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Heck Deck

28 Hardcore games like Heck Deck that you should try

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

We filtered the 41 games similar to Heck Deck down to the 28 that fit the “Hardcore” category. Maiden and Spell, Enter the Gungeon and Ultimate Chicken Horse top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Heck Deck.

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GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS
Tags
HardcoreCozySoloCo-op
Year 2022Dev Plug In Digital
Stores

Quick answer

Within the “Hardcore” category, the closest game to Heck Deck is Maiden and Spell — scoring 60/100 on our similarity scale. Enter the Gungeon and Ultimate Chicken Horse follow close behind.

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The best hardcore games like Heck Deck

28 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Heck Deck. 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.

#1Maiden and Spell
Maiden and Spell
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedHardcoreCozyIsometric2D
Steam👍 97%· 925
Year 2020Dev mino_devPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Nintendo

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

≠ Stands apart with fighting mechanics, melee combat and combat magic, while skipping card game strategy

Maiden & Spell is a one-on-one magical girl aerial projectile battler, featuring a colorful cast of ladies fighting with fantastic spells. Battling with magic is simple! Fire your spells, hit your opponent, and don't get hit yourself!

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: game mode.

Genre100Tone100Visuals69Combat57Game mode26
#2Enter the Gungeon
Enter the Gungeon
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloCo-opRangedHardcoreCozyIsometricPixel Art2DTop-Down
Steam👍 95%· 89KRAWG👍 82%· 1.1KMC84IGDB83· 13OC84· 79
Year 2016Dev Dodge Roll · Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Xbox

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

≠ Where it differs: brings adventure storytelling, roguelike runs and deep RPG systems, while skipping card game strategy

Enter the Gungeon is a twin-stick roguelike shooter. The game takes place in a planet inhabited by living bullets. You play as one of six adventurers trying entering a considerable fortress to find a gun that can destroy one’s past. The gameplay represents a mix of bullet-hell and dungeon crawler.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: world.

Genre100Tone100Visuals100Combat93Game mode67World0
Ultimate Chicken Horse
ShooterFPSArena FPS
Co-opSoloHardcoreCozy2D
Steam👍 96%· 52KRAWG👍 89%· 228IGDB79· 5OC79· 23
Year 2016Dev NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios · Clever Endeavour GamesPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Xbox

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

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, racing gameplay and adventure storytelling, while skipping card game strategy

Ever wish you were a wall-jumping, arrow-dodging, trap-setting horse, besting your animal pals in a race through a peril-laden obstacle course that you all built together? Wish Granted! Ultimate Chicken Horse is a party platformer where you and your friends build the level as you play, placing deadly traps before trying to reach the end of the level.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: combat and game mode.

Genre100Tone66Visuals43Game mode38Combat0
The Void Rains Upon Her Heart
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedHardcoreCozy2DPixel 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, strong narrative focus and procedural generation, while skipping card game strategy

An alien girl is trapped in a cave and surrounded by bizarre monsters. She can not fight those creatures, but she can befriending them with the power of love! Every monster will react in their own violent ways, but even the most powerful can be swayed by this ultimate power.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: world.

Genre100Tone94Combat83Game mode61Visuals51World0
#5Neon White
Neon White
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedHardcoreMeleeNarrative
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 card game strategy

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, visual novel storytelling and adventure storytelling, while skipping cozy, relaxing feel

A first-person speedrunning game disguised as a shooter: every level is a short, restart-instantly puzzle where guns double as movement abilities and the real opponent is the leaderboard. The card-as-movement idea is genuinely original. The anime visual-novel dialogue between levels is the sticking point — a large share of otherwise positive players describe skipping it outright.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: visuals.

Genre100Combat78Game mode62Tone60Visuals0
Cuphead
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloCo-opRangedHardcore2DIsometric
Steam👍 96%· 209KRAWG👍 91%· 2.0KMC87IGDB87· 17OC88· 214
Year 2017Dev Studio MDHR · StudioMDHR EntertainmentPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Xbox

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

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, adventure storytelling and action RPG combat, while skipping card game strategy

Hand-drawn 2D platformer in the style of 30s cartoons. 2D Dark Souls as the fans refer to the difficulty of this one. It took developers 6 years to create and polish their magnum opus. Cuphead is a classic run and gun adventure that heavily emphasizes on boss battles.

Genre100Tone73Visuals71Combat69Game mode60
Hotline Miami
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedHardcoreIsometricPixel ArtTop-Down2D
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 strong narrative focus, while skipping card game strategy

Several chapters of top-down shooter action, Hotline Miami is a violent game, where the player takes control of the unnamed man, that receives orders to clear out stages from bandits and mobsters, using every weapon he can get.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: tone.

It predates Heck Deck by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Visuals100Combat73Game mode62Tone49
BLUE REVOLVER
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedHardcoreIsometricPixel 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 melee combat, setting scifi and setting anime, while skipping card game strategy

Ever feel like the world doesn't understand your talents? Mae is a rabbit-eared genius programmer, able to manipulate reality with a few keystrokes or - the more fun option - blow up large swathes of reality in one of her custom-built Devices.

Genre100Combat86Visuals76Tone70Game mode61
#9DOOM
DOOM
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloCo-opRangedHardcoreMultiplayer
Steam👍 97%· 28KRAWG👍 91%· 837MC83IGDB90· 1
Year 1993Dev SEGAOn PC · PS · Xbox

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

≠ Stands apart with dark, oppressive atmosphere, melee combat and setting scifi, while skipping card game strategy

The template for the genre: no reloading, no aiming up, movement so fast that circling is the main defensive skill. Level design is maze-like and built around secrets rather than corridors. Vertical aim does not exist, enemies cannot fight above or below you meaningfully, and the flatness takes adjustment for anyone raised on modern shooters.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: visuals and tone.

It predates Heck Deck by 29 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat83Game mode75Tone49Visuals0
Cave Story+
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedHardcore2DPixel Art
Steam👍 93%· 8.0KRAWG👍 79%· 316MC83IGDB81· 1OC88· 16
Year 2010Dev NicalisPlaytime ~2hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

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

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, Metroidvania exploration and adventure storytelling, while skipping card game strategy

Cave Story is a game in the Metroidvania platform-adventure genre, first released on PC in 2004. The game is set in deep dark caves on a floating island. The island is inhabited by a race of intelligent rabbit-like creatures called Mimigas.

It predates Heck Deck by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat75Game mode62Visuals60Tone59
Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloCo-opRangedHardcoreMultiplayer
Steam👍 96%· 3.4KRAWG👍 85%· 603MC87IGDB83· 3
Year 2001Dev Croteam · Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Nintendo

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

≠ Where it differs: brings adventure storytelling, dark, oppressive atmosphere and melee combat, while skipping card game strategy

Arena combat at absurd scale: dozens of enemies charging in open Egyptian ruins, with backpedalling and crowd control as the entire skill set. The cannon and minigun are gloriously heavy. There is almost no variety beyond that — no puzzles, minimal level design, and the loop of holding a corridor against a horde repeats for the full runtime.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: visuals.

It predates Heck Deck by 21 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat77Game mode66Tone52Visuals0
DEADBOLT
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedHardcorePixel Art2D
Steam👍 96%· 5.6KRAWG👍 84%· 90MC76IGDB75· 2
Year 2016Dev Hopoo GamesPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Apple Macintosh

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

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, strong narrative focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping card game strategy

DEADBOLT is an extremely challenging stealth-action hybrid that allows you to take control of the reaper to quell the recent undead uprising. Play and complete missions given to you by the mysterious fireplace as you become the avatar of death.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: combat and tone.

Genre100Visuals63Game mode62Tone49Combat46
Devil Daggers
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedHardcorePixel ArtMelee
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 card game strategy

Devil Daggers is a shooter developed by Sorath. This is the only game in the franchise. ###Plot The player aims to survive through attacks by armies of demonic monsters for as long as possible.

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: visuals.

Genre100Combat70Game mode62Tone56Visuals18
Metal Slug X
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloCo-opHardcore2DPixel Art
Steam👍 88%· 3.9KIGDB80· 1
Year 1999Dev SNKOn Linux · Android · PC

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

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, adventure storytelling and melee combat, while skipping card game strategy

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: combat.

It predates Heck Deck by 23 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode67Tone61Visuals55Combat0
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloHardcorePixel ArtIsometricTop-Down2D
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, strong narrative focus and melee combat, while skipping card game strategy

Where it drifts furthest from Heck Deck: combat.

Genre100Visuals100Game mode62Tone50Combat0

Complete list of hardcore games like Heck Deck

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