Mass Effect

38 Action RPG games like Mass Effect 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.

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We filtered the 50 games similar to Mass Effect down to the 38 that fit the “Action RPG” category. Mass Effect 2, Deadpool and Bayonetta 3 top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Mass Effect.

iRank86/ 100

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GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

Tags

NarrativeSolo

Year 2021Dev BioWare

Stores

Steam ↗Epic ↗

Quick answer

Within the “Action RPG” category, the closest game to Mass Effect is Mass Effect 2 — scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. Deadpool and Bayonetta 3 follow close behind.

#1Mass Effect 295 #2Deadpool83 #3Bayonetta 369 #4Oni66 #5Bayonetta61

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The best action RPG games like Mass Effect

38 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Mass Effect. Each one has been evaluated across 17 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 Effect 2Closest overall match

95

Mass Effect 2

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeSci-FiSpaceSkill TreeExplorationThird 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, while skipping open world exploration

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Mass Effect.

Same studio: BioWare.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Progression100Visuals100Setting92

Steam Epic Xbox

83

Deadpool

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeThird PersonMultiplayer

Steam👍 91%· 3.3KIGDB70· 13

Year 2013Dev High Moon Studios · ActivisionOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · PC

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

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

It predates Mass Effect by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Visuals100Game mode86Combat78Tone63

69

Bayonetta 3

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 first-person shooting

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 Mass Effect: setting.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Setting0

66

Oni

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloSci-FiThird PersonPost-ApocalypticCyberpunk

IGDB70· 1

Year 2001Dev Rockstar Toronto · Rockstar GamesOn PC · Mac

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

≠ Stands apart with post-apocalyptic world and setting cyberpunk, while skipping adventure storytelling

Where it drifts furthest from Mass Effect: setting.

It predates Mass Effect by 20 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Setting35

61

Bayonetta

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloThird PersonFantasy

IGDB91· 15OC85· 51

Year 2009Dev Nex Entertainment · SegaOn PlayStation 3 · PC

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

≠ Where it differs: brings fantasy world, while skipping deep RPG systems

The high point of character-action combat: dodging at the last instant slows time, which turns defence into the main source of offence and makes mastery feel enormous. Its detractors are right about the pacing — shooting and vehicle sections interrupt the fighting repeatedly, and the original PC port needed patching before it ran acceptably.

Where it drifts furthest from Mass Effect: setting.

It predates Mass Effect by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Setting0

#6Marvel's Spider-Man 2Closest on world

70

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldSci-FiExplorationSkill TreeThird 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 stealth mechanics, while skipping shooter

Where it drifts furthest from Mass Effect: combat.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Progression100Visuals100

66

Maneater

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

Steam👍 87%· 25KIGDB73· 14OC71· 168

Year 2020Dev Blindside Interactive · Deep SilverOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

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

≠ Its own twist: deep simulation and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping shooter

You play the shark. Eat fish, wildlife and swimmers to evolve, upgrade your bite and hunt the hunters back, all narrated as a straight-faced wildlife documentary. The B-movie tone is the appeal and it commits to it. The recurring complaint is technical rather than creative: crashes, stutter and startup failures on modern Windows come up constantly, even from players who finished it.

Genre100Game mode100World100Visuals100Combat77Progression63

Steam Epic Xbox

#8Darksiders II

66

Darksiders II

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloNarrativeOpen WorldExplorationSkill TreeThird Person

IGDB86· 16

Year 2012Dev Vigil Games · Spike ChunsoftOn PlayStation 3 · PC

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

≠ Stands apart with fantasy world and loot and gear systems, while skipping shooter

Where it drifts furthest from Mass Effect: setting.

It predates Mass Effect by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100World100Visuals100Progression81

#9Dragon Age: The VeilguardClosest on combat

66

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloTacticalMeleeNarrativeSkill TreeThird Person

Steam👍 68%· 44KIGDB91· 7OC80· 155

Year 2024Dev BioWare · Electronic ArtsOn Xbox · PC · PS5

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

≠ Its own twist: turn-based strategy, combat magic and fantasy world, while skipping shooter

Where it drifts furthest from Mass Effect: setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for Mass Effect.

Same studio: BioWare.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Visuals100Combat82Progression71

Steam Epic Xbox

65

Yakuza 4

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeOpen WorldExplorationSkill TreeThird Person

IGDB80· 6

Year 2010Dev Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios · SegaOn PlayStation 3

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

≠ Stands apart with sports simulation, deep simulation and sandbox freedom, while skipping shooter

It predates Mass Effect by 11 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Progression81Combat69World62

#11Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

64

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeSci-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, puzzle design and post-apocalyptic world, while skipping shooter

Where it drifts furthest from Mass Effect: setting.

It predates Mass Effect by 11 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Tone100Visuals100Combat78Setting36

63

Infamous 2

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

IGDB85· 6

Year 2011Dev Sucker Punch Productions · Sony Computer EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3

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

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

Open-world traversal built around electricity: you climb, grind rails and fight in the same continuous motion, and it rarely asks you to stop moving. Combat stays readable even when the screen fills up. The karma system is the weak part — choices are signposted as obviously good or evil, so the moral framing lands flatter than the moment-to-moment play.

It predates Mass Effect by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100World100Visuals100Progression56

#13The Amazing Spider-Man

63

The Amazing Spider-Man

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloOpen WorldExplorationThird Person

IGDB65· 6

Year 2012Dev Beenox · ActivisionOn PlayStation 3 · PC

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

≠ Missing: shooter.

Web-swinging is the whole appeal here, and it works: momentum carries between buildings without breaking, and the city is built to be crossed rather than walked. Combat is Arkham-style freeflow, simplified. The open world is thin — collectibles and repeated crime events fill it, and the indoor stealth missions stop the traversal dead every time they appear.

It predates Mass Effect by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100World100Visuals100Progression56

#14Killer is Dead - Nightmare Edition

62

Killer is Dead - Nightmare Edition

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloMeleeNarrativeThird PersonDark

Steam👍 74%· 8.7KRAWG👍 55%· 404

Year 2014Dev Grasshopper Manufacture · Deep SilverPlaytime ~3hOn PC

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

≠ Its own twist: dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping shooter

The hero "KILLER IS DEAD" acts in the world of the near future. This world is very similar to ours but still different. The name of the hero is Mondo Zappa, and he is the executioner, the executor of the death sentences.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Mass Effect.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Combat78Tone73

#15X-Men Origins: Wolverine

61

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

GenreRPGSubgenreAction RPGSub-subgenreThird-Person ARPG

SoloSci-FiSkill TreeThird PersonLoot

IGDB72

Year 2009Dev Amaze Entertainment · Activision

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

≠ Its own twist: loot and gear systems, while skipping shooter

It predates Mass Effect by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Progression55Setting50

Complete list of action RPG games like Mass Effect

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Mass Effect, 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.

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