The Best Sci-Fi Dungeon Crawlers

Key Takeaways

• Dungeon crawling spans multiple genres with gameplay that involves exploring loot-filled environments with different themed dungeons.
• Science fiction games can offer unique dungeon-crawling experiences, mixing cyberpunk or cosmic horror with challenging gameplay.
• Many franchises experiment with dungeon crawlers, providing fans with varied experiences like space station horrors or superhero dungeon delves.

The idea of dungeon crawling is broad, and the concept can be implemented into multiple genres and gameplay styles. They can be action RPGs in the same vein as the Diablo franchise, or a first-person shooters like Destiny, but as long as it features one or more players being able to plunge through dungeons, it counts as a dungeon crawler.

Typically, dungeon crawling can be found in fantasy games, but occasionally, game developers swap genres and create science fiction games that allow players to experience new types of dungeons. They can be in cyberpunk facilities or the derelict ruins of an alien civilization on another planet, while still providing dungeon-crawling gameplay that’s fun and challenging.

11 Justice League Heroes

Makes The Player Feel Like A Member Of The Justice League

During the height of the Justice League animated series’ popularity, DC competed with Marvel to create an action RPG in which superheroes fight villains in different dungeon-like locations. In Justice League Heroes, players choose from several members of the titular team, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and more.

The DC characters in Justice League Heroes contend with different villains, from Brainiac to Gorilla Grodd, with each having a unique high-tech dungeon for heroes to traverse through. It may not be the most well-known Justice League game, but it features comic book fun with each hero providing what fans expect from the characters regarding both abilities and personality.

10 Hellpoint

What If Bloodborne Took Place On A Space Station

A space station taken over by an alien organism is nothing new, with games like Dead Space and Alien: Isolation already using that concept. However, rather than a traditional survival horror, Hellpoint puts a twist on it by making the gameplay into a Soulslike experience akin to Elden Ring, Bloodborne, or Dark Souls, which may not be traditional dungeon crawlers, but all carry the dungeon crawler formula in their veins.

Suddenly, the alien monsters in Hellpoint are much scarier when the main hero can be killed if they aren’t careful as they progress through the different areas of the ship. With each new boss, the game delves more into gory cosmic horror, a la Event Horizon, or stories written by H.P. Lovecraft.

9 Aliens: Dark Descent

Xenomorphs Make Dungeon Crawling Much Scarier

Mixing horror and action, Aliens: Dark Descent is a strategy dungeon crawler, with colonial marines traversing through pitch-black colonies and other locations where terrifying Xenomorphs are lurking around every corner. Instead of mashing attacks, players are forced to use tactics to keep their Fireteam alive, similar to XCOM games but more hands-on.

Aliens: Dark Descent shows that the franchise is not afraid to experiment with different genres, as it manages to do something unique from all other games in the Alien universe. Fans of the Alien franchise can also enjoy the experience as it continues to add new lore to the series, such as humans who worship the Xenomorphs.

8 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Underrated Marvel Adventure On The Nintendo Switch

After a long hiatus, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order brought the action RPG franchise back with more characters and a new visual style. As the title suggests, the game focuses on Marvel’s heroes going up against Thanos’ children, AKA The Black Order, in an adventure that spans from the X-Mansion to Knowhere, locations that are each treated as dungeons.

With the largest roster of characters in the trilogy, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 remains the only Ultimate Alliance game that can still be purchased. It is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, and while it is often considered the weakest of the three games in terms of story, the number of characters from the Avengers, X-Men, Guardians Of The Galaxy, and various other Marvel teams make it worth checking out.

7 Warframe

It’s Impossible Not To Enjoy Superpowered Ninjas In Space

While it does feature more open-ended worlds for players to explore as Tennos, Warframe is known for its procedurally generated levels in which up to four players can charge through by fighting enemies and leveling up while collecting loot along the way. The futuristic alien worlds are as visually appealing as they are challenging, resulting in a massive fanbase that still cherishes the game over ten years later.

The game’s warriors, known as Tennos, have allowed gamers to express themselves over the years, crafting the ultimate space ninjas in Warframe. It features melee and third-person shooter combat that is deceptively simple, because the more gamers play, the gameplay evolves to be more complicated and the dungeons get more challenging.

6 Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Marvel’s Rip-Off Of Gauntlet Was A Major Success

Though Marvel began their dungeon-crawling franchise with the X-Men Legends games, Marvel Ultimate Alliance was a follow-up that gave fans the chance to create the four-member team of their dreams. It featured Doctor Doom as the main villain, taking the heroes to locations like SHIELD bases, Atlantis, Planet Skrull, and Doctor Doom’s castle, just to name a few.

The Ultimate Alliance games can be surmised as clones of Gauntlet, but well-executed ones. Each of the many characters feels like a unique class and can even have unique dialogue with other characters depending on who is on the player’s team. The game is perfect for either solo or co-op play.

5 Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr

Hack And Slash Through Thousands Of Enemies For The Emperor

The Warhammer 40K franchise has branched into nearly every kind of action-oriented video game genre out there, from shooters to RPGs to strategy sims. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr is more-or-less their take on the Diablo franchise, one of the most famous dungeon crawler franchises out there, with this game bearing similarly dark and grim tones, as the main protagonist is far from a hero.

With multiple Inquisitor classes to choose from, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr throws the player against hordes of enemies in service of the Emperor. It’s an intergalactic adventure that fuses fantasy and sci-fi and injects as much over-the-top action as possible, resulting in a game that is often considered the ideal isometric hack-and-slash game for fans of Warhammer.

4 Destiny 2

Bungie Created An MMO Looter Shooter Phenomenon

With multiple planets to explore and a constantly evolving story, Destiny 2 has become a prime example of a first-person dungeon crawler that mixes addictive looter shooter gameplay with MMORPG elements akin to Warframe. Every season and every expansion introduces new dungeons for Guardians to explore on their own or to attempt as raids.

There are robots, aliens, and more, with everything so advanced that it blurs the line between science fiction and fantasy. Those who are not fond of the typical MMORPG have attested that Destiny 2 is an ideal choice, as players are given more direct control of their character, and the worlds it presents can satisfy that itch for a more sci-fi twist on dungeons.

3 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Heroes And Villains Are Divided In This Darker Sequel

As it is based on the Civil War storyline, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is much darker than its predecessor. The game is split up into two campaigns, with Iron Man and Captain America’s factions at war over the Superhuman Registration Act. As a result, those wanting to play as heroes such as Deadpool or Wolverine will have to replay the game with each faction.

On top of the darker story, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 features a more diverse cast with more villains to play as in a more Earth-based adventure compared to the first game. With Iron Man, Reed Richards, and Black Panther as major players, the sci-fi elements are even more prevalent as the heroes fight each other.

2 EverSpace 2

Proof That Space Flight Games Are Not A Dead Genre

EverSpace 2 and its predecessor feel like the spiritual successor to classic space combat games like Descent and Star Fox. The biggest difference is that EverSpace 2 adds more exploration across space, allowing the player to fly to dangerous planets, ships, and other galactic locations, each of which is the equivalent of a dungeon that tests their starfighting skills.

Every new location in EverSpace 2 looks worthy of being a wallpaper for a desktop, featuring exotic designs enhanced by vibrant colors. Where EverSpace 2 shines is with its starship gameplay, with tight controls that keep the dogfighting combat fun to play at all times and many types of ships to satisfy anyone’s play style.

1 Borderlands 2

Pandora Is A Planet Filled With Wacky Dungeons

The Borderlands games broke the mold for loot-based dungeon crawlers by making a first-person looter shooter inspired by Diablo, but set in an open-world with dozens of dungeons scattered across the alien planet of Pandora. Borderlands 2 is often considered the best in the franchise, featuring memorable character classes combined with Handsome Jack as an iconic gaming villain.

Similar to Destiny, there is a large focus on looting and shooting in an open world in Borderlands 2, with dungeons found in the snow, desert, jungle, and city areas of Pandora. With comedy, over-the-top violence, and “cyber-apunkalypse” aspects all mixed together, the final result is a game that feels like Deadpool meets Mad Max in space, and it was deemed a top-tier sequel.