What is the best game similar to Spelunky?

The closest game to Spelunky is Shovel Knight, scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. They share 9 gameplay attributes, including precision platforming, adventure storytelling and single-player focus. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.

What are the top games like Spelunky?

The three closest games to Spelunky are: 1. Shovel Knight (95/100, 9 shared attributes) 2. Pizza Tower (94/100, 8 shared attributes) 3. Risk of Rain (89/100, 13 shared attributes). All share Spelunky's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 36 candidates across 14 dimensions.

Is Pizza Tower similar to Spelunky?

Yes, very much so — Pizza Tower scores 94/100 similarity to Spelunky. They share 8 attributes, including precision platforming and adventure storytelling. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.

What Platformer games are similar to Spelunky?

The best Platformer games similar to Spelunky are Shovel Knight, Pizza Tower, Risk of Rain and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. All share the Platformer genre alongside other key Spelunky attributes like precision platforming, adventure storytelling and single-player focus.

How is similarity to Spelunky calculated?

We compare Spelunky 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 Spelunky experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.

36 Games like Spelunky that you should try

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Looking for games like Spelunky? We analyzed its gameplay DNA — precision platforming, punishing difficulty and procedural generation — against over 6,700 titles. These 36 alternatives are ranked by real similarity, not marketing tags. Shovel Knight leads with 95/100, followed by the rest of the list.

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GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

Top games similar to Spelunky

36 similar games foundUpdated July 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Spelunky. Each one has been evaluated across 14 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.

#1Shovel Knight

iRank92

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloCo-opMultiplayerMeleeHardcoreFantasy2D

Steam👍 94%· 960IGDB89· 19OC89· 100

Year 2014Dev Yacht Club GamesOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux

✓ Both are precision platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Its own twist: visual pixel, while skipping roguelike runs

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeHardcore2D

Steam👍 98%· 71KRAWG👍 79%· 58IGDB90· 1OC91· 10

Year 2023Dev Tour De PizzaPlaytime ~2hOn PC

✓ Same family of precision platformers: precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

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

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcoreProceduralFantasy2D

Steam👍 93%· 30KIGDB85· 4OC77· 17

Year 2013Dev Hopoo Games · Chucklefish GamesOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Fits the precision platformers cluster, with precision platforming, roguelike runs and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: deep RPG systems, shooter and action RPG combat, while skipping exploration and discovery

Details →

Steam GOG Xbox

#4Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

iRank86

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMultiplayerMeleeHardcoreFantasy2D

Steam👍 87%· 3.9KIGDB86· 16OC85· 170

Year 2020Dev Toys for Bob · ActivisionOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

✓ Same family of precision platformers: precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Its own twist: setting scifi, visual third person and visual 3d, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam PS Nintendo

#5Trials 2: Second Edition

iRank78

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMultiplayerHardcore2D

Steam👍 84%· 280RAWG👍 67%· 24IGDB80· 1

Year 2008Dev Redlynx · RedLynxPlaytime ~1hOn PC

✓ Same family of precision platformers: precision platforming, punishing difficulty and single-player focus

≠ Stands apart with racing gameplay and sports simulation, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam

#6Super House of Dead Ninjas

iRank81

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMeleeHardcoreProcedural2D

Steam👍 96%· 1.7KRAWG👍 62%· 75MC79IGDB80· 1

Year 2013Dev Megadev · Adult Swim GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC

✓ Both are precision platformers — sharing precision platforming, roguelike runs and punishing difficulty

≠ Where it differs: brings visual pixel, while skipping adventure storytelling

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMeleeHardcoreFantasy2D

Steam👍 85%· 41IGDB85· 2

Year 1991Dev Sonic Team · SegaOn PlayStation 3 · PC · iOS

✓ Same family of precision platformers: precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Its own twist: setting scifi and visual pixel, while skipping roguelike runs

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMeleeHardcoreCasualFirst Person

Steam👍 94%· 18KIGDB74· 10OC74· 45

Year 2016Dev Landfall Games · tinyBuildOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Same family of precision platformers: precision platforming, punishing difficulty and melee combat

≠ Where it differs: brings vibe casual and visual first person, while skipping roguelike runs

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloHardcore2DCasualPixel Art

Steam👍 94%· 38KIGDB85· 4OC83· 25

Year 2010Dev Team Meat · BlitWorksOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Both are precision platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Where it differs: brings vibe casual and visual pixel, while skipping roguelike runs

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOfflineMeleeHardcore2D

Steam👍 50%· 3.4KIGDB52· 20OC52· 92

Year 2016Dev Inti Creates · Deep SilverOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux

✓ Both are precision platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Stands apart with shooter, vibe casual and setting anime, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam PS

#11Mega Man 11

iRank85

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMeleeHardcore2DSci-Fi

Steam👍 89%· 5.3KIGDB80· 12OC81· 115

Year 2018Dev Capcom Development Division 2 · CapcomOn PS4 · PC · Xbox

✓ Fits the precision platformers cluster, with precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Where it differs: brings shooter, first-person shooting and setting scifi, while skipping roguelike runs

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMeleeHardcore2DDark

Steam👍 94%· 3.4KIGDB74· 3OC82· 29

Year 2017Dev Tyler GlaielOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Both are precision platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Where it differs: brings dark, oppressive atmosphere, post-apocalyptic world and visual pixel, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam Epic PS

#13Mega Man 9

iRank85

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMeleeHardcore2DNarrative

Steam👍 84%· 1.8KIGDB88· 7

Year 2008Dev Inti Creates · CapcomOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · PC

✓ Fits the precision platformers cluster, with precision platforming, punishing difficulty and melee combat

≠ Its own twist: shooter, first-person shooting and strong narrative focus, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam

#14Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

iRank82

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloHardcore2DNarrativeDark

Steam👍 82%· 81K

Year 2017Dev Bennett FoddyOn Linux · Android · PC

✓ Fits the precision platformers cluster, with precision platforming, adventure storytelling and survival mechanics

≠ Where it differs: brings horror tension, deep simulation and strong narrative focus, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam

#15SANABI

iRank91

GenrePlatformerSubgenrePrecision Platformer

SoloMeleeHardcore2DNarrative

Steam👍 97%· 44KRAWG👍 89%· 34IGDB95· 2OC80· 6

Year 2023Dev SANABI · NEOWIZPlaytime ~3hOn PC

✓ Both are precision platformers — sharing precision platforming, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Its own twist: strong narrative focus, linear, story-driven structure and setting cyberpunk, while skipping roguelike runs

Details →

Steam itch.io

Complete list of Spelunky alternatives

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

Rayman Origins

Platformer · Adventure

Rayman Legends

Platformer · Adventure

Vibrant Venture

Platformer · Adventure

Lugaru HD

Platformer · RPG

Metal Slug 2

Platformer · Shooter

N++ (NPLUSPLUS)

Platformer · Puzzle

Super Mario 3D World

Platformer

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Platformer · Adventure

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

Platformer · Adventure

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Platformer · Adventure

Trine 2

Platformer · Puzzle

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Platformer · Adventure

Sonic the Hedgehog: Spinball

Platformer · Puzzle

The Cave

Platformer · Adventure

TowerFall Ascension

Platformer · Fighting

Pikuniku

Platformer · Adventure

Unravel Two

Platformer · Puzzle

Kirby: Squeak Squad

Platformer · Adventure

Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power

Platformer · Puzzle

Kirby's Dream Land 3

Platformer · Adventure

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Platformer · Adventure

Explore games similar to Spelunky by category

Rankings in the same genre

Best Precision Platformer Games Best Platformer Games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Spelunky?: The closest game to Spelunky is Shovel Knight, scoring 95/100 on our similarity scale. They share 9 gameplay attributes, including precision platforming, adventure storytelling and single-player focus. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Spelunky?: The three closest games to Spelunky are: 1. Shovel Knight (95/100, 9 shared attributes) 2. Pizza Tower (94/100, 8 shared attributes) 3. Risk of Rain (89/100, 13 shared attributes). All share Spelunky's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 36 candidates across 14 dimensions.
Is Pizza Tower similar to Spelunky?: Yes, very much so — Pizza Tower scores 94/100 similarity to Spelunky. They share 8 attributes, including precision platforming and adventure storytelling. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Platformer games are similar to Spelunky?: The best Platformer games similar to Spelunky are Shovel Knight, Pizza Tower, Risk of Rain and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. All share the Platformer genre alongside other key Spelunky attributes like precision platforming, adventure storytelling and single-player focus.
How is similarity to Spelunky calculated?: We compare Spelunky 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 Spelunky experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.