25 Best Hack-and-Slash Games — Similar Game Analysis

Path of Exile 2 expands the original's already vast build system into a new continent and act structure. The passive skill tree and gem system generate more build combinations than any comparable ARPG. GPA scores it at the top for Strategy among action games and high on Difficulty — a positioning that identifies it as the deepest mechanical entry in the genre.

Diablo IV

PS5PS4Xbox

Blizzard Entertainment

Genre: Action RPG

Diablo IV returns to a darker visual register than Diablo III, adding open-world zones and a Paragon board for endgame build development. The five classes play substantially differently. GPA scores it high on Co-op and Action, with Dark World above average — the combination that describes the cooperative loot loop more precisely than genre alone.

Dragon's Dogma 2 builds around the Pawn system where companions travel to other players' worlds. GPA scores it high on Action and Co-op.

Elden Ring

PS5PS4steamXbox

FromSoftware

Genre: Action RPG

Elden Ring takes FromSoftware's Soulslike combat into an open world designed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. The Legacy Dungeons preserve the dense, interconnected level design of earlier entries while the Lands Between rewards patient exploration. GPA scores it at 95% for both Difficulty and Action — the highest Action score in the database.

Lies of P

PS5steamXbox

Round8 Studio

Genre: Action RPG

Lies of P retells Pinocchio as a Soulslike set in a Victorian-era city overrun by automatons. The weapon assembly system lets players combine handles and blades from different weapons. GPA scores it close to Elden Ring on Difficulty and Dark World, with the Soulslike tag shared across both.

Destiny 2

PS5PS4steamXbox

Bungie

Genre: FPSシューター

Destiny 2 structures its cooperative shooter around a seasonal story model, with each season adding a narrative chapter and new activities. The gunplay remains the benchmark for the loot-shooter genre. GPA scores it high on Co-op and Action, with a lower Story Depth score reflecting the seasonal delivery format.

Warframe has evolved continuously since 2013, adding open-world zones, a full narrative, and hundreds of Warframe loadout combinations. The free-to-play model is the least intrusive in its category. GPA scores it high on Action and Co-op — a positioning that describes an endgame-focused shooter where the community knowledge base is as deep as the game itself.

The Division 2 builds its endgame around post-collapse Washington D.C., with gear-based progression and co-op raids that require coordinated builds. The seasonal content structure has sustained updates since 2019. GPA scores it high on Co-op and Action — the combination that describes a looter-shooter where the tactical layer is more developed than most genre competitors.

Arc Raiders

PS5steamXbox

Embark Studios

Genre: Action RPG

ARC Raiders is a free-to-play, third-person extraction shooter developed by Embark Studios. Set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic future, players step into the shoes of Raiders—resilient fighters who must band together to scavenge for vital resources while resisting the relentless onslaught of ARC, a ruthless mechanized alien threat descending from orbit. The game fuses intense squad-based tactical combat with high-stakes extraction mechanics, where survival depends on outsmarting both environmental hazards and rival crews.

Returnal

PS5steam

Housemarque

Genre: ローグライクシューター

Returnal traps a space scout in a time loop on an alien planet, with roguelike structure and third-person shooter mechanics. The story surfaces through environmental objects between runs. GPA scores it at the top for Roguelike and near the top for Difficulty — the Action score is high enough that aim skill matters alongside the build decisions.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity blends the rich lore and breathtaking world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with the fast-paced, hack-and-slash action of Omega Force’s Musou series. Serving as a dramatic prequel set 100 years before the events of Breath of the Wild, the game allows players to control Link, Zelda, the four Champions, and other allies in large-scale battles against the armies of Calamity Ganon. It offers a tactical, narrative-driven experience that details the tragic struggle to save the kingdom of Hyrule.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Nintendo Switch2

コーエーテクモゲームス

Genre: Action

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity covers the events 100 years before Breath of the Wild, placing the Divine Beast Champions in mass combat scenarios. The story fills in the gaps the memory system only hinted at. GPA scores it high on Action and Co-op — the musou entry built specifically for players who wanted the BotW prequel made playable.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink adapts the Granblue Fantasy world into an action RPG with a 4-player co-op quest structure. The character roster draws from the mobile game's extended cast. GPA scores it high on Action and Co-op — a single-player and multiplayer hybrid that serves both fan service and genre-competent action in parallel.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero restores the Budokai Tenkaichi format with a roster exceeding 180 characters and destructible arenas. The what-if story modes extend the Dragon Ball narrative into alternate timelines. GPA scores it high on Action and Emotional Story — the return of the series' most chaotic arena fighter format for fans of the original games.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Hinokami Chronicles adapts the anime's major arcs into 2v2 fighter mechanics, with Breathing Styles as the special move framework. GPA scores it high on Emotional Story and Action — a positioning driven by the source material's emotional investment rather than the game's mechanical originality.

Monster Hunter: World

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カプコン

Genre: Action RPG

Monster Hunter: World brought the series out of handheld isolation and into a seamlessly connected open environment. Tracking monsters through the environment before engaging is the intended loop. GPA scores it high on Co-op and Action, with Craft and Collection axes adding the gear progression layer that drives long-term play.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak adds a second continent, a new rank tier, and the Silkbind and Switch Skill systems that deepen the 14-weapon framework. GPA scores it close to World on Co-op and Action, with Craft above average for the expanded gear system.

Monster Hunter Wilds expands the series into fully seamless open environments where biome conditions change the available monsters and hunting strategies in real time. GPA scores it high on Action and Co-op — the flagship entry in the series' most ambitious structural iteration.

Nioh 2 builds its samurai action around the Soul Core system and a Yokai Shift transformation that temporarily unlocks a second move set. The Burst Counter mechanic rewards reading specific enemy attacks. GPA scores it high on Action and Difficulty — the combination that places it in the Soulslike cluster while the transformation system provides a mechanical layer Dark Souls entries lack.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty reframes Three Kingdoms history as dark fantasy and builds its combat around a Spirit Gauge system where aggressive play generates meter for powerful deflections. GPA scores it high on Action and Difficulty, sharing the Soulslike tag with Elden Ring while running lower on Open World.

Hades II

Nintendo SwitchPS5steamXbox

Supergiant Games

Genre: ローグライク

Hades II follows Melinoe, daughter of Hades, fighting through the underworld to reach Chronos. The roguelike structure deepens with each run — new dialogue, new relationships, new context. GPA scores it higher on Roguelike and Action than the original, with Emotional Story rising as the narrative accumulates across deaths.

Dead Cells

Nintendo SwitchPS5PS4steamXbox

Motion Twin

Genre: ローグライクアクション

Dead Cells runs a roguelite loop through a plague-infested island, with weapon synergies that change substantially between runs. The movement speed and parry windows sit at the aggressive end of the genre. GPA scores it at the top for Roguelike and Action among 2D titles — a pairing that favors players who want mechanical depth over narrative.

Vampire Survivors

Nintendo SwitchPS5PS4steamXbox

poncle

Genre: Bullet-Hell Roguelike

Vampire Survivors runs on movement as the only player input, with weapons auto-firing as builds accumulate. GPA scores it at the top for Roguelike and high on Action, with a Beginner score above 80.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

PS5steamXbox

Respawn Entertainment

Genre: Action-Adventure

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor continues Cal Kestis's journey through a galaxy under Imperial consolidation, adding new lightsaber stances and a Metroidvania planet structure. GPA scores it high on Action and Story Depth — a sequel that deepens the combat options and the political stakes from Fallen Order.

Armored Core VI

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フロム・ソフトウェア

Genre: Action

Armored Core VI returns after a decade with a mech assembly system that lets players reconfigure loadouts between missions. Each boss is designed to pressure specific AC builds. GPA scores it high on Action and Strategy — the combination that describes a game where mechanical optimization and combat execution sit at equal priority.