AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 88%· 3.7KIGDB78· 2OC74· 38
Year 2014Dev Over The MoonOn PS4 · Linux · PC
23 Games like Headlander on Xbox that you should try
Games like Headlander · 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 43 games similar to Headlander down to the 23 that fit the “Xbox” category. The Fall, Shadow Complex and Teslagrad top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Headlander.
iRank84/ 100
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Within the “Xbox” category, the closest game to Headlander is The Fall — scoring 86/100 on our similarity scale. Shadow Complex and Teslagrad follow close behind.
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The best games like Headlander on Xbox
23 similar games foundUpdated May 2026
Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Headlander. Each one has been evaluated across 9 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.
82
iRank85
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
IGDB85· 4
Year 2009Dev ChAIR Entertainment Group · Microsoft Game StudiosOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 84%· 2.5KIGDB79· 6OC79· 45
Year 2013Dev Rain Games · CIRCLE EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux
✓ Same family of Metroidvanias: adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, punishing difficulty and strong narrative focus, while skipping shooter
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Setting100Progression100Visuals100
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 94%· 5.1KIGDB76· 5OC75· 47
Year 2019Dev doinksoft · Devolver DigitalOn PC · Xbox · Switch
✓ Both are Metroidvanias — sharing adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Its own twist: cozy, relaxing feel, punishing difficulty and visual pixel, while skipping shooter
Released 3 years after Headlander.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Setting100Progression100Visuals58
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 86%· 4.9KIGDB85· 8OC84· 57
Year 2018Dev Joakim Sandberg · Bifrost EntertainmentOn PS4 · Linux · PC
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 95%· 8.9KRAWG👍 86%· 433MC88IGDB89· 11OC88· 84
Year 2017Dev Image & FormPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Fits the Metroidvanias cluster, with adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, vibe casual and historical setting, while skipping shooter
In SteamWorld Dig 2, you step into the boots of Dorothy, a steambot once robbed of her dear friend – now driven by the hunger for answers. Buckle up, grab your gear, and get ready to dig into the highly anticipated sequel to the original SteamWorld Dig!
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Setting78
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 90%· 6.5KIGDB84· 15OC85· 90
Year 2015Dev Thomas Happ GamesOn PS4 · Linux · PC
✓ Fits the Metroidvanias cluster, with adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Where it differs: brings strong narrative focus, setting cyberpunk and visual pixel, while skipping shooter
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Setting71Visuals62
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 84%· 6.1KRAWG👍 74%· 307MC88IGDB89· 13OC88· 98
Year 2016Dev D-Pad StudioPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Fits the Metroidvanias cluster, with adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Its own twist: puzzle design, strong narrative focus and cozy, relaxing feel, while skipping shooter
Owlboy is a pixel-art platformer game about an owl-humanoid boy called Otus. When his homeland was attacked by pirates, Otus starts an adventure to protect his home and reveal the secrets of his race. He makes new friends on the way. Each of them has special powers, useful during fights.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Setting70Visuals52
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 95%· 31KIGDB75· 9OC76· 118
Year 2020Dev Phobia Game Studio · Devolver DigitalOn PS4 · Linux · Android
✓ Both are Metroidvanias — sharing adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Stands apart with horror tension, puzzle design and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping shooter
Released 4 years after Headlander.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Setting66Visuals51
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExploration2D
Steam👍 94%· 11KIGDB81· 8OC82· 45
Year 2013Dev Image & FormOn PS4 · Linux · PC
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeExploration2DHardcore
Steam👍 91%· 15KIGDB91· 6OC89· 71
Year 2022Dev Cellar Door GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · PC
✓ Fits the Metroidvanias cluster, with adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Stands apart with deep RPG systems, roguelike runs and punishing difficulty, while skipping shooter
Released 6 years after Headlander.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeExploration2DCasual
Steam👍 97%· 578OC75· 13
Year 2020Dev Kyle Thompson · TBAPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh
✓ Fits the Metroidvanias cluster, with adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Stands apart with vibe casual, cozy, relaxing feel and strong narrative focus, while skipping shooter
Sheepo is a quirky metroidvania platformer featuring a shape-shifting sheep-thing, who must traverse an uncharted planet in order to collect samples of each living species for an intergalactic species database.
Released 4 years after Headlander.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100
72
iRank88
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeExploration2DHardcore
Steam👍 93%· 13KRAWG👍 87%· 334MC84IGDB87· 8OC86· 81
Year 2018Dev Sabotage · Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Both are Metroidvanias — sharing adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Stands apart with punishing difficulty and visual pixel, while skipping shooter
The game moves between 8-bit and 16-bit art styles, allowing the player to move between the two by going forward or backwards in time. As a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world, to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan’s survival.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Visuals54
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloMeleeSci-FiExplorationHardcore
Steam👍 88%· 172KRAWG👍 85%· 2.3KMC80IGDB83· 13OC82· 176
Year 2019Dev Respawn Entertainment · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~8hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Same family of Metroidvanias: adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Stands apart with action RPG combat, deep RPG systems and puzzle design, while skipping shooter
Cal Kestis—one of the last surviving members of the Jedi Order after the purge of Order 66—is now a Padawan on the run. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is an action-adventure game set after Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith™.
Where it drifts furthest from Headlander: visuals and setting.
Released 3 years after Headlander.
Genre100Combat100Game mode100Progression100Setting48Visuals0
#15The Swapper
70
iRank84
AdventureMetroidvania
SoloSci-FiExploration2DNarrative
Steam👍 94%· 7.5KRAWG👍 63%· 528MC87IGDB88· 10OC85· 33
Year 2013Dev Curve DigitalPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox
✓ Same family of Metroidvanias: adventure storytelling, Metroidvania exploration and precision platforming
≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, horror tension and strong narrative focus, while skipping shooter
The Swapper is a classical platform game with several elements of Metroidvania focused on solving puzzles. The game follows a female astronaut stranded on the abandoned space research station in a science-fictional universe.
Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Setting60
Complete list of games like Headlander on Xbox
The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Headlander, 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.
70
Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit
Adventure · Metroidvania
68
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Adventure · Metroidvania
68
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Adventure · Metroidvania
68
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
Adventure · Metroidvania
68
La-Mulana
Adventure · Metroidvania
68
Ori and the Blind Forest
Adventure · Metroidvania
60
The Gunk
Adventure · Metroidvania
53
Little Kitty, Big City
Adventure · Metroidvania