What is the best game similar to Returnal?

The closest game to Returnal is SCP: Secret Laboratory, scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. They share 14 gameplay attributes, including shooter, first-person shooting and deep RPG systems. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.

What are the top games like Returnal?

The three closest games to Returnal are: 1. SCP: Secret Laboratory (95/100, 14 shared attributes) 2. Doom (95/100, 14 shared attributes) 3. Clone Drone in the Danger Zone (95/100, 14 shared attributes). All share Returnal's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 43 candidates across 22 dimensions.

Is Doom similar to Returnal?

Yes, very much so — Doom scores 95/100 similarity to Returnal. They share 14 attributes, including shooter and first-person shooting. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.

What Shooter games are similar to Returnal?

The best Shooter games similar to Returnal are SCP: Secret Laboratory, Doom, Clone Drone in the Danger Zone and Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key Returnal attributes like shooter, first-person shooting and deep RPG systems.

How is similarity to Returnal calculated?

We compare Returnal against every game in our catalog using 22 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 Returnal experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.

43 Games like Returnal that you should try

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Looking for games like Returnal? We analyzed its gameplay DNA — shooter, punishing difficulty and procedural generation — against over 6,700 titles. These 43 alternatives are ranked by real similarity, not marketing tags. SCP: Secret Laboratory leads with 95/100, followed by the rest of the list.

iRank84/ 100

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GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

Top games similar to Returnal

43 similar games foundUpdated July 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Returnal. Each one has been evaluated across 22 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.

#1SCP: Secret Laboratory

iRank91

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

MultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeDarkNarrativeHardcoreHorrorSci-FiFirst Person

Steam👍 91%· 230K

Year 2017Dev Northwood StudiosOn PC

✓ Same family of arena shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and deep RPG systems

≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, adventure storytelling and vibe casual, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam

#2Doom

iRank93

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHardcoreNarrativeHorrorSci-FiFirst Person

Steam👍 96%· 218KIGDB87· 28

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

✓ Nearly identical: shooter, first-person shooting and roguelike runs.

≠ Missing: third-person shooting.

Details →

Steam GOG Xbox

#3Clone Drone in the Danger Zone

iRank94

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeHardcoreProceduralSci-FiThird Person

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 deep RPG systems

≠ Its own twist: fighting mechanics, deep simulation and survival mechanics, while skipping third-person shooting

Details →

Steam Epic Xbox

#4Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

iRank87

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person

Steam👍 93%· 8.8KIGDB74· 2

Year 2009Dev Croteam · Devolver DigitalOn PC

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Stands apart with adventure storytelling, while skipping roguelike runs

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

Co-opOnlineMultiplayerSoloMeleeHardcoreSci-FiSpace

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, offline and visual isometric, while skipping roguelike runs

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeHardcore

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 offline, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam GOG

#7Ultimate Chicken Horse

iRank88

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

MultiplayerCo-opSoloOnlineMeleeHardcore

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 roguelike runs

Details →

Steam Xbox PS

#8DOOM

iRank92

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiHorrorFirst Person

Steam👍 97%· 28KRAWG👍 91%· 837MC83IGDB90· 1

Year 1993Dev SEGAOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Stands apart with ranged combat, while skipping roguelike runs

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHardcoreProceduralHorrorFirst Person

Steam👍 96%· 32KRAWG👍 80%· 68IGDB70· 2OC67· 13

Year 2015Dev South East GamesPlaytime ~4hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh

✓ Same family of arena shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and deep RPG systems

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, fighting mechanics and ranged combat, while skipping third-person shooting

Details →

Steam Xbox

#10Roboquest

iRank88

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeHardcoreProceduralSci-FiFirst Person

Steam👍 95%· 24KRAWG👍 84%· 44IGDB83· 3OC85· 12

Year 2020Dev RyseUp StudiosPlaytime ~4hOn PC

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and roguelike runs

≠ Where it differs: brings ranged combat, post-apocalyptic world and loot and gear systems, while skipping third-person shooting

Details →

Steam GOG

#11The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

iRank91

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloCo-opMultiplayerMeleeDarkHardcoreNarrativeProceduralHorrorExploration

Steam👍 97%· 392KRAWG👍 87%· 1.2KMC86IGDB95· 2OC87· 27

Year 2014Dev NicalisPlaytime ~31hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of arena shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and roguelike runs

≠ Its own twist: puzzle design, adventure storytelling and combat magic, while skipping third-person shooting

Details →

Steam GOG Xbox

#12Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

iRank89

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person

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 dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Where it differs: brings adventure storytelling, ranged combat and offline, while skipping roguelike runs

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeHardcoreProceduralSci-Fi

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 roguelike runs

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, ranged combat and post-apocalyptic world, while skipping third-person shooting

Details →

Steam GOG Epic

#14Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

iRank83

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeDarkHardcoreNarrative

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 dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Where it differs: brings visual pixel, visual isometric and visual topdown, while skipping roguelike runs

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS

SoloMeleeDarkHardcoreNarrative

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 dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, ranged combat and visual isometric, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam GOG PS

Complete list of Returnal alternatives

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Returnal, 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.

Quake Live

Shooter · FPS

Brotato

Shooter · FPS

The Void Rains Upon Her Heart

Shooter · FPS

Ruiner

Shooter · FPS

Cuphead

Shooter · FPS

SuperHot: Mind Control Delete

Shooter · FPS

Enter the Gungeon

Shooter · FPS

Quake III Arena

Shooter · FPS

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Shooter · FPS

Cave Story+

Shooter · FPS

Maiden and Spell

Shooter · FPS

Hitman: Contracts

Shooter · FPS

Hard Reset

Shooter · FPS

The Binding of Isaac

Shooter · FPS

Downwell

Shooter · FPS

BLUE REVOLVER

Shooter · FPS

Devil Daggers

Shooter · FPS

Neon White

Shooter · FPS

Cry of Fear

Shooter · FPS

DEADBOLT

Shooter · FPS

Descent

Shooter · FPS

Defy Gravity Extended

Shooter · FPS

F.E.A.R. 3

Shooter · FPS

Star Wars Battlefront

Shooter · FPS

Back 4 Blood

Shooter · FPS

Lost Planet 2

Shooter · FPS

Aliens: Colonial Marines

Shooter · FPS

Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Shooter · FPS

Explore games similar to Returnal by category

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 Returnal?: The closest game to Returnal is SCP: Secret Laboratory, scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. They share 14 gameplay attributes, including shooter, first-person shooting and deep RPG systems. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Returnal?: The three closest games to Returnal are: 1. SCP: Secret Laboratory (95/100, 14 shared attributes) 2. Doom (95/100, 14 shared attributes) 3. Clone Drone in the Danger Zone (95/100, 14 shared attributes). All share Returnal's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 43 candidates across 22 dimensions.
Is Doom similar to Returnal?: Yes, very much so — Doom scores 95/100 similarity to Returnal. They share 14 attributes, including shooter and first-person shooting. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Shooter games are similar to Returnal?: The best Shooter games similar to Returnal are SCP: Secret Laboratory, Doom, Clone Drone in the Danger Zone and Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key Returnal attributes like shooter, first-person shooting and deep RPG systems.
How is similarity to Returnal calculated?: We compare Returnal against every game in our catalog using 22 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 Returnal experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.