Metroid Dread similar games & best alternatives

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Metroid Dread

Nintendo Switch • 2021

Should you play it?

Join intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran in her first new 2D Metroid story in 19 years. Samus’ story continues after the events of the Metroid Fusion game when she descends upon planet ZDR to investigate a mysterious transmission sent to the Galactic Federation. The remote planet has become overrun by vicious alien lifeforms and chilling mechanical menaces. Samus is more agile and capable than ever, but can she overcome the inhuman threat stalking the depths of ZDR?

What works

  • Fluid and responsive movement
  • Challenging and rewarding combat
  • Intricate and expansive map design
  • Tense and atmospheric emmi encounters
  • Strong sense of exploration and discovery

Things to keep in mind

  • High difficulty may frustrate some players
  • Complex control scheme
  • Repetitive boss encounters
  • Limited story depth
  • Backtracking can feel tedious

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

More expressive

Games that feels like Metroid Dread but with more self-expression and customization

More relaxing

Games that feels like Metroid Dread but with a more relaxing feel

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Metroid Dread. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Metroid Dread. These titles are not in What to play next.

Metroid Dread: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Survival, Fellowship, Intimacy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Exploration. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression, Relaxation.

Last update: 02/09/2026