land full of corrupt robots and machinery. All while seeking answers to the mysteries around you.
Why similar: Metroidvania 57%, Platformer 19.4%, Exploration 11%, Action-Adventure 6.7%, Pixel Graphics 5.9%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a charming yet lonely atmosphere with interconnected world design and mechanical upgrades that reward exploration.
- #9 After Death
91% matchVery Positive89% of 166 reviews2017
Dev: After Death Team
Windows
After Death is a platform / exploration game in a dark and hostile world. With the help from lost souls, you will have to find a way to open a gate which seems to be the only exit from this mysterious world infected by monsters.
Why similar: Metroidvania 65.8%, Action 15.3%, Platformer 14.9%, Pixel Graphics 3.9%
Why You'll Like It: This title offers a vast, interconnected world with a focus on cryptic exploration and challenging platforming mechanics.
- #10 Paradox Soul
92% matchMixed43% of 623 reviews2018
Dev: Ritual GamesPub: GrabTheGames
Windows
Median: 1.5 hrsMean: 5.4 hrs≥1hr: 57%
Paradox Soul is a chilling fight for exploration and survival; a Metroidvania pixel action-shooter hybrid!
Why similar: Metroidvania 52.6%, Platformer 21.3%, Action 12.7%, Exploration 7.2%, Pixel Graphics 6.2%
Why You'll Like It: It captures the same tense, pixelated survival-horror atmosphere where you are constantly hunted by superior forces.
- #11 The Mobius Machine
90% matchVery Positive84% of 461 reviews2024
Dev: Madruga Works
Windows
Discover a vast alien world. Fight the ferocious local fauna and killer machines. Reveal its secrets and find a way to escape. The Mobius Machine is a side-scroller action adventure, with an emphasis on free-form exploration and intense combat.
Why similar: Metroidvania 55.3%, Platformer 18.2%, Exploration 11.5%, Action-Adventure 8.4%, Action 6.6%
Why You'll Like It: The game features a sprawling, hostile alien world where navigation and survival are key to uncovering the mystery of your surroundings.
- #12 Out There Somewhere
89% matchVery Positive93% of 6,916 reviews2016
Dev: MiniBossPub: Senpai Industrial Studios
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 3.7 hrs≥1hr: 72%
You play an explorer stranded on a dangerous alien planet. Low on fuel, your only hope for escape is to find the planet’s core in this incredibly clever action-puzzle-platformer.
Why similar: Platformer 50.6%, Metroidvania 27.3%, Action 11.9%, Pixel Graphics 10.2%
Why You'll Like It: This game emphasizes precision platforming and exploration in a hostile alien setting, much like the core loop of Tethys.
- #13 PLANET ALPHA
89% matchMixed70% of 1,107 reviews2018
Dev: Planet Alpha ApSPub: Team17 Digital Ltd
Windows
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 4.2 hrs≥1hr: 88%
PLANET ALPHA, a beautiful alien world filled with mystery and danger. Pursued by relentless enemies, you must harness the power of night and day as you struggle to survive.
Why similar: Platformer 53.4%, Action 26.3%, Exploration 20.3%
Why You'll Like It: While more cinematic, it perfectly captures the feeling of navigating a beautiful yet deadly alien planet.
- #14 Exophobia
87% matchVery Positive88% of 136 reviews2024
Dev: Zarc AttackPub: PM Studios, inc.
Windows
Explore and fight your way through a crashed human spaceship infested with relentless hordes of aliens as you become more powerful with exciting weapon upgrades and powerups in this retro inspired first-person shooter.
Why similar: Metroidvania 67.5%, Exploration 13.3%, Action-Adventure 12.9%, Pixel Graphics 6.2%
Why You'll Like It: This game blends retro aesthetics with intense, fast-paced combat against alien threats in a confined facility.
- #15 System Purge
86% matchVery Positive96% of 202 reviews2022
Dev: Actual Nerds
Windows
Trapped in a buried, forgotten facility, you must reach the core of an ancient machine to rescue your lost lover. System Purge is a challenging, atmospheric 2D platformer.
Why similar: Metroidvania 39.2%, Platformer 36.7%, Action 15.8%, Pixel Graphics 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: It features a similar focus on a lone protagonist navigating a dangerous, mechanical environment with platforming-heavy gameplay.
- #16 Exographer
86% matchVery Positive95% of 130 reviews2024
Dev: SciFunGamesPub: Abylight Studios
Windows · Mac
Exographer is an exploration game based on science. Become an explorer, stranded in an alien planet, and discover the secrets of an extinct civilization. Gain new powers to avoid dangers and obstacles in your journey, and use your camera to reveal particles and hidden clues.
Why similar: Platformer 32%, Metroidvania 31.4%, Exploration 18.5%, Action 10.5%, Pixel Graphics 7.6%
Why You'll Like It: It combines exploration with puzzle-solving in a way that rewards players for carefully analyzing their surroundings.
- #17 MIO: Memories in Orbit
84% matchVery Positive83% of 2,890 reviews2026
Dev: Douze DixièmesPub: Focus Entertainment
Windows
Median: 8.2 hrsMean: 15.2 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Play as android MIO in this mesmerizing metroidvania where you explore the Vessel, an enormous technological ark overgrown with machines gone rogue. Uncover its secrets, enhance MIO's abilities, and save the spaceship and its residents from oblivion.
Why similar: Metroidvania 54.8%, Platformer 20.4%, Exploration 10.7%, Action-Adventure 9.5%, Action 4.6%
Why You'll Like It: The game emphasizes fluid movement and exploration within a decaying, atmospheric sci-fi setting.
- #18 Dark Matter
88% matchMixed45% of 263 reviews2013
Dev: InterWave StudiosPub: Iceberg Interactive
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Dark Matter is a 2.5D side-scrolling survival horror game, set in a derelict spaceship besieged by a sinister alien presence, and infested with deadly parasites. As the Ensign, you must explore fetid hallways and abandoned facilities, scavenging for parts and blueprints, expanding your arsenal to up to four deadly weapons and freely...
Why similar: Metroidvania 63.2%, Action 36.8%
Why You'll Like It: It delivers a dark, sci-fi side-scrolling experience that focuses on survival against alien threats in a confined space.
- #19 PSYCRON
84% matchVery Positive94% of 113 reviews2021
Dev: Mothware
Windows
A fast-paced 2D handcrafted metroidvania with strange sci-fi environments. Something is roaming the halls, watching your every move.
Why similar: Metroidvania 55.3%, Platformer 14.5%, Exploration 10.2%, Action-Adventure 8.6%, Action 6.3%
Why You'll Like It: This game provides a focused metroidvania experience with a strong emphasis on exploration and sci-fi atmosphere.
- #20 Project Mercury
85% matchMixed58% of 587 reviews2017
Dev: Raxasoft Games
Windows
Median: 6 minMean: 9.3 hrs≥1hr: 24%
Make your way on foot, on a hoverbike, up skyscrapers, and down bottomless pits, as you exterminate a threat of unknown origin!
Why similar: Platformer 58.3%, Action 34%, Pixel Graphics 7.7%
Why You'll Like It: This title is a direct homage to classic retro action-platformers, focusing on tight controls and challenging level design.
- #21 ASTRONAUTILUS
83% matchVery Positive95% of 61 reviews2022
Dev: neozoid.games
Windows
Your ship has crash-landed on a stray rogue planet, and you're out of fuel... It's up to you to delve beneath the frozen surface and find a way to get your ship back into space while fighting strange sea creatures and uncovering the mysteries of the world beneath the ice!
Why similar: Action 67.6%, Pixel Graphics 32.4%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a fast-paced, action-oriented take on the sci-fi exploration genre with a distinct visual style.
- #22 Astalon: Tears of the Earth
82% matchVery Positive90% of 1,437 reviews2021
Dev: LABS WorksPub: DANGEN Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Uphold your pact with the Titan of Death, Epimetheus! Fight, climb and solve your way through a twisted tower as three unique adventurers, on a mission to save their village from impending doom!
Why similar: Metroidvania 50%, Platformer 17.2%, Action-Adventure 10.1%, Exploration 9.8%, Action 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: This game features intricate level design and character-swapping mechanics that make exploration feel rewarding and deep.
- #23 Islets
80% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 2,209 reviews2022
Dev: Kyle ThompsonPub: Armor Games Studios
Windows
Median: 7.4 hrsMean: 10.7 hrs≥1hr: 72%
Take to the sky and reunite a fragmented world in this surprisingly wholesome metroidvania! Help Iko adventure across beautiful hand-painted islands, receive letters from a quirky cast of characters, and face powerful monstrous adversaries.
Why similar: Metroidvania 58.7%, Platformer 22.5%, Exploration 8.5%, Action 8.4%, Action-Adventure 1.8%
Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on the joy of exploration and traversal, making it a great pick for those who enjoyed the movement in Tethys.
- #24 Vision Soft Reset
82% matchVery Positive89% of 154 reviews2019
Dev: Seafloor Games LLC
Windows
Perceive the future in this time-loop metroidvania.
Why similar: Metroidvania 51.3%, Platformer 18.8%, Exploration 9.8%, Action-Adventure 9.1%, Action 7.2%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a unique time-loop mechanic that forces you to master the environment and optimize your exploration route.
- #25 Iconoclasts
81% matchVery Positive86% of 4,919 reviews2018
Dev: Joakim SandbergPub: Bifrost Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 8.7 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Join renegade mechanic Robin and uncover the secrets of a dying planet. Explore a big world filled with intricate puzzles, interesting characters and menacing bosses in a beautiful platform adventure that tells a personal story about faith, purpose and the challenge of helping people.
Why similar: Metroidvania 59.7%, Platformer 16.7%, Action 11.4%, Pixel Graphics 6.9%, Action-Adventure 4.5%
Why You'll Like It: It features high-quality pixel art and a strong narrative focus paired with challenging platforming and boss encounters.
- #26 Lone Fungus
79% matchVery Positive84% of 1,139 reviews2023
Dev: BASTI GAMES
Windows
Median: 1.8 hrsMean: 8.8 hrs≥1hr: 61%
A handcrafted open-world platformer set in a world built by Mushrooms! Explore different locations filled with secrets, acquire new abilities and use those abilities to reach new places!
Why similar: Metroidvania 56.9%, Platformer 19.7%, Action 9.8%, Exploration 7.7%, Pixel Graphics 5.9%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a massive world to explore with a heavy emphasis on platforming challenges and ability-based progression.
- #27 Cave Story+
79% matchVery Positive93% of 7,930 reviews2011
Dev: Nicalis, Inc.
Windows · Linux
Median: 1.8 hrsMean: 21.3 hrs≥1hr: 60%
Run, jump, shoot, fly and explore your way through a massive action-adventure reminiscent of classic 8- and 16-bit games.
Why similar: Metroidvania 57%, Platformer 26.3%, Action 8%, Pixel Graphics 4.5%, Exploration 4.2%
Why You'll Like It: A classic of the genre, it provides the same sense of being a lone hero navigating a dangerous, mysterious world.
- #28 A.N.N.E
81% matchMixed53% of 38 reviews2019
Dev: Gamesbymo Inc.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Explore the mysterious and beautiful planet Gomi on foot or with your spaceship in this action packed platformer and space shooter hybrid. Your mission is simple, retrieve A.N.N.E and escape.
Why similar: Metroidvania 48.6%, Platformer 20.6%, Action 19.8%, Exploration 6.5%, Pixel Graphics 4.5%
Why You'll Like It: It blends space flight and on-foot exploration, providing a varied sci-fi experience that mirrors the scale of Tethys.
- #29 Sundered®: Eldritch Edition
78% matchVery Positive82% of 5,120 reviews2017
Dev: Thunder Lotus
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 6.0 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Sundered is a chaotic hand-drawn metroidvania where you resist or embrace ancient eldritch powers, a challenging and unique take on a classic genre from the creators of Jotun, now with local co-op!
Why similar: Metroidvania 64.4%, Platformer 22.4%, Action 8.1%, Exploration 5.1%
Why You'll Like It: It features a highly hostile environment and intense combat that will appeal to players looking for a challenge.
- #30 Aggelos
78% matchMostly Positive78% of 656 reviews2018
Dev: Storybird GamesPub: PQube
Windows
Median: 1.3 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 56%
Critically-acclaimed action-RPG that takes the template laid down by classics like Wonder Boy, nails the 16-Bit aesthetics for nostalgia fans, but updates the mechanics to feel fresh and modern. Explore a beautiful open world and plunder dungeons, caves and forests to help take down epic bosses!
Why similar: Metroidvania 64.8%, Platformer 16%, Action 13.9%, Pixel Graphics 5.2%
Why You'll Like It: This title captures the spirit of 16-bit action-adventure games with a focus on exploration and combat upgrades.
- #31 Ascent DX
75% matchVery Positive99% of 272 reviews2025
Dev: Johan PeitzPub: Apskeppet
Windows · Mac
Crashed on a desolate but mysterious planet you find yourself eye to eye with an ancient civilisation. Explore the planet, find powerful upgrades, and fulfill your destiny.
Why similar: Metroidvania 63.4%, Platformer 20.9%, Exploration 11.6%, Pixel Graphics 4.1%
- #32 ReSetna
76% matchVery Positive83% of 174 reviews2025
Dev: Today's GamesPub: Module16
Windows
What’s left of humanity are minds trapped in circuits. You are awaken as ReSetna, a warrior on a mission to rescue last human remnants. Explore seven hostile zones, face seven brutal bosses and evolve through a unique upgrade system. Uncover horrifying truth and decide if the future is worth saving.
Why similar: Metroidvania 65.5%, Platformer 22.2%, Action 12.3%
- #33 Bionic Bay
73% matchVery Positive86% of 657 reviews2025
Dev: Psychoflow StudioPub: Kepler Interactive
Windows
Median: 2.0 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 72%
A scientist uses a unique teleportation instrument to escape an ancient biomechanical world filled with imaginative technology, deadly traps, and hidden secrets.
Why similar: Platformer 52.5%, Action 21.8%, Action-Adventure 18.9%, Pixel Graphics 6.8%
- #34 Stray Savior
73% matchVery Positive93% of 61 reviews2025
Dev: Gustav
Windows
Stray Savior is a 2D action platformer packed full of lethal traps, precise jumps, and powerful bosses. Venture through the dystopian world with weapons and skills, to prove yourself and forge your own path.
Why similar: Platformer 42.9%, Action 24.5%, Action-Adventure 23.4%, Pixel Graphics 9.2%
- #35 Zombotron
74% matchVery Positive89% of 3,501 reviews2019
Dev: Ant.Karlov Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 6.7 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Fight to survive on a mysterious alien planet, outwit its vicious inhabitants, and do whatever it takes to find a way off that wretched rock.
Why similar: Platformer 46.9%, Action 34.3%, Action-Adventure 18.8%
- #36 Mechanic Escape
75% matchVery Positive85% of 793 reviews2014
Dev: Slak GamesPub: Plug In Digital
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.8 hrsMean: 3.0 hrs≥1hr: 70%
In a world oppressed by ruthless machines, a stronghold full of die-hard TV-sets resists the persecution. Your lost friends and the lack of resources drive you to take action against the extinction. Brave the dangers and go find your comrades to rescue your species!
Why similar: Platformer 65.1%, Action 34.9%
- #37 Ex Vitro
73% matchVery Positive94% of 145 reviews2024
Dev: Evolver Dynamics
Windows
EX VITRO is a dark sci-fi 2D platformer where you delve into the ruins of a military research facility and discover the horrors within. Whether machine, creature, or something else entirely, you’ll face the violent legacy of the last survivors of humanity.
Why similar: Metroidvania 57.1%, Platformer 22.1%, Exploration 12%, Action 8.8%
- #38 The Tribulation Entanglement
74% matchMostly Positive78% of 60 reviews2022
Dev: Anxious Neck Games
Windows
You are the Entangled One, a malformed entity. Traverse the flesh wastes under the eye of an eternal eclipse. Delve deep into the planet's guts. Uncover a fleshy ecosystem. Engage in deliberate, challenging combat, using your whiplike arms and collectible sub attacks to augment your combat style!
Why similar: Platformer 50.7%, Action-Adventure 20.3%, Action 18.2%, Pixel Graphics 10.8%
- #39 Bad Bots
77% matchMixed55% of 260 reviews2013
Dev: Point Five ProjectsPub: Digital Tribe
Windows · Mac
Median: 42 minMean: 3.1 hrs≥1hr: 45%
As Sam McRae, last surviving member of the “Titan Hauler” crew, you must hack and blast your way through an onslaught of truly bad 'bots to find a way to prevent a potential planet-destroying catastrophe.
Why similar: Action 100%
- #40 Unusual and not safe experiments
72% matchVery Positive89% of 94 reviews2025
Dev: Galactic Geckon
Windows
Unusual and NOT Safe Experiments is an action-puzzle game where you control a robot trying to escape from an abandoned complex, overcoming traps and solving puzzles.
Why similar: Action 75.8%, Pixel Graphics 24.2%
- #41 Inescapable
77% matchMixed40% of 124 reviews2014
Dev: Magnetic Realms
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 18 minMean: 2.2 hrs≥1hr: 27%
Unravel the mystery uncovered by a remote interplanetary mining operation. What did they find? What threat does it pose? And ultimately, what does it truly mean to be a hero?
Why similar: Metroidvania 62.2%, Action 20.3%, Platformer 17.6%
- #42 Robotex
76% matchMostly Negative38% of 978 reviews2014
Dev: YFYX GAMESPub: My Way Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.4 hrsMean: 2.9 hrs≥1hr: 66%
Life on Earth is unsustainable. Humanity must seek a new home but the only planet found is very hostile. You were sent on a expedition to slay the monsters inhabiting the surface of this planet. In this adventure you end up being the villain. Game contains two basic controls, many puzzles and lots of guns and enemies.
Why similar: Action 61.6%, Platformer 38.4%
- #43 Waking Mars
72% matchVery Positive89% of 1,195 reviews2012
Dev: Tiger Style
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 54 minMean: 4.3 hrs≥1hr: 49%
In 2097, life is discovered on Mars. When your mission of first contact becomes trapped by a cave-in, you must master the alien ecosystem to survive. Soon you stumble upon more than anyone expected, and with time running out, you will make a decision that determines the fate of a lost planet.
Why similar: Metroidvania 41.3%, Platformer 32.2%, Exploration 17.5%, Action 9%
- #44 Shadow Labyrinth
70% matchMixed57% of 323 reviews2025
Dev: Bandai Namco Studios Inc.Pub: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.
Windows
Shadow Labyrinth is a 2D action platformer and a genre-twisting alternate take on the iconic PAC-MAN. As The Swordsman, you wake on a mysterious planet amidst relics of wars past. To survive you will discover secrets, consume your enemies, and grow from prey to apex predator.
Why similar: Metroidvania 57.9%, Platformer 17.4%, Action 15.4%, Action-Adventure 9.3%
- #45 The Prisoning: Fletcher's Quest
68% matchVery Positive90% of 60 reviews2026
Dev: Elden PixelsPub: Acclaim, Inc.
Windows · Mac
After a psychologist visit goes terribly wrong, you find yourself trapped in the mind of a game developer on the brink of physical and emotional burnout during the final stages of an intense project. Experience a metroidvania-lite drenched in anxiety and based on a very true story.
Why similar: Metroidvania 45.4%, Platformer 21.5%, Action 10.4%, Action-Adventure 10%, Exploration 8%
- #46 Ghost Trap
70% matchVery Positive92% of 95 reviews2022
Dev: WilhelmGStudios
Windows
You've died and landed in purgatory, your options? Unending suffering or finding a way back to your world.
Why similar: Platformer 56%, Action 44%
- #47 REDO!
71% matchVery Positive88% of 234 reviews2019
Dev: Robson Paiva
Windows
REDO! is a game about a girl trying to find another human in a dystopian world overrun by biomachines. It's a lonely and evocative game about exploring the unknown and overcoming obstacles to see what is left.
Why similar: Metroidvania 65.4%, Action 20%, Exploration 7.9%, Pixel Graphics 6.6%
- #48 Notrium
71% matchVery Positive94% of 72 reviews2015
Dev: Ville Mönkkönen
Windows
Median: 12 minMean: 8.1 hrs≥1hr: 36%
You have crash-landed on Notrium. Your food supplies are running low, and a pack of predatory aliens have your scent. You're out of bullets for your pistol, your only weapon a handful of rocks. A freezing night is setting in, and you are desperately looking for firewood. Can you survive?
Why similar: Action 100%
- #49 Astronite
70% matchMostly Positive75% of 183 reviews2022
Dev: Dume Games StudioPub: JanduSoft
Windows
Astronite is a 1bit metroidvania that combines action, exploration, puzzles and platforms. Recover the planet where you and yours lived before it was invaded by strange creatures.
Why similar: Metroidvania 46.9%, Platformer 18.3%, Exploration 11.5%, Action-Adventure 10.1%, Action 8.7%
- #50 Endoparasitic 2
66% matchVery Positive87% of 616 reviews2024
Dev: MizizizizPub: Deep Root Interactive
Windows · Mac · Linux
Three limbs ripped off, infected with a deadly parasite, you must survive. Drag yourself through the hallways of an infested arcship, fight off twisted eldritch creatures, craft vaccines and ammunition, and escape to civilization.
Why similar: Action 31.5%, Exploration 30.4%, Action-Adventure 26.4%, Pixel Graphics 11.7%
- #51 Orange Moon
71% matchMixed68% of 109 reviews2017
Dev: Betelgeuse Zero
Windows
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 97%
Search for new life forms as you try to survive on a mysterious hostile world in the surreal 2D action-platformer Orange Moon.
Why similar: Metroidvania 44.5%, Action 28.5%, Platformer 27%
- #52 Trash Quest
69% matchVery Positive93% of 121 reviews2021
Dev: Francis Vace
Windows
Trash Quest is a compact metroidvania with a single spawn point, run and gun action and tight platforming. Navigate an interwoven maze of rooms through this space station, destroying robots, collecting power ups and unlocking shortcuts.
Why similar: Metroidvania 61.4%, Platformer 12.5%, Exploration 12%, Action 9.8%, Pixel Graphics 4.2%
- #53 ANIMAL WELL
63% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 23,519 reviews2024
Dev: Billy BassoPub: Bigmode
Windows
Median: 5.7 hrsMean: 9.5 hrs≥1hr: 77%
Explore a dense, interconnected labyrinth, and unravel its many secrets. Collect items to manipulate your environment in surprising and meaningful ways. Encounter beautiful and unsettling creatures, as you attempt to survive what lurks in the dark. There is more than what you see.
Why similar: Metroidvania 59.3%, Platformer 17.5%, Exploration 11.6%, Action 5.9%, Pixel Graphics 5.6%
- #54 Xanthiom Zero
67% matchVery Positive96% of 127 reviews2023
Dev: MathanGames
Windows
Play as Captain Grisham, and uncover the secrets of Planet 4-514 in this thrilling prequel to Side Scape!
Why similar: Metroidvania 56.7%, Platformer 18.1%, Exploration 11%, Action 8.4%, Pixel Graphics 5.8%
- #55 Void Memory
69% matchMixed67% of 230 reviews2017
Dev: Gustav
Windows
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 7.0 hrs≥1hr: 79%
You, who was born in a world full of darkness, should wander this hollowed land to find the Relics for a person who created you. However, fallen and lost souls with trap-filled trials await in your course of doing so. Can you survive in this crumbling world and start a new era?
Why similar: Metroidvania 57.3%, Action 21%, Platformer 15.5%, Exploration 6.1%
- #56 Hypogea
62% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 687 reviews2025
Dev: Charlie Wagner
Windows
Escape from a mysterious underground megastructure in this short atmospheric 3d-platformer.
Why similar: Platformer 80.5%, Action-Adventure 19.5%
- #57 Alien Rampage
69% matchMixed70% of 70 reviews2017
Dev: Inner Circle CreationsPub: Piko Interactive LLC
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 12 minMean: 53.1 hrs≥1hr: 23%
Your ship is in ruins. your cargo is lost... and you are one ticked-off alien trapped on a planet overrun by bloodthirsty mutants with the help of a handful of enslaved natives and enough firepower to level a city.
Why similar: Action 100%
- #58 Space Expedition
65% matchVery Positive93% of 181 reviews2023
Dev: Mobirate
Windows · Mac
Space Expedition is a 2D sci-fi platformer where you play as an astronaut who is sent to a space station to collect samples of mysterious dark matter. Space Expedition combines puzzle platforming, pixel art, and atmospheric adventures set in the style of 1980s sci-fi horror films.
Why similar: Platformer 49.1%, Exploration 32.6%, Pixel Graphics 18.3%
- #59 Elypse
65% matchMostly Positive74% of 359 reviews2023
Dev: Hot Chili GamesPub: PID Games
Windows
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 3.7 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Embark upon a tragic tale and discover the ravaged world of Elypse! Fight your destiny in an arduous 2D adventure, story rich platformer, in a mesmerising and mysterious world.
Why similar: Metroidvania 49.4%, Platformer 24.6%, Action-Adventure 12.8%, Action 11.3%, Exploration 2%