Dead Cells fuses the permadeath tension of a roguelike with the exploration and ability-gating of a Metroidvania, and the combination just works. Every run through its procedurally rearranged castle feels fresh, weapons and mutations combine into wildly different builds, and permanent upgrades mean even a bad run still moves you forward. Years of free content updates have only made it better.
If you have died your way to mastery in Dead Cells and want more of that mix of fast combat, randomized runs, and rewarding progression, these 15 games deliver it from different angles. Some share Dead Cells’ genre-blending structure directly, some lean into pure Metroidvania exploration, and some trade the castle for other roguelike settings entirely. All are worth your time in 2026.
Quick Comparison: Top 5 Picks
| # | Game | Style | Price | Platforms |
| 1 | Hades | Roguelike action | $24.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 2 | Hollow Knight | Metroidvania | $14.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 3 | Rogue Legacy 2 | Roguelite platformer | $24.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 4 | Enter the Gungeon | Roguelike shooter | $14.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 5 | The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | Roguelike | $14.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
1. Hades
Why it’s similar
Hades shares Dead Cells’ fast roguelike action with upgrade-based runs, offering huge build variety through weapons and boons that reshape combat every attempt.
What makes it unique
Its narrative actually progresses across failed runs, with relationships and story beats unfolding through repeated deaths rather than resetting to nothing.
Key features
- Story that progresses through death
- Huge build variety via boons
- Fast, stylish action combat
- Rewarding meta-progression
Price: $24.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
2. Hollow Knight
Why it’s similar
Hollow Knight shares Dead Cells’ Metroidvania exploration with challenging combat, sending you through hidden areas, tough bosses, and ability-based progression.
What makes it unique
Its hand-drawn atmosphere and enormous interconnected map reward careful exploration over speed, with a much heavier focus on discovery than Dead Cells’ run-based structure.
Key features
- Hand-drawn, atmospheric world
- Massive interconnected map
- Challenging boss encounters
- Ability-gated exploration
Price: $14.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
3. Rogue Legacy 2
Why it’s similar
Rogue Legacy 2 shares Dead Cells’ roguelite platforming with permanent upgrades, letting different characters and classes carry meta-progression across replayable runs.
What makes it unique
Its generational hero system has you playing as the descendants of previous runs, each with randomized traits that can make a playthrough easier or hilariously harder.
Key features
- Generational hero succession
- Randomized character traits
- Permanent meta-progression
- Class-based platforming combat
Price: $24.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
4. Enter the Gungeon
Why it’s similar
Enter the Gungeon shares Dead Cells’ fast roguelike combat with tons of weapons, built around randomized runs and skill-based bullet-dodging battles.
What makes it unique
Its bullet-hell dodge-roll combat and enormous arsenal of absurd weapons give it a distinct top-down rhythm compared to Dead Cells’ side-scrolling melee focus.
Key features
- Bullet-hell dodge-roll combat
- Enormous randomized weapon pool
- Co-op play support
- High replay value
Price: $14.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
5. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
Why it’s similar
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth shares Dead Cells’ roguelike runs with endless item combinations, offering randomized levels and extremely high replay value.
What makes it unique
Its item-synergy system creates wildly unpredictable runs, where stacking the right combination of pickups can turn a fragile character into an unstoppable force.
Key features
- Endless item combination synergies
- Randomized dungeon levels
- Dark, unsettling art style
- Extremely high replayability
Price: $14.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
6. Skul: The Hero Slayer
Why it’s similar
Skul: The Hero Slayer shares Dead Cells’ 2D action roguelike structure with fast combat, letting you swap skulls mid-run for wildly different abilities.
What makes it unique
Its skull-swapping mechanic lets you carry two forms at once and switch between them instantly, turning build experimentation into a core combat mechanic rather than a pre-run choice.
Key features
- Skull-swapping ability system
- Fast 2D roguelike combat
- Character transformation mechanics
- High build variety
Price: $14.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
7. Blasphemous 2
Why it’s similar
Blasphemous 2 shares Dead Cells’ dark Metroidvania world and difficult combat, with boss fights, exploration, and upgrades carrying a grim, atmospheric journey.
What makes it unique
Its grotesque, Spanish-inspired religious imagery and three-weapon combat system give it a visual and mechanical identity unlike Dead Cells’ more grounded fantasy setting.
Key features
- Dark religious fantasy imagery
- Three-weapon combat system
- Interconnected Metroidvania exploration
- Challenging boss encounters
Price: $29.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
8. Have a Nice Death
Why it’s similar
Have a Nice Death shares Dead Cells’ stylish 2D roguelike action, with fast combat, upgrades, and challenging enemies driving repeated runs.
What makes it unique
Its premise casts you as Death himself, overworked and trying to fire incompetent department heads, giving the roguelike formula a genuinely funny corporate satire twist.
Key features
- Corporate satire premise and humor
- Fast 2D roguelike combat
- Stylish hand-drawn art
- Build-defining weapon combos
Price: $19.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
9. Curse of the Dead Gods
Why it’s similar
Curse of the Dead Gods shares Dead Cells’ action roguelike structure with risk-reward systems, built around dodging, weapons, and dungeon progression.
What makes it unique
Its curse and light mechanics punish greed and reward cautious play, creating tension between grabbing more loot and keeping your character stable enough to survive.
Key features
- Curse and light risk-reward system
- Isometric roguelike combat
- Weapon and relic variety
- Punishing, tense dungeon runs
Price: $19.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
10. Risk of Rain 2
Why it’s similar
Risk of Rain 2 shares Dead Cells’ roguelike progression with stacking upgrades, letting builds grow steadily more powerful with every item collected in a run.
What makes it unique
Its item-stacking system can snowball into screen-filling chaos by a run’s end, and its 3D third-person perspective sets it apart from Dead Cells’ 2D side-scrolling.
Key features
- Roguelite item-stacking builds
- Fast third-person action
- High replayability
- Cooperative and solo runs
Price: $24.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
11. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Why it’s similar
Ori and the Will of the Wisps shares Dead Cells’ Metroidvania adventure structure, with smooth movement and exploration carrying an emotionally resonant story.
What makes it unique
Its gorgeous hand-painted visuals and famously fluid platforming movement set a high bar for the genre, with a much heavier emphasis on emotional storytelling than Dead Cells attempts.
Key features
- Fluid, precise platforming movement
- Gorgeous hand-painted visuals
- Emotional, story-driven adventure
- Ability-gated exploration
Price: $29.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
12. Salt and Sanctuary
Why it’s similar
Salt and Sanctuary shares Dead Cells’ 2D Souls-like action RPG structure, with difficult combat, builds, and dark atmosphere carrying its side-scrolling adventure.
What makes it unique
Its 2D perspective compresses Souls-like combat and interconnected level design into a tighter, more focused format, with a huge skill tree for build variety.
Key features
- 2D Souls-like combat
- Interconnected side-scrolling world
- Massive skill tree
- Dark, atmospheric setting
Price: $17.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
13. Katana ZERO
Why it’s similar
Katana ZERO shares Dead Cells’ fast precision-based action gameplay, demanding perfect timing and reflexes as you cut through rooms of enemies in a single life.
What makes it unique
Its time-manipulation ability and neo-noir storytelling give the fast-action formula real narrative weight, with instant retries keeping the pace relentless.
Key features
- One-hit-kill 2D action
- Time-slowing mechanic
- Neo-noir stylish storytelling
- Instant retry on death
Price: $14.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Steam and GOG.
14. Astral Ascent
Why it’s similar
Astral Ascent shares Dead Cells’ roguelike platforming with magical abilities, letting multiple characters and spells carry replayable, build-driven runs.
What makes it unique
Its zodiac-themed characters and combo-focused combat system reward stringing together elemental attacks, with a hand-drawn art style that stands out in the genre.
Key features
- Zodiac-themed playable characters
- Combo-focused magical combat
- Hand-drawn art style
- Build-driven replayable runs
Price: $19.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
15. The Rogue Prince of Persia
Why it’s similar
The Rogue Prince of Persia shares Dead Cells’ fast 2D roguelite platforming, with parkour movement, combat upgrades, and repeat runs driving progression.
What makes it unique
Its parkour-focused traversal borrows directly from the classic Prince of Persia series, giving movement between fights as much personality as the combat itself.
Key features
- Parkour-focused platforming
- Fast 2D roguelite combat
- Classic Prince of Persia movement
- Build-driven repeat runs
Price: $19.99 Platforms: PC
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
Full Comparison Table
| # | Game | Style | Price | Platforms |
| 1 | Hades | Roguelike action | $24.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 2 | Hollow Knight | Metroidvania | $14.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 3 | Rogue Legacy 2 | Roguelite platformer | $24.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 4 | Enter the Gungeon | Roguelike shooter | $14.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 5 | The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | Roguelike | $14.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 6 | Skul: The Hero Slayer | 2D roguelike | $14.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 7 | Blasphemous 2 | Dark fantasy Metroidvania | $29.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 8 | Have a Nice Death | 2D roguelike | $19.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 9 | Curse of the Dead Gods | Roguelike action | $19.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 10 | Risk of Rain 2 | Roguelite shooter | $24.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 11 | Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Metroidvania | $29.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 12 | Salt and Sanctuary | 2D Souls-like | $17.99 | PC, PlayStation, Switch |
| 13 | Katana ZERO | Precision action | $14.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 14 | Astral Ascent | Roguelike platformer | $19.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 15 | The Rogue Prince of Persia | Roguelite platformer | $19.99 | PC |
Conclusion
If it was the roguelike run structure that hooked you, start with Hades, Enter the Gungeon, and The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. They share Dead Cells’ exact love of randomized runs and build variety.
If the Metroidvania exploration mattered most, Hollow Knight and Ori and the Will of the Wisps deliver that same sense of discovery. And if you want the genre-blending formula pushed further, Rogue Legacy 2 and The Rogue Prince of Persia prove roguelite platforming still has room to grow. Any of these 15 will keep your runs going well into 2026.
Read More Like This!
15 Games Like Cult of the Lamb You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Inscryption You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Warframe You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Destiny 2 You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Lords of the Fallen You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Nioh 2 You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Yakuza 0 You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Code Vein You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Persona 3 Reload You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Final Fantasy XVI You Need to Play in 2026
15 Games Like Dragon Age: The Veilguard to Play in 2026