Metroidvania Games Like Hollow Knight: 14 Picks on Steam

If you’re looking for games like Hollow Knight, you probably miss a very specific feeling. You drop into a ruined kingdom without knowing where anything is. You reach a bench just as your nerves give out. And slowly, a boss that beat you twenty times becomes a fight you can dance through. Team Cherry’s game pairs tight, demanding combat with a world that rewards curiosity, and it tells a quiet, sad story mostly through its places.

The 14 picks below each go after that feeling in their own way. They’re grouped by what kind of match they are, with the closest matches first.

What makes Hollow Knight feel the way it does

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Under the fading town of Dirtmouth lies Hallownest, a ruined kingdom of insects, and the whole game is one huge, connected underground world. That’s the core of a metroidvania: a 2D game set on one large connected map. New abilities open paths you’ve already walked past, so going back to old areas is part of the fun instead of a chore. Hollow Knight takes this to an extreme. The caverns, ancient cities and wastelands loop back into each other, and the game trusts you to get lost.

The combat is simple to learn and hard to master. You swing your nail, dash and jump. Hitting enemies builds up Soul, which you spend either to heal or to cast spells, so every fight makes you choose between attacking and staying alive. Charms let you tweak your build. When you die, you drop your currency and have to fight your way back to get it. That sting is a big part of why the game feels tense.

Team Cherry also added four free expansions (Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood and Godmaster), which brought new bosses, quests and charms. Steam shows a release of Feb 24, 2017, support for Windows, macOS and Linux, single-player only, and an Overwhelmingly Positive rating from 565,845 reviews. So the best games like Hollow Knight give you at least two of three things: a connected world worth mapping, bosses that test you, and a mood that stays with you.

The closest games like Hollow Knight: dark kingdoms and hard bosses

These four come closest to the full package: a melancholy world, precise 2D combat and bosses you’ll remember.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

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If you finished Hollow Knight and still want more, start here. Silksong is Team Cherry’s sequel, and you play as Hornet, the fast, deadly hunter you met in the first game. She’s been captured and taken to Pharloom, a new kingdom ruled by silk and song, and she climbs toward a citadel at its peak through mossy grottos, gilded cities and misty moors.

The store page points to faster, more acrobatic fights, a large set of tools you craft (weapons, traps and mechanisms), quests for the kingdom’s downtrodden, and more than 200 enemy types. It’s single-player, Steam recommends a gamepad, and it came out on Sep 4, 2025, with a Very Positive rating. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Choose it if you want the same craftsmanship with a quicker, more aggressive hero.

ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights

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ENDER LILIES may have the closest mood to Hollow Knight of anything on Steam. A strange rain has turned every living thing in Land’s End into undead monsters called the Blighted. You play Lily, a young woman who wakes up inside a church in what’s left of the kingdom. You travel through a flooded forest, a sealed and contaminated cavern and a grand castle.

The clever twist is in the bosses. When you beat one, you free it from its curse and it joins you as an ally, so your fighting style grows from the enemies you defeat. The store page warns that one careless moment can kill you, which will sound familiar. It’s single-player, Steam recommends a gamepad, and it came out on Jun 21, 2021, from Live Wire and Adglobe with a Very Positive rating. It suits anyone who cared about Hallownest’s sadness as much as its fights.

Blasphemous 2

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The Penitent One wakes up in a strange new land and is pulled back into a cycle of life, death and resurrection. The Game Kitchen’s sequel keeps the series’ twisted religious imagery and grotesque bosses, and it adds more ways to customise your skills and several new weapons. For a Hollow Knight fan, that means more choice in how you fight than the first Blasphemous gave you.

Its story follows on from the free Wounds of Eventide DLC for the original game. It’s single-player, Steam recommends a gamepad, and it came out on Aug 24, 2023 with a Very Positive rating. Play it if you want something darker and bloodier than Hollow Knight while keeping the same exploring loop.

Blasphemous

The original Blasphemous is a brutal action-platformer set in Cvstodia, a land cursed by an event called The Miracle. You fight with Mea Culpa, a sword “born from guilt itself,” and you power up with relics, rosary beads and prayers, which play a role a lot like Hollow Knight’s charms. The world is non-linear, full of traps and secrets, and the executions are gory.

It’s single-player on Windows, macOS and Linux, released Sep 10, 2019, with a Very Positive rating. If you’d like to play the series in order, start here before Blasphemous 2.

2D soulslike RPGs with builds, classes and gear

A soulslike is a game that borrows from Dark Souls: hard, deliberate combat, checkpoints where you rest, and enemies that punish button-mashing. Hollow Knight has a lot of that in it. These three push further into RPG systems like stats, gear and classes, which suits players who loved planning charm builds.

Salt and Sanctuary

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A shipwrecked sailor washes up on an uncharted island full of foggy valleys, crumbling ruins and fallen lords. Salt and Sanctuary from Ska Studios is about as close as 2D gets to a classic soulslike. The combat is fast and brutal, and you can find, craft and upgrade more than 600 weapons, armour pieces, spells and items.

It’s also one of the few games here you can share. On top of single-player, Steam lists multiplayer, shared/split screen and Remote Play Together, which is Steam’s feature for letting a friend join a local multiplayer game over the internet. It came out on May 17, 2016 and has a Very Positive rating.

Death’s Gambit: Afterlife

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You play Sorun, an agent bound to Death, sent to defeat the undying guardians of Siradon. Afterlife is the expanded edition of the original game. It adds 10 new levels, over 30 weapons, 5 new bosses and reworked mechanics. You pick from 7 classes and more than 100 talents in a skill tree, and you can mix classes. The metroidvania structure is there too, with movement and combat upgrades that open up its more than 20 levels.

Your choices also affect the ending. It’s single-player on Windows, released Aug 13, 2018, from White Rabbit, with a Very Positive rating. It’s for players who want hard bosses plus real build variety.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

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Koji Igarashi’s game follows the old castle-exploring formula closely. You play Miriam, an orphan whose body is slowly turning to crystal because of an alchemist’s curse, and you fight through a demon-filled castle summoned by her old friend Gebel. It’s the most traditional “Igavania” here: loot, equipment, voiced story scenes and plenty of rooms to explore.

Steam lists a lot of modes beyond single-player, including online and shared-screen co-op and PvP, plus Remote Play Together. There’s also a Speed Run Mode and a Boss Rush Mode. It came out on Jun 18, 2019 from ArtPlay and has a Very Positive rating. It’s a good choice if Hollow Knight made you want to explore the genre’s roots.

Games like Hollow Knight but easier, brighter or shared with a friend

Not everyone wants another kingdom full of punishing bosses. These games keep the connected map and the satisfying movement but change the tone, the difficulty or who’s on the couch with you.

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

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The forest of Nibel is dying, and Ori, a young orphan, sets out to save it. Moon Studios’ game is all hand-painted art, detailed animation and an orchestral score, and its story about love and sacrifice hits hard. Platforming matters more than combat here, and moving through the forest feels smooth and graceful.

The Definitive Edition matters for anyone looking for games like Hollow Knight but easier. Its store page lists multiple difficulty modes, full backtracking support and teleporting between Spirit Wells. It also adds two new areas and the Dash and Light Burst abilities. It’s single-player on Windows, released Apr 27, 2016, with an Overwhelmingly Positive rating.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

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The sequel is bigger in every way. It has a vast new world, towering enemies and challenging puzzles, all on Ori’s quest to find out its destiny. Combat plays a bigger part than in the first game, which brings it closer to Hollow Knight while keeping Ori’s warmth and beauty.

It’s single-player on Windows, released Mar 10, 2020, with an Overwhelmingly Positive rating from more than 152,000 reviews. Play the first game first if you can, because the story builds on it.

Guacamelee! 2

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If Hallownest left you wanting some sunshine, Guacamelee! 2 is the cure. The luchador Juan comes out of retirement for a colourful metroidvania inspired by Mexican culture and folklore. You punch, uppercut and suplex skeletons, and you switch into a chicken form for “ridiculous chicken-based platforming.” The world spans the lands of the living and the dead, and you get stronger by beating trainers’ challenges.

It’s also the best pick here for playing with someone. Steam lists co-op, shared/split screen co-op (often called couch co-op, meaning two people on one screen) and Remote Play Together. It came out on Aug 21, 2018 from Drinkbox Studios and has a Very Positive rating. For more games to share a screen with, see our co-op picks like It Takes Two.

The Knight Witch

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The Knight Witch mixes a metroidvania with shoot ‘em up combat, the arcade style where you fly and fire at waves of enemies. You hover through a hand-drawn world, cast card-based spells from a deck of more than 30, and upgrade either your Knight side for faster shooting or your Witch side for deckbuilding magic. Your power also grows with how much the citizens of Dungeonidas trust you, and you make moral choices about how you earn that trust.

It’s single-player on Windows, released Nov 29, 2022 from Super Mega Team, with a Mostly Positive rating. It’s for players who want the exploring and the hand-drawn charm but would like a totally different way to fight.

Metroidvanias that twist the formula

These three games aren’t trying to be Hollow Knight. Each takes one part of it (secrets, strange worlds or replaying runs) and builds a whole game around it.

ANIMAL WELL

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If your favourite moments in Hallownest were finding a hidden wall or spotting a strange detail that turned out to mean something, ANIMAL WELL was made for you. You hatch from a flower and explore a dense, pixel-art labyrinth. You light candles for safety and fill in your map bit by bit. Every item has more than one use, and enemies, items and the world interact in surprising ways.

The store page is upfront that it’s about tension and suspense more than action. You’re weak, and you survive by thinking. It also says the main game is only the beginning, with hidden puzzles that players will keep finding for years. It’s single-player, Steam recommends a gamepad, and it came out on May 9, 2024 from Billy Basso with an Overwhelmingly Positive rating.

Axiom Verge

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After a lab accident, a scientist wakes up in a mysterious alien world. It might be another planet, the far future or a simulation. Axiom Verge is a retro sci-fi metroidvania where you shoot biomechanical creatures, collect lots of weapons and tools, and “break the game itself” by using glitches to corrupt enemies and solve puzzles.

It suits Hollow Knight fans who enjoyed the mystery of piecing together where they were. It’s single-player on Windows and Linux, released May 14, 2015 from Thomas Happ Games, with a Very Positive rating.

Dead Cells

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Dead Cells is a roguelite, a game played in runs where dying sends you back to the start but you keep some progress for next time. It mixes that with a metroidvania-style castle that changes every run. There are no checkpoints. You either beat the final boss in one go or try again, while new paths, levels, mutations, weapons and abilities carry over between runs. The fast 2D combat is what its developers call “souls-lite.”

It’s single-player with Steam Workshop support on Windows, macOS and Linux, released Aug 6, 2018 from Motion Twin, with an Overwhelmingly Positive rating. If you loved the boss fights more than the map, this is pure fighting. For more run-based games, see our best roguelike games on Steam.

How to pick from these games like Hollow Knight

Start by asking which part of Hollow Knight you’d replay tomorrow. Your answer points to a group above.

• The bosses and the Godmaster gauntlets: Silksong, ENDER LILIES or Blasphemous 2. If you want even more combat, add Dead Cells.
• Charm builds and planning: Death’s Gambit: Afterlife or Salt and Sanctuary, both with deep RPG systems.
• Getting lost and finding secrets: ANIMAL WELL first, then Axiom Verge.
• The beauty and the sadness: ENDER LILIES, then both Ori games.
• Playing with a partner: Guacamelee! 2, Bloodstained or Salt and Sanctuary.

A worked example

Say you finished Hollow Knight, got stuck on the hardest Godmaster fights, and found that the exploring was what kept you coming back. Silksong is the obvious next step, but if you want a change of pace before more tough bosses, try ANIMAL WELL. It gives you the thrill of discovery without combat walls. After that, Ori and the Blind Forest’s difficulty modes let you choose how much challenge you want. Then, once you’re ready for bosses again, ENDER LILIES is waiting.

Common mistakes when picking

• Expecting Dead Cells to have a fixed map. The castle changes every run, so it’s about mastering the fights, not mapping the world.
• Expecting Ori to be about building your character. Its strengths are movement, art and story, not deep combat builds.
• Skipping the controller notes. Silksong, ENDER LILIES, Blasphemous 2 and ANIMAL WELL all have Steam’s Gamepad Recommended label.
• Looking for co-op in the wrong place. Most games like Hollow Knight are single-player. Only the three co-op picks above list multiplayer on Steam.
• Checking platforms too late. Several of these are Windows-only on Steam. Hollow Knight, Silksong, Blasphemous, Salt and Sanctuary and Dead Cells also run on macOS and Linux.

For a wider look at the genre, see our best metroidvania games. If the dark mood is what hooked you, try our best horror games on Steam, and for bigger RPGs, our best RPG games on Steam. You’ll find more lists like this one on our games like the ones you love page.

Questions and answers

What game is most similar to Hollow Knight?

Hollow Knight: Silksong is the closest match. It comes from the same studio, Team Cherry, and you play as Hornet in a new insect kingdom called Pharloom, with fast acrobatic combat, tools you craft and a big world to explore. It came out on Steam on Sep 4, 2025. If you've already finished it, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights has the most similar mood: a ruined kingdom, a sad story and bosses that can kill you if you lose focus for a moment.

Is Hollow Knight 3 happening?

Steam doesn't list a third Hollow Knight game. The newest one is Hollow Knight: Silksong, the sequel that follows Hornet, and Steam shows it released on Sep 4, 2025. If you're waiting for more from Team Cherry, Silksong is the place to go. While you wait, games like ENDER LILIES, Blasphemous 2 and Salt and Sanctuary give you similar dark 2D worlds and demanding bosses.

What are the top 5 metroidvania games?

From the games on this list, a strong top five would be Hollow Knight, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and ANIMAL WELL. Each one shows a different side of the genre: hard boss fights, flowing platforming, classic castle exploring with RPG gear, and puzzle-box secrets. Hollow Knight, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and ANIMAL WELL all have an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam.

Are there games like Hollow Knight but easier?

Yes. Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is the safest choice, because its store page says it has multiple difficulty modes and lets you teleport between Spirit Wells to get around faster. Guacamelee! 2 is lighter and sillier, and a friend can play with you. ANIMAL WELL cares more about tension and puzzles than fighting, so it suits players who loved exploring Hallownest more than its bosses.

Do any games like Hollow Knight have co-op?

Hollow Knight itself is single-player only, but a few games here let you play with someone. Guacamelee! 2 has shared-screen co-op and Remote Play Together on Steam. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night lists online and shared-screen co-op and PvP modes. Salt and Sanctuary lists shared-screen multiplayer and Remote Play Together, so you can take on its punishing island with a second player.