Games like Serious Sam 3: BFE
If Serious Sam 3: BFE is your kind of game, the closest matches are Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter and Dark Data — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its tactical positioning matters, visceral and satisfying combat and intense. 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 →Serious Sam 3: BFE is a 2011 first-person shooter from Croteam published by Devolver Digital. Players engage in reflex-based shooting through wave-based combat scenarios against alien hordes, with weapon-switching serving as a core mechanic. The action-oriented experience supports online cooperative multiplayer, offering both co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. Players describe the combat as intense and stressful, with reviewers highlighting that tactical positioning matters in encounters and that the combat feels visceral and satisfying. The game carries a challenging difficulty rating and a medium length campaign designed for dedicated sit-down play sessions. It is priced at $29.99 USD and is marked as playable on Steam Deck, holding an 86% positive rating from over 5,800 Steam reviews.
About Serious Sam 3: BFE: Serious Sam 3: BFE is a prequel to the original indie fast action FPS and Game of the Year sensation - Serious Sam: The First Encounter!
Players who liked Serious Sam 3: BFE also play
Steam players who put hours into Serious Sam 3: BFE 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.
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
WHY THIS
Shares wave based combat and a stressful mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Top pick for Serious Sam 3: BFE fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is a visually upgraded and fully Steam supported remake version of the original high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS which was Gamespot's Game of the Year 2001 and which scored overall of 87% on Metacritic!
Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter
WHY THIS
Shares wave based combat with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Second-strongest match for Serious Sam 3: BFE fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter is a high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS and Gamespot's Game of the Month February 2002!
Dark Data
WHY THIS
Third-strongest match for Serious Sam 3: BFE fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
In a world driven by blackmail, time is not money...crime is. Do you have what it takes to uncover the truth while staring at the business end of a gun? Dark Data is a local multiplayer FPS based on the unreleased mid-nineties film of the same name.
Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter
WHY THIS
Ranked #4 for Serious Sam 3: BFE fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam is a high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS and Gamespot's Game of the Year 2001!
Quake
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Ranked #5 for Serious Sam 3: BFE fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Developed by the award-winning id Software, Quake® is the ground-breaking, original dark fantasy first-person shooter that inspires today’s retro-style FPS games. With Quake (Enhanced), experience the authentic, updated, and visually enhanced version of the original.
DOOM + DOOM II
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Ranked #6 for Serious Sam 3: BFE fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Developed by id Software, and originally released in 1993 and 1994, the definitive, newly enhanced versions of DOOM + DOOM II are available as a combined product.
Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta)
WHY THIS
Ranked #7 for Serious Sam 3: BFE fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam Fusion is a central hub for several existing Serious Sam games developed by Croteam. Cool new features, engine upgrades, patches and updates will be released to existing owners for FREE!
STAR WARS™: Battlefront Classic Collection
WHY THIS
Ranked #8 for Serious Sam 3: BFE fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Play the classic STAR WARS™ Battlefront games, online and offline in this definitive collection.
Reviewers mention these as similar to Serious Sam 3: BFE
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.
Shadow Warrior 2
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Reviewers of Serious Sam 3: BFE cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Shadow Warrior 2 is the stunning evolution of Flying Wild Hog’s offbeat first-person shooter starring the brash warrior Lo Wang, who must again wield a devastating combination of guns, blades, magic and wit to strike down the demonic legions overwhelming the world.
Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Serious Sam 3: BFE cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam is a high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS and Gamespot's Game of the Year 2001!
Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter
WHY THIS
Shares wave based combat with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Reviewers of Serious Sam 3: BFE cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter is a high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS and Gamespot's Game of the Month February 2002!
Serious Sam II
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Serious Sam 3: BFE cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam II is a shot of adrenaline to the hearts of first-person shooter fans across the world. This is serious!
Shadow Warrior
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Reviewers of Serious Sam 3: BFE cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Shadow Warrior is a bold reimagining of the classic 3D Realms’ shooter from independent developer Flying Wild Hog (Hard Reset) starring the legendary and quick-witted warrior Lo Wang.
Serious Sam 4
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Serious Sam 3: BFE cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam 4 reignites the classic FPS series in a high-powered prequel loaded with an explosive arsenal, intergalactic carnage, and perfectly timed one-liners.
Hard Reset Redux
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Reviewers of Serious Sam 3: BFE cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Hard Reset Redux is an action-packed and hardcore single-player shooter which embraces the best qualities that the genre has it offer. It includes over-the-top destruction, loads of enemies, great weapon variety, a challenging campaign and a beautifully realized cyberpunk setting.
Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta)
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Serious Sam 3: BFE cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam Fusion is a central hub for several existing Serious Sam games developed by Croteam. Cool new features, engine upgrades, patches and updates will be released to existing owners for FREE!
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Serious Sam 3: BFE at current Steam store prices.
Garry's Mod
WHY THIS
Priced ~83% under Serious Sam 3: BFE on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
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.
Stardew Valley
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under Serious Sam 3: BFE on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?
Lethal Company
WHY THIS
Priced ~67% under Serious Sam 3: BFE on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
A co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company.
Left 4 Dead 2
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Priced ~67% under Serious Sam 3: BFE on Steam right now. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
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.
Hollow Knight
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under Serious Sam 3: BFE on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style.
People Playground
WHY THIS
Priced ~67% under Serious Sam 3: BFE on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Shoot, stab, burn, poison, tear, vaporise, or crush ragdolls in a large open space.
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 Serious Sam 3: BFE.
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 Serious Sam 3: BFE.
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 Serious Sam 3: BFE.
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 Serious Sam 3: BFE.
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 Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!
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 Serious Sam 3: BFE.
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.
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
More from Croteam
Other recommendable Steam games by Croteam, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.
The Talos Principle
WHY THIS
Another title from Croteam, the studio behind Serious Sam 3: BFE. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
The Talos Principle is a first-person puzzle game in the tradition of philosophical science fiction. Made by Croteam and written by Tom Jubert (FTL, The Swapper) and Jonas Kyratzes (The Sea Will Claim Everything).
Serious Sam 4
WHY THIS
Another title from Croteam, the studio behind Serious Sam 3: BFE. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam 4 reignites the classic FPS series in a high-powered prequel loaded with an explosive arsenal, intergalactic carnage, and perfectly timed one-liners.
The Talos Principle 2
WHY THIS
Another title from Croteam, the studio behind Serious Sam 3: BFE. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
The Talos Principle 2 is a thought-provoking first-person puzzle experience that greatly expands on the first game's philosophical themes and stunning environments with increasingly mind-bending challenges.
Serious Sam II
WHY THIS
Another title from Croteam, the studio behind Serious Sam 3: BFE. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam II is a shot of adrenaline to the hearts of first-person shooter fans across the world. This is serious!
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
WHY THIS
Shares wave based combat and a stressful mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Another title from Croteam, the studio behind Serious Sam 3: BFE. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is a visually upgraded and fully Steam supported remake version of the original high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS which was Gamespot's Game of the Year 2001 and which scored overall of 87% on Metacritic!
Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta)
WHY THIS
Another title from Croteam, the studio behind Serious Sam 3: BFE. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam Fusion is a central hub for several existing Serious Sam games developed by Croteam. Cool new features, engine upgrades, patches and updates will be released to existing owners for FREE!
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem
WHY THIS
Another title from Croteam, the studio behind Serious Sam 3: BFE. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem is a new stand-alone expansion to the world of the classic FPS series. Join the fight against Notorious Mental on a journey through the wild lands of Russia, and find your way through this lost chapter of Sam Stone's adventures.
Serious Sam Classics: Revolution
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Another title from Croteam, the studio behind Serious Sam 3: BFE. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam is a high-adrenaline arcade-action shooter heavily focused on frantic action. In a world where cyberpunk meets fantasy-fiction and advanced technology is mixed with black magic and psycho-powers, Sam travels through four beautiful worlds, confronting countless foes on his way to Mental's base.
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
Quake
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Developed by the award-winning id Software, Quake® is the ground-breaking, original dark fantasy first-person shooter that inspires today’s retro-style FPS games. With Quake (Enhanced), experience the authentic, updated, and visually enhanced version of the original.
DOOM + DOOM II
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Developed by id Software, and originally released in 1993 and 1994, the definitive, newly enhanced versions of DOOM + DOOM II are available as a combined product.
Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta)
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Serious Sam Fusion is a central hub for several existing Serious Sam games developed by Croteam. Cool new features, engine upgrades, patches and updates will be released to existing owners for FREE!
STAR WARS™: Battlefront Classic Collection
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action with Serious Sam 3: BFE.
Play the classic STAR WARS™ Battlefront games, online and offline in this definitive collection.
Frequently asked about Serious Sam 3: BFE
- Does Serious Sam 3: BFE run on Steam Deck?
- Serious Sam 3: BFE 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 Serious Sam 3: BFE cost?
- Serious Sam 3: BFE is listed on Steam at 29.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- Does Serious Sam 3: BFE have multiplayer or co-op?
- Yes — Serious Sam 3: BFE supports multi-player play according to its Steam store listing (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online PvP).
- What games are most similar to Serious Sam 3: BFE?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Serious Sam 3: BFE are Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter, Dark Data.
- Who developed Serious Sam 3: BFE?
- Serious Sam 3: BFE was developed by Croteam and published by Devolver Digital.
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 Serious Sam 3: BFE.
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