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NieR:Automata™ similar games & best alternatives

NieR:Automata™

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2017

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Quick resume

NieR: Automata tells the story of androids 2B, 9S and A2 and their battle to reclaim the machine-driven dystopia overrun by powerful machines.

Global score

87/100

Genres

Action, Role-playing (RPG)

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    Pros

    • Deep and emotional story
    • Smooth and varied combat
    • Exceptional soundtrack
    • Multiple endings and replayability
    • Unique philosophical themes

    Cons

    • Poor keyboard and mouse controls
    • Some repetitive environments and side quests
    • Mandatory multiple playthroughs for full story
    • Technical issues in pc port
    • Some players find story pacing uneven

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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      4

      "Players can choose from multiple characters with unique playstyles, customize builds with attributes, elements, and weapons, and decide their own approach to combat and progression."

      Capsule for Dragon Marked For Death Dragon Marked For Death

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    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      4

      "Combat is tactical and challenging with skill checks and character progression; players feel effective overcoming tough encounters."

      Capsule for SKALD: Against the Black Priory SKALD: Against the Black Priory

      "Combat is described as smooth, fun, and challenging with a high skill ceiling; players engage in varied gameplay mechanics including hack-and-slash and bullet hell."

    • Competition

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      -4

      "Focus is on personal story experience and exploration rather than competing against others."

      Capsule for In Stars And Time In Stars And Time

      "Focus is on personal story experience and exploration rather than competing against others."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      5

      "Players report long playtimes, habitual engagement, multiple routes and endings encourage repeated playthroughs."

      Capsule for Third Crisis Third Crisis

      "Multiple playthroughs and endings encourage long-term engagement and repeated sessions."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative elements."

      Capsule for Blasphemous Blasphemous

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    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      3

      "Players can customize builds, switch weapons and skills, and experiment with different combat styles."

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      "Players can customize combat chips and weapon loadouts, allowing for experimentation with play styles."

    • Domination

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      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; focus is on personal narrative."

      Capsule for The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series

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    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      5

      "Strong psychological and emotional immersion providing escape from real life through story and atmosphere."

      Capsule for Lucid9: Inciting Incident Lucid9: Inciting Incident

      "Strong themes of existentialism and emotional immersion provide deep escape from reality."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage out of personal interest and intrinsic motivation to experience story and world."

      Capsule for South of Midnight South of Midnight

      "Players engage out of intrinsic interest and personal desire to experience story and gameplay."

    • Experimenting

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      4

      "Many game modes, modifiers, and custom matches encourage trying new gameplay styles and strategies."

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    • Exploration

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      "Open world with multiple locations, side quests, and hidden areas encourage discovery."

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    • Expression

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      2

      "Customization of weapons, loadouts, and base layouts allows some degree of self-expression."

      Capsule for The Riftbreaker The Riftbreaker

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    • Fantasy

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      "Set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world with android protagonist and fantastical enemies; strong imaginative fiction."

      Capsule for Stellar Blade™ Stellar Blade™

      "Set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world with androids and machines, featuring imaginative fiction and philosophical themes."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

      "Single-player game with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

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    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players develop combat skills and puzzle-solving abilities, and gain deeper understanding of story through multiple playthroughs."

      Capsule for SILENT HILL f SILENT HILL f

      "Players develop skills in combat and understanding of complex story through multiple playthroughs."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Typical sedentary gaming experience with no physical activity elements."

      Capsule for Assassin's Creed® Odyssey Assassin's Creed® Odyssey

      "Typical sedentary gaming experience with no physical activity elements."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires focused attention due to strategic combat and story engagement; not casual or background play."

      Capsule for YIIK Nameless Psychosis YIIK Nameless Psychosis

      "Requires focused attention due to combat and story engagement; not a casual or idle game."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -4

      "Limited social or emotional connections beyond narrative; no multiplayer or social features."

      Capsule for Lucy Dreaming Lucy Dreaming

      "Limited social or emotional connections beyond narrative; no multiplayer or social features."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

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      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player experience."

      Capsule for Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player experience."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      4

      "Players accumulate weapons, upgrades, and unlock new endings through repeated playthroughs."

      Capsule for SILENT HILL f SILENT HILL f

      "Players accumulate weapons, upgrades, and unlock multiple endings through progression."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      2

      "Generally relaxing with pleasant music and art, though some levels induce frustration and tension."

      Capsule for Blocks That Matter Blocks That Matter

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    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      4

      "Highly praised soundtrack and visuals provide strong sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

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      "Highly praised soundtrack, visuals, and combat provide strong sensory and emotional stimulation."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; focus is on personal experience."

      Capsule for Layers of Fear (2016) Layers of Fear (2016)

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; focus is on personal experience."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Strong narrative focus with emotional and meaningful story that engages players deeply."

      Capsule for Voices from the Sea Voices from the Sea

      "Deep, philosophical, and emotionally impactful narrative is a core element praised by players."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      3

      "Combat and build customization require planning and tactical thinking."

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      "Combat and chip customization require planning and tactical thinking."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      3

      "Bullet-hell combat provides moments of suspense and challenge, especially on higher difficulties."

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      "Bullet hell segments and challenging combat provide moments of suspense and excitement."

    • Value

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      5

      "Players report high satisfaction and feel the game offers excellent value for price and time invested."

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      "Players report high satisfaction and feel the game is worth the price and time invested."

    • Violence

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      4

      "Combat involves hack-and-slash fighting, boss battles, and destruction of enemies."

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      "Combat involves defeating enemies through hack-and-slash and shooting mechanics."

    • Survival

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      2

      "Players manage resources and avoid failure in challenging combat scenarios, but not a core survival game."

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    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Cooperation, Leadership, Violence. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Violence, Continuation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026