Games like Vampire Survivors are fantastic, exciting shoot-em-ups with dungeon-crawling elements and incredible replay value. The time survival genre is making a grand comeback in modern-day gaming, a delight for retro gamers like us.
What Is Vampire Survivors?
For the bullet hell and rogue-like genre uninitiated, Vampire Survivors is a game with infinite levels, where our playable character shoots everything in their sight. Players don’t have to press the shoot button to fire their weapon; the gun fires automatically.
There are several weapons to choose from, and players can even combine the different firearms to chain attacks. A diverse cast of characters allows players to replay the game with different styles. Each character has a distinct look and unique abilities that shakes up the gameplay formula, requiring new methods.
There is a timer for every stage in Vampire Survivors, and the mission is complete after it ends. Till the end of the round, players must shoot, evade, and land hits with their weapons on enemies. Each weapon is upgradeable, which significantly increases the power and adds visually stunning spread patterns.
A recurring final boss appears at the end of each round when the timer reaches zero. Players must defeat the boss once every stage to complete the level. After successfully beating the boss, it reappears endlessly until our character dies.
The above features describe Vampire Survivors in a nutshell.
Other Games Like Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is a classic-style game that reinvigorated the formula of rogue-like games. The high-pressure gameplay, gorgeous pixelated visuals, and plenty of characters with unique abilities make for a fun time.
Similarly, we have 5 incredible games with a vibe and feel similar to Vampire Survivors. We’ll rank the games by a 3-fold test; fun factor, replay value, and, most important of all, uniqueness. Full disclosure, all 5 games are fantastic, but we must draw the line which separates one from the other.
Let’s get started.
5. Her Name Was Fire
The magical element is front and center and used effectively in the gameplay of My Name Was Fire. The game’s premise is about the fiery witch protagonist itching to use her sorcery against endless hordes of shadow minions. She takes on the evil incarnation of the 5 stages of Grief and the Allegories.
The magical spells in My Name Was Fire are mighty and pack a wallop on your enemies. The game has several upgrades that boost the power of the witch’s magic or add additional effects. The effects and boosts are temporary, but since the game is fast-paced, you will switch between them in quick succession.
What Makes My Name Was Fire! Similar To Games Like Vampire Survivors?
Rapid-fire spell casting, defeating large swarms of enemies, and auto-fire are common elements of both games. Vampire Survivors requires patience and positioning, and My Name Was Fire is the same, except you need room for spellcasting.
The two games push players to think on their feet and be situationally aware of their surroundings. The enemies close in from all around; it’s essential to keep moving constantly and remove as many enemies as possible.
4. Spellbook DemonSlayers
Keeping the magical trend going, we now have a game that grants players infinite power-ups to slay their enemies. The graphics are much more detailed, and the fluidity of motion during chaotic moments is a visual treat. Enemies relentlessly pursue the main character, a floating grimoire with powerful spells that get even more potent with upgrades.
Players can customize the experience by tinkering with the game settings. You can set the enemy speed and spawn rate high if you like more difficulty and challenge. The power upgrades are diverse and incredibly useful. You can select which upgrades to pick for your build, and there aren’t limits to how many you can carry.
What Makes Spellbook Demonslayer Similar To Games Like Vampire Suvivors?
Spellbook Demonslayer allows for a tailor-made experience, which means, by definition, it can become a one-to-one copy of Vampire Survivors. Other than the obvious magical connections that Vampire Survivors and Spellbook Demonslayer share, there are also challenging end-bosses.
For more comparisons, both games also feature enemies swarming the player characters. The enemies aren’t mindless either; they give chase, sparing no effort to attack the player relentlessly to lower the HP. Spellbook Demonslayer is a perfect game to try if you like games like Vampire Survivors.
3. Super Total Carnage!
If pure magical-based attacks and colorful sprites aren’t gritty enough for you, try Super Total Carnage! The game lets players fight ungodly entities and their fearsome undead armies with powerful hardware. There are several playable characters, each with unique weaponry and playstyle; more characters and weapons unlock with game progression.
The enemy design in Super Total Carnage! The game excellently portrays the armies of the damned as they scamper across to attack you. Bosses, in particular, have visually stunning features; our favorite is the floating skull. As for the weapons, the game is a firearms and melee weapon bonanza. Incredibly innovative special weapons like the slicer platform, which cuts through the horde of enemies, are highly satisfying.
What Makes Super Total Carnage! Similar To Games Like Vampire Survivors?
Tough challenges and relentless enemies are part and parcel of both games, making players work for upgrades and rewards. Its gritty art style distinguishes Super Total Carnage from the rest of the time-survival genre games. The depiction of hardcore brutality is similar to Vampire Survivors, and fans of one game surely will appreciate the other.
The playable characters aren’t generic in either of the two games; players can notice the difference in each one’s unique move-set. The defensive stats play a vital role in both games, granting resistance against certain enemies while raising weakness against others. A true hardcore challenge awaits players of Super Total Carnage! One of the best survival games like Vampire Survivors.
2. Tri-Star
So, if it’s not apparent by now, we’ll spell it out for you. We love games set in space, so Tri-Star is the runner-up in our list of best games like Vampire Survivor.
The game is more fun when you’re with a friend and play the score attack mode. However, solo play is also intense and fun. The concept is simple, shoot aliens, avoid getting hit, and collect scraps to upgrade at the end of a stage.
The battleships fall into 3 broad categories, but there are 12 to choose from; each has specializations. There is a heavily armored one that is slow but has powerful weaponry and good defense. The mid-sized ship is the jack of all trades, having better maneuverability and fire rate but overall average defense. The lighter battleship has incredible speed and the fastest damage per second rate but poor defense; a glass canon.
What Makes Tri-Star Similar To Games Like Vampire Survivors?
Tri-Star achieves a lot despite its minimalistic aesthetic design. The blackness on the screen perfectly captures the emptiness of space; the enemy design also is more prominent this way. The visual appeal of Vampire Survivors is similar, albeit on the opposite side of the same coin. Instead of blackness like in Tri-Star, Vampire Survivors uses vibrant colors to highlight the happenings of the battlefield.
Another common point for Tri-Star being similar to games like Vampire Survivors is the onslaught of enemies. The enemy battleships surround our sole one and fire away in a bullet hell unlike any other. Vampire Survivors has a melee aspect with magical projectiles with a similar vibe to Tri-Star.
1. Primal Survivors
Primal Survivors is perfect for people tired of magical-heavy themes, realistic and edgy settings, or outer space.
Primal Survivors occupies the top position on our list because it’s radically different; also, mastodons. Yes, you read that right; the game has prehistoric mammoth beasts; if that won’t earn you first place, nothing will. On a serious note, Primal Survivor brings a nice change of pace and visually distinct weaponry from the caveman days.
The enemies are many; they are all hunting our character; we must use everything to survive. Whether it’s skulls, bones, or skills from black magic, you will need everything to escape enemies and fight back. The skills your character can pick are varied; depending on your playstyle, they can be helpful or utterly useless.
What Makes Primal Survivors Similar To Games Like Vampire Survivors?
Primal Survivors and Vampire Survivors share a lot of similarities. Both games deal with arcane and dark sorcery-heavy themes, and both are incredibly tense as enemies corner our character. Also, both games have Survivors at the end of their titles; we’re not kidding; it’s true!
The games are incredible showcases of the time-survival genre, and the combat focus in both is adrenal pumping. You’ll block out everything else to focus on the game; you must if you want to win each round. We can’t ask for a better alternative for Vampire Survivors than Primal Survivors.
Final Thoughts
Well, there it is; our ranked list of games like Vampire Survivors. We hope you enjoyed reading through the list. Let us know in the comments below which of your favorites we missed. We’ll play sad violin music in the background while reading your thoughts.
In the meantime, here’s a list of incredible games to check out 12 Best Survival & Crafting Games Like ARK: Survival Evolved.
