Updated June 2026 · data via IGDB
Doom (2016) earns its love by rejecting cover mechanics entirely and building every encounter around aggressive forward momentum: kill enemies to get health, use the chainsaw to force ammo drops, and never stop moving. The glory-kill system, arena design, and relentless metal soundtrack create a feedback loop where playing offensively is the only viable survival strategy—a deliberate inversion of the cautious hide-and-peek shooters that dominated the preceding decade.
When fans ask for "games like Doom (2016)," they're really asking for one or more of three things: a fast, fluid FPS with no regenerating health and aggressive encounter design; sci-fi horror aesthetics and a demonic or monstrous enemy roster; or the pure satisfaction of a modern game that confidently channels the spirit of the 1993 original. The games below are ranked by how faithfully they scratch those specific itches.
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99%The direct sequel to Doom (2016) refines every system—adding a dash, flame belch, and chainsaw as mandatory resource loops—creating the most mechanically pure arena-FPS expression of the formula.
93%Doom II expands the original with a new super shotgun and larger, more intricate maps packed with demon hordes—the same relentless push-forward combat loop.
88%id Software's 1996 follow-up to the original Doom is a pure arena FPS with rocket launchers, fast strafe movement, and gothic horror enemies—the direct mechanical ancestor of Doom 2016's combat loop.
85%💎 GemDusk is an indie retro-FPS clearly inspired by Quake and Doom: sprint-strafing through farm horror, industrial hellscapes, and nightmare dimensions with a shotgun and sickles.
84%Wolfenstein: The New Order revived the retro FPS spirit in the same year's window as Doom's reboot, featuring fast gunplay, dual-wielding, and brash, over-the-top action against sci-fi enemies.
83%Wolfenstein II doubles down on the explosive FPS action, adding dual-wielding chaos and even more bombastic set-pieces in an alternate-history America overrun by sci-fi Nazis.
82%Titanfall 2 features one of the best FPS single-player campaigns ever made, built on lightning-fast movement—wall-running and sliding—that channels the same kinetic aggression as Doom's combat dance.
82%💎 GemBulletstorm is a ludicrous, fast FPS built around killing enemies with style via a tethering whip and over-the-top weapons—shares Doom's aggressive push-forward combat and rewards creative, brutal kills.
82%💎 GemAmid Evil is a fantasy-themed retro arena FPS built to the exact rhythm of classic Doom: large maps, hordes of enemies, and spectacular weapons that feel devastating and fluid.
76%💎 GemShadow Warrior (2013) is a gory, fast FPS reboot with swords and guns against demon hordes—the same resource-management-through-kills loop and relentless forward momentum as Doom 2016.
72%Returnal is a bullet-hell third-person shooter set in a nightmarish alien world with Lovecraftian horror—its loop of aggressive, fast-paced combat against overwhelming monster hordes scratches a similar itch.
70%Prey (2017) places you aboard a space station overrun by alien horrors with FPS combat and a dark sci-fi atmosphere—shares Doom's Immersive Sim corridor DNA and supernatural enemy encounters.
68%Doom 3 shares the franchise DNA but takes the series into slow, atmospheric survival-horror corridors with jump-scares—the opposite of 2016's wide-open arenas but unmistakably the same hellish universe.
65%Half-Life 2 is a foundational FPS with relentless corridor gunfights against horrifying alien enemies—the same linear campaign structure pushing you forward through hell (on Earth).
63%💎 GemSystem Shock 2 pairs FPS gunplay with Alien-horror atmosphere aboard a doomed spacecraft, fighting corrupted soldiers and creatures—shares the sci-fi horror FPS tone, just with deeper RPG layers.
62%BioShock delivers first-person shooting through a deteriorating underwater city against mutated splicers and Big Daddies, wrapped in sci-fi horror—a slower but thematically rich FPS cousin to Doom.
58%Borderlands 2 is a cel-shaded co-op FPS looter with relentless enemy waves, guns with wild effects, and a comedic sci-fi setting—shares the run-and-gun FPS loop with added RPG depth.
55%💎 GemSingularity is an underrated FPS with a time-manipulation weapon, Soviet sci-fi horror settings, and monster-filled corridors—shares Doom's horror-infused FPS action and weapon creativity.
52%💎 GemS.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a grim FPS survival set in a radioactive anomaly zone swarming with mutants and cultists—shares Doom's atmospheric horror-shooter DNA in an open world.
| Game | Match | Shared DNA | Biggest difference | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doom Eternal | 99% | Shooter, Action | More demanding resource management and mobility; steeper skill curve. | Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo |
| Doom II: Hell on Earth | 93% | Shooter, Action | Larger, more maze-like levels than the 2016 reboot's arena focus. | PC |
| Quake | 88% | Shooter, Action | 1996 graphics, no narrative, fully arena-focused deathmatch roots. | Nintendo |
| Dusk | 85% | Shooter, Action | Retro pixel aesthetic and arena-wave design, tiny indie scope. | Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo |
| Wolfenstein: The New Order | 84% | Shooter, Action | Slower movement, more story focus, Nazi sci-fi setting instead of hell. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox |
| Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus | 83% | Shooter, Action | More cinematic story beats; shorter combat sections than Doom. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo |
| Titanfall 2 | 82% | Shooter, Action | Military sci-fi tone, mechs, no demons or horror element. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox |
| Bulletstorm | 82% | Shooter, Action | Skill-shot scoring system over pure survival; comedy tone. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox |
| Amid Evil | 82% | Shooter, Action | High-fantasy theme instead of sci-fi/hell; retro visual style. | PC |
| Shadow Warrior | 76% | Shooter, Action | Self-aware comedy tone and katana melee focus over glory kills. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox |
| Returnal | 72% | Shooter, Action | Roguelite structure with permadeath and third-person perspective. | PC, PlayStation |
| Prey | 70% | Shooter, Action | Slower, exploration/stealth RPG focus; fewer pure combat arenas. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox |
| Doom 3 | 68% | Shooter, Action | Slow, horror-focused crawl versus Doom 2016's aggressive speed. | Xbox, PC |
| Half-Life 2 | 65% | Shooter, Action | Slower pace, physics puzzles, and no glory-kill resource loop. | Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Mobile |
| System Shock 2 | 63% | Shooter, Action | RPG skill trees, scarce ammo, and slow systemic horror pacing. | PC |
The core of Doom (2016)'s feel is aggressive resource management through combat: health comes from glory kills, ammo from the chainsaw, and armor from the flame belch in Eternal. Games that share this DNA demand you stay in the fight rather than retreat. Titanfall 2 nails this with wall-running and slide-hopping that punish passivity, while Shadow Warrior (2013) replicates the gory arena loop almost beat for beat with swords replacing glory kills.
A second pillar is the arena structure—combat rooms that seal shut and open only when every demon is dead. Classic Doom (1993) and Doom II: Hell on Earth invented this template, and both remain essential playing even decades later. The modern retro-FPS gems in our "additional" list—Dusk and Amid Evil—are the indie world's most faithful homages to that exact structure.
Doom (2016) is light on story by design, but its sci-fi horror atmosphere is very real. If you want that same demon-haunted, corporate-gone-wrong setting with more story, Prey (2017) is the strongest pick: a space station overrun by alien mimics with Immersive Sim depth and genuine dread. System Shock 2—older but still terrifying—goes even further, merging FPS combat with a haunted-ship horror RPG that inspired nearly everything in the genre.
BioShock sits at the more story-heavy end of the spectrum, trading speed for atmosphere and setting, but its first-person combat against grotesque enemies in a crumbling sci-fi world shares enough of Doom's tonal DNA to satisfy players who want world-building alongside their shooting.
If Doom (2016)'s movement speed is what hooked you, prioritize Titanfall 2 above almost everything else on this list: its wall-running, slide-chaining, and grapple-hook mobility make it the closest any non-Doom game gets to the feeling of being physically unstoppable. Its single-player campaign is short but among the finest ever made in the genre.
Returnal earns a mention here too—its bullet-pattern third-person shooting demands total spatial awareness and punishes the same passive playstyle that Doom forbids, making it one of the best modern games for players who love pressure-cooked, movement-dependent combat. And among the hidden gems, Shadow Warrior (2013) remains criminally underplayed for a game that matches Doom's fast-FPS moment-to-moment feel almost exactly.
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