Games like Dead Effect
If Dead Effect is your kind of game, the closest matches are Dead Effect 2, Arizona Sunshine® and Masked Forces: Zombie Survival — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its retro gameplay feels refreshing, atmospheric and dark. 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 →Dead Effect is a sci-fi first-person action game released in 2014 by BadFly Interactive, available for 4.99 USD. Set on a hijacked spaceship, players navigate linear story missions alongside survival and bio-hazard side modes, with adjustable difficulty to suit different skill levels. The game features a weapon upgrade system that allows progression through its medium-length campaign. Reviewers note the spaceship corridors create a claustrophobic atmosphere, and players describe the zombie variety as being explained through in-universe lore. Players also mention the mobile-to-PC port as surprisingly capable, and find the retro gameplay style refreshing. The game runs at playable status on Steam Deck, with reviewers describing it as tense and immersive, holding a 71% positive rating from 1,347 Steam reviews.
About Dead Effect: Fight for your life in the INDIE SCI-FI FPS game fit for both casual and hard-core gamers with a passion for hunting down hordes of zombies. Prepare yourselves for the incoming nightmare!
Players who liked Dead Effect also play
Steam players who put hours into Dead Effect 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.
Dead Effect 2
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Dead Effect.
Top pick for Dead Effect fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
Dead Effect 2 is the newest addition to the acclaimed Dead Effect franchise. This action sci-fi shooter is looking to push the boundaries of first-person shooters to new levels with slick graphics, rich narrative and RPG elements.
Arizona Sunshine®
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Dead Effect.
Second-strongest match for Dead Effect fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
Built exclusively for VR, Arizona Sunshine® puts you and up to 3 fellow survivors in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Survive solo or in co-op, handle weapons with real-life movements, and explore a post-apocalyptic world in VR. Putting the undead back to rest is more thrilling than ever before.
Masked Forces: Zombie Survival
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Dead Effect.
Third-strongest match for Dead Effect fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
What will you do when the zombie apocalypse comes, are you ready to tackle it right now and stay face to face with all the horrors that will appear?
F.E.A.R. 3
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Dead Effect.
Ranked #4 for Dead Effect fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
F.E.A.R. 3 delivers all the hallmarks that define the F.E.A.R. brand: terrifying paranormal experience, frenetic combat and a dramatic storyline.
Contagion
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Dead Effect.
Ranked #5 for Dead Effect fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
Contagion isn't your average Zombie Shooter but instead takes a more realistic and different approach to the popular genre with unique characters, environments, weapons, items, and a built in system that makes every round completely unpredictable with resources, objectives, and paths ever changing.
Zombies on a Plane
WHY THIS
Shares a tense mood with Dead Effect.
Ranked #6 for Dead Effect fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
Take on the role of the captain of a troubled jumbo jet carrying infected passengers intent on bringing the plane out of the sky, or pit yourself against hundreds of zombies in the interior of a jumbo jet or even walk along the outside as you fight to regain control as one of the passengers.
Left 4 Dead 2
WHY THIS
Shares a tense mood with Dead Effect.
Ranked #7 for Dead Effect fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
Set in the zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 is a co-operative action horror FPS takes you and your friends through the cities, swamps and cemeteries of the Deep South, from Savannah to New Orleans across five expansive campaigns.
Killing Floor
WHY THIS
Ranked #8 for Dead Effect fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
6-player co-op survival horror at its finest! Free updates, free special events and a ridiculous amount of fun!
Reviewers mention these as similar to Dead Effect
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.
Killing Floor
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Dead Effect cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
6-player co-op survival horror at its finest! Free updates, free special events and a ridiculous amount of fun!
Aliens: Colonial Marines Collection
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Dead Effect.
Reviewers of Dead Effect cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
You & your friends are the deadliest killers in the galaxy – the US Colonial Marines. It’s up to you to not just survive, but wipe out the Xeno infestation.
DOOM Eternal
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Dead Effect cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
Hell’s armies have invaded Earth. Become the Slayer in an epic single-player campaign to conquer demons across dimensions and stop the final destruction of humanity. The only thing they fear... is you.
Dead Space
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Dead Effect cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
The sci-fi survival-horror classic returns, completely rebuilt to offer an even more immersive experience — including visual, audio, and gameplay improvements — while staying faithful to the original game’s thrilling vision.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Dead Effect at current Steam store prices.
POSTAL 2
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Dead Effect on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
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 Dead Effect on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Dead Effect.
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 Dead Effect on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Dead Effect.
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 Dead Effect on Steam right now. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
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.
STAR WARS™ Republic Commando™
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under Dead Effect on Steam right now. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
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 Dead Effect on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Dead Effect.
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 Dead Effect on Steam right now. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
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.
The Test: Hypothesis Rising
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under Dead Effect on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Dead Effect.
The second chapter in The Test trilogy. Answer a series of in-depth questions to reveal hidden truths about yourself and unlock secrets to discover how your life can change drastically with just a few, slight modifications. ...But are you sure you want the answers you seek?
Free alternatives
Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.
Doki Doki Literature Club!
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Dead Effect.
The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Life is Strange - Episode 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.
Ultimate Custom Night
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
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 with Dead Effect.
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?
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 Dead Effect.
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.
STRAFTAT
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
STRAFTAT is a 1v1/2v2 ONLINE first person SHOOTER with quick rounds in over 350 MAPS ; Including all WEAPONS, proximity chat and 4 players FFA.
Counter-Strike:Global Offensive
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
Counter-Strike:Global Offensive (CS:GO) expands upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched over 2 decades ago. CS:GO features new maps, characters, weapons, and game modes, and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust2, etc.).
missed messages.
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Dead Effect.
‘goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A love/horror story about life, death, & memes.
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
Dead Effect 2
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Dead Effect.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
Dead Effect 2 is the newest addition to the acclaimed Dead Effect franchise. This action sci-fi shooter is looking to push the boundaries of first-person shooters to new levels with slick graphics, rich narrative and RPG elements.
Contagion
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with Dead Effect.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with Dead Effect.
Contagion isn't your average Zombie Shooter but instead takes a more realistic and different approach to the popular genre with unique characters, environments, weapons, items, and a built in system that makes every round completely unpredictable with resources, objectives, and paths ever changing.
Left 4 Dead 2
WHY THIS
Shares a tense mood with Dead Effect.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action with Dead Effect.
Set in the zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 is a co-operative action horror FPS takes you and your friends through the cities, swamps and cemeteries of the Deep South, from Savannah to New Orleans across five expansive campaigns.
Frequently asked about Dead Effect
- Does Dead Effect run on Steam Deck?
- Dead Effect is rated Playable on Steam Deck — it runs, but expect some manual adjustments (control remapping, text size, or graphics settings) for the best experience.
- How much does Dead Effect cost?
- Dead Effect is listed on Steam at 4.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to Dead Effect?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Dead Effect are Dead Effect 2, Arizona Sunshine®, Masked Forces: Zombie Survival.
- Who developed Dead Effect?
- Dead Effect was developed by BadFly Interactive, a.s..
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 Dead Effect.
For library-aware picks tuned to your specific taste, sign in with Steam on the home page.