Games Like Dead Cells on Mobile (Android & iOS)

If you're reading this on your phone, skip straight to the good news: Dead Cells is already one of the best mobile ports made. No lookalike required — it's a full, paid download on both app stores, every weapon and mutation intact. The harder question is what to play once you've cleared a few dozen runs, and that's where most "games like Dead Cells" lists fall apart, because half of what they recommend doesn't actually exist on a phone. Below is what does, with price and controller notes for each, since that's what trips people up in the store.

Dead Cells

Start with the original, because it earns the recommendation. Playdigious built the mobile port from the ground up rather than shrinking a PC build down, and the touch controls hold up even in the game's fastest fights — a genuine achievement for something this twitchy. Every biome, weapon, mutation, and paid DLC from the PC version made it across.

Price: paid, roughly $8.99 depending on region and sales (DLC sold separately). It's also included with Netflix Games at no extra cost if you already subscribe. Controller: full support, and worth using — the parry timing is tighter with a pad. If you're deciding whether it's worth your money at all, we've written up is Dead Cells worth it, and there's a wider games like Dead Cells list covering the PC and console field.

Skul: The Hero Slayer

The closest thing to Dead Cells on a phone. Skul is a 2D side-scrolling action roguelike where you play a skeleton who swaps heads mid-run to change combat style entirely — a heavy bruiser skull one minute, a fast spellcaster the next. The mobile port, released in mid-2024, carries the full game across with a revamped interface, cloud saves, and MFi controller support.

It's a little friendlier on the difficulty curve than Dead Cells, especially early, but the two-skull swap gives combat a layer Dead Cells doesn't have. Price: around $7.99, one-time purchase. Controller: MFi supported.

Hades

The one caveat worth knowing before you search for it: Hades is on iOS, not Android. Supergiant Games spent over a year tuning the touch controls for the Netflix Games release in March 2024, and the iOS version runs at 60fps with full controller support and cloud saves — but there's no Android port, and none has been announced.

If you're on iPhone or iPad, it's free with a Netflix subscription and one of the best mobile ports available, full stop. If you're on Android, this one just isn't an option yet, so move down the list.

Wizard of Legend

For when you'd rather cast spells than swing a blade. Wizard of Legend is a top-down action roguelite where you build a spell loadout from over a hundred options and fight through a procedurally generated tower. The mobile version, out since late 2023, adds touchscreen controls, full gamepad support, and even local multiplayer over LAN.

The combat rewards the same read-and-react instincts as Dead Cells, just from spellslinging instead of melee. Price: one-time purchase, around $9.99. Controller: supported.

Grimvalor

A tighter, more linear pick, but the moment-to-moment combat is some of the cleanest hack-and-slash on mobile. Grimvalor sends you through a cursed kingdom with fluid melee, a dash, and boss fights that punish button-mashing the same way Dead Cells does. It's more of a straight action-platformer than a roguelike — no run resets, no permadeath — so temper expectations there.

Price: around $6.99, one-time purchase. Controller: full MFi and Android gamepad support.

ScourgeBringer

Often described as Dead Cells meets Celeste, and that's not far off. ScourgeBringer is a fast, procedurally generated action-platformer where you dash through enemies as much as you slash them, with a rhythm that rewards staying aggressive rather than turtling. The mobile version added an Easy Mode on top of the original PC release, plus full physical controller support.

Price: around $6.99, one-time purchase. Controller: supported.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

The pick if what you actually miss is the Metroidvania map, not the run-based loop. Bloodstained is Koji Igarashi's spiritual successor to Castlevania — a sprawling gothic castle, over a hundred items and spells, and a deep map built for backtracking rather than one-and-done runs. NetEase's mobile port carries the whole game, DLC included, with an overhauled UI built for touch.

It's a different genre shape than Dead Cells — no permadeath, no procedural layout — but if the castle and the item-hunting are what you're chasing, this is the one. Price: around $9.99. Controller: supported.

A note on what's not on mobile

Rogue Legacy 2, Have a Nice Death, and Dead Estate all show up on "games like Dead Cells" lists, and none of them are on Android or iOS as of now. If a recommendation list points you to one of those for your phone, that's a mistake worth catching before you go looking in the store. The six above are the ones you can actually install tonight.

If you're chasing this on PC too: KUTO: The Lock of Time

One to keep on your radar for when you're back at a desk — and to be upfront, it's our own game, so weigh that as you read. KUTO: The Lock of Time is a time-bending action Metroidvania: side-on movement, a fast melee weapon, an interconnected world, and boss fights built to be learned. To be clear, it's a PC game on Steam for Windows, not on phones — so this is a "follow it / play it on PC" pick, not a mobile download.

The hook is time. You play Jokoan Kuto, an outcast from the Order of the Time Guardians who is betrayed by the gods, escapes death, and survives by merging with the titan Kronos. That bond arms him with the Scythe of Kronos — a fast, physical melee weapon — and command over time itself: bullet-time, rewind, dash, and more. You carry two time powers at a time and swap which pair you bring between runs.

KUTO: The Lock of Time is coming soon to Early Access on Steam for Windows.

Add KUTO: The Lock of Time to your wishlist on Steam to follow it.