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StarVaders

50 Games like StarVaders that you should try

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Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentHow this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

Looking for games like StarVaders? We analyzed its gameplay DNA — card game strategy, punishing difficulty and procedural generation — against over 6,700 titles. These 50 alternatives are ranked by real similarity, not marketing tags. Balatro leads with 69/100, followed by the rest of the list.

iRank97/ 100

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GenreStrategySubgenreTurn-Based Strategy
Tags
HardcoreNarrativeSolo
Year 2025Dev Pengonauts

Quick answer

The closest game to StarVaders is Balatro — scoring 69/100 on our similarity scale. Lara Croft Go and Telltale Texas Hold ‘Em follow close behind.

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Top games similar to StarVaders

50 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to StarVaders. 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.

#1Balatro
Balatro
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloHardcoreNarrativeProceduralIsometric2D
Steam👍 98%· 191KRAWG👍 86%· 263IGDB91· 5OC92· 64
Year 2024Dev LocalThunk · PlayStackPlaytime ~14hOn PC · PS · iOS

✓ Both are turn-based strategy games — sharing card game strategy, roguelike runs and turn-based strategy

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual, vibe relaxing and visual pixel, while skipping adventure storytelling

Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big. Combine valid poker hands with unique Joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds.

Genre100Game mode100World100Visuals72Tone51
Lara Croft Go
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloNarrativeAnimeIsometricCasual
Steam👍 93%· 4.0KIGDB86· 5OC83· 19
Year 2015Dev Square Enix Montréal · Square EnixOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Both are turn-based strategy games — sharing adventure storytelling, turn-based strategy and card game strategy

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, precision platforming and horror tension, while skipping roguelike runs

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 10 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Setting78Visuals71Tone29
Telltale Texas Hold ‘Em
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTacticalNarrativeCozy2D
Steam👍 68%· 370RAWG👍 24%· 21
Year 2008Dev Telltale GamesPlaytime ~1hOn PC

✓ Both are turn-based strategy games — sharing card game strategy, adventure storytelling and turn-based strategy

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, deep simulation and horror tension, while skipping roguelike runs

Join poker's most outspoken players for a hand of Telltale Texas Hold'em, the card game stacked high with personality. Quips will fly, chips will fall, and you may just end up rolling in the aisles.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 17 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals63Tone60Setting0
X-COM: UFO Defense
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTacticalHardcoreProceduralIsometric
Steam👍 95%· 4.0KRAWG👍 64%· 275IGDB85· 2
Year 1993Dev MicroProse Software · MicroProsePlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Commodore / Amiga

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy, roguelike runs and punishing difficulty

≠ Its own twist: dark, oppressive atmosphere, setting scifi and horror setting, while skipping card game strategy

1999. Governments of the Earth have increasingly begun to receive reports of frequent UFO attacks on people and their abductions. To combat this scourge, they decide to create a service X-COM (Extraterrestrial Combat Unit ), which is designed to protect humanity from aliens. You play as the head of this service. The game is played in two modes: strategic and tactical.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: setting and tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 32 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World100Visuals58Tone42
Poker Night 2
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloNarrativeCasualFirst Person
Steam👍 88%· 7.4KRAWG👍 68%· 220MC75IGDB65· 3
Year 2013Dev Telltale GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the turn-based strategy games cluster, with card game strategy, turn-based strategy and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: sports simulation, puzzle design and vibe casual, while skipping roguelike runs

Playing poker is good in itself and as an occasion for live communication, a disclosure of communicative talents, a great way to spend time with friends. Especially if these friends know how to play and have fun playing. This poker simulator allows you to spend time in a beautiful company.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: visuals and tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Tone19Visuals0
Card City Nights
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloCozyIsometricCasualFantasy
Steam👍 88%· 1.0KRAWG👍 37%· 30
Year 2014Dev LudosityPlaytime ~2hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: card game strategy, adventure storytelling and turn-based strategy

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual and fantasy world, while skipping roguelike runs

Card City Nights is an adventure through a city filled with card-nuts and lunatics. Battle for the 8 legendary cards to enter the biggest competition this city has seen yet. CCN is not a traditional card-trading game.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: setting and tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 11 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals70Tone30Setting0
#7100% Orange Juice
100% Orange Juice
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloCozyHardcoreAnimeIsometric2D
Steam👍 91%· 30KRAWG👍 42%· 165
Year 2013Dev Orange_Juice · Fruitbat FactoryPlaytime ~4hOn PC

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy, card game strategy and cozy, relaxing feel

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual, multiplayer gameplay and co op, while skipping adventure storytelling

100% Orange Juice is a digital multiplayer board game populated by developer Orange Juice's all-star cast. Characters from Flying Red Barrel, QP Shooting, Suguri and Sora come together with all-new characters to duke it out... with dice.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: game mode.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Setting100Visuals100Tone75Game mode31
Ticket to Ride: Classic Edition
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTacticalIsometric2DMultiplayer
Steam👍 86%· 5.5KRAWG👍 67%· 117MC91IGDB63· 3
Year 2009Dev Plug In Digital · Microsoft StudiosPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy, card game strategy and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual, competitive edge and historical setting, while skipping roguelike runs

Ticket to Ride is a turn-based strategy game, an adaptation of a board game of the same name. ### Gameplay The gameplay copies the board game entirely. The game takes place on a map of the United States and south Canada filled with multicolored railroads.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: tone and setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 16 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Visuals100Game mode38Tone0Setting0
Governor of Poker 2
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloIsometricCasualHistoricalFree to Play
Steam👍 73%· 185
Year 2010Dev I Sioux Game ProductionsPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Android

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: adventure storytelling, card game strategy and turn-based strategy

≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, puzzle design and vibe casual, while skipping roguelike runs

Show them all, the Governor is not to be trifled with! Where have you been all those years? Lots of things have changed. Cities have grown, new people arrived... It’s all good, but some things cannot be accepted just like that! Howdy! Finally it’s there, Governor of Poker 2!

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: tone and setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 15 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals70Tone0Setting0
Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloNarrative2DPvPCompetitive
Steam👍 90%· 338RAWG👍 85%· 20MC76
Year 2009Dev HeR InteractivePlaytime ~6hOn PC

✓ Fits the turn-based strategy games cluster, with adventure storytelling, turn-based strategy and card game strategy

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, precision platforming and competitive edge, while skipping roguelike runs

Nancy Drew®: Warnings at Waverly Academy is a first-person perspective, point-and-click adventure game. The player is Nancy Drew and has to solve a mystery. Explore rich environments for clues, interrogate suspects, and solve puzzles and mini-games.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: setting and tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 16 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Visuals48Game mode36Tone27Setting0
7 Grand Steps: What Ancients Begat
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloNarrativeCozy2DCasual
Steam👍 54%· 768RAWG👍 5%· 20IGDB40· 1
Year 2013Dev MousechiefPlaytime ~4hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy, card game strategy and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, puzzle design and vibe casual, while skipping roguelike runs

What Ancients Begat is a complete (~15 hour) game of family generations surviving the rise of western civilization. Survival is the ultimate goal. The sub-goals, you choose, build their story. Experience an abstract telling of the lives of our earliest recorded ancestors.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals63Tone62Setting0
Duelyst
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTacticalIsometricMultiplayerPixel Art
Steam👍 82%· 4.7KRAWG👍 55%· 102MC82IGDB82· 7OC80· 16
Year 2016Dev Counterplay Games · BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment USPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: card game strategy, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Stands apart with multiplayer gameplay, visual pixel and free to play, while skipping adventure storytelling

Duelyst is a digital collectible card game and turn-based strategy hybrid. The game has four expansions: Denizens of Shim'zar, Rise of the Bloodborn, Ancient Bonds, and Unearthed Prophecy. ###Gameplay In each round, two players must fight across a tactical battlefield.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 9 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Visuals53Game mode51
Poker Night at the Inventory
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTacticalCasualFirst Person
Steam👍 90%· 9.7KRAWG👍 59%· 249MC71OC80· 12
Year 2010Dev Telltale GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: card game strategy, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Where it differs: brings sports simulation, vibe casual and visual first person, while skipping adventure storytelling

Four famous characters - Max (Sam & Max game series), RED Heavy (Team Fortress 2 game), Tycho (Penny Arcade webcomic), and Strong Bad (Homestar Runner web series) - just sit around a table in the underground casino called Inventory and play poker.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: tone and visuals.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 15 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Tone0Visuals0
Dead Man's Draw
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTactical2DCo-opCasual
Steam👍 84%· 644
Year 2013Dev Stardock EntertainmentPlaytime ~4hOn PC · iOS

✓ Fits the turn-based strategy games cluster, with card game strategy, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual and co op, while skipping adventure storytelling

The critically acclaimed card game is now available on PC! Dead Man’s Draw is a simple and strategic game of luck and skill that boils down strategy gameplay into a single, tense decision: to play it safe or risk everything in pursuit of killer combos and boundless treasure.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: tone and game mode.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 12 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Visuals65Game mode45Tone0
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTacticalNarrative2DMultiplayer
Steam👍 89%· 1.7KMC84
Year 2011Dev Playdek · Asmodee DigitalPlaytime ~2hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Both are turn-based strategy games — sharing card game strategy, turn-based strategy and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings vibe casual, fantasy world and setting scifi, while skipping adventure storytelling

Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer, was the first officially licensed deck building card game for iOS, and is now available for your PC as Ascension: Deckbuilding Game, complete with 5 full expansion decks! Play alone or with friends to battle against the Fallen One for honor and victory.

Where it drifts furthest from StarVaders: setting and tone.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for StarVaders.

It predates StarVaders by 14 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Combat100Visuals60Game mode25Tone22Setting0

Complete list of StarVaders alternatives

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

G.I.R.L.S. will be Girls
50

G.I.R.L.S. will be Girls

Deck Builder · Turn-Based Strat

Legends of Runeterra
43

Legends of Runeterra

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Egyptian Senet
45

Egyptian Senet

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013
44

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013

Deck Builder · Turn-Based Strat

Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
40

Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising

Turn-Based Strat

Battle Chess
43

Battle Chess

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors
46

Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Worms
42

Worms

Turn-Based Strat

Worms Armageddon
39

Worms Armageddon

Platformer · Turn-Based Strat

Magic 2014 — Duels of the Planeswalkers
43

Magic 2014 — Duels of the Planeswalkers

Deck Builder · Turn-Based Strat

Triple Town
41

Triple Town

Puzzle · Turn-Based Strat

Mario Party DS
48

Mario Party DS

Puzzle · Turn-Based Strat

XCOM: Chimera Squad
42

XCOM: Chimera Squad

Turn-Based Strat

The Elder Scrolls: Legends
43

The Elder Scrolls: Legends

Deck Builder · Turn-Based Strat

Hearthstone
38

Hearthstone

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Teamfight Tactics
47

Teamfight Tactics

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Pokémon Trading Card Game Online
47

Pokémon Trading Card Game Online

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Guardians of Graxia
48

Guardians of Graxia

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

The Jackbox Party Pack 3
37

The Jackbox Party Pack 3

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Master of Orion 2
37

Master of Orion 2

Turn-Based Strat

Magic 2015 - Duels of the Planeswalkers
46

Magic 2015 - Duels of the Planeswalkers

Deck Builder · Turn-Based Strat

Abalone
43

Abalone

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Master of Orion
37

Master of Orion

Turn-Based Strat

Sid Meier's Civilization II
37

Sid Meier's Civilization II

Turn-Based Strat

Cards and Castles
39

Cards and Castles

Deck Builder · Turn-Based Strat

Hitman Go
38

Hitman Go

Puzzle · Turn-Based Strat

Sentinels of the Multiverse
38

Sentinels of the Multiverse

Deck Builder · Turn-Based Strat

UNO
39

UNO

Deck Builder · Turn-Based Strat

Endless Space
36

Endless Space

Turn-Based Strat

Endless Space 2
35

Endless Space 2

Turn-Based Strat

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories
41

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Worms 3D
35

Worms 3D

Turn-Based Strat

Sid Meier's Civilization
41

Sid Meier's Civilization

Turn-Based Strat

Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
40

Disciples II: Dark Prophecy

Turn-Based Strat

Infinity Wars: Animated Trading Card Game
39

Infinity Wars: Animated Trading Card Game

Turn-Based Strat · Deck Builder

Explore games similar to StarVaders by category

Rankings in the same genre

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to StarVaders?
The closest game to StarVaders is Balatro, scoring 69/100 on our similarity scale. They share 9 gameplay attributes, including card game strategy, roguelike runs and turn-based strategy. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like StarVaders?
The three closest games to StarVaders are: 1. Balatro (69/100, 9 shared attributes) 2. Lara Croft Go (61/100, 7 shared attributes) 3. Telltale Texas Hold ‘Em (64/100, 8 shared attributes). All share StarVaders's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 50 candidates across 14 dimensions.
Is Lara Croft Go similar to StarVaders?
Yes — Lara Croft Go scores 61/100 similarity to StarVaders. They share 7 attributes, including adventure storytelling and turn-based strategy. There are some notable differences in pacing or mechanics.
What Card Game games are similar to StarVaders?
The best Card Game games similar to StarVaders are Balatro, Lara Croft Go, Telltale Texas Hold ‘Em and Poker Night 2. All share the Card Game genre alongside other key StarVaders attributes like card game strategy, roguelike runs and turn-based strategy.
How is similarity to StarVaders calculated?
We compare StarVaders 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 StarVaders experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.