Nex Machina

48 Games like Nex Machina that you should try

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Nex Machina is hard to replace: few games combine shooter, punishing difficulty and melee combat in quite the same way. We analyzed over 2,000 titles across 14 gameplay attributes and found 48 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Metal Slug X, Ultimate Chicken Horse and Clone Drone in the Danger Zone lead the list, with Metal Slug X reaching a 97/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes Nex Machina special.

iRank86/ 100

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GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

Tags

HardcoreCompetitiveSoloCo-op

Year 2017Dev Housemarque

Stores

Steam ↗GOG ↗PS ↗

Quick answer

The closest game to Nex Machina is Metal Slug X — scoring 97/100 on our similarity scale. Ultimate Chicken Horse and Clone Drone in the Danger Zone follow close behind.

#1Metal Slug X97 #2Ultimate Chicken Horse95 #3Clone Drone in the Danger Zone91 #4Helldivers92 #5Quake Live92

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Games like Nex Machina

48 similar games found

97

iRank85

Metal Slug X

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcore

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 visual 2d, while skipping competitive edge

#2Ultimate Chicken Horse

95

iRank88

Ultimate Chicken Horse

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

MultiplayerOfflineCo-opSoloPvPMeleeHardcoreCompetitive

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 setting scifi

#3Clone Drone in the Danger Zone

91

iRank94

Clone Drone in the Danger Zone

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeHardcoreSci-Fi

Steam👍 96%· 38KRAWG👍 90%· 57

Year 2016Dev Doborog GamesPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh

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

≠ Its own twist: fighting mechanics, deep simulation and deep RPG systems, while skipping competitive edge

Steam Epic Xbox

92

iRank87

Helldivers

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

Co-opOfflineMultiplayerSoloMeleeHardcoreSci-FiIsometricTop-Down

Steam👍 90%· 33KIGDB84· 6OC83· 45

Year 2015Dev Arrowhead Game Studios · Sony Computer EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · PC

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

≠ Where it differs: brings survival mechanics, setting space and online features, while skipping competitive edge

92

iRank87

Quake Live

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

MultiplayerSoloPvPMeleeCompetitiveHardcoreSci-Fi

Steam👍 87%· 16K

Year 2010Dev id SoftwareOn PC

✓ Same family of arena shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and competitive edge

≠ Its own twist: visual first person and free to play, while skipping setting cyberpunk

90

iRank93

Doom

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeHardcoreSci-Fi

Steam👍 96%· 218KIGDB87· 28

Year 2016Dev id Software · Bethesda SoftworksOn PS4 · PC · Xbox

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

≠ Where it differs: brings roguelike runs, horror tension and dark, oppressive atmosphere, while skipping competitive edge

#7Nuclear Throne

90

iRank89

Nuclear Throne

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcoreSci-FiIsometricTop-Down

Steam👍 96%· 20KRAWG👍 83%· 301IGDB84· 4OC86· 24

Year 2015Dev VlambeerPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox

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

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, deep RPG systems and adventure storytelling, while skipping competitive edge

#8Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

90

iRank87

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeHardcoreSci-Fi

Steam👍 93%· 8.8KIGDB74· 2

Year 2009Dev Croteam · Devolver DigitalOn PC

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

≠ Stands apart with adventure storytelling, dark, oppressive atmosphere and online features, while skipping competitive edge

89

iRank88

Brotato

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcoreSci-FiIsometricTop-Down

Steam👍 96%· 114KRAWG👍 84%· 142OC75· 6

Year 2022Dev BlobfishPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

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

≠ Where it differs: brings roguelike runs, survival mechanics and deep RPG systems, while skipping competitive edge

#10Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

88

iRank89

Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcoreSci-Fi

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 ranged combat, while skipping competitive edge

86

iRank91

Cuphead

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcoreIsometric

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 competitive edge

88

iRank84

Returnal

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloCo-opMultiplayerMeleeHardcoreSci-Fi

Steam👍 81%· 10KIGDB90· 19OC86· 201

Year 2021Dev Housemarque · Sony Interactive EntertainmentOn PC · PS5

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

≠ Stands apart with roguelike runs, third-person shooting and horror tension, while skipping competitive edge

#13Maiden and Spell

84

iRank97

Maiden and Spell

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

MultiplayerSoloPvPOfflineMeleeHardcoreIsometric

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, cozy, relaxing feel and combat magic, while skipping competitive edge

Steam Nintendo itch.io

#14Quake III Arena

85

iRank92

Quake III Arena

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerPvPMeleeCompetitiveHardcoreSci-Fi

Steam👍 96%· 4.0KRAWG👍 90%· 530IGDB87· 3

Year 1999Dev id Software · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Apple Macintosh

✓ Same family of arena shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and competitive edge

≠ Its own twist: dark, oppressive atmosphere, ranged combat and visual first person, while skipping setting cyberpunk

#15SCP: Secret Laboratory

85

iRank91

SCP: Secret Laboratory

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

MultiplayerCo-opMeleeHardcoreSci-Fi

Steam👍 91%· 230K

Year 2017Dev Northwood StudiosOn PC

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

≠ Stands apart with deep RPG systems, horror tension and survival mechanics, while skipping competitive edge

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Rankings in the same genre

Best Arena FPS Games Best FPS Games Best Shooter Games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Nex Machina?: The closest game to Nex Machina is Metal Slug X, scoring 97/100 on our similarity scale. They share 8 gameplay attributes, including shooter, first-person shooting and single-player focus. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Nex Machina?: The three closest games to Nex Machina are: 1. Metal Slug X (97/100, 8 shared attributes) 2. Ultimate Chicken Horse (95/100, 10 shared attributes) 3. Clone Drone in the Danger Zone (91/100, 8 shared attributes). All share Nex Machina's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 48 candidates across 14 dimensions.
Is Ultimate Chicken Horse similar to Nex Machina?: Yes, very much so — Ultimate Chicken Horse scores 95/100 similarity to Nex Machina. They share 10 attributes, including shooter and first-person shooting. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Shooter games are similar to Nex Machina?: The best Shooter games similar to Nex Machina are Metal Slug X, Ultimate Chicken Horse, Clone Drone in the Danger Zone and Helldivers. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key Nex Machina attributes like shooter, first-person shooting and single-player focus.
How is similarity to Nex Machina calculated?: We compare Nex Machina 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 Nex Machina experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.