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Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

23 Adventure games like Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter that you should try

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We filtered the 46 games similar to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter down to the 23 that fit the “Adventure” category. Nuclear Throne, Paint the Town Red and Enter the Gungeon top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.

iRank88/ 100

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GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreArena FPS
Tags
DarkHardcoreSoloMultiplayer
Year 2001Dev Croteam

Quick answer

Within the “Adventure” category, the closest game to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is Nuclear Throne — scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. Paint the Town Red and Enter the Gungeon follow close behind.

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The best adventure games like Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

23 similar games foundUpdated July 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter. Each one has been evaluated across 13 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.

Nuclear Throne
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeRangedHardcoreSci-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 adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, deep RPG systems and procedural generation, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

Paint the Town Red
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeRangedDarkHardcoreFirst 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 adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: fighting mechanics, deep RPG systems and roguelike runs, while skipping setting scifi

Enter the Gungeon
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineRangedMeleeHardcore
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 adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings roguelike runs, deep RPG systems and cozy, relaxing feel, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloCo-opMultiplayerOfflineMeleeRangedDarkHardcore
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 adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, deep RPG systems and puzzle design, while skipping setting scifi

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Steam👍 93%· 8.8KIGDB74· 2
Year 2009Dev Croteam · Devolver DigitalOn PC

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with online features, while skipping ranged combat

Cuphead
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineRangedMeleeHardcore
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 adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, action RPG combat and deep RPG systems, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

Metal Slug X
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcore
Steam👍 88%· 3.9KIGDB80· 1
Year 1999Dev SNKOn Linux · Android · PC

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, visual 2d and visual pixel, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMultiplayerRangedMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Steam👍 95%· 48KRAWG👍 86%· 1.4KMC82IGDB80· 2
Year 2007Dev GSC Game WorldPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings deep RPG systems, survival mechanics and sandbox freedom, while skipping co op

Cave Story+
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMeleeRangedHardcoreSci-Fi
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 adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, Metroidvania exploration and strong narrative focus, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

Ultimate Chicken Horse
ShooterFPSArena FPS
MultiplayerOfflineCo-opSoloMeleeHardcore
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 adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, racing gameplay and vibe casual, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

SCP: Secret Laboratory
ShooterFPSArena FPS
MultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Steam👍 91%· 230K
Year 2017Dev Northwood StudiosOn PC

✓ Same family of arena shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with deep RPG systems, horror tension and survival mechanics, while skipping ranged combat

Downwell
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMeleeRangedHardcoreSci-Fi
Steam👍 97%· 8.5KRAWG👍 76%· 457MC81IGDB78· 8OC83· 44
Year 2015Dev Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · iOS

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: precision platforming, roguelike runs and vibe casual, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

Condemned: Criminal Origins
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMeleeRangedDarkHardcoreFirst Person
Steam👍 87%· 4.3KRAWG👍 78%· 423MC80IGDB74· 5
Year 2005Dev Monolith Productions · SEGAPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Xbox

✓ Fits the arena shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: horror tension, puzzle design and survival mechanics, while skipping setting scifi

Neon White
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloRangedMeleeHardcoreFirst Person
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 adventure storytelling

≠ Stands apart with precision platforming, visual novel storytelling and card game strategy, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

The Binding of Isaac
ShooterFPSArena FPS
SoloMeleeRangedDarkHardcore
Steam👍 95%· 62KRAWG👍 76%· 1.2KMC84IGDB84· 2
Year 2011Dev Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl · Edmund McMillenPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Both are arena shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, deep RPG systems and survival mechanics, while skipping setting scifi

Complete list of adventure games like Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter, 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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