10 Games To Play If You Love Saros

1 hour ago 2

Published May 4, 2026, 12:16 PM EDT

Christian Bognar is a Writer at DualShockers with over three years of experience covering the gaming industry. Since 2022, he has written guides and reviews for publications including DualShockers, CBR, Attack of the Fanboy, PC Invasion, and The Game Slayer. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Roanoke College.

Christian has been an avid gamer since childhood and views games as one of the strongest forms of art and storytelling. As a reviewer, he makes a point of finishing a game before writing a review, helping him evaluate each title with a complete understanding of its story, systems, and overall experience.

Housemarque has been on a roll lately, releasing two critically acclaimed games in the past 5 years, Returnal in 2021 and now Saros in 2026. Due to the high difficulty of Returnal, not many players had the skill to finish it, so Housemarque answered this problem by releasing a spiritual successor that plays almost identical, but is more casual friendly and easier to master.

While Saros provides a unique experience for players, and is something that we don't typically see in the gaming industry, there is no denying that there are games out there that are fairly similar in terms of gameplay, the way they decide to tell their story, etc. In other words, don't be sad that you beat Saros and wish it wasn't over, as there are options available for you.

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If you are looking for your next fix after Saros, a game that gets the heart pumping, demands your full attention, and is all about defeating waves of enemies, we have the perfect fit for you here. Here are 10 games to play if you love Saros.

10 Resogun

2D Saros

What many people may not know is that before Returnal and Saros, Housemarque was still the king of Bullet Hell video games. While it has released many games over the years, its most notable title is arguably Resogun, a 2D Bullet Hell that released in 2013.

Resogun is essentially Saros, featuring fast-paced combat of dancing around bullets, except it's from a completely different perspective. For example, instead of dodging bullets in a 3D and open space, Resogun puts players against bullets coming from one side of the screen to the next, in a side-scrolling fashion.

While Housemarque's first Bullet Hell game was Super Stardust, the developer really made a name for itself when Resogun hit the market, and because of that, the studio owes a lot to the game. If it wasn't for Resogun, there is a very good chance that Returnal and Saros wouldn't even exist today. Even though Resogun is 2D and more arcade-like, it feels close to Saros due to the speed of combat, a focus on avoiding tons of projectiles, and the pure sense of satisfaction it grants to the player for overcoming a difficult challenge.

9 Risk of Rain 2

An Addictive Experience

Both Saros and Risk of Rain 2 are built around chaos, repetition, and player growth. In Risk of Rain 2, players are dropped into runs where the main objective is to collect beneficial items that make your character stronger, dying, and then come back stronger with new items in your arsenal.

Saros has players basically doing the exact same thing, such as gathering resources to progress the skill tree for strength, and the tagline for Saros is actually "Come Back Stronger." That tagline would work for Risk of Rain 2, because that's essentially the whole point of the game.

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Saros and Risk of Rain 2 both fall into the Roguelike genre, and are actually both third-person shooters as well. The combat is fast-paced in both games, and features tense moment-to-moment gameplay that never lets up. However, while it can be challenging, Risk of Rain 2 is more casual friendly due to the difficulty levels available to the player. If you enjoyed the fact that Saros gave more options to the player to create an easier experience, such as the gameplay modifiers, but still want an intense experience, then Risk of Rain 2 is the perfect choice.

8 Remnant 2

Soulslike With Roguelike Elements

Sometimes classified as a Soulslike, Remnant 2 actually has a lot in common with Saros and the Bullet Hell genre in general. Similar to Saros, Remnant 2 shares Roguelike elements, in the sense that every time you die, you return to the beginning of the biome and have to play through the entire thing again.

However, it has more permanent progression than most games in the Roguelike genre, where you keep all your gear, upgrades, weapons, etc. In other words, it's a Roguelite.

Just like Saros, players will focus on defeating waves of enemies throughout different rooms of the biome, focusing on dodging many bullets on the screen at a time, and managing health to stay alive. It's a very challenging experience like Saros, demanding the player to be focused at all times, using spatial awareness to their advantage, and going against gigantic bosses that may take multiple attempts to take down. The world of Remnant 2 is procedural generated, where the map changes on each run, just like the structure of Saros.

7 Vampire Survivors

Waves and Waves of Enemies

At first glance, Vampire Survivors and Saros don't seem similar at all. However, they actually have much more in common than what meets the eye. For example, they share the same design philosophy of repetition and mastering the combat itself to come out on top. Both games have run-based progression loops and Roguelike elements, where the goal is to enter a run and try to make it as far as possible without dying.

Vampire Survivors emphasizes build crafting, where players' success comes from stacking weapons and upgrades to become stronger. Saros has a similar structure of entering a run, finding the best weapons possible, stacking upgrades that increase your overall efficiency in combat, and creating a build on the fly. In both games, dying is not the end of the world, as both offer permanent progression that can help aid you in future runs and make each run more manageable.

6 Helldivers 2

Bombastic Gameplay

When Helldivers 2 released in 2024, it was one of the most popular multiplayer games on the market. However, if you aren't familiar with the game, all you need to know is that it's a round-based third-person shooter that has you dropping into a battlefield to eliminate waves and waves of robots and bug enemies.

Even though the game isn't considered a Roguelike in the literal sense of the word, you are still starting from scratch every round and engaging with fast-paced, bombastic gunplay that is incredibly addictive and pure fun. In that way, Helldivers 2 and Saros feel very similar.

Unfortunately, Helldivers 2 doesn't have the engaging storytelling as Saros and, instead, doesn't take itself very seriously. In other words, if you are looking for a game that is similar to Saros in terms of story, Helldivers 2 is not for you. However, if you are looking for a game that has similar gameplay to Saros, Helldivers 2 is the perfect choice as it involves spatial awareness, constantly being on the move, and using everything in your arsenal to eliminate as many enemies as possible to become victorious.

5 Hades 2

Top Tier Roguelike

There's no denying that Saros is an addicting experience, always having you say to yourself "just one more run." Another game that incites that same feeling is Hades 2, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Roguelike Hades.

While Saros is strictly a 3D experience, Hades 2 has both 2D and 3D elements. However, they have the same gameplay loop of going on a run, attempting to make it as far as you can, gathering resources to level up for future runs, and starting the whole process again. It is one of the best Roguelike games ever made, to be honest.

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Also, similarities between Saros and Hades 2 can be found in the way they decide to tell their stories. Similar to Saros, the story is drip-fed to the player as they progress through the biomes, always giving the player something to look forward to outside its phenomenal combat. As you get further in Hades 2, you'll meet new characters, witness pivotal story moments, and discover interesting lore drops just like how it is when progressing Saros.

4 Nex Machina

Hit The Flow State

If you enjoy the arcade style of Saros, with a focus on combat that requires fast reflexes, then Nex Machina is right up your alley. In fact, Nex Machina is actually developed by Housemarque as well, and you can see the influences of the game within Saros.

For example, players go up against waves of enemies in close quarters, similar to the level design of Saros, and it's up to you to optimize a build on the fly. Just like Saros, Nex Machina requires players to constantly dodge, stay on the move, and avoid the plenty of bullets that appear on the screen.

When playing Saros, and are having a great run, you eventually enter this state that I like to call the "flow state." This is when you are completely in the zone, almost in a hypnotic way, disposing enemies at a fast rate, and you almost feel unstoppable. Nex Machina can create this same feeling, where you just get on a roll and completely dominate the battlefield. Because of that, Nex Machina is as addicting as Saros as you constantly want to keep playing to increase your skill level and reach that "flow state."

3 Control

Weird Sci-fi Energy

Control doesn't have any Roguelike elements like Saros, but the combat itself is similar. Throughout a playthrough of Control, players will follow the formula of entering rooms, encountering waves of enemies, and having to gun them all down in order to progress.

Similar to Saros, Control demands players to be constantly on the move, using spatial awareness to avoid taking damage. Due to the number of enemies in an encounter, combat can become very hectic and intense, requiring platforming to bounce around the battlefield and get a leg up.

Additionally, Control has a unique sci-fi story just like Saros, where not everything is as it seems. It has a story that requires the player to think deeply and look for hidden meanings to get the bigger picture, a form of storytelling that is quite rare these days. If the story of Saros stuck with you and has you looking up videos to get an explanation, then Control is right down your alley since it goes deeper than it appears. Also, with the sequel, Control: Resonant, coming out later in 2026, there is no better time to hop in and give the original a try.

2 Doom Eternal

Heart Pumping Action

When it comes to gameplay itself, DOOM: Eternal is arguably the closest you're going to get to Saros from a game that isn't developed by Housemarque itself. While it doesn't have any Roguelike elements like Saros, the actual combat is as aggressive and fast-paced, just with a first-person perspective. It requires just as much focus and quick thinking as Saros, and follows the formula of entering a room and having to defeat waves of enemies quickly.

Similarly to Saros, players will focus on both gunplay and melee attacks to defeat enemies, while picking up essential items such as health packs, and resources to upgrade your character.

Additionally, DOOM: Eternal has intense boss fights just like Saros that demand players to avoid devastating attacks that fill the screen, requiring constant movement and platforming on the fly. Out of all the new DOOM games, such as Dark Ages and DOOM 2016, DOOM Eternal is the closest to Housemarque's Saros.

1 Returnal

The Start of Saros

Without a doubt, the best game to play if you love Saros is Returnal. While this is clearly the most obvious answer, since Saros is essentially the spiritual successor of Returnal and developed by the same developer, it needs to be said due to how similar the two games are.

Everything that you love about Saros in terms of flow of combat is in Returnal, with some exceptions. Saros focuses on aggressive combat, with the addition of a shield and parry, while Returnal demands the player to take a more calculated and cautious approach to avoid taking damage.

However, it's important to note that Returnal doesn't have any of the permanent progression that's present in Saros, such as the massive skill tree. While there is some form of permanent progression in Returnal, such as gadgets that are unlocked and used on all runs going forward, you are essentially always starting from scratch after dying. In this case, Returnal is a more challenging experience overall, but the gameplay is just as fun and chaotic as Saros. I mean, it's so similar to Saros that some people believe it should have been called Returnal 2.