Are There Games Similar to Diablo That Is Better Than Diablo?
Whenever developers want to make a top-down game, and make it great, the first game that comes to mind is Diablo. One of the giants of the genre, Diablo has always been a point of interest for developers for most genres.
Can a game be better than Diablo? Well, everything is subjective. While I'm not claiming all of these game are all better than Diablo, they can be more enjoyable in their own way for different gamers.
So, read more to find out quality games that are similar to Diablo and are better than Diablo in their own way.
10. Minecraft Dungeons
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=minecraft+dungeons+trailer
Okay, it seemed like a weird idea for a video game when we first saw it. However, when I played it and actually experienced it for myself, it was good. Like, really good. Released in 2020 by Mojang Studios and Double Eleven, published by Xbox Game Studios, Minecraft Dungeons was really something else.
The game showed us where Microsoft wanted to go with the Minecraft IP. While they still updated the original game we all know and love, they also wanted to take the world into different avenues. I wouldn’t go with a top-down ARPG as my first choice of video game I wanted to make in the Minecraft universe, but it seems the gamble has paid off. Try it out before you joke about it, the game might surprise you. While there isn’t that in-depth complexity of an ARPG game like Diablo, the game is still a casual treat, especially for Minecraft fans, monsters to slay, bosses to beat, and that sweet loot to grab, all in the style of Minecraft.
9. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCKCPVs3FO0&ab_channel=PlayStation
With a name like that, and a disgustingly beautiful aesthetic that is oozing out of the game, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is definitely the game to play if you are an ARPG fan. Released in 2013 by NeocoreGames, the game has the “19th century Europe but with Steampunk and Nikola Tesla” down to a tee.
The game is complex enough for a good old ARPG adventure, with many of those old mechanics the fans of Diablo and alike are so fond of. The game also received two sequels with varying receptions. While the second game was loved, even more than the first one, the third one didn’t go over too well with people as they deemed it to be a clone of the previous titles or other ARPG games. The best in the series might be the second game; however, there is a certain charm and mystique about the first one. You really feel the immersion of the dark world of Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula when you are playing the game.
8. Pillars of Eternity
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAw4v6JbCBI
Some might think I just started cheating with the list. However, call it a CRPG or an ARPG, the formats definitely look and feel similar. Released in 2015 by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive, the game is rich and vast. You are in the world of Eura, the Eastern Reach region of it. As a foreigner to the land, you find yourself in trouble and a vast adventure really quickly.
The game is rich, yes, and also lore heavy . There is a lot more reading involved here than your Diablo-like (can we call them Diablo-likes? Whatever, I’m going to start doing it). With a focus on story and combat that is focused on research and preparation, you will have to step much more lightly than you would in a Diablo-like. If you are into vast worlds and honestly, amazingly written lore, and you don’t want to lose out on that top-down adventure we all love so much, give this one a try. It just might be one of your new favorites.
7. Magicka
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RCfimgVV24
Released in 2011 by Arrowhead Game Studios, Magicka came out at a time when classic ARPG games were a rare sight to see than today or a few decades before. Released before Diablo 3 basically resurrected the genre, alongside another game we will be taking a look at much further down the list, the game is one of the most innovative and visually striking out there, in the ARPG genre.
The elements are a huge point of focus in the game. Set in Midgård (yes, Norse Mythology), you play as wizards, wielding the elements to protect Midgård which you have been tasked to do so. With a co-op option, the game can be played with up to 4 players. The skills are fun to use, and there are a lot of fun colors and effects involved with the gameplay and combat. The game is fun, does not take itself too seriously, and does not want you to also. A more casual game for this list, but you can still find all those cool mechanics we love to see in ARPGs like inventory management, looting, fighting with hordes of monsters, and getting stronger with every step you take.
6. Grim Dawn
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfABNZqU-PA&ab_channel=CrateEntertainment
Released in 2016 by Crate Entertainment, Grim Dawn is a darker ordeal than usual, but you are already familiar with that from Diablo. The world is dark, and with humanity on the brink of extinction, only survival and nothing more is achievable in such a world. With guilds at every side that is definitely not on the side of the humans, your goal is to survive and adapt to this new world and to, maybe, find a solution for the continuation of humanity.
Looting is there along with that fast, top-down combat that is the key to a good ARPG. The game definitely pays homage to Diablo with its dark world and aesthetics while also creating its own thing, along with rewarding and fun gameplay. If you want a great experience similar to Diablo, this one might be the option for you.
5. Lost Ark
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udwbd5X0zbg&ab_channel=IGN
Here is another different game on this list. Releasing in NA and the EU in 2022, Lost Ark has taken the world by storm. Everyone is playing it, and if you haven’t played it already, no better time than now. The game is an MMORPG, with ARPG elements alive and well throughout the game.
With a strong endgame and content, the game offers a vast experience of rewarding grind, and the feel of the classics of the ARPG genre is not gone with the MMORPG outlook the game has. One of the most played MMORPGs in recent memory, the gameplay also has different minigames and fun activities to do along with destroying hordes of enemies to get stronger. There should be something in this game for everyone, and it definitely helped put ARPGs even more on the map in recent years.
4. Torchlight 2
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH_sGQRSpzo&ab_channel=RunicGames
Released in the same year as Diablo 3, Torchlight 2 is an ARPG developed by Runic Games and released in 2012. The game might have gotten overlooked a smidge because of the popularity and the hype around Diablo 3, but don’t let that fool you. It is a game that can hold its own in the genre and it is definitely game worth a try. It is also unique in the fact that you are asked with stopping the great evil that haunts the world who is the character you’ve played in the first game of the series.
The game was popular and well received; however, similar to Magicka, this is also a simplified version of an ARPG. While we all love the complex worlds and mechanics of games like Diablo 3 and Path of Exile (which we will definitely be talking about), the game’s simple looting mechanics and leveling system also create a different kind of fun for the fans of the genre and gamers alike. A fun experience with cool art and mechanics, this is a must-try for the fans of the genre.
3. Divinity: Original Sin 2
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTWTFX8qzPI&ab_channel=LarianStudios
We are getting into masterpiece territory now. Released in 2017 by Larian Studios, Divinity: Original Sin II is the most in-depth and vast RPG experience I have ever seen. Set in hundreds of years after the first game in the world of Rivellon, you start the game as a prisoner on a ship. As you explore around you, you will find many different characters and personalities. There are good and evil characters, and characters that are in between. You gather a squad, and go through the world and try to uncover the mystery of what has happened and is happening to you.
You will read a novel’s worth of lore and dialogue in the tutorial alone, maybe even a few novels. So, go into the game expecting that. However, while there is a lot of filler text everywhere, they all serve a purpose. The world around is vast and filled with lore, and everything you read gives you more knowledge and understanding about this world. Not only the world but the characters are written with quality as well. Not a single side story and side mission will disappoint, and the game never gets old. This might be the best game ever created for the RPG genre, let alone CRPG or ARPG.
2. Tyranny
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg0WsR3EnGg&ab_channel=ParadoxInteractive
Tyranny is also another CRPG with elements of ARPG. Released in 2016 by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive, you find yourself in another vast world that is filled to the brim with interesting lore and characters. Stuck between two factions that are ravaging Terratus.
The game is different in the fact that you are basically playing as an underling, a messenger for the main evil in the series, the antagonist. Everywhere you go, you bring the destruction of the Overlord Kyros. You can choose to be anyone you want and decide a fate not only for yourself but for everyone around you. This is a difficult game to play at times, not only from the decision you will have to make but also from the combat itself. Play accordingly and have fun. This is a masterpiece in the genre and is definitely worth a playthrough or a few dozen playthroughs.
1. Path of Exile
Here is the trailer for the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbu0wBDC4Rg&ab_channel=GameSpotTrailers
Now, this is the epitome of the genre, right here. Developed and published by Grinding Gear Games in 2013, Path of Exile is a detailed, and I mean detailed, game where you can easily sink hundreds of hours into. The name kind of gives it away but the main gist of the story is that you play as an exile, exiled from the mainland to a place where no one gets out. Well, you are about to change that, and go back to the place to seek justice. You will discover that a great evil lurks in your world as you carry on your journey and might have to face that great evil at some point.
Even a single minigame section of the game can take dozens of hours of your time. This is no joke. With an endgame dozen times more content rich than the main story, the game has a lot, a lot of things to offer you. Also, the game resets around every 3 months with a new expansion. While this may seem like a waste of your efforts at first, it definitely keeps the game fresh and while it may be an uphill battle to learn your way around the mechanics of the game (What even is that skill tree?), once you’ve done so, you will not be able to let go of the vast world Path of Exile offers. Possibly the best game ever in the ARPG genre, it definitely ranks highly on many lists, and for good reason. A must-try. You won’t be disappointed.
