Games like VVVVVV
If VVVVVV is your kind of game, the closest matches are 1 Screen Platformer, Scoot Kaboom and the Tomb of Doom and Trash Quest — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its atmospheric, challenging and hypnotic. 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 →VVVVVV is a challenging 2D precision platformer released in 2010 by Terry Cavanagh, available for $4.99. The core mechanic inverts conventional platforming by replacing jumping with gravity-flipping, a system that reviewers describe as turning every jump into a tactical puzzle. Players collect trinkets, attempt time trials, and tackle sections in a no-death mode that players highlight as uniquely rewarding. The game includes a built-in custom-level editor, and the community has created content that players say rivals the main campaign in scope and quality. Set in a minimalist pixelated world, players describe the overall experience as atmospheric and hypnotic, with a retro soundtrack that reviewers consider iconic. The game runs verified on Steam Deck and holds a 97% positive rating from over 4,400 Steam reviews, with a Metacritic score of 81.
About VVVVVV: VVVVVV is a platform game all about exploring one simple mechanical idea - what if you reversed gravity instead of jumping?
Players who liked VVVVVV also play
Steam players who put hours into VVVVVV 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.
1 Screen Platformer
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Top pick for VVVVVV fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
This is a SHORT, 2D PLATFORMER with TIGHT CONTROLS about exploring a single level to get past a bunch of TRAPS. There is an EASY mode and a HARD mode depending on your skill level.
Scoot Kaboom and the Tomb of Doom
WHY THIS
Second-strongest match for VVVVVV fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
Scoot Kaboom and the Tomb of Doom is a fiendishly fun action platformer that all takes place on one enormous screen. Run, dive and dodge through the twisting maze, evading spikes, saws, fireballs, portals and even more and escape the Tomb of Doom!
Trash Quest
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Third-strongest match for VVVVVV fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
Trash Quest is a compact metroidvania with a single spawn point, run and gun action and tight platforming. Navigate an interwoven maze of rooms through this space station, destroying robots, collecting power ups and unlocking shortcuts.
Super Meat Boy
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Ranked #4 for VVVVVV fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
The infamous, tough-as-nails platformer comes to Steam with a playable Head Crab character (Steam-exclusive)!
iZBOT
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Ranked #5 for VVVVVV fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
iZBOT is fast paced, double jumping, wall sliding, edge of your seat platformer that delivers delicious bite sized challenging platforming levels while always keeping you in the action.
Super Magbot
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with VVVVVV.
Ranked #6 for VVVVVV fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
A precise 2D platformer with a twist. NO JUMPING. Master your magnetic powers to beat each level with speed and skill. Enjoy classic 16-bit gaming vibes, tackle challenging achievements and compete for global leaderboard supremacy along the way.
Aeon Drive
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with VVVVVV.
Ranked #7 for VVVVVV fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
Rush through the cyberpunk landscapes of Neo Barcelona in Aeon Drive, an action-platformer with a speedrunning twist! Whether solo or in up to 4 player co-op, sprint and dash through many areas of the neon-infused city - and use your time and space-bending abilities to get ahead.
Downwell
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Ranked #8 for VVVVVV fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
Downwell is a curious game about a young person venturing down a well in search of untold treasures with only his Gunboots to protect him.
Reviewers mention these as similar to VVVVVV
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.
POLYBIUS
WHY THIS
Shares a hypnotic mood with VVVVVV.
Reviewers of VVVVVV cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with VVVVVV.
POLYBIUS is a fast, trippy tunnel shooter playable on a normal screen or in VR. 50 levels of blissful trance shooting action are set to a blistering soundtrack. The PS4 version was EDGE Magazine's VR GOTY in 2017, and the PC version of the game was even used as the basis for a NIN music video.
California Games (C64/DOS/Atari/Lynx/NES/SMS/Genesis)
WHY THIS
Reviewers of VVVVVV cross-mention this title as a similar play.
Ask anyone who considered themselves a true gamer in 1987 and the chances are they will fondly remember California Games. Now on Steam for the very first time, you too can enjoy six radical and awesome events: the half-pipe, roller skating, surfing, BMX, footbag and the flying disc.
Celeste
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Reviewers of VVVVVV cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
Help Madeline survive her inner demons on her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain, in this super-tight platformer from the creators of TowerFall. Brave hundreds of hand-crafted challenges, uncover devious secrets, and piece together the mystery of the mountain.
Tomb of Mask
WHY THIS
Reviewers of VVVVVV cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
《面具古墓》是由《隐秘的原罪》系列原班人马打造的一款民国风悬疑解谜游戏。核心元素依然是我们最拿手的悬疑解谜加剧情推理。同时，得益于《隐秘的原罪》系列作品积累的经验，这回的《面具古墓》，我们有了更多的进化！
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below VVVVVV at current Steam store prices.
POSTAL 2
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under VVVVVV on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV on Steam right now. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV on Steam right now. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV on Steam right now. Shares Action with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV on Steam right now. Shares Action with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV on Steam right now. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV on Steam right now. Shares Action with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV on Steam right now. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV.
Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!
ENA: Dream BBQ
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV.
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 VVVVVV.
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 Terry Cavanagh
Other recommendable Steam games by Terry Cavanagh, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.
Super Hexagon
WHY THIS
Shares a hypnotic mood with VVVVVV.
Another title from Terry Cavanagh, the studio behind VVVVVV. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
Super Hexagon is a minimal action game by Terry Cavanagh, with music by Chipzel.
Dicey Dungeons
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Another title from Terry Cavanagh, the studio behind VVVVVV. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
Become a giant walking dice, explore dungeons and defy Lady Luck in this dice powered roguelike! Now featuring "Reunion", a free DLC with six brand-new episodes!
Terry's Other Games
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with VVVVVV.
Another title from Terry Cavanagh, the studio behind VVVVVV. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
Hi, I'm Terry Cavanagh! You might remember me from such videogames as Dicey Dungeons, Super Hexagon, and VVVVVV. Here are a few other things I've made over the years!
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
1 Screen Platformer
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
This is a SHORT, 2D PLATFORMER with TIGHT CONTROLS about exploring a single level to get past a bunch of TRAPS. There is an EASY mode and a HARD mode depending on your skill level.
Super Meat Boy
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Indie with VVVVVV.
The infamous, tough-as-nails platformer comes to Steam with a playable Head Crab character (Steam-exclusive)!
Super Magbot
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with VVVVVV.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
A precise 2D platformer with a twist. NO JUMPING. Master your magnetic powers to beat each level with speed and skill. Enjoy classic 16-bit gaming vibes, tackle challenging achievements and compete for global leaderboard supremacy along the way.
Downwell
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with VVVVVV.
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with VVVVVV.
Downwell is a curious game about a young person venturing down a well in search of untold treasures with only his Gunboots to protect him.
Frequently asked about VVVVVV
- Is VVVVVV verified for Steam Deck?
- Yes — VVVVVV 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 VVVVVV cost?
- VVVVVV is listed on Steam at 4.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to VVVVVV?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside VVVVVV are 1 Screen Platformer, Scoot Kaboom and the Tomb of Doom, Trash Quest.
- Who developed VVVVVV?
- VVVVVV was developed by Terry Cavanagh.
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 VVVVVV.
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