iRankGames
Deadtime Defenders

4 Action RPG games like Deadtime Defenders that you should try

Games like Deadtime Defenders · Find similar →

More about this game →
Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentHow this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

We filtered the 15 games similar to Deadtime Defenders down to the 4 that fit the “Action RPG” category. Shadow Warrior 2, Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Deadtime Defenders.

iRank80/ 100

Did you find what you were looking for?

GenreRPGSubgenreLooter Shooter
Tags
Co-opSolo
Year 2025Dev Ravenous Games Inc.

Quick answer

Within the “Action RPG” category, the closest game to Deadtime Defenders is Shadow Warrior 2 — scoring 76/100 on our similarity scale. Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel follow close behind.

🗳️

Help us build the best rankings

Community powered

Vote on each result below — good match or not. Every vote directly shapes how we rank similar games for everyone.

The best action RPG games like Deadtime Defenders

4 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Deadtime Defenders. Each one has been evaluated across 16 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.

#1Shadow Warrior 2
Shadow Warrior 2
RPGLooter Shooter
SoloCo-opMeleeRangedSci-FiLootSkill Tree
Steam👍 87%· 28KRAWG👍 61%· 608MC78IGDB78· 17OC77· 80
Year 2016Dev Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of looter shooters: deep RPG systems, first-person shooting and shooter

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, puzzle design and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping fighting mechanics

Fast melee-and-guns combat with a genuinely good katana feel, built around procedurally assembled open levels and four-player co-op. Movement is quick and mobile. The procedural generation is the cost: environments repeat visibly after a few hours, and the loot-driven stat progression sits awkwardly on a game whose shooting is otherwise built on precision.

Where it drifts furthest from Deadtime Defenders: visuals and setting.

It predates Deadtime Defenders by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode79Progression76Combat73Setting45Visuals0
#2Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2
RPGLooter Shooter
Co-opSoloRangedMeleeSci-FiLoot
Steam👍 89%· 311KRAWG👍 79%· 3.3KMC89IGDB81· 17OC86· 23
Year 2012Dev Aspyr Media · 2K GamesPlaytime ~11hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the looter shooters cluster, with deep RPG systems, first-person shooting and shooter

≠ Stands apart with sandbox freedom, adventure storytelling and open world exploration, while skipping fighting mechanics

The entry the series is measured against: the best-written villain in the franchise, gun variety that finally delivers on the procedural promise, and four classes that play genuinely differently in co-op. The endgame is a grind — the raid bosses assume a full group and hours of farming, and playing solo makes the later difficulty tiers a slog.

Where it drifts furthest from Deadtime Defenders: visuals.

It predates Deadtime Defenders by 13 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat82Setting60Game mode55Progression53Visuals0
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
RPGLooter Shooter
Co-opSoloMeleeSci-FiLootSkill Tree
Steam👍 79%· 43KIGDB76· 15OC74· 53
Year 2014Dev 2K Australia · Aspyr MediaOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux

✓ Both are looter shooters — sharing deep RPG systems, shooter and first-person shooting

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, strong narrative focus and open world exploration, while skipping fighting mechanics

Low-gravity movement and oxygen management change the shooting more than expected: fights become vertical and you commit to jumps rather than strafing. Shorter and lighter than the numbered entries. It reuses a lot of assets and enemy types, and the oxygen meter becomes a chore once the novelty of bouncing around the moon wears off.

Where it drifts furthest from Deadtime Defenders: visuals and combat.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Deadtime Defenders.

It predates Deadtime Defenders by 11 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Progression74Game mode65Setting45Combat44Visuals0
Borderlands
RPGLooter Shooter
SoloCo-opMeleeSci-FiLootSkill Tree
Steam👍 90%· 32KIGDB80· 8
Year 2009Dev Gearbox Software · 2K GamesOn PlayStation 3 · PC · Mac

✓ Fits the looter shooters cluster, with deep RPG systems, shooter and first-person shooting

≠ Where it differs: brings adventure storytelling, dark, oppressive atmosphere and open world exploration, while skipping fighting mechanics

The original loot shooter: four classes, a procedural gun system, and enemies that soak damage until the numbers line up. Co-op is where it makes sense. It shows its age in structure — quests are almost entirely fetch-and-kill, the story is thin, and the last stretch leans hard on repeated arena fights before an underwhelming finish.

Where it drifts furthest from Deadtime Defenders: visuals and combat.

It predates Deadtime Defenders by 16 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Progression74Game mode51Setting46Combat41Visuals0

Explore games similar to Deadtime Defenders by category

Rankings in the same genre