Games like Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is the reference 2D map for a generation of Steam metroidvanias: sparse dialogue, dense rooms, brutal bosses.
Liked Hollow Knight? Each game below says what it keeps from it and what it changes.
Steam data checked Sep 13, 2026 · How matches are scored
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Smaller games found on Steam
These share a lot with Hollow Knight on Steam, but Shypiard has not written their profile yet.
What makes it distinctive?
Exploration-action with ability-gated regions. Saves persist; deaths cost geo and position, not the save file.
Who plays Hollow Knight?
For players who crave a map that stays, and a death that only costs geo.
Fantasy: Exploration / Mastery. Fantasy is our reading of the game, separate from the Steam review score.
A match rises when it shares the way you play: the loop, the mechanics, the session. A shared mood alone does not put a game at the top. If too little is known, the row is left off.
How to read this list
Sorted by a map you draw and keep. Dead Cells shares the nail-adjacent combat and then deletes the floor. Celeste is the authored-retry cousin with almost no map.
FAQ
Is this a Steam tag clone list?
No. Tags are one input. Mechanics, fantasy, progression and session structure are classified by Shypiard. If a signal is missing it is skipped.
Why is a famous game missing?
Either Shypiard has not profiled it yet, or it shares too little with Hollow Knight to be a fair match. The list is never padded to reach a round number.