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The best follow-up to an award-winning game depends on the part you want to keep. If you want polished 3D platforming, start with Super Mario Odyssey, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart or Sackboy: A Big Adventure after Astro Bot. If you want Balatro-style card runs, try Slay the Spire, Monster Train or Inscryption. For a story-heavy role-playing game after Metaphor: ReFantazio, choose between the social simulation of Persona 5 Royal, the tactical freedom of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the traditional structure of Dragon Quest XI S.
Awards are useful discovery signals, not guarantees that two games will feel alike. This guide matches each anchor game with alternatives by movement, combat, tone, difficulty, pacing, platform and solo or multiplayer structure, so you can preserve the feature that mattered most to you.
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How to choose an alternative instead of chasing another award
Begin with the experience you want to preserve. A game can share a genre label while changing almost everything else: a relaxed platformer may become a precision challenge, a deckbuilder may become a story puzzle, and a role-playing game may replace a fixed party with a fully reactive group.
- Keep the core loop: jumping and collecting, building a deck, exploring with a party, or mastering demanding combat.
- Choose the desired change: more difficulty, less randomness, a darker tone, faster sessions, deeper character systems or cooperative play.
- Check the platform first: award records do not provide live store inventory, regional availability or edition information. Confirm the current platform, language options, physical or digital edition and local stock before buying.
The award anchors here are documented results rather than a ranking of every release. GameDeveloper.com reported on December 13, 2024 that Team Asobi’s Astro Bot received The Game Awards 2024 Game of the Year statue, along with Game Direction, Action/Adventure and Family Game. The Game Developers Choice Awards archive records Balatro as the 2025 Game of the Year for games released in 2024, as well as Best Debut, Best Design and the Innovation Award. The same 2024 Game Awards report lists Metaphor: ReFantazio as the winner of Best Narrative, Art Direction and Best RPG; the GDCA archive lists it as a Best Narrative finalist.
#1 Best Overall
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The GDCA archive also places Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Metaphor: ReFantazio among major finalists for 2024 releases. Those records explain why the games are useful starting points; the recommendations below explain what to play when you want a similar promise with different execution.
Best alternatives to Astro Bot: 3D platformers and action-adventure
Astro Bot is the clearest modern reference point for highly polished 3D platforming: responsive movement, compact stages, constant visual novelty and a collectible hunt that welcomes newcomers. It is designed primarily for solo play and keeps its family-friendly presentation even when a stage introduces a trickier challenge.
Use the table to identify the closest match for the part of Astro Bot you enjoyed. No alternative reproduces its exact camera work, DualSense-focused feedback or PlayStation character museum, so the useful question is what you want to trade.
| Game | What it preserves | How it differs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey | Three-dimensional movement, playful worlds, dense secrets and collectible-driven exploration | Large sandbox kingdoms and the Cappy capture mechanic replace Astro Bot’s tightly staged linear levels | Players who want more freedom and experimentation |
| Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart | Bright spectacle, accessible controls, inventive gadgets and cinematic set pieces | Third-person shooting and weapon upgrades are central; combat occupies more of every stage | Players who want platforming with substantial action |
| Sackboy: A Big Adventure | Friendly presentation, collectible costumes, obstacle courses and approachable platforming | Stages support cooperative play and the movement is less acrobatic and less camera-driven | Families and groups seeking local or online co-op |
| Psychonauts 2 | Imaginative 3D levels, character-focused storytelling and varied platforming abilities | The tone is more narrative and psychologically themed, with uneven difficulty and more dialogue | Players who value story and world-building over speed |
| Tinykin | Collecting, exploration and cheerful miniature worlds | It minimizes combat and uses small creatures and tools instead of precision jumps as the main solution | Players who want a relaxed, low-pressure collectathon |
Choose Super Mario Odyssey for the most freedom
Super Mario Odyssey is the strongest alternative when the joy came from discovering that a familiar space hides several routes. Each kingdom is a playground rather than a short obstacle course. Mario’s cap can possess selected creatures and objects, turning movement and puzzle solving into a series of experiments.
The trade-off is pacing. Astro Bot frequently presents a new visual idea within minutes; Odyssey may let you spend a long time in one kingdom, following clues, buying costumes and revisiting earlier areas. Its main path is forgiving, while optional objectives can demand more precise movement. It is a solo Nintendo Switch game, so it does not provide the same PlayStation hardware integration.
Choose Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for platforming plus shooting
Rift Apart keeps the colourful science-fiction spectacle but shifts the center of gravity toward combat. The weapon wheel, upgrade paths and enemy arenas give every encounter more weight than a typical Astro Bot stage. Rifts create rapid transitions between locations, and the campaign uses a cinematic structure with controllable Ratchet and Rivet sections.
It is a better fit if you want a more substantial action-adventure campaign and are comfortable with frequent shooting. Players seeking a pure jump-and-collect rhythm may find the combat interruptions too frequent. It is associated with PlayStation 5 and PC editions; verify the edition and hardware requirements for your region before purchase.
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Sackboy: A Big Adventure is the practical choice when the important difference is multiplayer. Its levels are built for one to four players, and cooperative stages add tasks that are difficult or impossible to complete alone. Costumes and collectibles provide a gentle reason to replay a level without demanding expert execution.
The camera is generally easier to read than in a fast 3D platformer, and failure is less punishing. That makes it suitable for mixed-skill groups, although experienced players may miss the sharper movement and surprise transformations that define Astro Bot.
Choose Psychonauts 2 for a stranger, story-led platformer
Psychonauts 2 uses psychic abilities to make each world reflect a character’s fears, habits or memories. Its levels are more expansive and dialogue-heavy than Astro Bot’s compact showcases. The humour and themes are aimed at a broad audience but can be more emotionally complicated than a family mascot adventure.
Rank #2
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Pick it when you want platforming to explain a character and setting. Do not choose it solely for the fastest collectible route: the game’s strongest moments are its themed environments, ability upgrades and narrative payoffs.
Choose Tinykin for a calm collecting trip
Tinykin turns the collectathon into a small-scale exploration game. You navigate household-sized environments, recruit tiny helpers and use them to carry, break or build your way through objectives. Because combat is minimal, the challenge comes from route planning and finding every item.
It is an excellent alternative for younger players or anyone who enjoyed searching every corner of Astro Bot more than defeating enemies. Its lower intensity also makes it a good short-session game.
Games like Balatro: card games, deckbuilders and indie experiments
Balatro is an unusually strong anchor because its appeal is not just “poker with upgrades.” Each run combines familiar hand rankings with jokers, economy decisions and escalating score requirements. Randomness creates surprise, but the player still has meaningful control over discards, shop purchases and the direction of a deck. Runs are structured for repeated attempts, so a failed build can teach you something without requiring a long campaign.
| Game | Run structure | Deck or build decision | Difficulty and feel | Best match for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slay the Spire | Map-based solo runs with branching paths, events and bosses | Choose cards, relics and a route; removing weak cards is often as important as adding strong ones | Demanding but readable; success depends on planning several turns ahead | Players who want deep, deterministic deck construction |
| Monster Train | Short runs through a sequence of battles on multiple train floors | Combine two clans, upgrade units and distribute troops across floors | Powerful combinations arrive quickly, but later difficulties punish loose builds | Players who want more units and tactical positioning |
| Inscryption | Card battles are embedded in a staged campaign with distinct acts | Build a sacrifice-based deck while solving puzzles and manipulating the game space | Starts intimate and grim, then changes rules and presentation dramatically | Players who want mystery and experimentation over endless runs |
| Wildfrost | Compact runs through branching encounters | Build a small squad, manage countdown-based attacks and combine charms | Sharper and less forgiving; positioning and timing matter every turn | Players who want a tactical challenge after mastering basic deckbuilders |
| Dicey Dungeons | Brief character-specific runs with random encounters | Fit dice into equipment slots and adapt to the roll results | Light, quick and highly replayable, with randomness exposed directly | Players who want portable, low-commitment experiments |
Choose Slay the Spire for the purest deckbuilding lesson
Slay the Spire strips the formula down to cards, relics, route choices and enemies that reveal their intentions. There is no poker hand to assemble; you build a deck whose effects work together over several turns. The map lets you choose between fights, elite encounters, shops, rest sites and unknown events.
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Choose Monster Train for explosive combinations
Monster Train adds a battlefield with multiple floors and lets you combine two factions. Units, spells and upgrades can create enormous turns, but you must decide where to deploy that power before each wave reaches the train’s heart. The spatial layer gives it a different rhythm from Balatro’s hand-by-hand scoring.
Its higher difficulty levels are especially good for players who enjoy finding broken interactions and then testing whether they can survive with fewer safety nets. If you prefer a clean numerical puzzle with almost no board management, Slay the Spire is the closer fit.
Choose Inscryption for a card game that keeps changing
Inscryption is the recommendation for readers who want the cards to be part of a mystery. Its cabin-like opening uses sacrifice mechanics, talking cards and an oppressive atmosphere, while later sections deliberately alter the rules and presentation. The experience is more authored than an endless roguelike loop.
That structure means replayability is different from Balatro. You are uncovering a designed sequence rather than chasing unlimited score combinations. Pick it for tone, puzzles and surprises, not for a permanent leaderboard-style run cycle.
Rank #3
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Choose Wildfrost for timing and positional pressure
Wildfrost gives allies and enemies countdowns, so every turn asks when an attack will occur and whether a unit should be moved, buffed or sacrificed. Charms and companion combinations can create strong builds, but the game expects careful sequencing.
It is a natural next step if Balatro feels too forgiving after several successful runs. New players should expect a steeper opening because a single missed countdown can ruin an otherwise promising expedition.
Choose Dicey Dungeons for short, portable runs
Dicey Dungeons makes randomness visible: each turn gives you dice, and equipment tells you how those dice may be spent. Different characters change the rules, so a run with the Warrior feels unlike one with the Inventor or Robot.
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Its sessions are compact and its presentation is playful rather than dramatic. It lacks Balatro’s poker vocabulary, but it delivers the same satisfaction of turning an unpredictable result into a clever line of play.
Alternatives to Metaphor: ReFantazio: narrative role-playing games
Metaphor: ReFantazio is the strongest narrative-RPG anchor in this group: The Game Awards recognized it for Best Narrative, Art Direction and Best RPG, while the GDCA archive recorded a Best Narrative finalist placement. Its appeal comes from combining a dramatic journey, a flexible class-like combat system, party relationships and time-management decisions.
The right alternative depends on which of those layers you want to emphasize. A social calendar, a reactive party, tactical battles and a long traditional quest are all different ways to deliver a story-heavy RPG.
| Game | Story and party focus | Combat and exploration | Time commitment | Choose it when you want |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persona 5 Royal | Dense school-life calendar, confidants and a fixed central cast | Turn-based battles with weaknesses, personas and dungeon infiltration | Very long; the calendar rewards planning across many in-game months | More social simulation and modern urban drama |
| Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance | Darker, more philosophical story with a smaller emphasis on everyday relationships | Explorable wastelands, demon recruitment and punishing weakness-based combat | Long, with multiple routes and substantial optional exploration | Harder battles and creature fusion over social scenes |
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | Reactive companions, branching quests and extensive player choice | Turn-based tactical combat, vertical environments and systemic interactions | Large campaign; optional content can add many hours | Freedom, consequences and party-driven role-play |
| Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | Character-led drama mixed with humour, friendship and side activities | Turn-based battles in modern city zones with jobs, improvised weapons and positioning | Long and side-activity heavy | A contemporary setting and a more comedic emotional range |
| Octopath Traveler II | Eight protagonists with separate stories that gradually intersect | Classic turn-based battles built around weaknesses, boosts and job combinations | Long, but easier to divide into individual character arcs | Traditional structure and a beautiful 2D-HD presentation |
| Dragon Quest XI S | Clear hero’s-journey storytelling and a large supporting cast | Accessible turn-based combat, towns, dungeons and optional activities | Long and steady, with a generous difficulty curve | A welcoming traditional RPG rather than a calendar system |
Choose Persona 5 Royal for social systems and stylish turn-based combat
Persona 5 Royal is the closest choice if the appeal of Metaphor is balancing relationships with dungeon preparation. Days are a resource: spending time with a confidant can unlock benefits, while studying, working or improving a skill competes for the same evening.
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Its battles use elemental weaknesses and a collection of recruitable personas, but the urban school setting and calendar give the campaign a more intimate rhythm. It is a poor fit if you dislike deadlines or want uninterrupted exploration; it is excellent if character bonds are as important as the main plot.
Choose Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance for harder systems and less social downtime
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance keeps the weakness-driven combat and demon fusion associated with the broader series while emphasizing large areas to explore. You spend more time reading enemy affinities, building a team and finding routes through dangerous terrain than managing everyday relationships.
Its difficulty curve is less forgiving than a typical story-first RPG. Save often, experiment with demons and treat optional areas as meaningful power checks. Choose it when combat decisions matter more to you than a broad cast of social scenes.
Rank #4
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Choose Baldur’s Gate 3 for maximum player agency
Baldur’s Gate 3 replaces a mostly authored journey with quests that react to your choices, abilities and alliances. A conversation can avoid a fight, a spell can change the environment and a companion’s personal goals can alter the party’s direction. Combat is turn-based and tactical, with positioning, surfaces and verticality affecting outcomes.
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Choose Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth for modern melodrama and variety
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth combines serious character drama with broad comedy, social activities and a job-based party system. Battles are turn-based but use movement around a local area, allowing improvised objects and positioning to matter.
It is less mythic than Metaphor and more grounded in contemporary cities, yet both games ask you to invest in a large cast and their personal histories. Choose it when you want a long RPG that can switch from emotional scenes to absurd side content without abandoning turn-based combat.
Choose Octopath Traveler II for classic structure and flexible pacing
Octopath Traveler II presents eight protagonists, each with a distinct opening story and field ability. You can alternate between chapters, build a party around job combinations and return to earlier areas as your team grows.
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Choose Dragon Quest XI S for a traditional, forgiving adventure
Dragon Quest XI S offers a classic hero, towns, dungeons and a large journey with a clear structure. Battles are straightforward to learn, while optional tactics, equipment and party abilities provide room to optimize.
It does not have Metaphor’s calendar pressure or class experimentation, but that is precisely its strength. Choose it when you want to follow a long adventure at your own pace without constantly deciding how to spend the next in-game day.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Action RPG and visually driven adventure alternatives
The 2024 GDCA finalist pool also points to two different action-RPG directions: Black Myth: Wukong emphasizes demanding real-time encounters and myth-inspired presentation, while Final Fantasy VII Rebirth combines a cinematic party story with broad zones and several controllable characters. Neither is a single “next game” for every player, so use them as filters.
| If you want | Try | Why it fits | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open-world build freedom and discovery | Elden Ring | Many weapons, spells, routes and optional bosses support radically different characters | Its difficulty and opaque quest design can be demanding without external guidance |
| Linear boss mastery | Lies of P | Focused stages, weapon assembly and precise guard mechanics create a clear skill path | Less exploration and fewer viable detours than an open-world RPG |
| Cinematic melee combat | God of War Ragnarök | Strong performances, readable arenas and a guided story with upgrade choices | Build variety and exploration are narrower than in a fully open RPG |
| Ranged combat and open zones | Horizon Forbidden West | Machine weak points, bows, traps and large landscapes reward preparation | Its activities can feel checklist-driven if you clear every marker |
| Stylish combo execution | Devil May Cry 5 | Three distinct combat styles and score-driven replay make mastery the progression | Story and exploration are secondary to combat performance |
Choose Elden Ring for the widest range of builds
Elden Ring is the answer when your priority is freedom rather than a fixed sequence of set pieces. You can change weapons, attributes, spells and companions, approach major areas from different directions and postpone difficult encounters while exploring elsewhere.
Best Value
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That freedom comes with friction. The game gives fewer explicit directions than a cinematic action adventure, and its bosses can demand repeated practice. It is primarily a solo experience, with optional online cooperation and invasions rather than a dedicated co-op campaign.
Choose Lies of P for a concentrated challenge
Lies of P delivers a more controlled route through its world. Weapon combinations, perfect guards and risk-reward decisions around recovery make each boss a test of timing and pattern recognition. The linear structure lets the developers tune encounters more tightly than an open-world RPG.
Choose it when you want the combat intensity associated with Black Myth: Wukong but prefer a compact journey. It is less suitable if you mainly enjoy wandering, collecting side stories or changing direction whenever you want.
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God of War Ragnarök places character relationships and set-piece pacing ahead of unrestricted exploration. The axe, blades and shield each support different responses to enemies, while gear and skill choices let you specialize without overwhelming the campaign.
It suits players who want spectacular presentation and a clear narrative path. Those seeking a deep build-crafting sandbox should choose Elden Ring instead.
Choose Horizon Forbidden West for ranged tactics and exploration
Horizon Forbidden West makes preparation central. Scanning a machine reveals components and weaknesses, and the right bow, trap or elemental effect can turn a dangerous encounter into a controlled hunt. The open zones provide climbing, underwater areas and environmental puzzles between fights.
Its story is more heavily directed than Elden Ring’s and its activity map is busier than Black Myth: Wukong’s focused progression. Pick it when you want to explore a large world without giving up a strong cinematic campaign.
Choose Devil May Cry 5 for pure combat mastery
Devil May Cry 5 is the specialist option. Each playable character has a radically different moveset, and the ranking system rewards creative combos, style switching and damage avoidance. Replaying missions is part of the design rather than an afterthought.
There is little reason to choose it for collecting or social systems. Choose it when the question is not “Where do I go next?” but “How elegantly can I defeat this group?”
A practical decision guide
Use these prompts when several alternatives look appealing:
- Want the same mood? Choose Sackboy or Tinykin for a lighter platforming tone; choose Psychonauts 2 for stranger, more character-led themes.
- Want a different difficulty curve? Move from Astro Bot to Super Mario Odyssey for optional challenge, or to Lies of P and Elden Ring for deliberate combat mastery.
- Want shorter sessions? Choose Dicey Dungeons, a focused Slay the Spire run or a single Tinykin area instead of a large narrative RPG.
- Want cooperative play? Sackboy is the clearest platforming choice, while Baldur’s Gate 3 supports a party-led cooperative campaign.
- Want less randomness? Slay the Spire exposes more information and rewards planning; Balatro remains the better choice if unpredictable high-rolls are the thrill.
- Want more story agency? Choose Baldur’s Gate 3; choose Persona 5 Royal if you prefer a carefully scheduled authored story.
- Want a lower commitment than a huge RPG? Choose Octopath Traveler II for separable character arcs or Lies of P for a more directed action campaign.
Platform, edition and availability checks
Awards pages record recognition, not current inventory. Before placing an order or downloading a game, check the store listing for your country and confirm:
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- the exact console or PC version, including whether a required upgrade is included;
- whether the listing is a physical disc, cartridge, download code or digital license;
- language, subtitle and accessibility options;
- the edition’s included expansions or cosmetic content;
- storage space, operating-system and graphics requirements for PC;
- local multiplayer, online-service and subscription requirements;
- current stock, delivery timing and the return policy.
Availability changes after award announcements, and re-releases can use similar names. Treat a retailer page as the authority for the edition you are actually buying, not an award archive or an old review.
Bottom line
Start with the feature you want to preserve, not the trophy label. Astro Bot fans should choose Super Mario Odyssey for open-ended platforming, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for action or Sackboy for co-op. Balatro players should choose Slay the Spire for disciplined deckbuilding, Monster Train for explosive combinations or Inscryption for a mystery-driven card campaign. Metaphor: ReFantazio players should choose Persona 5 Royal for social systems, Baldur’s Gate 3 for reactive role-playing or Dragon Quest XI S for a classic adventure. For action-focused alternatives, select Elden Ring for freedom, Lies of P for concentrated difficulty, God of War Ragnarök for cinematic pacing or Horizon Forbidden West for ranged exploration.
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