Our picks, beyond the numbers
5 games like Dead Cells we would recommend for different reasons
Dead Cells rarely gives you the same run twice, and that unpredictability is the whole appeal: a weapon you've never used turns up, a mutation changes your plan, and the castle itself keeps shuffling the order you see it in. Finding games like Dead Cells means looking past "has permadeath" and asking what actually kept you chasing that next door.
For some, it's the thrill of a wildly different build taking shape run to run. For others, it's the satisfaction of unlocking something permanent after a death that otherwise meant nothing. We picked games that chase one of those feelings in their own way, including one built by the very same studio.
Here's where we'd send a Dead Cells player next, and why each one earns its spot.
Skul: The Hero Slayer
For swapping your whole kit mid-run
Skul hands you two skull slots you can swap between at will, and that single idea changes how a run feels compared to Dead Cells' weapon pickups. One skull might turn you into a glass-cannon mage, the next a lumbering brute who trades speed for raw damage, and deciding which to carry into a fight becomes its own puzzle.
We'd point a Dead Cells player here specifically for that build flexibility — rather than committing to whatever you've found until the next biome, you're actively juggling two very different playstyles and switching between them on the fly.
The villain-protagonist framing and side-scrolling platforming will feel instantly familiar, but Skul's progression and difficulty curve are tuned differently from Dead Cells' own. Go in expecting a cousin, not a clone.
Windblown
For the same studio's take on co-op combat
Windblown comes from Motion Twin, the studio behind Dead Cells itself, and that lineage shows immediately in how fast and physical the combat feels — dashing between enemies, chaining hits, and constantly rethinking a build as new weapons and ambitions appear mid-run.
We think it's the most interesting pick on this list precisely because it's the same team pushing their own formula somewhere new: an isometric arena instead of a side-scrolling castle, with online co-op built in from the start rather than bolted on.
It's still in Early Access, with a full release expected in 2026, so treat it as a work in progress rather than Dead Cells' level of polish. The perspective shift and co-op focus are real departures — choose this for curiosity about where Motion Twin goes next, not for more of exactly what you already know.
Rogue Legacy
For failure that still changes something
Rogue Legacy keeps Dead Cells' permadeath tension but attaches a twist: when you die, you choose your next hero from a randomized line of descendants, each saddled with their own quirks, from near-sightedness to vertigo to being colorblind.
We like it as a pick for players who want death to feel like part of the story rather than a reset button — inheriting a flawed, funny new hero and adapting to their limitations gives a bad run a different kind of payoff than Dead Cells' straightforward retry.
Its tone is lighter and more comedic throughout, and its Metroidvania-style unlocks lean further into permanent progression than Dead Cells typically allows. Pick this for the inheritance gimmick and a gentler difficulty curve, not for Dead Cells' precise, momentum-heavy combat.
Dungreed
For bringing a second player along
Dungreed keeps the item-hunting, run-based structure that makes Dead Cells tick, but layers in Metroidvania-style unlocks that persist even after a bad run ends, plus local co-op for tackling the dungeon with a second player.
We'd recommend it to a Dead Cells player who's been wanting someone else in the room — sharing a couch and figuring out a dungeon together changes the tension of a run in a way Dead Cells' solo design never offers.
Its smaller scale and simpler art style make it a more modest production than Dead Cells' bigger budget and animation work. Expect a scrappier, friendlier version of the formula, not a direct match for scope.
Moonlighter
For a reward loop built around running a shop
Moonlighter sends you into regenerating dungeons for loot, same as any run-based action game, but the real hook is what happens after: the gear and junk you haul back becomes stock for a shop you price, arrange and run yourself between expeditions.
We think it's worth a look for a Dead Cells player curious what happens when the reward loop stops being purely about unlocks and starts being about a small business — haggling with customers can feel as satisfying as clearing a room.
Its dungeons regenerate rather than demanding Dead Cells' kind of permadeath mastery, and a good chunk of playtime goes toward the shop counter rather than combat. Choose it for the change of pace, not for more of Dead Cells' unforgiving run structure.
