Welcome, Dear Reader, to Rogueliker’s guide to the best bullet heavens, reverse bullet hells, auto-shooters, and survivors-likes – that is, games that are somewhat like Vampire Survivors.
Which brings us neatly to our starting point: Vampire Survivors, a game that has become something of a cultural phenomenon. The game had a growing audience even before Phil Spencer (the man in charge of Xbox) revealed that he had been playing it obsessively. Spencer’s public confession, however, put the game on millions of radars, and Poncle’s auto-shooter hasn’t looked back since.
Not only has Vampire Survivors continued to enjoy success, it has also inspired a tidal wave of reverent auto-shooters, cheeky clones, and clever copycats. Simply put: if you like Poncle’s so-called bullet heaven shooter, you are currently being well served with new games.
Because this burgeoning sub-genre of gaming continues to grow, and considering the fact that I’ve played both Vampire Survivors and a decent number of similarly structured action-roguelites, I figured it was time to put together a feature that highlighted a number of auto-shooters. Now, anyone who is eager for more can easily get started on something new.
Vampire Survivors | Poncle | Android, iOS, PC (Mac, Win), PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
This one gets a section all to itself. I mean, it’s the reason that we’re all here, isn’t it? Vampire Survivors is a very personal recommendation from me; I played the game A LOT after discovering it. In fact, it was the game I played after completing Hades, and after spending hundreds of hours with both, and after seeing how popular these games were, I figured that making Rogueliker was worth a shot.
I’ve been a big fan of roguelikes, roguelites and I think also games with permadeath and deep, interlocking systems for a while. Vampire Survivors delivers so much on that final front, chiefly via its wealth of playable characters, each one tuned slightly differently and with their own starting weapons. There are also loads of levels to unlock and explore, and each one is riddled with secrets to discover.
What I love the most about Vampire Survivors is the way the game feels to play. After intense speed runs with Zagreus in Hades, it was nice to just stroll around whacking things with a whip / sword / bird strike and making an interesting decision every few minutes. The game’s one-stick controls are so intuitive and the gameplay so straightforward, it’s so easy to fall for its considerable charms.
Once that happens to you, you’re done for because there’s so much game here just waiting for you to explore. What’s more, it’s a generous game with a low starting cost and reasonably priced DLC expansions. Speaking of expansions, I mentioned that the game was a “cultural phenomenon” up top and that wasn’t hyperbole as Vampire Survivors’ expansions include Among Us and Contra, plus the the game itself has been appearing in other places, including a favourite game of mine, Balatro.
Picayune Dreams | Stepford, Andyland, Milkypossum | PC (Win)
If you’re done with Vampire Survivors but want more of that sweet reverse bullet hell gameplay, your next port of call might well be Picayune Dreams.
This bold, surreal space shooter is undoubtedly inspired by Vampire Survivors, but to the credit of the game’s designers, they’ve kept a similar spirit but expressed it very differently. For starters, you can take control of the action more directly with the auto-shooter element being a toggleable option, and that makes a difference.
Enemies drop numbers when they perish, and bigger numbers will help you level more quickly. There’s transmogrification, which means you can see the items as they’re added to your avatar. Enemy designs are surreal and the whole thing feels much more thematically independent than most other auto-shooters. The story is enigmatic and full of mystery. Finally, there are boss battles where the action descends into bullet hell; a crowning twist that makes Picayune Dreams one of the best games in the genre.
Brotato | Blobfish | Android, iOS, PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
My third highlight is Brotato, a game that offers a similar-yet-very-different experience from the above top picks. This is a very silly game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet it also delivers a fun and constantly rewarding experience.
The key differentiator here are the tightly controlled arenas. Vampire Survivors has vast, sprawling levels, and Picayune Dreams has you floating around in the vastness of space, but Brotato keeps the action on a much tighter leash; you can only roam around a small square here. Instead of exploration, the focus is more on staying nimble and moving quickly and, of course, taking down your enemies.
Your potato head can carry up to six weapons, and these can be combined with others of the same type to create more powerful guns, swords, and lasers. There’s tons of variety, so making sure you’ve got a good combination to hand is at the heart of any success you might enjoy. In Brotato the runs are succinct, the rounds short and sweet, and there are literally thousands of different combinations for you to experiment with.
In other Brotato news, Evil Empire has taken over post-launch support of the game, so expect a lot more content soon!
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor | Funday Games | PC (Win), Xbox Series
This spin-off set in the DRG universe is one of the best alternatives to Vampire Survivors out there thanks to its well-crafted blend of level design and proc-gen, gameplay structure, and quirky audio-visuals.
Controlling one of four hardy dwarves, you must take down waves of aliens using futuristic weaponry from the DRG universe, until the boss turns up and you take them down, too. Along the way you get to upgrade a bunch of cool guns and abilities, until you’re an OP beast who can cut through swathes of enemy bugs.
There was loads of content added to Survivor over the course of its path through Early Access, and at 1.0 we also got a new escort mode, where you must protect a capture point until a timer runs down. Beyond that there is tons of depth for hardcore diggers to burrow into, making this one an easy recommendation for both DRG fans and auto-shooter aficionados.
Megabonk | vedinad | PC (Lin, Win)
You wait ages for a great auto-shooter to drop and then two land in the same month. Hot-on-the-heels of DRG: Survivor was Megabonk, a third-person shooter with tons of charm and even more stuff to do.
There is loads to unlock and, while the progression loop is a bit grindy, it’s one of the most addictive I’ve ever encountered in this genre.
There are loads of characters to unlock, and each one feels really unique with their own basic powers and passive skills. Over time you’ll get access to an expansive toolkit, and you’re going to need to use all of it because Megabonk is very challenging at times. Either that or it’s a skill issue, as the game keeps telling me…
The Best of the Rest
This section is where I’ll put shorter entries for games that I’ve played and enjoyed and would happily recommend. However, there are so many survivors-likes out there that there’s a good chance that some quality titles will be missing. As always, I’ll keep playing new games, requesting access to the more popular titles, and generally doing the best I can to keep this feature as up-to-date as possible!
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel | Games Farm, ARTillery | PC (Win), PS5, Xbox Series | Another highly polished auto-shooter, Jotunnslayer brings a whole bunch of cool Norse gods to the party. This one’s a serious challenge and you’ll have to experiment with different character builds and explore each arena if you’re going to advance through its realms. It’s tough but visually spectacular, and after a successful stint in Early Access it’s now out on console, too.
Conquest Dark | Eldritch Sword Games | PC (Win) | This is one of the newer entries on the list and it’s still very much in Early Access, however, I already love what’s there. This brutal survivors-like feels like a Conan game at times, but everything is pulled together by a razor sharp gameplay loop that keeps you focused throughout. I like the use of the overworld map, too.
Let Them Come: Onslaught | Tuatara Games | PC (Win), PS4, PS5, Xbox Series | I think my favourite thing about Let Them Come: Onslaught is the execution of the theme. Of course, the game underneath it is good, but I just love the attention to detail that has gone into the environmental design, the UI, and overall atmosphere. If you’re a sci-fi fan, there are lots of fun little nods just waiting to be encountered.
Hive Jump 2: Survivors | Graphite Lab, Joystick, Sonamu Games | PC (Lin, Win) | If you’re after a survivors-like where survival isn’t a foregone conclusion, look no further than Hive Jump 2. Inspired by Starship Troopers just as much as Vampire Survivors, this colourful shooter is full of tense gunplay as players use their “Jumper” to take down waves of bugs with a growing arsenal of weapons. It’s one of the more challenging games on this list, but being able to boost up and out of danger is a unique mechanic that makes it stand out. I also like the pixel art style and the colour palette!
Boneraiser Minions | caiys | PC (Win) | If you’re not interested in being a Goody Two-Shoes and instead want to control an evil army of reanimated corpses, Boneraiser Minions has you covered. Playing a cute little necromancer, you must raise a horde of undead creatures to assist you in doing away with all the pesky heroes that are sent to defeat you. This one’s surprisingly deep with lots of content to explore, but I think my favourite thing about the game is the colour palette, which uses bold colours against dark backdrops to create an eye-popping pixelated experience that stays long in the memory. (I’d also like to add that I really like caiys’ follow-up game, Voids Vigil – more on that via this link).
Achilles: Survivor | Dark Point Games | PC (Win), PS5, Xbox Series | The ink hadn’t finished drying on my review of Achilles: Survivor when I wrote up the game’s entry in this list. This myth-infused bullet heaven has some seriously crisp production values, an interesting base building mechanic, and tons and tons of depth. If you’re after a new game based on a familiar period of history / mythology, then look no further than this Achilles spin-off.
Death Must Die | Realm Archive | PC (Mac, Win) | I love the gothic vibes in Death Must Die, a fantasy action-RPG with real substance and some truly lovely pixels. I can feel the inspiration of Diablo for sure, but the influence of Hades is even more prevalent. During your adventures you’ll meet a curious cast of powerful beings who bestow upon you their powers, so in turn you can head into the Underworld to take on Death himself. Along the way you’ll discover a range of potential strategies underpinned by an array of powerful abilities and new playable characters. I’d also say that Death Must Die is a good option for those who enjoy a bit more narrative in their roguelikes.
Soulstone Survivors | Game Smithing | PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PS5, Xbox | After a lengthy stay in Early Access, Soulstone Survivors has made a splash on console platforms and caught up with the rest of us on PC. This is a slick action-RPG with deep systems and the potential for interesting synergies. Another positive is the audio-visual side of things, which shines thanks to the game’s bold low-poly art style, some bright animations, and a pumping soundtrack to accompany the action.
Yet Another Zombie Survivors | Awesome Games Studio | PC (Win), Xbox | Another technically polished entry in the genre comes from Fury Unleashed creators Awesome Games Studio. The developer’s undead-filled survivors game features a broad range of zombie types, and an even broader range of ways to take them down. The subclasses are all militaristic and many of the abilities are too, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy the moment you get to call in a helicopter strike to help you carve a path through the undead onslaught. All of the classes are quite different from one another, and you can recruit three of them at once, which ensures every run feels somewhat different as you level up your trio of soldiers and rescue civilians.
20 Minutes Till Dawn | flanne | Android, PC (Mac, Win) | If you’re after heart-pounding action and eldritch terrors, then 20 Minutes Till Dawn has condensed that experience down into a short action-roguelite experience that will keep you engaged – enthralled, even. I really like the minimalist art, the in-game progression system, and the tightly controlled gameplay loop. In fact, one might say that 20MTD offers one of the leanest bullet heaven experiences out there, where even the pixels are used with such deliberate purpose that every action counts and each decision is important.
Breaking Survivors | Axel Born | PC (Lin, Win) | This one is quite unlike any other game in this article. Breaking Survivors is a riff on classic Breakout gameplay, where you use a paddle to hit balls up at blocks that drop from above. The key difference here is that you can unlock new abilities over time, so you might have balls that pass through blocks, or balls that duplicate themselves when hit by a paddle, and so on. This combination of new mechanics and original Breakout gameplay is completely addictive, and I think this one’s an especially good fit if you’re rocking a Steam Deck.
Ball X Pit | Kenny Sun | PC (Mac, Win), Switch, PS5, Xbox | Following in the footsteps of Breaking Survivors is Ball X Pit, a fantastic exploration of the same concept, but with a fantasy RPG wrapper and a load of meta-progression to work through. I really like the base building element that breaks up the Breakout-inspired gameplay, but my favourite thing is combining the different special balls together to make powerful evolutions that do crazy damage.
Halls of Torment | Chasing Carrots | Android, iOS, PC (Lin, Win) | If you remember the original Diablo game fondly, then Halls of Torment is the game for you. Not only does this action-packed survivors-like boast some seriously grim-faced pixel-art graphics that evoke classic CRPGs, but there is a proper challenge here, too. In many of the games in this list, victory can sometimes feel like a foregone conclusion, but you’ll have to push through and earn every forward step if you dare brave the ominous Halls of Torment.
Void Scrappers | 8BitSkull | PC (Lin, Mac, Win) | If what you’re after is a fast-paced sci-fi shooter with lots of pew pew, then look no further than 8BitSkull’s pixelated space battler, Void Scrappers. As the name implies, you use the scrap generated from your fallen enemies to upgrade yourself. Over time you’ll grow faster and stronger, with lasers and rockets erupting from your little ship. The screen can get quite chaotic at times and every now and then it can feel like you’re on the run from the game’s more powerful mini-bosses, but mastering new weapons, dodging incoming enemies, and learning new strategies is at the heart of this charming little game.
God of Weapons | Archmage Labs | PC (Win), PS5, Xbox Series | I waited until God of Weapons landed on PlayStation 5 before finally giving it the attention that it deserves. As implied by the name, weapons are the heart of this one, not only in the sense that they float behind you during gameplay, but between levels you must carefully organise your inventory, combine weapons and upgrade then, and look for synergies across your suitcase of tricks.
Chess Survivors | Aarimous | PC (Lin, Mac, Win) | I picked up a handful of games for the purposes of writing this article, and the one that clicked with me the best (and therefore made the list) was Chess Survivors. A basic knowledge of Chess is kinda essential in this instance, as your enemies are pawns, knights, bishops and so on, and they can only attack you by following their traditional movements. That means a pawn can’t hit you if they’re directly in front of you, but one on the diagonal can deal out some damage. If you don’t know the basics, I can imagine this one will make no sense. That said, I really liked the various unlocks, which are pretty unique when compared to its contemporaries.
A Couple of Freebies
Disfigure | Cold Brew Entertainment | PC (Win) | Considering it’s free, Disfigure is a very easy recommendation to make. This horror shooter drops you into an arena cloaked in total darkness, and you can only shoot the monsters that stray into your field of vision. This creates tension unlike any other game on this list, and it won’t be long before you’re frantically spinning around in order to catch a fleeting glimpse of your impending doom.
HoloCure – Save the Fans! | KayAnimate | PC (Win) | I’m not going to pretend for a second to know what HoloLive is, but HoloCure is a fan-made game based on it. That being so, I’m 100% sure that there’s loads of stuff that flew straight over my head while I was playing. The game underneath the cute facade is rock solid and very well made. If you want a bullet heaven that plays similarly to Vampire Survivors but has its own distinct identity, give HoloCure a go. For the price of nothing, you can’t really go wrong.
