Returnal's intense, atmospheric experience has fans hooked. This list considers key aspects that define similar games, including gameplay, storytelling, and overall vibe. With its unique blend of third-person shooting, roguelike elements, and sci-fi narrative set on a mysterious alien planet, Returnal sets a high bar. Each game on this list offers the same thrill of intense combat, strategic exploration, and confronting the unknown, with dynamic world-building, tension-filled narratives, and a rich atmosphere of mystery that captures the core spirit of Returnal. Whether battling through hostile environments or uncovering tales of survival and discovery, these games deliver.
About this list
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Housemarque, with games like Resogun, Alienation, and Matterfall, teamed up with Robotron and Smash TV creator Eugene Jarvis to make Nex Machina. This explosive arcade game focuses on competition.
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Control is a third-person action-adventure game. It is set in the Federal Bureau of Control, a secret U.S. government agency that studies paranormal things. Jesse Faden controls the game. He reaches the Bureau's headquarters, the Oldest House, only to find it invaded by the Hiss. Gameplay mixes supernatural powers with a shape-shifting firearm. The environment reacts and can be destroyed.
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Hades is a rogue-lite hack and slash dungeon crawler. Zagreus, son of the Greek god of the dead Hades, tries to escape his home and his controlling father. He fights the souls of the dead through the shifting underworld's layers. Zagreus also learns about and builds bonds with the inhabitants.
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Deathloop puts players on the lawless island of Blackreef. Players fight in an endless struggle between two special assassins. Explore stunning areas and levels designed with care in this immersive game. You can approach every situation as you choose. Hunt targets all over the island to end the cycle. Remember: if you fail at first, die. Die again.
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Dead Cells is a rogue-lite, metroidvania-inspired action-platformer. You explore a huge, constantly changing castle. Fight its guards using 2D souls-lite combat. No checkpoints exist. Kill, die, learn, repeat.
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The classic multiplayer roguelike, Risk of Rain, returns with an extra dimension and harder action. No run repeats itself because stages, enemies, bosses, and items are random. Play alone or team up with up to four friends. Fight monster hordes, unlock new loot, and find a way off the planet.
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Furi is a frenzied all-boss fighter. Fight your way free and see what waits behind the last gate. Furi focuses on the tension of one-on-one fights against deadly foes. This is an intense, fast hack-and-slash mixing quick sword fighting and dual-stick shooting. Each guardian, designed by Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki, has a unique combat style. Defeating them demands focus and skill. Explosive music from electro musicians like Carpenter Brut boosts the high-energy action.
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Enter the Gungeon puts you in a gunfight dungeon crawler. A band of regretful misfits seeks personal absolution by shooting, looting, dodging, and flipping tables to find the Gungeon's ultimate treasure: the gun that kills the past. Pick a hero. Battle your way to the bottom by surviving tough, changing floors packed with dangerous Gundead and scary Gungeon bosses. Gather loot, find secrets, and trade with merchants to buy powerful items.
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Alienation is an isometric shooter blending fantasy and science fiction. It follows Dead Nation conceptually. You play a mercenary fighting alien hordes. The game offers an optional four-player co-op mode.
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You control Sam Gideon, an American soldier with an Augmented Reaction Suit combat armor. Battle for your nation in this unique shooting action game. Sam uses firearms and hand-to-hand skills. ARS gives him tricks: AR mode shows enemies in slow motion, and Boost lets him slide across the battlefield at high speed. Mastering these abilities lets you survive the intense action.
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Join bounty hunter Samus Aran in her first 2D Metroid story in 19 years. Samus continues her story after Metroid Fusion, landing on planet ZDR to check a strange transmission to the Galactic Federation. Vicious alien lifeforms and mechanical threats overrun the remote planet. Samus fights harder than ever. Can she beat the inhuman threat in ZDR's depths?
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Remnant 2 is a third-person shooter action RPG. Gunfire Games developed it; Gearbox Publishing published it. Players released it on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023. Remnant 2 is a third-person shooter inspired by Soulslike games. You can use up to two guns plus a melee weapon. Select your character archetype at the start.
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The Binding of Isaac is a randomly generated action RPG shooter with rogue-like features. Isaac finds weird treasures that change his form, giving him superpowers. This lets Isaac fight off strange creatures, find secrets, and reach safety.
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Doom Eternal, a first-person shooter from id Software and the sequel to Doom (2016), has players control the Doom Slayer fighting a demonic invasion of Earth. Combat demands aggressive resource management; players gain health, armor, and ammo by executing, igniting, or chainsawing enemies. The game adds platforming, destructible enemy weak points, a wider weapon set, and Battlemode multiplayer, where one Slayer fights two player-controlled demons.
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Gunfire Reborn mixes FPS, roguelite, and RPG elements in a level-based adventure. Players control heroes using different abilities to try varied Build gameplay. Use different weapons to explore levels generated randomly. Play solo or team up with four players.
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Titanfall 2 offers a first-person shooter with a single-player campaign and competitive multiplayer. The campaign shows a Militia rifleman bonding with a Titan, a large bipedal mech, after his pilot dies. Gameplay mixes fast infantry movement—wall-running and double-jumping—with moments where the player pilots the Titan in combat. Multiplayer features team modes where players fight as both Pilots and Titans on the same field.
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Sifu is a realistic third-person brawler featuring tight Kung Fu combat mechanics and cinematic martial arts action, leading you on a revenge quest.
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In BPM, every action, yours and your enemies', syncs with the music's beat. Enemies attack in a dance-like sequence to an epic rock opera. BPM pulls from 90's retro shooters. It is fast, frantic, and rhythmic. You can double jump, dash, rocket jump, and bunny hop to dodge opponents.
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BioShock Infinite is the third BioShock game. It does not directly follow previous BioShock titles but uses a totally new setting, though it shares gameplay and concepts. BioShock Infinite presents environments that force players to adapt, offering different weapons and strategies for every situation. Interior spaces involve close combat with enemies, but unlike Rapture games, Infinite has open areas focusing on sniping and ranged combat against enemies.
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