What is the best game similar to Horizon Zero Dawn?

The closest game to Horizon Zero Dawn is Mass Effect, scoring 93/100 on our similarity scale. They share 12 gameplay attributes, including deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.

What are the top games like Horizon Zero Dawn?

The three closest games to Horizon Zero Dawn are: 1. Mass Effect (93/100, 12 shared attributes) 2. Death Stranding (90/100, 13 shared attributes) 3. METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE (89/100, 11 shared attributes). All share Horizon Zero Dawn's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 50 candidates across 14 dimensions.

Is Death Stranding similar to Horizon Zero Dawn?

Yes, very much so — Death Stranding scores 90/100 similarity to Horizon Zero Dawn. They share 13 attributes, including deep RPG systems and adventure storytelling. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.

What RPG games are similar to Horizon Zero Dawn?

The best RPG games similar to Horizon Zero Dawn are Mass Effect, Death Stranding, METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE and Mass Effect 2. All share the RPG genre alongside other key Horizon Zero Dawn attributes like deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter.

How is similarity to Horizon Zero Dawn calculated?

We compare Horizon Zero Dawn against every game in our catalog using 14 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 Horizon Zero Dawn experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.

50 Games like Horizon Zero Dawn that you should try

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Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentUpdated May 19, 2026How this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

If Horizon Zero Dawn left you wanting more, this list of 50 similar games is for you. Each one shares part of its essence — deep RPG systems, strong narrative focus and open world exploration — and is ranked by a similarity score computed across 14 attributes. Mass Effect comes closest (93/100).

iRank87/ 100

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GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

Top games similar to Horizon Zero Dawn

50 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Horizon Zero Dawn. 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.

#1Mass EffectClosest overall match

iRank92

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldSci-FiExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 94%· 17KIGDB89· 4

Year 2007Dev BioWare · Electronic ArtsOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Same family of third-person Action RPGs: deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter

≠ Where it differs: brings roguelike runs, first-person shooting and setting space, while skipping stealth mechanics

Where it drifts furthest from Horizon Zero Dawn: setting.

It predates Horizon Zero Dawn by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Visuals100Combat76

Details →

Steam Epic Xbox

#2Death StrandingClosest on combat

iRank88

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloStealthMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldPost-ApocalypticSci-FiExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 93%· 79KIGDB84· 17OC83· 203

Year 2019Dev Kojima Productions · Sony Interactive EntertainmentOn PS4 · PC

✓ Same family of third-person Action RPGs: deep RPG systems, adventure storytelling and shooter

≠ Where it differs: brings survival mechanics, horror tension and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping action RPG combat

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Progression100Visuals100

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Steam Epic PS

#3METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE

iRank88

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeStealthNarrativeSci-FiThird Person

Steam👍 96%· 88KRAWG👍 87%· 1.3KMC83IGDB85· 17OC84· 19

Year 2013Dev Platinum Games · KonamiPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of third-person Action RPGs: deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter

≠ Where it differs: brings dark, oppressive atmosphere, punishing difficulty and fantasy world, while skipping open world exploration

After the events of the uprising took four years. Naomi Hunter creates the FOXAVILE computer virus that destroys the system of "Sons of the Patriots", thereby putting an end to the military economy, what turned the war into a profitable business.

Where it drifts furthest from Horizon Zero Dawn: setting.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100Tone58Setting31

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeSci-FiExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 78%· 342IGDB96· 9

Year 2010Dev BioWare · Electronic ArtsOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Both are third-person Action RPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter

≠ Where it differs: brings roguelike runs, first-person shooting and setting space, while skipping open world exploration

Where it drifts furthest from Horizon Zero Dawn: setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Horizon Zero Dawn.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Visuals100Combat81Progression66

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Steam Epic Xbox

#5Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls

iRank78

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeSci-FiPost-ApocalypticThird Person

Steam👍 82%· 7.3KIGDB74· 9OC73· 56

Year 2015Dev Spike ChunsoftOn PS4 · PC

✓ Fits the third-person Action RPGs cluster, with deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, survival mechanics and visual novel storytelling, while skipping open world exploration

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Combat78Tone62Setting61

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Steam PS

#6NieR

iRank69

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldSci-FiPost-ApocalypticExplorationThird Person

IGDB69· 4

Year 2010Dev Cavia · Square EnixOn Xbox · PlayStation 3

✓ Same family of third-person Action RPGs: deep RPG systems, shooter and third-person shooting

≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, historical setting and visual 2d, while skipping action RPG combat

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100Setting85

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Xbox

#7Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

iRank73

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloStealthExplorationThird Person

IGDB73· 5

Year 2013Dev Armature Studio · WB Games

✓ Both are third-person Action RPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter

≠ Stands apart with Metroidvania exploration, while skipping strong narrative focus

Genre100Game mode100Progression100Visuals100Combat71

Details →

Nintendo

#8Marvel's Spider-Man 2

iRank84

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeStealthNarrativeOpen WorldSci-FiExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 82%· 38KIGDB82· 12OC88· 206

Year 2023Dev Insomniac Games · Sony Interactive EntertainmentOn PC · PS5

✓ Same family of third-person Action RPGs: deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings skill tree progression, while skipping shooter

Released 6 years after Horizon Zero Dawn.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone100World100Visuals100

Details →

Steam Epic PS

#9Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

iRank89

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeStealthNarrativeOpen WorldSci-FiExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 93%· 53KRAWG👍 88%· 951MC86IGDB89· 16OC85· 211

Year 2020Dev Insomniac Games · Sony Interactive EntertainmentPlaytime ~9hOn PC · PS

✓ Fits the third-person Action RPGs cluster, with deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with fighting mechanics and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping shooter

Shorter and tighter than the game it follows: venom powers add real variation to combat, and a smaller winter New York with a more personal story avoids the padding of the original. Around eight hours. It reuses that map wholesale, and side activities are the same checklist the first game already exhausted.

Where it drifts furthest from Horizon Zero Dawn: setting.

Released 3 years after Horizon Zero Dawn.

Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals100

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Steam Epic PS

#10Prototype

iRank78

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeStealthNarrativeOpen WorldPost-ApocalypticSci-FiExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 80%· 14KRAWG👍 72%· 1.1KMC79IGDB78· 8

Year 2009Dev Activision · Activision BlizzardPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are third-person Action RPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, sandbox freedom and survival mechanics, while skipping shooter

New York, Manhattan Peninsula (very detailed), our days. The townspeople are struck by a mutation that turns people into bloodthirsty monsters. The protagonist of the game is a seemingly unremarkable young man named Alex Mercer.

It predates Horizon Zero Dawn by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100Setting77World70

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeStealthNarrativeOpen WorldPost-ApocalypticSci-FiExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 80%· 14KRAWG👍 72%· 1.1KMC79IGDB78· 8

Year 2009Dev Activision · Activision BlizzardPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are third-person Action RPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: precision platforming, sandbox freedom and survival mechanics, while skipping shooter

It predates Horizon Zero Dawn by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals100Setting77World70

Details →

Steam Xbox PS

#12Bayonetta 3

iRank87

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloThird PersonFantasy

IGDB90· 4OC85· 142

Year 2022Dev PlatinumGames · NintendoOn Switch

✓ Both are third-person Action RPGs — sharing deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter

≠ Where it differs: brings fantasy world, while skipping strong narrative focus

The largest of the three by scale: kaiju summons fight alongside you and levels open up considerably. Core combat is as sharp as ever when the game lets you use it. That is the issue — demon sequences, side characters and setpiece variety cut into the moment-to-moment fighting, and the story is the weakest of the series.

Where it drifts furthest from Horizon Zero Dawn: setting.

Released 5 years after Horizon Zero Dawn.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Setting0

Details →

Nintendo

#13Enslaved: Odyssey to the WestClosest on setting

iRank85

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativePost-ApocalypticSci-FiThird Person

Steam👍 86%· 8.1KIGDB82· 9

Year 2010Dev Ninja Theory · Namco Bandai GamesOn PlayStation 3 · PC

✓ Same family of third-person Action RPGs: deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming and puzzle design, while skipping shooter

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Setting100Visuals100Combat81

Details →

Steam

#14Marvel's Spider-Man

iRank89

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloStealthNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

IGDB90· 16OC88· 179

Year 2018Dev Insomniac Games · Sony Interactive EntertainmentOn PS4

✓ Nearly identical: deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and adventure storytelling.

≠ Missing: shooter.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals100

Details →

#15Assassin's Creed® Odyssey

iRank85

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloStealthMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 89%· 184KRAWG👍 78%· 2.1KMC85IGDB88· 14OC84· 169

Year 2018Dev Ubisoft · Ubisoft EntertainmentPlaytime ~31hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of third-person Action RPGs: deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: historical setting, setting mythology and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping shooter

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the twentieth game in its series. It is the earliest game in the Assassin's Creed universe chronology and the prequel to Assassin's Creed Origins.

Where it drifts furthest from Horizon Zero Dawn: setting.

Genre100Combat100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals100

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Steam Epic Xbox

Complete list of Horizon Zero Dawn alternatives

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Horizon Zero Dawn, 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.

Oni

RPG · Action RPG

Assassin's Creed Mirage

RPG · Action RPG

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

RPG · Adventure

Maneater

RPG · Action RPG

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation

RPG · Action RPG

Stellar Blade

RPG · Action RPG

Infamous 2

RPG · Action RPG

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

RPG · Action RPG

Darksiders II

RPG · Action RPG

Bayonetta

Action RPG · Shooter

Yakuza 4

RPG · Action RPG

Ghost of Yotei

RPG · Adventure

The Artful Escape

RPG · Puzzle

Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures

RPG · Action RPG

The Amazing Spider-Man

RPG · Action RPG

Heavenly Sword

RPG · Action RPG

Killer is Dead - Nightmare Edition

RPG · Action RPG

God of War

RPG · Action RPG

Zenless Zone Zero

RPG · Action RPG

STAR WARS: The Force Unleashed II

RPG · Action RPG

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

RPG · Shooter

Spider-Man 2

RPG · Action RPG

Gravity Rush

RPG · Adventure

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

RPG · Action RPG

NINJA GAIDEN 4

RPG · Action RPG

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series

RPG · Adventure

Ultimate Spider-Man

RPG · Action RPG

Devil May Cry

RPG · Action RPG

Transformers: Devastation

RPG · Action RPG

Ninja Gaiden II

RPG · Action RPG

TMNT

RPG · Action RPG

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

RPG · Action RPG

Drakengard 3

RPG · Action RPG

God of War II

RPG · Action RPG

Asura's Wrath

RPG · Action RPG

Explore games similar to Horizon Zero Dawn by category

Recent releases similar to Horizon Zero Dawn

Newest titles in the list, for anyone who has already played the classics.

2025Ghost of Yotei 2025NINJA GAIDEN 4 2024Stellar Blade 2024Zenless Zone Zero

Rankings in the same genre

Best Third-Person Action RPGs Best Action RPGs Best RPG Games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Horizon Zero Dawn?: The closest game to Horizon Zero Dawn is Mass Effect, scoring 93/100 on our similarity scale. They share 12 gameplay attributes, including deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Horizon Zero Dawn?: The three closest games to Horizon Zero Dawn are: 1. Mass Effect (93/100, 12 shared attributes) 2. Death Stranding (90/100, 13 shared attributes) 3. METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE (89/100, 11 shared attributes). All share Horizon Zero Dawn's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 50 candidates across 14 dimensions.
Is Death Stranding similar to Horizon Zero Dawn?: Yes, very much so — Death Stranding scores 90/100 similarity to Horizon Zero Dawn. They share 13 attributes, including deep RPG systems and adventure storytelling. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What RPG games are similar to Horizon Zero Dawn?: The best RPG games similar to Horizon Zero Dawn are Mass Effect, Death Stranding, METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE and Mass Effect 2. All share the RPG genre alongside other key Horizon Zero Dawn attributes like deep RPG systems, action RPG combat and shooter.
How is similarity to Horizon Zero Dawn calculated?: We compare Horizon Zero Dawn against every game in our catalog using 14 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 Horizon Zero Dawn experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.