Games like Xenonauts
If Xenonauts is your kind of game, the closest matches are Xenonauts 2, X-COM: UFO Defense and Into the Breach — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its grounded militaristic tone, atmospheric and immersive. 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 →Xenonauts is a turn-based strategy game released in 2014 by Goldhawk Interactive, set during an alternate Cold War where Earth faces an alien invasion. Players command a multinational military organisation, managing global operations while leading squads of soldiers across tactical combat missions. The game combines base-building, technology research, and cover-based positioning on a hex grid. Reviewers highlight its cold war aesthetic as authentic, and players describe the experience as immersive and tense, with a grounded militaristic tone. The absence of cutscenes keeps focus firmly on strategic depth. Available at $24.99 USD, the game supports modding to extend its longevity. It received an 86% positive rating from 2,658 Steam reviews and is not currently supported on Steam Deck.
About Xenonauts: Xenonauts is a strategy game in which you control a multi-national military organisation defending a Cold War-era Earth from alien invasion, using small squads of persistent soldiers to eliminate the extraterrestrials and recover their technology in turn-based ground combat.
Players who liked Xenonauts also play
Steam players who put hours into Xenonauts 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.
Xenonauts 2
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Xenonauts.
Top pick for Xenonauts fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Simulation with Xenonauts.
Wage a global war of resistance against an alien invasion. Command turn-based tactical battles, build a network of covert bases, directly control your fighter wings, and achieve strategic victory in a simulation of asymmetric warfare against a technologically superior foe.
X-COM: UFO Defense
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Second-strongest match for Xenonauts fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
You are in control of X-COM: an organization formed by the world's governments to fight the ever-increasing alien menace.
Into the Breach
WHY THIS
Third-strongest match for Xenonauts fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Xenonauts.
Control powerful mechs from the future to defeat an alien threat. Each attempt to save the world presents a new randomly generated challenge in this turn-based strategy game.
GhostControl Inc.
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Ranked #4 for Xenonauts fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Xenonauts.
Manage a team of ghosthunters and free London from paranormal terror in turn-based battles. Develop your own strategy and build your business well.
X-COM: Apocalypse
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Ranked #5 for Xenonauts fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
There's something evil in the city tonight... Earth has been ravaged by human excess, petty conflict and alien invasion. The world's population has been herded into huge cities, the first of which was Mega Primus. 2084: A Utopia shattered, social collapse and civil unrest reigns in Mega Primus. Fiendish aliens terrorize the city.
Horizon
WHY THIS
Shares tech tree research and an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Ranked #6 for Xenonauts fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Xenonauts.
Horizon is a turn-based space strategy game of galactic exploration and conquest in which you are in control of humanity’s destiny. You will explore deep space, find new frontiers and discover alien artifacts hidden on long-abandoned planets.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
WHY THIS
Shares a tense mood with Xenonauts.
Ranked #7 for Xenonauts fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
The XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Slingshot Pack is Now Available!
Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Ranked #8 for Xenonauts fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Simulation with Xenonauts.
Take command of Naval Strike Group 7 and lead your fleet to victory in full 3D tactical space combat. Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy is a sci-fi strategy saga that will test your skills as both capital assault ship Captain and naval fleet Commander.
Reviewers mention these as similar to Xenonauts
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.
Jagged Alliance 3
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Xenonauts.
Reviewers of Xenonauts cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
The country of Grand Chien is thrown into chaos when the elected president goes missing and the paramilitary force known as “the Legion” seizes control. Hire mercs, meet interesting characters, and fight in tactically deep turn-based combat in this true successor to a beloved franchise.
Phoenix Point
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Reviewers of Xenonauts cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
The acclaimed strategy game from the creator of X-COM. Fight tactical battles on procedural maps against a foe that adapts to your tactics. Manage diplomacy and economy on a global scale. Research, explore, overcome. Now includes Steam Workshop support for mods!
X-COM: UFO Defense
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Reviewers of Xenonauts cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
You are in control of X-COM: an organization formed by the world's governments to fight the ever-increasing alien menace.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
WHY THIS
Shares a tense mood with Xenonauts.
Reviewers of Xenonauts cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
The XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Slingshot Pack is Now Available!
X-COM: Apocalypse
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Reviewers of Xenonauts cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
There's something evil in the city tonight... Earth has been ravaged by human excess, petty conflict and alien invasion. The world's population has been herded into huge cities, the first of which was Mega Primus. 2084: A Utopia shattered, social collapse and civil unrest reigns in Mega Primus. Fiendish aliens terrorize the city.
Silent Storm Gold Edition
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Reviewers of Xenonauts cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
Silent Storm from leading Russian developer Nival is a true 3D tactical turn-based Role-Playing-Game set against the backdrop of WWII. As the conflict rages on the frontlines, you’ll be leading a small multinational squad behind enemy lines to gather information and wreak havoc on your enemies while trying to thwart a mysterious new...
Phantom Doctrine
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Xenonauts.
Reviewers of Xenonauts cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
The year is 1983. The world teeters on the verge of destruction as the Cold War tightens its icy grip. East or West: trust no one, question everything. The fate of humanity rests in your hands as you pit spy versus spy in tactical Phantom Doctrine.
XCOM® 2
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Xenonauts.
Reviewers of Xenonauts cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
XCOM 2 is the sequel to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the 2012 award-winning strategy game of the year. Earth has changed and is now under alien rule. Facing impossible odds you must rebuild XCOM, and ignite a global resistance to reclaim our world and save humanity.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Xenonauts at current Steam store prices.
Garry's Mod
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Xenonauts on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Xenonauts.
Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox. There aren't any predefined aims or goals. We give you the tools and leave you to play.
Lethal Company
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under Xenonauts on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Xenonauts.
A co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company.
Bloons TD 6
WHY THIS
Priced ~44% under Xenonauts on Steam right now. Shares Strategy with Xenonauts.
The Bloons are back and better than ever! Get ready for a massive 3D tower defense game designed to give you hours and hours of the best strategy gaming available.
People Playground
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under Xenonauts on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Xenonauts.
Shoot, stab, burn, poison, tear, vaporise, or crush ragdolls in a large open space.
Vampire Survivors
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Xenonauts on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Xenonauts.
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!
PEAK
WHY THIS
Priced ~68% under Xenonauts on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Xenonauts.
PEAK is a co-op climbing game where the slightest mistake can spell your doom. Either solo or as a group of lost nature scouts, your only hope of rescue from a mysterious island is to scale the mountain at its center. Do you have what it takes to reach the PEAK?
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 Indie with Xenonauts.
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 Xenonauts.
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?
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Xenonauts.
Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!
missed messages.
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Xenonauts.
‘goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A love/horror story about life, death, & memes.
Grimm's Hollow
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Xenonauts.
A spooky, freeware RPG where you search the afterlife for your brother. Reap ghosts with your scythe, explore haunted caves, and eat ghostly treats on your journey through death.
Virtual Cottage
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Xenonauts.
Virtual Cottage gives you a comfy place to rest and be productive without any distractions. Open the game, set yourself a goal and enjoy the atmosphere.
Steam Engine Simulator
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Simulation with Xenonauts.
The Steam Engine Simulator shown on AngeTheGreat's YouTube channel.
Star Fetchers
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Xenonauts.
The introduction to a wild ride with gangsters and deep state conspiracy theories
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
Frequently asked about Xenonauts
- Does Xenonauts work on Steam Deck?
- Xenonauts is currently rated Unsupported on Steam Deck. It may not launch or may have significant issues that block normal play.
- How much does Xenonauts cost?
- Xenonauts is listed on Steam at 24.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to Xenonauts?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Xenonauts are Xenonauts 2, X-COM: UFO Defense, Into the Breach.
- Who developed Xenonauts?
- Xenonauts was developed by Goldhawk Interactive.
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 Xenonauts.
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