What is the best game similar to Shadowgrounds?

The closest game to Shadowgrounds is The Expendabros, scoring 96/100 on our similarity scale. They share 9 gameplay attributes, including shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.

What are the top games like Shadowgrounds?

The three closest games to Shadowgrounds are: 1. The Expendabros (96/100, 9 shared attributes) 2. Quake II (94/100, 10 shared attributes) 3. Resistance 2 (95/100, 9 shared attributes). All share Shadowgrounds's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 50 candidates across 15 dimensions.

Is Quake II similar to Shadowgrounds?

Yes, very much so — Quake II scores 94/100 similarity to Shadowgrounds. 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 Shadowgrounds?

The best Shooter games similar to Shadowgrounds are The Expendabros, Quake II, Resistance 2 and Unreal Tournament. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key Shadowgrounds attributes like shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling.

How is similarity to Shadowgrounds calculated?

We compare Shadowgrounds against every game in our catalog using 15 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 Shadowgrounds experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.

Are there free games similar to Shadowgrounds?

Yes — Team Fortress 2 and theHunter Classic are free and score well on similarity to Shadowgrounds. They're a great way to test whether the play style clicks before investing in other paid titles.

50 Games like Shadowgrounds that you should try

Games like Shadowgrounds · Find similar →

More about this game →

Shadowgrounds is hard to replace: few games combine shooter, dark, oppressive atmosphere and ranged combat in quite the same way. We compared Shadowgrounds against over 6,700 titles across 15 gameplay attributes and found 50 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. The Expendabros, Quake II and Resistance 2 lead the list, with The Expendabros reaching a 96/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes Shadowgrounds special.

iRank65/ 100

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GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

Games like Shadowgrounds

50 similar games foundUpdated June 2026

#1The Expendabros

iRank85

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeRanged

Steam👍 97%· 18KRAWG👍 70%· 391IGDB80· 1

Year 2014Dev Free Lives · Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

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

≠ Its own twist: precision platforming, visual 2d and visual pixel, while skipping horror tension

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opRangedMeleeDarkHorrorSci-Fi

OC89· 25

Dev Head Games PublishingOn PC

✓ Same family of first-person shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Its own twist: visual first person, while skipping horror tension

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opDarkHorrorSci-Fi

IGDB87· 8

Year 2008Dev Insomniac Games · Sony Computer EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3

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

≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, fantasy world and historical setting, while skipping horror tension

Details →

#4Unreal Tournament

iRank100

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opFirst Person

IGDB100· 1

Year 1999Dev Epic Games · GT Interactive SoftwareOn Linux · PC · Mac

✓ Both are first-person shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and offline

≠ Where it differs: brings visual first person, while skipping horror tension

Details →

#5Resistance 3

iRank88

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opSci-Fi

IGDB88· 6

Year 2011Dev Insomniac Games · Sony Computer EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3

✓ Both are first-person shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and setting scifi

≠ Its own twist: survival mechanics, fantasy world and historical setting, while skipping horror tension

Details →

#6DOOM 3

iRank85

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeRangedDarkHorrorSci-Fi

Steam👍 89%· 8.3KRAWG👍 77%· 632MC87IGDB86· 6

Year 2004Dev id Software · Bethesda SoftworksPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the first-person shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and horror tension

≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, tower defense planning and turn-based strategy, while skipping adventure storytelling

Details →

Steam GOG Epic

#7Quake

iRank92

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opRangedMeleeDarkHorrorSci-Fi

Steam👍 97%· 15KRAWG👍 88%· 487MC94OC87· 37

Year 1996Dev id Software · SEGAPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of first-person shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and horror tension

≠ Where it differs: brings strong narrative focus, setting medieval and PvP competition, while skipping adventure storytelling

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerCo-opSoloRangedMeleeDarkHorror

Steam👍 98%· 1.0MRAWG👍 85%· 3.4KMC89IGDB89· 5

Year 2009Dev Valve Software · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~9hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh

✓ Same family of first-person shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and horror tension

≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, online features and visual first person, while skipping adventure storytelling

Details →

Steam Xbox

#9Serious Sam: The Second Encounter

iRank94

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkSci-Fi

Steam👍 96%· 2.0KIGDB91· 2

Year 2002Dev Croteam · Gathering of DevelopersOn PC

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

≠ Stands apart with visual first person, while skipping horror tension

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerOfflineSoloCo-opRangedMeleeSci-FiTop-Down

Steam👍 99%· 67OC72· 5

Year 2024Dev Rusty Moyher · Wild RoosterOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Nintendo

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

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, fighting mechanics and setting cyberpunk, while skipping horror tension

Details →

Steam Epic Nintendo

#11Metal Slug

iRank89

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMelee

Steam👍 89%· 5.1K

Year 1996Dev Nazca Corporation · SNK PlaymoreOn PlayStation 3 · Linux · Android

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

≠ Its own twist: precision platforming, visual 2d and visual pixel, while skipping horror tension

Details →

Steam GOG

#12Broforce

iRank85

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerCo-opSoloOfflineMeleeRangedDarkSci-Fi

Steam👍 97%· 61KRAWG👍 84%· 1.3KMC83IGDB72· 9OC79· 43

Year 2015Dev Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~6hOn PC · PS · Apple Macintosh

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

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, vibe casual and visual pixel, while skipping horror tension

Details →

Steam GOG PS

#13Left 4 Dead

iRank90

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeRangedDarkHorror

Steam👍 96%· 67KRAWG👍 87%· 1.7KMC89IGDB85· 7

Year 2008Dev Valve Software · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh

✓ Fits the first-person shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and horror tension

≠ Stands apart with survival mechanics, strong narrative focus and post-apocalyptic world, while skipping adventure storytelling

Details →

Steam Xbox

#14Grand Theft Auto Online

iRank94

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opSandbox WorldOpen World

IGDB94· 1

Year 2014Dev Rockstar North · Rockstar GamesOn Xbox · PlayStation 3 · PS4

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

≠ Where it differs: brings sandbox freedom, sandbox world and open world exploration, while skipping horror tension

Details →

Xbox

#15Portal 2

iRank96

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

Co-opOfflineSoloMultiplayerMeleeRangedSci-Fi

Steam👍 99%· 459KRAWG👍 94%· 6.1KMC95IGDB92· 9

Year 2011Dev Valve Software · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~11hOn PC · PS · Xbox

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

≠ Its own twist: puzzle design, precision platforming and strong narrative focus, while skipping horror tension

Details →

Steam Xbox PS

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shooter · FPS

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shooter · FPS

Team Fortress Classic

shooter · FPS

Turok

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Max Payne 3

shooter · FPS

Ratchet: Deadlocked

shooter · FPS

World War Z

shooter · FPS

Guns, Gore & Cannoli

shooter · FPS

Quake 4

shooter · FPS

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

shooter · FPS

Zombie Panic! Source

shooter · FPS

Prey

shooter · FPS

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

shooter · FPS

Hexen: Beyond Heretic

shooter · FPS

Gotham City Impostors Free to Play

shooter · FPS

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

shooter · FPS

The House of the Dead 2

shooter · FPS

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

shooter · FPS

Star Fox Zero

shooter · FPS

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

shooter · FPS

theHunter Classic

shooter · FPS

Overwatch

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Rankings in the same genre

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Shadowgrounds?: The closest game to Shadowgrounds is The Expendabros, scoring 96/100 on our similarity scale. They share 9 gameplay attributes, including shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Shadowgrounds?: The three closest games to Shadowgrounds are: 1. The Expendabros (96/100, 9 shared attributes) 2. Quake II (94/100, 10 shared attributes) 3. Resistance 2 (95/100, 9 shared attributes). All share Shadowgrounds's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 50 candidates across 15 dimensions.
Is Quake II similar to Shadowgrounds?: Yes, very much so — Quake II scores 94/100 similarity to Shadowgrounds. 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 Shadowgrounds?: The best Shooter games similar to Shadowgrounds are The Expendabros, Quake II, Resistance 2 and Unreal Tournament. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key Shadowgrounds attributes like shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling.
How is similarity to Shadowgrounds calculated?: We compare Shadowgrounds against every game in our catalog using 15 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 Shadowgrounds experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.
Are there free games similar to Shadowgrounds?: Yes — Team Fortress 2 and theHunter Classic are free and score well on similarity to Shadowgrounds. They're a great way to test whether the play style clicks before investing in other paid titles.