12 Games Like Cuphead for 2026 (Boss Rush, Run-and-Gun, Hand-Drawn)
The best run-and-gun and boss-rush games like Cuphead in 2026. Blasphemous, Katana ZERO, Gris, and 9 more, sorted by what you loved most about Cuphead.
Cuphead works because it asks one thing of you and refuses to compromise on it: learn the pattern. Every boss is a puzzle made of memorized attacks, telegraphs, and windows, and the game expects you to fail, study, and try again until the dance is in your hands. The 1930s rubber-hose animation, hand-drawn frame by frame and backed by a live jazz soundtrack, makes that brutal loop feel like starring in a cartoon. The difficulty is the point, and the style is what makes you forgive it.
That combination of demanding, pattern-based combat and gorgeous handmade art is the template. Some players come for the run-and-gun stages, some for the relentless boss rush, and some purely for the visual craft. The best alternatives each lean into one of those. Here are 12 games that capture different parts of that, organized by what you loved most about Cuphead.
If You Love the Run-and-Gun Action
These games nail the side-scrolling, shoot-everything stages between Cuphead's bosses.
Blazing Chrome
A polished, modern Contra-style run-and-gun where you blast through robotic enemies across tight, demanding stages, solo or in co-op.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: It is the purest run-and-gun on this list, with the same emphasis on memorizing enemy placement, dodging relentless fire, and surviving boss encounters. The pixel art is sharp, the action is unforgiving, and the co-op recreates Cuphead's two-player chaos. If the shooting stages were your favorite part, this is the closest match.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
- Vibe: Modern Contra-style run-and-gun
- Co-op: Yes, local
- Price: ~$17
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
The official DLC expansion. A new island, a new playable character, fresh weapons, and a batch of brand-new bosses in the same hand-drawn style.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: It is more Cuphead, made by the same team to the same impossibly high standard. New bosses, new mechanics, the same animation quality. If you finished the base game and wanted the exact thing again, this is the answer. Requires the base game.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
- Vibe: Official Cuphead expansion
- Co-op: Yes, local
- Price: ~$8
Metal Slug Tactics / Metal Slug series
The arcade run-and-gun legend, with the classic entries delivering fast side-scrolling action and the Tactics spin-off reimagining it as a strategy game.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: The classic Metal Slug games are the genre's foundation, with the same blend of frantic shooting, big screen-filling bosses, and gorgeous hand-animated sprite work. If you loved the run-and-gun stages and want a deep back catalog, this series has decades of it.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS, Xbox, Switch
- Vibe: Classic arcade run-and-gun
- Co-op: Yes, local
- Price: Varies
If You Love the Boss Rush
These games strip away everything but the fights, just you and a parade of demanding bosses.
Furi
A boss-rush game built entirely around intense one-on-one duels that blend twin-stick shooting and sword combat, each boss a multi-phase test of reflexes and patience.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: It is Cuphead's boss-rush rhythm distilled into pure fights. Every encounter is a long, escalating duel where you learn the pattern, dodge the bullet-hell, and counter at the right moment. The style is sleek and neon rather than hand-drawn, but the demanding, memorize-and-conquer loop is identical.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
- Vibe: Pure boss rush, dueling at high intensity
- Co-op: No
- Price: ~$25
Hollow Knight
A vast hand-drawn Metroidvania with some of the most beloved boss fights in gaming, each demanding precise dodging, pattern recognition, and patience.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: While it is a larger exploration game, its bosses hit the same demanding, learn-the-pattern high as Cuphead's, and the hand-drawn art is just as lovingly crafted. The optional Pantheon boss-rush mode is a direct gauntlet for players who want fight after fight. It anchors our games like Hollow Knight guide.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
- Vibe: Hand-drawn Metroidvania with superb boss fights
- Co-op: No
- Price: ~$15
Blasphemous / Blasphemous 2
A 2D action-platformer with grotesque, gorgeous pixel art and a brutal difficulty, built around demanding combat and memorable boss encounters steeped in religious imagery.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: It shares the demanding combat and the striking handmade art, with boss fights that reward learning over reflexes alone. The tone is dark and the world is rich, but the pattern-based challenge will feel familiar to anyone who ground their teeth against Cuphead's roster. It appears on our games like Hollow Knight list too.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS, Xbox, Switch
- Vibe: Brutal, beautiful 2D action with great bosses
- Co-op: No
- Price: ~$25
Skul: The Hero Slayer
A fast roguelike action-platformer with fluid combat, where you swap skeleton heads to change your entire moveset, leading up to challenging boss battles.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: The combat is snappy and the boss fights are tough, multi-phase encounters that demand you learn their tells. The pixel art is expressive and animated, and the head-swapping system keeps the action varied. A great pick if you want Cuphead's challenge with roguelike replayability.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
- Vibe: Roguelike action-platformer with tough bosses
- Co-op: No
- Price: ~$20
If You Love the Hand-Crafted Art
These games prioritize visual craft as much as Cuphead does, even if the gameplay differs.
Gris
A serene platforming-adventure with breathtaking watercolor art, where a girl moves through a world of grief that blooms into color as she heals. Beauty over difficulty.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: If Cuphead's artistry was what captivated you more than its difficulty, Gris is a hand-painted masterpiece you can simply experience. The platforming is gentle, the visuals are extraordinary, and every frame looks like a painting. A calming counterpoint to Cuphead's intensity.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, mobile
- Vibe: A watercolor platforming poem about healing
- Co-op: No
- Price: ~$17
Katana ZERO
A fast, stylish action-platformer where you slash through enemies in one-hit-kill combat, rewind on death, and unravel a neon-soaked story.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: It shares the demand for precision and pattern-learning, with combat where one mistake means restarting the room. The hand-animated pixel art and pulsing soundtrack give it a strong visual identity, and the try-die-retry rhythm is Cuphead-adjacent. A standout for style and challenge.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
- Vibe: Stylish one-hit-kill action with a neon-noir story
- Co-op: No
- Price: ~$15
Indivisible
A hand-animated action-RPG-platformer hybrid with a striking art style, combining exploration, platforming, and a real-time-meets-turn-based combat system.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: Its lush, fully hand-animated visuals carry the same craft and warmth as Cuphead, and the combat rewards timing and rhythm. The world is colorful and expansive, offering more variety than a pure boss-rush. A good pick if you loved the animation and want a bigger adventure.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
- Vibe: Hand-animated action-RPG platformer
- Co-op: No
- Price: ~$30
Cuphead-style co-op brawlers and beat-em-ups
Games like Streets of Rage 4 carry the hand-drawn, co-op, learn-the-boss energy into the beat-em-up genre, with gorgeous animation and demanding encounters.
Why Cuphead fans will like it: Streets of Rage 4 in particular shares Cuphead's commitment to handmade animation and tough, pattern-based bosses, all built around the two-player couch experience that makes Cuphead shine. If co-op was the heart of your Cuphead time, this scratches the same itch.
The short version:
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
- Vibe: Hand-drawn co-op beat-em-up with tough bosses
- Co-op: Yes, local and online
- Price: ~$25
Quick Reference: All 12 Games at a Glance
| Game | Platforms | Co-op | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blazing Chrome | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | Yes | Closest run-and-gun |
| Cuphead: DLC | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | Yes | More official Cuphead |
| Metal Slug | PC, PS, Xbox, Switch | Yes | Classic arcade run-and-gun |
| Furi | PC, PS, Xbox, Switch | No | Pure boss rush |
| Hollow Knight | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | No | Hand-drawn bosses in a big world |
| Blasphemous | PC, PS, Xbox, Switch | No | Brutal, beautiful 2D action |
| Skul: The Hero Slayer | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | No | Roguelike action with tough bosses |
| Gris | PC, PS, Xbox, Switch, mobile | No | Pure visual artistry |
| Katana ZERO | PC, PS, Xbox, Switch | No | Stylish precision action |
| Indivisible | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | No | Hand-animated action-RPG |
| Streets of Rage 4 | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | Yes | Hand-drawn co-op beat-em-up |
Build Your Own Boss-Rush or Run-and-Gun Game
If these games make you want to build your own, that is a great instinct, with one honest note: Cuphead's frame-by-frame animation is the most labor-intensive part, so most developers lean on a clean, readable style rather than hand-drawing thousands of frames. The gameplay itself breaks into clear systems: a responsive 2D shooting or melee controller, multi-phase boss patterns, dodging and parrying, and tightly designed encounters.
A single well-tuned boss with two or three attack phases already teaches you most of what the genre needs. Summer Engine is compatible with Godot 4 and lets you build through conversation, so you can describe a boss that telegraphs an attack and shifts phases at half health, a dash that dodges projectiles, or a parry that rewards precise timing, and iterate on it together. The 2D-platformer template handles the foundational movement and collision systems so you can focus on the boss design and game feel that make a Cuphead-style game sing.
For a step-by-step look, read how to make games with AI. Browse the full template library or download Summer Engine to start building.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the closest game to Cuphead?
For the run-and-gun side, Blazing Chrome is the closest, a polished Contra-style shooter with the same tight action. For the boss-rush side, Furi delivers Cuphead's relentless one-on-one fights. And the official DLC, The Delicious Last Course, is the most direct way to get more Cuphead.
- Which games like Cuphead have hand-drawn art?
Cuphead's 1930s cartoon style is rare, but Gris, Hollow Knight, and Blasphemous all feature stunning hand-crafted art. Skul: The Hero Slayer and Indivisible also use beautiful animated visuals, even if none copy Cuphead's specific rubber-hose aesthetic.
- Are there games like Cuphead that are easier?
Cuphead is famously hard. For a gentler experience with similar charm, Gris focuses on atmosphere over difficulty, and many run-and-guns offer easy modes. Most boss-rush games on this list are demanding by nature, so expect a challenge.
- Which games like Cuphead work on console or Switch?
Cuphead, Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, Katana ZERO, Gris, and Skul are all on Switch and most major consoles. The run-and-gun and boss-rush genre is well represented across PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms.
- What should I play if I have never played Cuphead?
Play Cuphead first, ideally with a friend in co-op. It is a singular experience, and its difficulty is fair once you learn the patterns. Once you know whether you loved the boss fights, the run-and-gun stages, or the art most, this list points you toward games that lean into that strength.
- Can I make my own game like Cuphead?
Yes, though the hand-drawn animation is the most labor-intensive part. The gameplay breaks into clear systems: a 2D shooting controller, multi-phase boss patterns, dodging and parrying, and tightly designed encounters. Summer Engine lets you build through conversation and is compatible with Godot 4, so you can describe a boss that shifts between attack phases, a dash that dodges bullets, or a parry that rewards timing, and iterate on it together.
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