What is the best game similar to Darkest Dungeon®?

The closest game to Darkest Dungeon® is Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition), scoring 98/100 on our similarity scale. They share 12 gameplay attributes, including deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.

What are the top games like Darkest Dungeon®?

The three closest games to Darkest Dungeon® are: 1. Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition) (98/100, 12 shared attributes) 2. Shogun Showdown (96/100, 8 shared attributes) 3. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (96/100, 6 shared attributes). All share Darkest Dungeon®'s most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 40 candidates across 18 dimensions.

Is Shogun Showdown similar to Darkest Dungeon®?

Yes, very much so — Shogun Showdown scores 96/100 similarity to Darkest Dungeon®. They share 8 attributes, including deep RPG systems and turn-based strategy. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.

What RPG games are similar to Darkest Dungeon®?

The best RPG games similar to Darkest Dungeon® are Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition), Shogun Showdown, Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. All share the RPG genre alongside other key Darkest Dungeon® attributes like deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling.

How is similarity to Darkest Dungeon® calculated?

We compare Darkest Dungeon® against every game in our catalog using 18 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 Darkest Dungeon® experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.

40 Games like Darkest Dungeon® that you should try

Games like Darkest Dungeon® · Find similar →

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If Darkest Dungeon® left you wanting more, this list of 40 similar games is for you. Each one shares part of its essence — deep RPG systems, dark, oppressive atmosphere and procedural generation — and is ranked by a similarity score computed across 18 attributes. Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition) comes closest (98/100).

iRank86/ 100

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GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

Top games similar to Darkest Dungeon®

40 similar games foundUpdated July 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Darkest Dungeon®. Each one has been evaluated across 18 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.

#1Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition)

iRank90

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalNarrativeDarkFantasyMedievalHorrorHistorical2D

Steam👍 95%· 3.5KRAWG👍 82%· 34

Year 2012Dev Level Up LabsOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of turn-based CRPGs: deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with tower defense planning, visual isometric and visual pixel, while skipping roguelike runs

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalHardcoreProcedural2D

Steam👍 95%· 6.7KIGDB90· 2OC87· 20

Year 2023Dev Roboatino · Goblinz PublishingPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Same family of turn-based CRPGs: deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and roguelike runs

≠ Stands apart with card game strategy and visual pixel, while skipping adventure storytelling

Details →

Steam GOG

#3Fire Emblem: Three Houses

iRank91

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalFantasyIsometricThird Person

IGDB93· 9OC89· 122

Year 2019Dev Intelligent Systems · NintendoOn Switch

✓ Fits the turn-based CRPGs cluster, with deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with visual isometric and visual third person, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Nintendo

#4Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

iRank90

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalFantasyIsometric

IGDB90· 1

Year 1996Dev Square · Nintendo

✓ Both are turn-based CRPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and turn-based strategy

≠ Stands apart with visual isometric, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Nintendo

#5Kingdom Rush - Tower Defense

iRank92

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalHardcoreNarrativeDarkMedievalFantasy2D

Steam👍 94%· 11KRAWG👍 90%· 38

Year 2018Dev Ironhide Game StudioPlaytime ~6hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Same family of turn-based CRPGs: deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and turn-based strategy

≠ Its own twist: tower defense planning, melee combat and setting cartoon, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam GOG

#6Kingdom Rush Vengeance - Tower Defense

iRank92

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalHardcoreNarrativeDarkMedievalFantasy2D

Steam👍 94%· 11KRAWG👍 90%· 38

Year 2018Dev Ironhide Game StudioPlaytime ~6hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Fits the turn-based CRPGs cluster, with deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and turn-based strategy

≠ Where it differs: brings tower defense planning, melee combat and setting cartoon, while skipping roguelike runs

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalDarkNarrativeProceduralFantasyHorrorHistoricalExplorationLoot2D

Steam👍 75%· 26KIGDB83· 5OC81· 78

Year 2023Dev Red Hook StudiosOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

✓ Nearly identical: deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and roguelike runs.

≠ Missing: horror tension.

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalProceduralSci-FiIsometric

Steam👍 94%· 22KIGDB90· 10OC88· 73

Year 2018Dev Subset GamesOn Linux · Android · PC

✓ Both are turn-based CRPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and roguelike runs

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, deep simulation and setting scifi, while skipping adventure storytelling

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalFantasyIsometric

IGDB85· 6OC84· 112

Year 2023Dev ArtePiazza · NintendoOn Switch

✓ Same family of turn-based CRPGs: deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and turn-based strategy

≠ Its own twist: visual isometric, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Nintendo

#10Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

iRank84

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalFantasyExplorationLoot

IGDB82· 8OC85· 37

Year 2014Dev P Studio · NIS America

✓ Fits the turn-based CRPGs cluster, with deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Where it differs: brings visual first person, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Nintendo

#11Fire Emblem Engage

iRank83

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalFantasyIsometricThird Person

IGDB86· 5OC81· 135

Year 2023Dev Intelligent Systems · NintendoOn Switch

✓ Same family of turn-based CRPGs: deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with visual isometric and visual third person, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Nintendo

#12Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

iRank82

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalFantasyIsometricThird Person

IGDB81· 9OC84· 91

Year 2017Dev Intelligent Systems · Nintendo

✓ Both are turn-based CRPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings visual isometric and visual third person, while skipping horror tension

Details →

Nintendo

#13Loop Hero

iRank89

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalNarrativeDarkProceduralFantasy2D

Steam👍 93%· 36KIGDB85· 7OC84· 85

Year 2021Dev Four Quarters · Devolver DigitalOn Xbox · Linux · Android

✓ Both are turn-based CRPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, roguelike runs and turn-based strategy

≠ Where it differs: brings card game strategy, resource management and visual pixel, while skipping horror tension

Details →

Steam GOG Epic

#14Tactical Breach Wizards

iRank92

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalNarrativeFantasyHistorical

Steam👍 98%· 12KIGDB84· 3OC87· 21

Dev Suspicious DevelopmentsPlaytime ~6hOn PC

✓ Same family of turn-based CRPGs: deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, setting scifi and visual isometric, while skipping roguelike runs

GenreRPGSubgenreCRPGSub-subgenreTurn-Based CRPG

SoloTacticalNarrativeProceduralExploration2D

Steam👍 94%· 6.0KIGDB90· 1OC89· 22

Year 2025Dev YCJY GamesPlaytime ~4hOn PC

✓ Same family of turn-based CRPGs: deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and turn-based strategy

≠ Stands apart with deep simulation, vibe casual and open world exploration, while skipping horror tension

Details →

Steam

Complete list of Darkest Dungeon® alternatives

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Darkest Dungeon®, 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.

Bravely Default

RPG · Adventure

Gears Tactics

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

Caves of Qud

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

The Banner Saga 3

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

RimWorld

RPG · Simulation

Chroma Squad

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

Jagged Alliance: Crossfire

RPG · Simulation

Persona 5

RPG · Adventure

King's Bounty: Warriors of the North

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

Xenogears

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

KeeperRL

RPG · Simulation

Persona 3 Portable

RPG · Puzzle

Shadowhand: RPG Card Game

RPG · Deck Builder

Final Fantasy VII

RPG · Adventure

Wizardry 6: Bane of the Cosmic Forge

RPG · Adventure

Gorky 17

RPG · Puzzle

Torment: Tides of Numenera

RPG · Adventure

Derelict Star

RPG · Deck Builder

Sword of the Stars: The Pit

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

Willy-Nilly Knight

RPG · Adventure

Fate/Grand Order

RPG · Visual Novel

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

Chainsaw Warrior (Classic)

RPG · Turn-Based Strat

Blackguards

RPG · Adventure

Grotesque Tactics 2 – Dungeons and Donuts

RPG · Adventure

Explore games similar to Darkest Dungeon® by category

Rankings in the same genre

Best Turn-Based CRPGs Best CRPG Games Best RPG Games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Darkest Dungeon®?: The closest game to Darkest Dungeon® is Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition), scoring 98/100 on our similarity scale. They share 12 gameplay attributes, including deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Darkest Dungeon®?: The three closest games to Darkest Dungeon® are: 1. Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition) (98/100, 12 shared attributes) 2. Shogun Showdown (96/100, 8 shared attributes) 3. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (96/100, 6 shared attributes). All share Darkest Dungeon®'s most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 40 candidates across 18 dimensions.
Is Shogun Showdown similar to Darkest Dungeon®?: Yes, very much so — Shogun Showdown scores 96/100 similarity to Darkest Dungeon®. They share 8 attributes, including deep RPG systems and turn-based strategy. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What RPG games are similar to Darkest Dungeon®?: The best RPG games similar to Darkest Dungeon® are Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition), Shogun Showdown, Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. All share the RPG genre alongside other key Darkest Dungeon® attributes like deep RPG systems, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling.
How is similarity to Darkest Dungeon® calculated?: We compare Darkest Dungeon® against every game in our catalog using 18 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 Darkest Dungeon® experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.