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Games like Happy Bastards

Below are 22 hand-picked alternatives to Happy Bastards for fans of strategy, indie, rpg, ranked by imho.run's hybrid recommender. Each pick is scored on three signals: collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries (which players who logged hours in Happy Bastards also play), content overlap on genres, categories, and storefront tags, and review-mined "vibe" embeddings that catch tonal similarity even when the genre label differs. Sections below cover closest matches, reviewer cross-mentions, free-to-play picks, more from Clever Plays, and Steam Deck–friendly options. No login required — these picks work anchor-only.

About Happy Bastards: Virtue? That’s for suckers. But fame? Priceless. Assemble unruly bastards into a mercenary squad and build your legend through reckless adventuring, bloody fights, lucrative looting, and dirty dealings. Choose your battles, and your allies, in this irreverent open-world tactical RPG.

StrategyIndieRPGWindowsby Clever Plays
Happy Bastards — Steam game cover

Players who liked Happy Bastards also play

Ranked by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries plus content overlap on genres, tags, and developers.

  1. 1
    Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark — Steam game cover

    Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark

    Top pick for Happy Bastards fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is a turn-based tactical RPG with a focus on storytelling and strategic battles. Unfold a mature story as you progress through hand-crafted scenarios, controlling your own group of Arbiters, with each character customizable from a wide selection of classes and abilities!

    2019StrategyIndieRPG4.49 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. 2
    Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked — Steam game cover

    Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked

    Second-strongest match for Happy Bastards fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and RPG with Happy Bastards.

    A cooperative tactical RPG set in the D&D universe. Embark on a fantasy tabletop adventure. Your quest, on your schedule.

    2025StrategyAdventureRPG23.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  3. 3
    Veterum — Steam game cover

    Veterum

    Third-strongest match for Happy Bastards fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Turn-based tactical strategy with a detailed combat system and interactive environment. Explore the open world, complete quests, search for rare artifacts. Lead the last army of the Order of the Gatekeepers and stop the coming chaos!

    2025StrategyIndieRPG17.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  4. 4
    The Iron Oath — Steam game cover

    The Iron Oath

    Ranked #4 for Happy Bastards fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Command, endure, and prosper in The Iron Oath, a turn-based tactical RPG where the fate of your mercenary company rests on your decisions. Customize your roster, build your renown, and discover the secrets that await in the medieval fantasy realm of Caelum.

    2023StrategyIndieAdventure24.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  5. 5
    Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch — Steam game cover

    Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch

    Ranked #5 for Happy Bastards fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Veil of the Witch is a roguelite strategy RPG with turn-based combat and branching progression. Set in the world of “Lost Eidolons,” build a nimble squad of five, pick your skills as you level, and adapt to each unique run. May the gods favor the bold and the wise.

    2025StrategyIndieRPG24.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  6. 6
    The Dragoness: Command of the Flame — Steam game cover

    The Dragoness: Command of the Flame

    Ranked #6 for Happy Bastards fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and RPG with Happy Bastards.

    The Dragoness mixes HOMM-like exploration, city-building and turn-based strategic combat, with a roguelite twist. Choose your battles, paths and skills as you explore a world ravaged by war. Gather and manage your army of beasts, collect resources and expand your city.

    2022StrategyRPG2.99 USDSteam ↗
  7. 7
    Forged of Blood — Steam game cover

    Forged of Blood

    Ranked #7 for Happy Bastards fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Happy Bastards.

    A fantasy turn-based tactical RPG built on depth and mechanical complexity, featuring classless character building, strategic management, and small unit tactics on a world scale.

    2019StrategyIndieAdventure14.99 USDSteam ↗
  8. 8
    Inkbound — Steam game cover

    Inkbound

    Ranked #8 for Happy Bastards fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Strategy and Indie with Happy Bastards.

    A turn-based tactical roguelike from the creators of Monster Train. Play solo or co-op, create powerful builds, and save the Atheneum.

    2024ActionStrategyIndie8.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗

Free alternatives

Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.

  1. 1
    Doki Doki Literature Club! — Steam game cover

    Doki Doki Literature Club!

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    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.

    2017IndieFree To PlayCasualFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  2. 2
    Helltaker — Steam game cover

    Helltaker

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Helltaker is a short game about sharply dressed demon girls.

    2020IndieAdventureFree To PlayFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  3. 3
    Ultimate Custom Night — Steam game cover

    Ultimate Custom Night

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!

    2018ActionIndieFree To PlayFreeSteam ↗
  4. 4
    Bongo Cat — Steam game cover

    Bongo Cat

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    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?

    2025IndieSimulationMassively MultiplayerFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  5. 5
    ENA: Dream BBQ — Steam game cover

    ENA: Dream BBQ

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.

    2025IndieAdventureFreeDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  6. 6
    The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog — Steam game cover

    The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!

    2023IndieSimulationFree To PlayFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  7. 7
    Indigo Park: Chapter 1 — Steam game cover

    Indigo Park: Chapter 1

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    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.

    2024ActionIndieAdventureFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  8. 8
    The Looker — Steam game cover

    The Looker

    Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    You wake up, alone, on a strangely familiar island full of puzzles that will frustrate and annoy you.

    2022IndieFreeDeck PlayableSteam ↗

More from Clever Plays

Other recommendable Steam games by Clever Plays, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.

  1. 1
    Operation: Tango — Steam game cover

    Operation: Tango

    Another title from Clever Plays, the studio behind Happy Bastards.

    It takes two to save the world in this cooperative spy adventure. Pair up with a friend as Agent or Hacker—with only your voices to connect you—and work together to bring a hi-tech global menace to its knees. Now with a FREE CONTENT UPDATE!

    2021AdventureCasual19.99 USDDeck PlayableSteam ↗
  2. 2
    Leap of Fate — Steam game cover

    Leap of Fate

    Another title from Clever Plays, the studio behind Happy Bastards. Shares Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Leap of Fate is a furiously-paced cyberpunk roguelite about overcoming your fears and achieving your fate. In a New York City where magic is real, you play as a technomage who must develop unspeakable powers to confront the Crucible of Fates. Can you survive the trials?

    2016ActionIndie15.99 USDSteam ↗
  3. 3
    Operation: Tango - Friend Pass — Steam game cover

    Operation: Tango - Friend Pass

    Another title from Clever Plays, the studio behind Happy Bastards.

    Download the Friend Pass and play for free with a friend who owns the full Operation: Tango game. It takes two to save the world, but it only takes one to pay for it.

    2020AdventureCasualFreeSteam ↗

Plays great on Steam Deck

Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.

  1. 1
    Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark — Steam game cover

    Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark

    Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Strategy and Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is a turn-based tactical RPG with a focus on storytelling and strategic battles. Unfold a mature story as you progress through hand-crafted scenarios, controlling your own group of Arbiters, with each character customizable from a wide selection of classes and abilities!

    2019StrategyIndieRPG4.49 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  2. 2
    Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked — Steam game cover

    Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked

    Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Strategy and RPG with Happy Bastards.

    A cooperative tactical RPG set in the D&D universe. Embark on a fantasy tabletop adventure. Your quest, on your schedule.

    2025StrategyAdventureRPG23.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗
  3. 3
    Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch — Steam game cover

    Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch

    Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Strategy and Indie with Happy Bastards.

    Veil of the Witch is a roguelite strategy RPG with turn-based combat and branching progression. Set in the world of “Lost Eidolons,” build a nimble squad of five, pick your skills as you level, and adapt to each unique run. May the gods favor the bold and the wise.

    2025StrategyIndieRPG24.99 USDDeck VerifiedSteam ↗

Frequently asked about Happy Bastards

What games are most similar to Happy Bastards?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Happy Bastards are Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark, Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, Veterum.
Who developed Happy Bastards?
Happy Bastards was developed by Clever Plays.

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 Happy Bastards.

For library-aware picks tuned to your specific taste, sign in with Steam on the home page.

22 Games Like Happy Bastards — Ranked for 2026 · imho.run