- #1 You Have to Win the Game
97% matchVery Positive93% of 5,720 reviews2014
Dev: Minor Key Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 42 minMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 43%
You Have to Win the Game is a free exploration platformer with a retro 1980s PC aesthetic.
Why similar: Metroidvania 86%, Indie 14%
- #2 Demon Peak
96% matchMixed70% of 244 reviews2017
Dev: Kajak Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 30 minMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 44%
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 69.5%, Indie 30.5%
- #3 Blink the Bulb
96% matchVery Positive85% of 108 reviews2017
Dev: White Sparkle Games
Windows
Median: 2.3 hrsMean: 16.0 hrs≥1hr: 66%
Blink the Bulb is a 16-bit platformer composed of massive, holiday-themed realms. Explore six unique worlds, mix and match varied power ups, and stave off the nefarious Holidaemon in this throwback to games of yore.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #4 Enigmoon
95% matchMostly Positive73% of 757 reviews2015
Dev: Tupã Games
Windows
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 5.4 hrs≥1hr: 96%
Metroidvania with challenging puzzles and free exploration as long as you have oxygen.
Why similar: Indie 50.7%, Metroidvania 49.3%
- #5 Cathedral
94% matchMostly Positive74% of 453 reviews2019
Dev: Decemberborn Interactive
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 54 minMean: 9.1 hrs≥1hr: 49%
Make your way through more than 600 rooms, and unravel the secrets of your past by finding the five elemental orbs. Cathedral features a vast world, meant for exploring!
Why similar: Metroidvania 77.7%, Indie 22.3%
- #6 Axiom Verge
94% matchVery Positive90% of 6,505 reviews2015
Dev: Thomas Happ Games LLC
Windows · Linux
Median: 6.2 hrsMean: 9.5 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 85.8%, Indie 14.2%
- #7 Quarion
91% matchVery Positive94% of 159 reviews2025
Dev: ZejoantPub: Bootleg Bytes
Windows · Linux
A short 2D pixel-style metroidvania where you explore, fight bosses, aquire items and abilities and find secrets. Inspired by games such as You Have to Win the Game and VVVVVV.
Why similar: Metroidvania 84.7%, Indie 15.3%
- #8 Super Blue Boy Planet
92% matchVery Positive91% of 2,722 reviews2016
Dev: NanningsGames
Windows
Median: 36 minMean: 3.2 hrs≥1hr: 21%
SBBP is a 2D platformer with pixel graphics. Blue boy’s girlfriend is kidnapped by aliens so he goes through 21 levels to save her and he also fight bosses along the way.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #9 Disorder
93% matchMostly Positive72% of 104 reviews2015
Dev: Swagabyte Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.9 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 93%
A psychological 2D puzzle platformer. You must switch between two versions of the past: dark & light, positive & negative, hope & despair. Every action is innately tied to this dualistic battle. Traverse a surreal landscape of memory to try and mend a fragile mind.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #10 Souldiers
89% matchMixed69% of 3,012 reviews2022
Dev: Retro ForgePub: Dear Villagers
Windows
Median: 2.4 hrsMean: 15.0 hrs≥1hr: 63%
Fight for your freedom in a sprawling fantasy world caught between the living and the fallen. Hone your skills in a retro epic featuring puzzle platforming, metroidvania exploration and crunchy soulslike combat.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #11 Inexistence
90% matchMixed66% of 371 reviews2016
Dev: Jonathan BRASSAUD
Windows
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 4.1 hrs≥1hr: 96%
Discover a vast world full of mysteries and action in this Metroidvania-style game inspired by the classics of the 16-bit era.
Why similar: Metroidvania 70.4%, Indie 29.6%
- #12 Janosik
88% matchVery Positive94% of 683 reviews2020
Dev: Onix GamesPub: Retrovibe
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 24 minMean: 2.3 hrs≥1hr: 38%
Challenging retro pixel graphics action-platformer. Become a legendary rogue Janosik and explore the big mountain castle level full of secrets. Available for FREE!
Why similar: Metroidvania 81%, Indie 19%
- #13 Elliot Quest
89% matchMostly Positive73% of 190 reviews2014
Dev: Ansimuz GamesPub: PlayEveryWare
Windows
Median: 24 minMean: 5.8 hrs≥1hr: 37%
Elliot Quest is an adventure/RPG where players explore the mysterious Urele island in search of an ancient demon. With 5 dungeons to conquer, 16 bosses to defeat, and countless treasures to discover and hidden areas. Well-balanced gameplay easy to pick up but challenging to master.
Why similar: Metroidvania 75.2%, Indie 24.8%
- #14 Alwa's Awakening
86% matchVery Positive80% of 923 reviews2017
Dev: Elden Pixels
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Use your magic staff and progress through a large interconnected world where you'll solve puzzles, fight enemies and defeat bosses in order to help free the land of Alwa. Explore and uncover the secrets by using your platforming skills in this challenging and charming 8-bit adventure game.
Why similar: Metroidvania 78.7%, Indie 21.3%
- #15 Ascent DX
84% matchVery Positive99% of 279 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 83.5%, Indie 16.5%
- #16 SORE
87% matchMixed66% of 349 reviews2017
Dev: Bazitov Mikhail
Windows
Median: 42 minMean: 2.9 hrs≥1hr: 31%
Mystical puzzle quest game in a gloomy minimalism style will tell you a story of a person who's got himself into a camera, and from which there is no way out it seems. Experimental gameplay diluted with a pinch of a philosophy, that's what SORE is.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #17 Hargrave
85% matchVery Positive93% of 264 reviews2020
Dev: Disafter Games
Windows
Hargrave finds himself inside the walls of a mysterious labyrinth filled with strange robots. Find the way out, or find what's hidden deep inside.
Why similar: Metroidvania 74.3%, Indie 25.7%
- #18 Saira
86% matchVery Positive80% of 325 reviews
Dev: Nicklas NygrenPub: Kreatoriet AB
Windows
Median: 18 minMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 24%
Saira is a puzzle platformer with non-linear gameplay and a whole universe for you to explore. The game is heavily influenced by classic puzzle adventure games and uses a new unique graphical style combining high resolution photography into a lush and mysterious world.
Why similar: Metroidvania 54.5%, Indie 45.5%
- #19 MANDAGON
83% matchVery Positive95% of 5,730 reviews2016
Dev: Blind Sky Studios
Windows · Mac
Median: 36 minMean: 3.3 hrs≥1hr: 23%
Explore Mandagon, a world inspired by Tibetan theology and philosophy. With a focus on life and death, discover what it means to make a true sacrifice . . .
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #20 Free Will
82% matchVery Positive97% of 344 reviews2024
Dev: Kipps In A BoxPub: Meowdy
Windows
Free Will is a 2D psychological puzzle RPG where the puzzles happen outside of the game. Dig deep into the system code to fix the corruption, and uncover information that might be better off hidden.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #21 After Death
84% matchVery Positive89% of 167 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 74.7%, Indie 25.3%
- #22 THE GOOD OLD DAYS
80% matchVery Positive90% of 72 reviews2025
Dev: ヨコゴシステムズPub: GRAVITY
Windows · Linux
A nostalgic metroidvania from the good old days back in 19XX. Take on the role of Sean, a young boy who ventures into the fictional city of Arostia to repay his father's debt. Rescue your 3 friends from imprisonment, defeat strong enemies, all while getting your debt paid in time!
Why similar: Metroidvania 85.6%, Indie 14.4%
- #23 Abyss The Forgotten Past: Prologue
82% matchMixed63% of 158 reviews2020
Dev: OWG StudiosPub: Sedoc LLC
Windows
Play as Leonnor who sets out on a journey to discover everything about his past and his world, things are not always what they seem! Learn special abilities, battle monsters and encounter celestial beings as you explore this beautifically crafted pixel world. This prologue starts a epic journey...
- #24 Emerald Dreams: Sanity - Platformer Quest
79% matchVery Positive91% of 89 reviews2024
Dev: Involve GamesPub: INVOLVE IT SOFTWARE LLC
Windows
Emerald Dreams: Sanity - Platformer Quest is an exciting 2.5D platformer and adventure Metroidvania that takes you on a journey through mysterious worlds. The game offers a rich story set in a dark fantasy universe where every decision you make can lead to one of multiple endings.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #25 ReSetna
79% 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 79.1%, Indie 20.9%
- #26 MindSeize
81% matchMostly Positive75% of 306 reviews2020
Dev: Kamina Dimension
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 3.7 hrs≥1hr: 80%
MindSeize is a 2D Metroidvania game set in a Sci-Fi-universe. Transfer your mind to a robot and rescue your beloved one!
Why similar: Metroidvania 55.2%, Indie 44.8%
- #27 Ex Vitro
78% matchVery Positive94% of 146 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 100%
- #28 Haeven
81% matchMixed64% of 50 reviews2016
Dev: Cleril Calamity Studios
Windows
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 98%
Explore fantastical interpretations of different parts of the mind including the Hippocampus, Ego, and more! Battle against your oppressive Subconscious as you struggle for control of your mind.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #29 Astronite - Landing on Neplea
78% matchVery Positive85% of 183 reviews2022
Dev: Dume Games StudioPub: JanduSoft
Windows
Astronite Landing on Neplea is the prologue to this fantastic 1bit metroidvania that combines action, exploration, puzzles and platforms. Take on Astronite's first major challenge and defeat the deadly Kronch.
Why similar: Metroidvania 82.3%, Indie 17.7%
- #30 Kingdom Shell
77% matchVery Positive89% of 261 reviews2023
Dev: Cup of PixelsPub: Top Hat Studios, Inc.
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 12.7 hrs≥1hr: 65%
Kingdom Shell is an atmospheric 2D platformer with a captivating storyline. Explore the local lands to stop the invasion of nightmarish creatures and unravel the mysteries of the Kingdom.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #31 Fourmiworld
75% matchVery Positive98% of 94 reviews2025
Dev: CZDOOM
Windows · Linux
Carve your own path through Fourmiworld - an "open-world-ant-farm-metroidvania". Play as an interdimensional urban explorer girl, collect Gamut to unlock new abilities, and discover the sights, plights, & soundbites of a surreal alien dimension.
Why similar: Metroidvania 69.1%, Indie 30.9%
- #32 Guns of Fury
75% matchVery Positive88% of 892 reviews2025
Dev: Gelato Games Ltd
Windows
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 8.8 hrs≥1hr: 73%
Guns of Fury is a retro-inspired action platformer that combines the run & gun and Metroidvania genres. Explore a vast interconnected world, gain new abilities and weapons, battle epic bosses and stop the plans of an evil corporation before it’s too late!
Why similar: Metroidvania 81.6%, Indie 18.4%
- #33 EMUUROM
73% matchVery Positive96% of 69 reviews2026
Dev: borbwarePub: Coyote Time Publishing
Windows · Mac · Linux
A creature-scanning metroidvania. Explore an ancient paradise before it's lost forever. Study the EMUUROM creatures, document your findings in the EMUUDEX, and use what you learn to unlock new paths.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #34 OUTBUDDIES DX
77% matchMostly Positive70% of 285 reviews2019
Dev: Julian LauferPub: Headup
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Run, gun and explore an open undercity in this otherworldly non-linear Metroidvania adventure about the Old Gods, strange creatures and the remnants of a lost world!
Why similar: Metroidvania 77.7%, Indie 22.3%
- #35 Eldritchvania
74% matchVery Positive85% of 134 reviews2024
Dev: DeathCount Games
Windows
Explore unearthly ruins, solve arcane riddles and pick up your sword against the indescribable horrors that lurk amidst the forgotten depths of our world. Beware the creeping grip of madness as you uncover secrets not meant for the eyes of men!
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #36 Auridia
71% matchVery Positive98% of 160 reviews2025
Dev: Reed Molbak
Windows · Mac
Explore an interconnected world full of platforming challenges in this short metroidvania. Reach new areas by swinging from ceilings, throwing bombs, bouncing off spikes, and more. Examine dozens of artifacts, commune with forgotten gods, and piece together what happened to Auridia.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #37 Pixel Fodder
76% matchMostly Positive80% of 160 reviews2015
Dev: WachaPub: wacha.ru
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 7.8 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Pixel Fodder is a old school platformer with a fully destructible world, a large choise of characters, incredible dynamics and gigaliters of 8-bit meat.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #38 100 Pumpkins 2
73% matchVery Positive97% of 60 reviews2023
Dev: Jeremiah Stilts
Windows · Linux
Explore, solve puzzles, and fight your way through over 100 screens and return your pumpkin pals!
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #39 Just A Dream
76% matchVery Positive83% of 80 reviews2017
Dev: The Hyper Carries!
Windows
Just a Dream is a fast paced top down action game. You enter a world filled with your worst nightmares and must escape. As you fight across your dream from level to level, you encounter the very things that you dread every night.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #40 Space Expedition
73% matchVery Positive92% of 185 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: Indie 100%
- #41 sun-rise.exe
72% matchVery Positive90% of 62 reviews2023
Dev: louis morel
Windows
Adventure through bizarre and intricately made levels in this 2D platformer game.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #42 ENYO Arcade
74% matchMostly Positive75% of 109 reviews2015
Dev: James MearmanPub: www.dev-zoo.net
Windows
Median: 2.4 hrsMean: 7.2 hrs≥1hr: 66%
ENYO is trying to let go of an old Dystopia. It's also a 2d action platformer that does not require destroying things.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #43 Overbowed
70% matchVery Positive91% of 90 reviews2024
Dev: Klardonics Digital, Ltd
Windows
Explore a kingdom overrun by evil magic as you fight foes with your own magical bow in this retro inspired action-adventure platformer.
Why similar: Metroidvania 82.1%, Indie 17.9%
- #44 Anodyne
72% matchVery Positive85% of 1,586 reviews2013
Dev: Melos Han-TaniPub: Analgesic Productions
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 4.6 hrs≥1hr: 90%
A 2D action-adventure through a surreal, subconscious world. Explore moody dungeons, buildings, and atmospheric lands, evoked by dreamy music and visuals. Help the human Young awaken from their dream!
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #45 Zapling Bygone
71% matchVery Positive80% of 197 reviews2022
Dev: 9FingerGames
Windows
Zapling Bygone is a twisted metroidvania where you murder your foes and steal their abilities by wearing their skulls and absorbing their consciousness into your hive-mind.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #46 Genopanic
68% matchMostly Positive77% of 377 reviews2024
Dev: Mobirate
Windows
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 3.7 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Genopanic is a pixel-art, Metroidvania-inspired adventure-platformer. Explore corridors of the space station, teeming with secrets and dangers, and engage in boss fights. Solve puzzles and uncover hidden mysteries in the dark atmosphere of a sci-fi research complex. Discover the truth with each step
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #47 UROS: A Trip Through Shadows
71% matchMixed60% of 64 reviews2021
Dev: Oniric KittensPub: ESAT
Windows
Uros is a 2.5D metroidvania-style action platformer. Enter the nightmares, upgrade your skills, fight against creepy creatures and face the evil god of nightmares in your mission to restore stability to the dream world.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #48 Electronic Super Joy 2
69% matchVery Positive87% of 726 reviews2019
Dev: Michael Todd GamesPub: 2&30 Software
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 42 minMean: 3.0 hrs≥1hr: 40%
Electronic Super Joy 2 is a brutally hard platformer, set in a world of brain-smashing electronic music. Run, jump, smash, & slice your way through 55+ weird & different levels, with giant monsters, swarming missiles & secret areas.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #49 Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland
65% matchVery Positive96% of 109 reviews2026
Dev: DIE SOFT
Windows
Explore a vast, interconnected dream world full of secrets and collectibles in this metroidvania adventure inspired by classic 2D platformers. Reclaim your lost memories to save Slumberland from the mysterious Oblivion.
Why similar: Metroidvania 81.9%, Indie 18.1%
- #50 Aggelos
70% matchMostly Positive78% of 665 reviews2018
Dev: Storybird GamesPub: PQube
Windows
Median: 1.3 hrsMean: 5.1 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 68.9%, Indie 31.1%
- #51 Moonlight Pulse
66% matchVery Positive92% of 244 reviews2024
Dev: Seafloor Games LLC
Windows · Mac · Linux
Teamwork matters most in this seamless, fantastical metroidvania within a living, breathing world. Realize each character's true potential to take down an invading force of overwhelmingly powerful parasites.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #52 Himno
67% matchVery Positive91% of 5,814 reviews2019
Dev: David Moralejo SánchezPub: GrabTheGames
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 24 minMean: 4.7 hrs≥1hr: 28%
Himno is a peaceful, 2D platformer game with an infinite number of beautiful procedurally generated maps. Take a breath, and relax.
- #53 Inexistence Rebirth
70% matchMostly Positive71% of 133 reviews2020
Dev: Jonathan Brassaud
Windows
Median: 24 minMean: 3.2 hrs≥1hr: 35%
Rediscover this great Metroidvania game in a brand new version with a lot of features and improvements! Run in a vast world full of mysteries and action in this Metroidvania-style game inspired by the classics of the 16-bit era.
Why similar: Metroidvania 80.3%, Indie 19.7%
- #54 Brainmelter Deluxe
69% matchPositive98% of 52 reviews2019
Dev: Cosmocat
Windows
Melt your brain with this twisted take on the platform genre!
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #55 DreamDasher
69% matchVery Positive85% of 122 reviews2020
Dev: C3BGames
Windows · Mac
The Dreamworld has been infected! It is up to you to explore the Dreamworld as the DreamDasher, discover its secrets, and defeat the Nightmare.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #56 Lone Fungus
66% matchVery Positive83% of 1,159 reviews2023
Dev: BASTI GAMES
Windows
Median: 1.8 hrsMean: 9.0 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 100%
- #57 B.I.O.T.A.
67% matchVery Positive88% of 254 reviews2022
Dev: small brosPub: Retrovibe
Windows
Median: 4.8 hrsMean: 10.7 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Intense 2D action-platformer set in a mining colony infected by an alien plague. In B.I.O.T.A. you can choose your hero, fight gruesome monsters, and customize your 8-bit retro experience with swappable 4-color palettes.
Why similar: Metroidvania 100%
- #58 Escape the Underground
67% matchVery Positive88% of 109 reviews2021
Dev: Joseph EnglishPub: Sleepy Vampire Games
Windows · Mac
At the bottom of a massive underground dump, a sentient pile of sludge is born. After finding a discarded book that shows photographs of the surface, they decide to make the journey upward to see the outside world.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #59 All Our Asias
68% matchVery Positive80% of 201 reviews2018
Dev: Melos Han-TaniPub: Analgesic Productions
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.8 hrsMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 77%
In this free 3D adventure, explore someone's mind and discover their secrets in a surreal story about a father, son, Asian-America and more. Explore a dying father's "Memory World", and travel to familiar, supernatural spaces. By Melos, co-creator of Anodyne and Angeline Era.
