What is the best game similar to Cave Story+?

The closest game to Cave Story+ is The Void Rains Upon Her Heart, scoring 99/100 on our similarity scale. They share 9 gameplay attributes, including shooter, first-person shooting and single-player focus. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.

What are the top games like Cave Story+?

The three closest games to Cave Story+ are: 1. The Void Rains Upon Her Heart (99/100, 9 shared attributes) 2. BLUE REVOLVER (97/100, 9 shared attributes) 3. Hotline Miami (97/100, 9 shared attributes). All share Cave Story+'s most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 42 candidates across 14 dimensions.

Is BLUE REVOLVER similar to Cave Story+?

Yes, very much so — BLUE REVOLVER scores 97/100 similarity to Cave Story+. They share 9 attributes, including shooter and first-person shooting. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.

What Shooter games are similar to Cave Story+?

The best Shooter games similar to Cave Story+ are The Void Rains Upon Her Heart, BLUE REVOLVER, Hotline Miami and Neon White. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key Cave Story+ attributes like shooter, first-person shooting and single-player focus.

How is similarity to Cave Story+ calculated?

We compare Cave Story+ against every game in our catalog using 14 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the Cave Story+ experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.

42 Games like Cave Story+ that you should try

Games like Cave Story+ · Find similar →

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If Cave Story+ left you wanting more, this list of 42 similar games is for you. Each one shares part of its essence — shooter, punishing difficulty and melee combat — and is ranked by a similarity score computed across 14 attributes. The Void Rains Upon Her Heart comes closest (99/100).

iRank86/ 100

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GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

Top games similar to Cave Story+

42 similar games foundUpdated July 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Cave Story+. Each one has been evaluated across 14 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.

#1The Void Rains Upon Her Heart

iRank99

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloRangedMeleeHardcoreNarrative2DPixel Art

Steam👍 99%· 1.9K

Year 2018Dev Veyeral Games · The Hidden LevelsPlaytime ~4hOn PC

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and punishing difficulty

≠ Where it differs: brings roguelike runs, cozy, relaxing feel and procedural generation, while skipping precision platforming

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloRangedMeleeHardcoreSci-FiPixel Art2D

Steam👍 99%· 868

Year 2016Dev Stellar CirclePlaytime ~2hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Same family of arena shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and punishing difficulty

≠ Where it differs: brings setting anime and visual isometric, while skipping precision platforming

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeRangedHardcoreNarrativePixel Art2D

Steam👍 97%· 122KRAWG👍 90%· 2.6KMC85IGDB86· 10

Year 2012Dev Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and punishing difficulty

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, dark, oppressive atmosphere and visual isometric, while skipping precision platforming

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloRangedMeleeHardcoreNarrative

Steam👍 98%· 20KRAWG👍 91%· 245MC88IGDB89· 6OC89· 81

Year 2022Dev Ben Esposito · Annapurna InteractivePlaytime ~7hOn PC · PS · Nintendo

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and precision platforming

≠ Stands apart with visual novel storytelling, card game strategy and setting anime, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeRangedHardcoreSci-FiPixel Art2D

Steam👍 97%· 8.5KRAWG👍 76%· 457MC81IGDB78· 8OC83· 44

Year 2015Dev Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · iOS

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and precision platforming

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, vibe casual and procedural generation, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Details →

Steam GOG PS

#6Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

iRank83

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeHardcoreNarrativePixel Art2D

Steam👍 94%· 78KIGDB71· 13OC74· 70

Year 2015Dev Dennaton Games · Devolver DigitalOn Xbox · PlayStation 3 · PS4

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and punishing difficulty

≠ Where it differs: brings dark, oppressive atmosphere, visual isometric and visual topdown, while skipping precision platforming

Details →

Steam GOG PS

#7SuperHot: Mind Control Delete

iRank83

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeHardcoreNarrativeSci-Fi

Steam👍 84%· 13KIGDB84· 10OC81· 70

Year 2020Dev SUPERHOT TeamOn Xbox · PS4 · Linux

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and punishing difficulty

≠ Its own twist: puzzle design, setting cyberpunk and visual first person, while skipping precision platforming

Details →

Steam GOG Epic

#8MDK2

iRank84

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeHardcoreNarrativeSci-Fi

Steam👍 81%· 237IGDB90· 1

Year 2000Dev BioWare · Interplay EntertainmentOn PC

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and precision platforming

≠ Where it differs: brings third-person shooting, puzzle design and linear, story-driven structure, while skipping Metroidvania exploration

Details →

Steam GOG

#9Ruiner

iRank83

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeHardcoreNarrativeSci-Fi

Steam👍 89%· 12KIGDB76· 12OC77· 88

Year 2017Dev Reikon Games · Devolver DigitalOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: action RPG combat, deep RPG systems and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping precision platforming

Details →

Steam GOG Epic

#10Condemned: Criminal Origins

iRank81

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeRangedNarrativeHardcore

Steam👍 87%· 4.3KRAWG👍 78%· 423MC80IGDB74· 5

Year 2005Dev Monolith Productions · SEGAPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Xbox

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: horror tension, puzzle design and survival mechanics, while skipping precision platforming

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloRangedMeleeHardcoreNarrativePixel Art

Steam👍 95%· 9.3KRAWG👍 78%· 160MC83IGDB78· 3OC83· 12

Year 2016Dev SorathPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and punishing difficulty

≠ Its own twist: horror tension, survival mechanics and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping precision platforming

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeNarrativeHardcoreStealth

Steam👍 87%· 3.5KIGDB70· 1

Year 2004Dev IO Interactive · Eidos InteractiveOn PC · Mac

✓ Same family of arena shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings dark, oppressive atmosphere, stealth mechanics and visual third person, while skipping precision platforming

Details →

Steam GOG

#13Hard Reset

iRank78

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeHardcoreSci-FiExploration

Steam👍 82%· 4.9KIGDB70· 4

Year 2011Dev Flying Wild HogOn PC

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and punishing difficulty

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, procedural generation and setting cyberpunk, while skipping precision platforming

Details →

Steam

#14The Binding of Isaac

iRank86

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeRangedNarrativeHardcoreExploration2D

Steam👍 95%· 62KRAWG👍 76%· 1.2KMC84IGDB84· 2

Year 2011Dev Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl · Edmund McMillenPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, deep RPG systems and survival mechanics, while skipping precision platforming

Details →

Steam

#15BALL x PIT

iRank93

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloRangedHardcore2DProcedural

Steam👍 96%· 25KRAWG👍 94%· 42OC86· 92

Year 2025Dev Kenny Sun · Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~6hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Nintendo

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with first-person shooting, punishing difficulty and ranged combat

≠ Where it differs: brings deep RPG systems, roguelike runs and procedural generation, while skipping shooter

Details →

Steam

Complete list of Cave Story+ alternatives

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Cave Story+, ordered from highest to lowest similarity score. Use the filters above to narrow down by genre, setting or game mode and find the alternative that best fits your playstyle.

DEADBOLT

Shooter · FPS

Quake III Arena

Shooter · FPS

Clone Drone in the Danger Zone

Shooter · FPS

Nuclear Throne

Shooter · FPS

Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

Shooter · FPS

Postal

Shooter · FPS

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

Shooter · FPS

DOOM

Shooter · FPS

Brotato

Shooter · FPS

Doom

Shooter · FPS

Defy Gravity Extended

Shooter · FPS

Metal Slug X

Shooter · FPS

Quake Live

Shooter · FPS

Mafia

Shooter · FPS

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

Shooter · FPS

Roboquest

Shooter · FPS

Enter the Gungeon

Shooter · FPS

Maiden and Spell

Shooter · FPS

Returnal

Shooter · FPS

Hello Neighbor

Shooter · FPS

Helldivers

Shooter · FPS

Cuphead

Shooter · FPS

ODDCORE

Shooter · FPS

Paint the Town Red

Shooter · FPS

Supraland

Shooter · FPS

STAR WARS Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)

Shooter · FPS

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast

Shooter · FPS

Explore games similar to Cave Story+ by category

Rankings in the same genre

Best Arena FPS Games Best FPS Games Best Shooter Games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Cave Story+?: The closest game to Cave Story+ is The Void Rains Upon Her Heart, scoring 99/100 on our similarity scale. They share 9 gameplay attributes, including shooter, first-person shooting and single-player focus. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Cave Story+?: The three closest games to Cave Story+ are: 1. The Void Rains Upon Her Heart (99/100, 9 shared attributes) 2. BLUE REVOLVER (97/100, 9 shared attributes) 3. Hotline Miami (97/100, 9 shared attributes). All share Cave Story+'s most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 42 candidates across 14 dimensions.
Is BLUE REVOLVER similar to Cave Story+?: Yes, very much so — BLUE REVOLVER scores 97/100 similarity to Cave Story+. They share 9 attributes, including shooter and first-person shooting. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Shooter games are similar to Cave Story+?: The best Shooter games similar to Cave Story+ are The Void Rains Upon Her Heart, BLUE REVOLVER, Hotline Miami and Neon White. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key Cave Story+ attributes like shooter, first-person shooting and single-player focus.
How is similarity to Cave Story+ calculated?: We compare Cave Story+ against every game in our catalog using 14 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the Cave Story+ experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.