Games like Maniac
If Maniac is your kind of game, the closest matches are Demons are coming!, Earl vs. the Mutants and NIMRODS — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its dark, lighthearted and unsettling. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
Get personalized picks →Maniac is a 2024 top-down action game from Transhuman Design and Skystone Games. Set as a rogue-lite crime experience, it combines twin-stick shooting with environmental destruction, loadout customization, meta-progression, and vehicle hijacking. Reviewers describe the tone as dark yet lighthearted, unsettling yet whimsical, with dark humor and over-the-top violence presented through exaggerated physics. Players highlight that vehicles radically alter how chaos unfolds during runs, and find the action mindless but addictive despite the game being unapologetically simple about its scope. The experience offers short, focused sessions at a price of $4.99 and carries a Steam Deck Verified designation. It currently holds a 92% positive rating from 1124 Steam reviews.
About Maniac: Ever just tired of it all? Ready for change? Wanna bet it all on sheer mayhem and destruction? In comes Maniac, a rogue-lite crime action game in which the world goes against you, and your insanity creates chaos!
Players who liked Maniac also play
Steam players who put hours into Maniac also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.
Demons are coming!
WHY THIS
Top pick for Maniac fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Demons are coming! is a bullet hell rougelite shooter where you fight a high variety of demons that occupied your holy land. Use the upgrades you find to your advantage and create your ideal guns to help you kill the most terrifying monsters.
Earl vs. the Mutants
WHY THIS
Shares twin stick shooting, loadout customization and a whimsical mood with Maniac.
Second-strongest match for Maniac fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and RPG with Maniac.
Save humanity in a mutant-ridden apocalypse! Dive headfirst into Earl vs. the Mutants, a high-octane top-down survival action-roguelite set in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse.
NIMRODS
WHY THIS
Shares meta progression with Maniac.
Third-strongest match for Maniac fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Assemble a limitless arsenal in this survive-em-up roguelite shooter. As a Gun Manufacturer's testing force, your mission is simple: test the latest gun tech and scavenge alien planets. Collect insane weapon parts to invent crazy guns that slay thousands. You may not survive, but your guns will!
SNAKE FARM
WHY THIS
Shares twin stick shooting and a whimsical mood with Maniac.
Ranked #4 for Maniac fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
A top-down action roguelike about buying snakes, fighting them, selling their oil, and buying more snakes. Upgrade your weapons, get stronger snakes to fight, and chase down a high score with only ten days to live.
UltraGoodness 2
WHY THIS
Ranked #5 for Maniac fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
The struggle between Good and Evil continues in this bloody action, top-down action-roguelike shooter where time moves only when you move or shoot. Tear Satan's forces to pieces, leave oceans of their blood and mountains of demon's corpses in the name of Goodness!
Greedland
WHY THIS
Ranked #6 for Maniac fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
"Greedland” is a roguelike game mixed with survivor-like elements. It's reminiscent of Crimsonland and Vampire Survivors, and as the battle progresses your character will become a mobile arsenal of destruction!
Nebula
WHY THIS
Shares twin stick shooting with Maniac.
Ranked #7 for Maniac fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Survive in the deep void of the galaxy against thousands of invaders! Nebula is a challenging bullet hell, twin stick shooter where you have to face endless waves of space enemies. Additional map resources and space drones can provide you a support but be wary, they can as well become a deadly trap.
Yet Another Zombie Survivors
WHY THIS
Ranked #8 for Maniac fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
The Horde is coming but you're ready to fight it! Assemble your team and decide upon their enhancements to find the most efficient synergies against thousands of the undead. Survive. Then evolve. Then break all the limits in this deceivingly simple but addictive bullet heaven game.
Reviewers mention these as similar to Maniac
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
POSTAL
WHY THIS
Shares a dark mood with Maniac.
Reviewers of Maniac cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Take control of The POSTAL Dude in his infamous first outing as he battles to survive in a world gone mad! POSTAL is a classic isometric shooter filled to the brim with fast-paced explosive action.
Vampire Survivors
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Maniac cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you. Be the bullet hell!
Hatred
WHY THIS
Shares an unsettling mood with Maniac.
Reviewers of Maniac cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Hatred is a violent twin-stick shooter, in which you take the role of The Antagonist fighting against all of humanity.
Rain Island
WHY THIS
Shares a whimsical mood with Maniac.
Reviewers of Maniac cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Rain Island is a one small hold & Gun, boss Rush mini-game of Casual difficulty.
Brotato
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Maniac cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Brotato is a top-down arena shooter roguelite where you play a potato wielding up to 6 weapons at a time to fight off hordes of aliens. Choose from a variety of traits and items to create unique builds and survive until help arrives.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Maniac at current Steam store prices.
POSTAL 2
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Maniac on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Live a week in the life of "The POSTAL Dude"; a hapless everyman just trying to check off some chores. Buying milk, returning an overdue library book, getting Gary Coleman's autograph, what could possibly go wrong?
The Test
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under Maniac on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Maniac.
You will answer a series of questions that will reveal truths from deep within. These questions may make you uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and if you do, are you sure you want the answers you seek?
Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
WHY THIS
Priced ~70% under Maniac on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Maniac.
A short story about what sort of challenges everyday little things can be. Help the girl buy milk, be the first not to disappoint her.
Blood and Bacon
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Maniac on Steam right now. Shares Action with Maniac.
This Co-op Shooter , has Day and Night levels, multiple maps, players will take on 25 enemy types and numerous bosses, like Gargantuan Monsters and Minibosses every 10 days as you explore, shoot and run for your life against the onslaught of porcine monstrosities.
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under Maniac on Steam right now. Shares Simulation with Maniac.
The ultimate high-tech rubber duck simulation, Placid Plastic Duck brings you dangerous levels of relaxation. With chill music, dreamy 3D graphics, and many different happy ducks, your only priority is to float around. Zero Ducks given.
STAR WARS™ Republic Commando™
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under Maniac on Steam right now. Shares Action with Maniac.
You are the leader of an elite squad of Republic Commandos, your mission is to infiltrate, dominate, and ultimately, annihilate the enemy. Your squad will follow your orders and your lead, working together as a team - instinctively, intelligently, instantly. You are their leader. They are your weapon.
shapez
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Maniac on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Maniac.
shapez is an easy-going, minimalistic factory building game about the automation of shapes through extraction and satisfying production lines. Adapt to increasingly complex shapes and grow your factory across an infinitely expanding map. Your only limitation is your creativity!
STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy™
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under Maniac on Steam right now. Shares Action with Maniac.
Forge your weapon and follow the path of the Jedi Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is the latest installment of the highly acclaimed Jedi Knight series. Take on the role of a new student eager to learn the ways of the Force from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.
Free alternatives
Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.
Ultimate Custom Night
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!
Bongo Cat
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Maniac.
Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find?
ENA: Dream BBQ
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Maniac.
Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.
Indigo Park: Chapter 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Explore the abandoned childhood wonder of Indigo Park! Guided by Rambley the Raccoon, help restore power to the destroyed amusement park while you run from the reason it shut down.
The Looker
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Maniac.
You wake up, alone, on a strangely familiar island full of puzzles that will frustrate and annoy you.
NGU IDLE
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Maniac.
NGU Idle is a Free To Play Idle game that's full of weird humor, tons of upgrades and hundreds of hours of content! Try out NGU Idle today and experience the joy of Numbers Going Up!
The Expendabros
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
The Expendabros have assembled and set their sights on the forces of ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks in the forests of Eastern Europe.
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
More from Transhuman Design
Other recommendable Steam games by Transhuman Design, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.
King Arthur's Gold
WHY THIS
Another title from Transhuman Design, the studio behind Maniac. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Would you enjoy building CASTLES, traps and siege machines in MULTIPLAYER? And then undermine your opponents castle and collapse it with 2D PHYSICS & DESTRUCTION?
BUTCHER
WHY THIS
Shares twin stick shooting and a dark mood with Maniac.
Another title from Transhuman Design, the studio behind Maniac. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
BUTCHER is a fast-paced, blood-soaked 2D shooter where carnage is the only way forward. Become a ruthless cyborg tasked with eradicating humanity, leaving nothing but blood, guts, and destruction in your wake. There's no such thing as too much violence in this grim, retro-styled gorefest.
Jackal
WHY THIS
Shares twin stick shooting and a dark mood with Maniac.
Another title from Transhuman Design, the studio behind Maniac. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Execute ultra-violent raids in 1970s casino hotels. Take down the Las Vegas mob as a drug super-powered hitman in physics-fueled top-down close combat
Soldat 2
WHY THIS
Another title from Transhuman Design, the studio behind Maniac. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Soldat 2 is a 2D deathmatch shooter with real guns, ragdoll violence and physics-based movement. Based on classic Soldat with team game modes, ranked multiplayer, bots and built-in customization and level editing. Made by MM - creator of the original.
Trench Run
WHY THIS
Shares a lighthearted mood with Maniac.
Another title from Transhuman Design, the studio behind Maniac. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Trench Run is a mayhem-filled, laugh a minute casual 4-player action game brought to you by the makers of King Arthur’s Gold and Soldat.
Soldat
WHY THIS
Another title from Transhuman Design, the studio behind Maniac. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Soldat is a unique 2D (side-view) multiplayer action game. Soldiers fight against each other in 2D battle arenas using a deadly arsenal of military weapons, across 7 default game modes.
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
Earl vs. the Mutants
WHY THIS
Shares twin stick shooting, loadout customization and a whimsical mood with Maniac.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and RPG with Maniac.
Save humanity in a mutant-ridden apocalypse! Dive headfirst into Earl vs. the Mutants, a high-octane top-down survival action-roguelite set in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse.
NIMRODS
WHY THIS
Shares meta progression with Maniac.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Assemble a limitless arsenal in this survive-em-up roguelite shooter. As a Gun Manufacturer's testing force, your mission is simple: test the latest gun tech and scavenge alien planets. Collect insane weapon parts to invent crazy guns that slay thousands. You may not survive, but your guns will!
SNAKE FARM
WHY THIS
Shares twin stick shooting and a whimsical mood with Maniac.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
A top-down action roguelike about buying snakes, fighting them, selling their oil, and buying more snakes. Upgrade your weapons, get stronger snakes to fight, and chase down a high score with only ten days to live.
Greedland
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
"Greedland” is a roguelike game mixed with survivor-like elements. It's reminiscent of Crimsonland and Vampire Survivors, and as the battle progresses your character will become a mobile arsenal of destruction!
Nebula
WHY THIS
Shares twin stick shooting with Maniac.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
Survive in the deep void of the galaxy against thousands of invaders! Nebula is a challenging bullet hell, twin stick shooter where you have to face endless waves of space enemies. Additional map resources and space drones can provide you a support but be wary, they can as well become a deadly trap.
Yet Another Zombie Survivors
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with Maniac.
The Horde is coming but you're ready to fight it! Assemble your team and decide upon their enhancements to find the most efficient synergies against thousands of the undead. Survive. Then evolve. Then break all the limits in this deceivingly simple but addictive bullet heaven game.
Frequently asked about Maniac
- Is Maniac verified for Steam Deck?
- Yes — Maniac is Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve has confirmed it runs well on the Deck with full controller, text legibility, and default configuration support.
- How much does Maniac cost?
- Maniac is listed on Steam at 4.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to Maniac?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Maniac are Demons are coming!, Earl vs. the Mutants, NIMRODS.
- Who developed Maniac?
- Maniac was developed by Transhuman Design and published by Skystone Games.
imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on Maniac.
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