Most The Legend of Zelda fans would agree that there's never quite anything that can substitute for an actual Zelda title. That's not for the lack of trying on developers' part. There are plenty of other fantastic games that emulate the Zelda experience and are enjoyable in their own right. Even the revolutionary shift in approach that came with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has a competitor or two out there that tries to replicate the overall experience.
PlayStation and Xbox console owners who don't have any Nintendo systems may feel especially left out. Fortunately, even for Nintendo's competitors, several games appeal to the same sensibilities and feel a lot like playing a Zelda game. Even on older consoles, there are still many Zelda-like games to enjoy, whether it's similar to the classic top-down 2D style or fully open-world like the newest Zelda hit and Game of the Year contender, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Updated on October 12, 2023, by Michael Colwander:The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas captivated players and critics since its release. For those who don't own a Switch, it's easy to feel left out. Luckily, PlayStation and Xbox both have many great games like Zelda.
20 The Binding Of Isaac
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
The Binding of Isaac is a grotesque roguelike game starring Isaac, a young boy who is trying to escape death at the hands of his mother who believes she is doing God's bidding. It's a story inspired by both the biblical story of the same name and the religious upbringing of the game's creator, Edmund McMillen. The result is one of the best indie and roguelike games ever produced.
Each nightmare-filled dungeon Isaac traverses is randomly generated, but looks familiar to any Zelda fan. The small rooms and secret pathways look pulled from a classic 2D Zelda game, even if its enemies and bosses aren't. The Binding of Isaac currently has three expansions, giving players plenty of reasons to keep on playing.
19 Minit
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One
Minit perfectly lives up to its title because each adventure only lasts a single minute. With each passing minute, players learn how to better use their time and learn more about the world around them and the secrets behind their cursed one-minute life cycle.
Minit draws plenty from the Zelda series, including its top-down perspective and the time management from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. With each cycle, players keep all the items they acquire and respawn at their most recent save house. Minit is a really fun change-of-pace game to play in short bursts in between larger titles.
18 Anodyne & Anodyne 2
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One (Both) and PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S (Anodyne 2)
Anodyne's Zelda inspiration a clear from the get-go. Its dream world is reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and its combat and dungeons will feel very familiar to Zelda fans. As Young, players will fend off enemies with their trusty broom and solve puzzles as they explore his subconscious.
Anodyne's sequel took the feel to another level by including a 3D world to explore on top of 2D dungeons, making both games great for those longing for the 1990s era of gaming. Anodyne 2: Return to Dust puts players in the boots of Nova, a Nano Cleaner who attempts to clean up New Theland from a substance called Dust.
17 Kena: Bridge of Spirits
PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5
Kena: Bridge of Spirits captured the attention of players with its gorgeous art and animation that invoked a modern animated Disney movie. Its gameplay draws not only from Zelda but also Pikmin, since its adorable Rot creatures can be used throughout gameplay such as puzzles.
Kena is a game about moving on since spirits linger in the physical world. Kena helps those spirits with whatever is bothering them in order for them to fully cross over into the spirit world. When a masked spirit spreads corruption throughout the forest around her, Kena embarks on a journey to help that spirit find peace.
16 Moonlighter
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One
Moonlighter is a fun take on the RPG action-adventure genre. In Moonlighter, players play as a shopkeeper who moonlights as an adventurer. During the day, players manage their shop, and at night traverse dungeons for loot.
Players can hire part-time workers, upgrade their weapons, and build up the town around them in order to properly equip themselves for nighttime dungeon crawling. Moonlighter boasts beautiful pixel art and animation. Plus, managing the shop is more engaging than it has any right to be. Moonlighter also has an expansion titled Between Dimensions for those looking for even more dungeons to explore.
15 Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Xbox 360
Banjo-Kazooie may not be the first franchise to come to mind when thinking Zelda-like. If anything, its 3D platforming gameplay is much more Mario-like than Zelda-like. However, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts has received renewed attention thanks to Tears of the Kingdom.
Tears of the Kingdom features the ability to craft using the Ultra Hand ability. Link can make bridges, vehicles, and so much more using the surrounding materials. Much of Tears of the Kingdom's puzzles and traversal utilizes this ability. Nuts & Bolts utilizes a similar feature for vehicle construction, so Xbox players who find Ultra Hand appealing should give Nuts & Bolts a look.
14 Tunic
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
Tunic is a passionate love letter to Zelda games of old developed by Isometricrop Games. Everything screams Zelda, from the clothing its anthropomorphic fox lead wears to the 2D top-down gameplay.
In Tunic, players collect pages of a manual that feel reminiscent of classic video game instruction manuals. These manual pages include information on gameplay mechanics, tips, clues, lore, and maps. This gives Tunic an old-school feeling of having to consult an instruction manual while playing, which is an inventive design choice and also a necessity, as Tunic is a challenging game.
13 Oceanhorn
PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One (Oceanhorn) & PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S (Oceanhorn 2)
The Oceanhorn series is one of the more underrated and overlooked Zelda-like games in recent memory. The first Oceanhorn, Oceanhorn: Monsters of Uncharted Seas, released in 2013 and was heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, albeit in a top-down Zelda style.
Its sequel, 2019's Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm, took its Zelda inspiration further by drawing from 3D Zelda games with an aesthetic resembling Breath of the Wild. The visual and gameplay leap between the first and second Oceanhorn games is impressive, and it'll be fascinating to see what a third Oceanhorn game would look like.
12 Immortals Fenyx Rising
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
Immortals Fenyx Rising wears its Breath of the Wild inspiration on its sleeve. Players can climb just about anything in its massive open world, or glide along it, so long as they have the stamina to do so. Breath of the Wild players will feel right at home.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a light-hearted take on Greek Mythology. It rejects the deep characterization of Hades or the immensely violent God of War in favor of a tongue-in-cheek story and writing. While Immortals Fenyx Rising doesn't reinvent the wheel, players can still find plenty of enjoyment through its story and humor.
11 Death's Door
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
Like Immortals Fenyx Rising, Death's Door is a humorous Zelda-like game. In Death's Door, players play as a reaper in the mundane day-to-day occupation of collecting souls. However, a conspiracy surrounding missing crows sends the player on a fun, challenging, and light-hearted adventure to collect three "Giant Souls" in order to open Death's Door.
Death's Door is played in a top-down isometric style with dungeons, puzzles, and progression similar to Zelda games. Despite its light-hearted tone, Death's Door is challenging, which allows it to draw comparisons to Dark Souls as well.
10 3D Dot Game Heroes
PlayStation 3
Two years before Minecraft came around, there was a blocky pixel art Zelda-like game for the Playstation 3 called 3D Dot Game Heroes. From a gameplay perspective, it most closely resembles the first Zelda game on the original NES. Rather than playing from a top-down 2D perspective, however, 3D Dot Game Heroes takes place in a 3D environment.
Players can freely move the camera as they go about the world, transitioning from screen to screen just like in the original Zelda. Players get to battle enemies and explore dungeons, solving puzzles and collecting items along the way. The player character's appearance can even be customized using the built-in 3D sprite editor.
9 Ittle Dew 2
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One
Ittle Dew 2 was available on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One digital storefronts for 3 years, from late 2016 until 2019. A breakdown in relations between the publisher and developer saw the game removed from most platforms. Nowadays, it can only be purchased digitally on PC via Steam and in physical and digital versions on Nintendo Switch consoles.
Ittle Dew 2 and its predecessor both take the classic 2D Zelda formula and inject humor into the mix. It's a solid choice for anyone who has ever wanted to play a Zelda-style game that doesn't take itself too seriously. But unless players already own it or know someone who does, playing on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One is a tall order at this point.
8 Darksiders
PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One
The Darksiders trilogy all evoke Zelda-style gameplay to varying degrees, but the first game especially emulates the traditional 3D Zelda formula. It's got a darker edge to it than Zelda games, though. Players may recognize influence from the earlier God of War titles and even some stylish aspects of the Devil May Cry series.
Darksiders games are available on a variety of platforms. For Xbox fans, both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One have them. Similarly, on the Sony side, the games are available on both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4. In the second and third entries of the series, Darksiders takes more of a departure from the Zelda formula. They still retain some similarities while finding their own identity.
7 Alundra
PlayStation
Way back on the original PlayStation, before The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Sony got a fantastic Zelda-inspired game. Alundra plays most similarly to the Super Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and is a fantastic visual upgrade by comparison. It is also a much more challenging game to finish.
Just like with most Zelda titles, Alundra has dungeons, puzzles, boss battles, and items for players to discover. The story in Alundra is more downtrodden than the typical Zelda offering, but still imaginative in its own right. Players who have the original Alundra disc can enjoy it on PlayStation, PlayStation 2, or PlayStation 3 consoles. Alundra can also be purchased digitally on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita systems.
6 Kamiko
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One
For players who are looking for a shorter Zelda-like experience, Kamiko may be a worthwhile consideration. What helps set Kamiko apart from others is how the game plays. There's a persistent sense of fluid movement in the game, and it feels great in motion.
Its focus lies more on action-based gameplay. It's also got some appeal for fans of speed-running through games. Despite its shorter length, with multiple characters that play distinctly from one another, there is replay value to the experience. Kamiko is available on the PlayStation 4 but also on Steam for PC and the Nintendo Switch as well.
5 Genshin Impact
PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5
Genshin Impact is a free-to-play game available on Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, with a Nintendo Switch version planned for a future release. Geshin Impact unabashedly copies many of the standout features of Breath of the Wild. While some players dislike Geshin Impact because of this, others find it a welcome alternative to the revolutionary Zelda title.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and in this case, Genshin Impact has a lot of flattery toward Zelda. Just like in Breath of the Wild, puzzles, special abilities, fireside cooking, collectible recipes, a large open world, stamina features, and even parkour elements have been replicated in Genshin Impact.
4 Dark Cloud
PlayStation 2 & PlayStation 4
Dark Cloud originally released on the PlayStation 2. Players often compare its combat system to the early 3D Zelda games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It has action-RPG gameplay with dungeons to explore and items and upgrades to find, just like players would come to expect from Zelda games.
Dark Cloud's inclusion of city-building elements stands out. Towns are initially a blank slate, and players discover townsfolk and buildings while exploring dungeons. Elements can be placed in settlements as players see fit, and NPCs gradually inhabit each area. A modernized port became available digitally on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 4, and it's also compatible with PlayStation 5.
3 Beyond Good & Evil
PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, and Xbox 360
The original release of Beyond Good & Evil enjoyed cult classic status on the Nintendo GameCube, the first Xbox, and the PlayStation 2. Those who played it back then enjoyed the Zelda-inspired adventure with a sci-fi theme. Since then, a remastered version titled Beyond Good & Evil HD released on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. It eventually became available on the Xbox One console and PCs as well.
The HD release brought the game into the modern era with improved visuals and features. Those who are unfamiliar with Beyond Good & Evil may wish to give it a try. It's an excellent experience that many players simply overlooked.
2 Hyper Light Drifter
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One
Hyper Light Drifter takes the traditional 2D Zelda formula and downplays the puzzle aspect. Its world is an interesting mix of fantasy and sci-fi elements, and the challenge level of the game is nothing to sneeze at. Just like many Zelda-inspired adventures, players can expect items, dungeons, bosses, and plenty of secrets.
It's available to play on many modern platforms. Besides the PC, iOS, and Switch releases, Hyper Light Drifter is also available for the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
1 Okami
PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
For anyone who loved the sequences in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess where players get to control Wolf Link, Okami offers more of that sort of feeling. Even Zelda fans who aren't partial to that particular entry can find something to enjoy, as Okami is very much a Zelda-inspired title throughout.
Okami's visuals are striking, but there's a great game experience to be had here too. The original version was released back on the PlayStation 2 and the Wii, but a modernized HD remaster made it to a wide variety of platforms. Players can enjoy Okami HD on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PCs as well.