Rank 01Why this
Shares build variety with Salt and Sanctuary.
- $39.99 (Price checked Nov 9)
- Deck Verified
- 2015
Games like Salt and Sanctuary
- 35 games
- Updated Oct 5, 2026
Players who liked Salt and Sanctuary also play
The closest matches to Salt and Sanctuary: DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin, Death's Gambit: Afterlife, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, Blasphemous, and Salt and Sacrifice. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
- Rank 01
Rank 02Why this
Also Metroidvania and Souls-like, like Salt and Sanctuary.
- $9.99 (Price checked Nov 9)
- Deck Verified
- 2018
Rank 03Why this
Shares metroidvania exploration with Salt and Sanctuary.
- $9.99 (Price checked Nov 9)
- Deck Verified
- 2021
Rank 04 
Rank 05 
Rank 06 
Rank 07 
Nioh: Complete Edition
Why this: Also Souls-like and Dark Fantasy, like Salt and Sanctuary.
Rank 08 
The full ranked list: top 24 games like Salt and Sanctuary
Best match first, as plain text. The same list for AI assistants:
- 1DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
Shares build variety with Salt and Sanctuary.
- 83% of 33,921 reviews
- 2Death's Gambit: Afterlife
Also Metroidvania and Souls-like, like Salt and Sanctuary.
- 80% of 2,088 reviews
- 3ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
Shares metroidvania exploration with Salt and Sanctuary.
- 95% of 11,002 reviews
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7Nioh: Complete Edition
Also Souls-like and Dark Fantasy, like Salt and Sanctuary.
- 81% of 8,908 reviews
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18Valdis Story: Abyssal City
Also Metroidvania and Action RPG, like Salt and Sanctuary.
- 82% of 1,648 reviews
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- Released: 2016
- Developer: Ska Studios
- Price: $17.99checked Nov 9
- Steam Deck: Deck Verified
- 88% of 7,119 reviews
- Genres: Action, Indie, RPG
- Metacritic 84
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Players highlight
- Boss fights are brutal and memorable
- Captures the bleak soulslike atmosphere perfectly
- Deliberate but cryptic lore
- Atmospheric
- Bleak
- Dark
More games like Salt and Sanctuary, sliced differently
Reviewers mention these as similar to Salt and Sanctuary
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.
Hollow Knight
Why this: Also Metroidvania and Souls-like, like Salt and Sanctuary.
The Surge
Why this: Also Souls-like and Action RPG, like Salt and Sanctuary.
Lords of the Fallen
Why this: Also Souls-like and Dark Fantasy, like Salt and Sanctuary.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Why this: Also Metroidvania and Dark Fantasy, like Salt and Sanctuary.
Fera: The Sundered Tribes
Why this: Same atmospheric mood as Salt and Sanctuary.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Salt and Sanctuary at current Steam store prices.
Thymesia
Why this: Shares build variety with Salt and Sanctuary.
Skautfold: Shrouded in Sanity
Why this: Shares boss pattern learning with Salt and Sanctuary.
Infernax
Why this: Also Metroidvania and Gore, like Salt and Sanctuary.
DarkMaus
Why this: Also Souls-like and Dark Fantasy, like Salt and Sanctuary.
Dark Light
Why this: Also Metroidvania and Souls-like, like Salt and Sanctuary.
Kingsgrave
Why this: Shares metroidvania exploration with Salt and Sanctuary.
Katanaut
Why this: Shares metroidvania exploration and build variety with Salt and Sanctuary.
Free alternatives
Free games the recommender matches to Salt and Sanctuary, limited to titles with at least 500 Steam reviews and 80% positive.
Bloody Hell
Why this: Shares metroidvania exploration with Salt and Sanctuary.
Halls of Torment: Prelude
Why this: Shares build variety with Salt and Sanctuary.
Path of Exile
Why this: Also Dark Fantasy and Action RPG, like Salt and Sanctuary.
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
Why this: Shares build variety with Salt and Sanctuary.
Death's Gambit: Afterlife
Why this: Also Metroidvania and Souls-like, like Salt and Sanctuary.
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
Why this: Shares metroidvania exploration with Salt and Sanctuary.
More from Ska Studios
Other recommendable Steam games by Ska Studios, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.
Charlie Murder
Why this: Same atmospheric mood as Salt and Sanctuary.
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile
Why this: Also Metroidvania and Gore, like Salt and Sanctuary.
About Salt and Sanctuary
The closest matches to Salt and Sanctuary: DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin, Death's Gambit: Afterlife, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, Blasphemous, and Salt and Sacrifice. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
If Salt and Sanctuary is your kind of game, the closest matches are DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin, Death's Gambit: Afterlife and ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers describe it as atmospheric, bleak and dark, and single out its boss pattern learning and build variety. 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.
Salt and Sanctuary is a 2016 action RPG developed by Ska Studios that translates the punishing combat philosophy of 2D combat into a sprawling interconnected world. Players navigate a cursed realm of forgotten cities and blood-soaked dungeons through metroidvania-style exploration, unlocking shortcuts and mastering platforming sequences alongside demanding boss-pattern-learning encounters. Build-variety and salt-management systems provide meaningful progression depth, while the world's deliberate-but-cryptic-lore rewards attentive exploration. Reviewers highlight that boss fights are brutal and memorable, and that weighty combat feels satisfying within an atmosphere players describe as bleak and immersive. The game holds an 88% positive rating from over 7,100 Steam reviews and runs verified on Steam Deck.
About Salt and Sanctuary: Explore a haunting, punishing island in this stylized 2D action RPG. Salt and Sanctuary combines fast and brutal 2D combat with richly developed RPG mechanics in a cursed realm of forgotten cities, blood-soaked dungeons, and desecrated monuments.
Is Salt and Sanctuary worth buying?
Players recommend it
A summary of what players say, not a promise you'll like it. Every signal is listed below.
- 88% of 7,119 Steam reviews are positive.
- Last 30 days: 84% positive across 68 new reviews, in line with its all-time score.
- Price: $17.99 (checked Nov 8).
- People who recommend it had played a median of 24 h when they wrote their review.
- Critics had played a median of 4 h before their negative review.
- Steam Deck Verified.
What fans praise · Themes mined from positive reviews
- Boss fights are brutal and memorable
- Captures the bleak soulslike atmosphere perfectly
- Deliberate but cryptic lore
- Interconnected world with meaningful shortcuts
People who play it also play: DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin, Death's Gambit: Afterlife, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
Frequently asked about Salt and Sanctuary
Can I run it?
Is Salt and Sanctuary verified for Steam Deck?
Yes — Salt and Sanctuary 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 Salt and Sanctuary cost?
Salt and Sanctuary is listed on Steam at 17.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
Does Salt and Sanctuary have multiplayer or co-op?
Yes — Salt and Sanctuary supports multi-player play according to its Steam store listing (Multi-player).
What games are most similar to Salt and Sanctuary?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Salt and Sanctuary are DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin, Death's Gambit: Afterlife, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights.
Who developed Salt and Sanctuary?
Salt and Sanctuary was developed by Ska Studios.