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Contra III: The Alien Wars

36 Co-op games like Contra III: The Alien Wars that you should try

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We filtered the 50 games similar to Contra III: The Alien Wars down to the 36 that fit the “Co-op” category. Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3 and Rogue Trooper top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Contra III: The Alien Wars.

iRank81/ 100

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GenreShooterSubgenreTPS
Tags
OfflineSolo
Year 1992Dev Konami

Quick answer

Within the “Co-op” category, the closest game to Contra III: The Alien Wars is Gears of War 2 — scoring 97/100 on our similarity scale. Gears of War 3 and Rogue Trooper follow close behind.

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The best co-op games like Contra III: The Alien Wars

36 similar games foundUpdated July 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Contra III: The Alien Wars. Each one has been evaluated across 12 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.

Gears of War 2
ShooterTPS
OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiPost-ApocalypticThird Person
IGDB90· 5
Year 2008Dev Epic Games · Microsoft Game Studios

✓ Both are third-person shooters — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Stands apart with melee combat and ranged combat, while skipping adventure storytelling

Gears of War 3
ShooterTPS
OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiPost-ApocalypticThird Person
IGDB97· 4
Year 2011Dev Epic Games · Microsoft Studios

✓ Same family of third-person shooters: shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Its own twist: dark, oppressive atmosphere, horror setting and loot and gear systems, while skipping adventure storytelling

Rogue Trooper
ShooterTPS
MultiplayerOfflineSoloCo-opSci-FiPost-ApocalypticThird Person
Steam👍 95%· 516RAWG👍 73%· 59MC69IGDB76· 3
Year 2006Dev RebellionPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of third-person shooters: shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Its own twist: melee combat, stealth mechanics and ranged combat, while skipping adventure storytelling

Gears of War: Judgment
ShooterTPS
OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiThird Person
IGDB77· 9
Year 2013Dev People Can Fly · Microsoft Studios

✓ Both are third-person shooters — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Its own twist: loot and gear systems and skill tree progression, while skipping adventure storytelling

Star Fox: Assault
ShooterTPS
OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiThird Person
IGDB50· 1
Year 2005Dev Namco · Nintendo

✓ Same family of third-person shooters: shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Where it differs: brings fantasy world, while skipping adventure storytelling

Gears of War 4
ShooterTPS
OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiThird Person
IGDB83· 27OC85· 155
Year 2016Dev The Coalition · Microsoft StudiosOn PC · Xbox

✓ Fits the third-person shooters cluster, with shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Where it differs: brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and horror setting, while skipping adventure storytelling

Gears of War
ShooterTPS
OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiThird Person
IGDB84· 3
Year 2006Dev Epic Games · Microsoft Game Studios

✓ Fits the third-person shooters cluster, with shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Where it differs: brings dark, oppressive atmosphere, ranged combat and horror setting, while skipping adventure storytelling

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
ShooterTPS
OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiThird Person
IGDB78· 18
Year 2015Dev Epic Games · Microsoft StudiosOn PC · Xbox

✓ Both are third-person shooters — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Its own twist: dark, oppressive atmosphere and horror setting, while skipping adventure storytelling

Risk of Rain 2
ShooterTPS
MultiplayerCo-opSoloOfflineSci-FiThird Person
Steam👍 94%· 347KRAWG👍 85%· 696MC82IGDB87· 6OC86· 34
Year 2020Dev Hopoo Games · Gearbox PublishingPlaytime ~8hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of third-person shooters: shooter, third-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, survival mechanics and punishing difficulty, while skipping post-apocalyptic world

90
Contra
ShooterTPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-Fi2DThird Person
Year 1988Dev Konami

✓ Both are third-person shooters — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, while skipping adventure storytelling

Halo: Spartan Assault
ShooterTPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiIsometricThird Person
Steam👍 78%· 4.9KRAWG👍 34%· 216MC70IGDB66· 10OC61· 37
Year 2013Dev 343 Industries · Microsoft StudiosPlaytime ~2hOn PC · Xbox · iOS

✓ Fits the third-person shooters cluster, with shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Stands apart with melee combat, ranged combat and combat tactical, while skipping adventure storytelling

Contra
ShooterTPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-Fi2DThird Person
IGDB50
Year 1987Dev Konami

✓ Fits the third-person shooters cluster, with shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, combat tactical and visual pixel, while skipping adventure storytelling

Inversion
ShooterTPS
Co-opSoloMultiplayerSci-FiThird Person
Steam👍 62%· 697IGDB54· 7
Year 2012Dev Saber Interactive · Bandai Namco EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Both are third-person shooters — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Where it differs: brings first-person shooting, dark, oppressive atmosphere and melee combat, while skipping adventure storytelling

Splatoon 2
ShooterTPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiThird Person
IGDB83· 17OC83· 118
Year 2017Dev Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development · NintendoOn Switch

✓ Fits the third-person shooters cluster, with shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, while skipping adventure storytelling

Splatoon 3
ShooterTPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-FiThird Person
IGDB82· 6OC83· 124
Year 2022Dev Nintendo EPD Production Group No. 5 · NintendoOn Switch

✓ Both are third-person shooters — sharing shooter, third-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Its own twist: precision platforming and skill tree progression, while skipping adventure storytelling

Complete list of co-op games like Contra III: The Alien Wars

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Contra III: The Alien Wars, 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.

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