9 Best Games Like Castle Crashers But For Nintendo Switch
Looking for your next chaotic adventure after defeating the dark wizard and rescuing the princesses? This beloved indie phenomenon set a high bar for multiplayer beat 'em up games with its perfect blend of button-mashing combat, RPG progression, and quirky humor.
But, you need more games like Castle Crashes!
Whether you're craving more side-scrolling action, cooperative mayhem with friends, or that satisfying feeling of leveling up your character while smashing through hordes of enemies, there are plenty of fantastic alternatives that capture that same magic.
The games featured here share core elements that made the original so addictive: couch co-op gameplay, combo-heavy combat systems, character progression, and vibrant art styles (games like Cult of the Lamb) that pop off the screen. From modern indie darlings to classic arcade legends, each title offers its own unique twist on the formula while maintaining that essential spirit of cooperative carnage and comedic charm.
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9 Games Like Castle Crashers But For Nintendo Switch
1. Streets of Rage 4
Streets of Rage 4 modernizes the classic beat 'em up formula while maintaining everything that makes the genre great. Like Castle Crashers, this is a side-scrolling brawler built for cooperative play, featuring gorgeously hand-drawn animation that rivals Castle Crashers' distinctive art style.
The combat system offers satisfying depth with juggle combos, special moves, and team-up attacks that reward coordinated play between friends. Each of the game's characters feels distinctly different, encouraging multiple playthroughs, much like experimenting with Castle Crashers' various knights. The progression includes unlockables and multiple difficulty modes to keep you coming back.
What really connects it to Castle Crashers is the pick-up-and-play accessibility combined with surprising depth. Whether you're casually button-mashing through levels or mastering frame-perfect combos, Streets of Rage 4 delivers that same rewarding combat flow.
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
Shredder's Revenge is pure nostalgic bliss wrapped in modern game design, delivering exactly the kind of cooperative beat 'em up action that Castle Crashers fans crave. With support for up to 6 players locally or online, it actually exceeds Castle Crashers' 4-player maximum for even more chaotic fun.
The game features a light leveling system where you unlock new moves and abilities as you progress, echoing Castle Crashers' RPG elements. Each of the seven playable characters has unique stats and special moves, encouraging experimentation and replay value. The combat is fluid and satisfying, with excellent hitboxes and responsive controls.
Like Castle Crashers, it perfectly balances nostalgia with modern conveniences such as online multiplayer, quality-of-life features, and gorgeous pixel art that honors the franchise while feeling fresh. It's a love letter to classic arcade brawlers with the polish and replayability of contemporary indie hits.
3. River City Girls 2
River City Girls 2 expands everything that made the original great, delivering a massive beat 'em up RPG experience that rivals Castle Crashers in content and charm. The game features extensive character progression, purchasable moves, recruitable allies, and an interconnected world that encourages exploration between brawls.
Combat is incredibly satisfying with a deep combo system, weapon variety, and special moves that feel impactful. Like Castle Crashers, it perfectly blends humor with action. The writing is sharp, the characters are memorable, and the game never takes itself too seriously. The six playable characters each offer distinct playstyles and movesets.
The local and online co-op is seamless, and the game's leveling system provides that same "one more level" addiction. With hidden items, side quests, and multiple endings, it offers tremendous replay value for fans of Castle Crashers' progression hooks.
4. River City Girls
The original River City Girls established the modern formula for beat 'em ups with RPG elements, making it a natural fit for Castle Crashers fans. You'll level up your characters, purchase new moves from dojos, recruit defeated bosses as assists, and explore an interconnected city between combat encounters.
What makes it special is the attitude and personality, much like Castle Crashers' quirky humor, River City Girls is bursting with charm through its anime-inspired cutscenes, fantastic voice acting, and infectious soundtrack. The 2-player co-op is where it truly comes alive, with both characters sharing the same progression and unlocks.
The combat system rewards experimentation with weapons, combos, and special moves. While slightly smaller in scope than the sequel, it's a tighter, more focused experience that delivers pure beat 'em up satisfaction from start to finish.
5. Full Metal Furies
Full Metal Furies takes the Castle Crashers formula and adds strategic depth through its color-coded combat system and tank/DPS/support class structure. This is a 4-player cooperative brawler that demands teamwork: certain enemies can only be damaged by specific character colors, forcing coordination between players.
Like Castle Crashers, it features extensive character progression with skill trees, equipment loadouts, and stat customization. The game's structure mirrors Castle Crashers with its level-based progression, boss battles, and unlockable content. Combat is fluid and satisfying, mixing melee and ranged attacks with area-of-effect abilities.
What sets it apart is the surprising narrative depth and puzzle elements woven into the brawling action. It's perfect for Castle Crashers fans seeking something familiar yet mechanically distinct, especially those who enjoy the strategic aspects of character building and team composition.
6. Cuphead
Like Castle Crashers, this is a game built for 2-player local co-op, where coordination and communication lead to victory. You'll unlock new weapons and special abilities as you progress, creating light character customization similar to Castle Crashers' weapon system. The difficulty is significantly higher, rewarding pattern recognition and precise execution.
What connects it most to Castle Crashers is the personality and charm, both games ooze style and refuse to take themselves seriously despite their mechanical depth. The boss battles are memorable spectacles, the soundtrack is phenomenal, and the sense of accomplishment after conquering difficult encounters rivals Castle Crashers' most satisfying moments. Perfect for fans seeking a more skill-focused challenge with that same cooperative spirit.
7. Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate delivers anime-styled beat 'em up action with a robust RPG progression system that Castle Crashers fans will immediately recognize. You'll level up characters, unlock new skills, and customize your build through multiple playthroughs.
The game features fast-paced combat with fighting game mechanics like air combos, special cancels, and character-specific move lists. The 4-player co-op supports both local and online play, and the difficulty scales appropriately for solo or group play. Each character plays distinctly different, encouraging experimentation.
Like Castle Crashers, it has a quirky sense of humor and doesn't take itself too seriously despite the depth of its systems. The pixel art is gorgeous, the soundtrack is energetic, and the gameplay loop of leveling up and unlocking new abilities creates that same addictive progression.
8. Nine Parchments
Nine Parchments transforms the Castle Crashers formula into a top-down magical twin-stick shooter, replacing swords with spells while maintaining the cooperative chaos. This is a 4-player co-op adventure where friendly fire is always on, creating the same hilarious mayhem that defined Castle Crashers' multiplayer.
The progression system includes character leveling, unlockable wizards (each with unique spell combinations), and skill tree customization. Combat is about managing your spell loadout, coordinating with teammates, and frantically dodging both enemy attacks and your allies' errant fireballs. The challenge escalates significantly in higher difficulties.
Like Castle Crashers, it excels at creating memorable co-op moments: accidentally nuking your friend, barely surviving boss encounters, and laughing through the chaos. The gorgeous visuals and smooth gameplay make it perfect for fans seeking a magical spin on the formula.
9. Knights of Braveland
Knights of Braveland is a turn-based strategy RPG that trades Castle Crashers' real-time action for tactical combat, but maintains the medieval fantasy setting and party-based progression. You'll build an army of unique units, each with distinct abilities and upgrade paths.
Like Castle Crashers, it features character progression through three connected campaigns, each with a different protagonist and army composition. The game's structure, moving from battle to battle, collecting loot, and upgrading your forces, echoes Castle Crashers' level-to-level progression. The difficulty curve rewards strategic thinking and party optimization.
For Castle Crashers fans who enjoy the RPG elements and character building more than pure action, this provides a deeper, more thoughtful experience. The fantasy setting, humor, and gradual power growth will feel comfortably familiar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What style game is Castle Crashers?
Castle Crashers is a side-scrolling beat 'em up with RPG elements. It combines classic arcade brawler gameplay (similar to games like Streets of Rage or Final Fight) with character progression systems including leveling, stat allocation, and unlockable weapons. The game supports up to 4-player local and online co-op, features hand-drawn cartoon art style, and includes competitive mini-games and arena modes. It's part of the "modern beat 'em up" revival that added depth and progression to the traditional genre formula.
Is Castle Crashers better solo or co-op?
Castle Crashers is significantly better in co-op, especially with 3-4 players. While perfectly playable solo, the game was designed around cooperative multiplayer: the chaotic combat, friendly fire mechanics, and princess-kissing competitions only reach their full potential with friends. The difficulty scales for player count, but the real magic comes from coordinating combos, accidentally hitting each other, and competing for loot. Local couch co-op is ideal, though online multiplayer works great too.
What games are similar to Castle Crashers on Xbox?
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Streets of Rage 4, and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge are the closest alternatives available on Xbox. All three are side-scrolling beat 'em ups with 4-player co-op, character progression, and vibrant art styles. Other excellent options include River City Girls 1 & 2, Guardian Heroes (via backwards compatibility), and The Simpsons Arcade Game. For fans of The Behemoth's style specifically, BattleBlock Theater and Pit People are also available on Xbox platforms.
Does Castle Crashers have character progression?
Yes, Castle Crashers features a robust RPG progression system. Characters gain experience and level up (max level 99), earning stat points to allocate across Strength, Magic, Defense, and Agility. You'll also unlock over 40 weapons with different stats and properties, discover animal orbs that provide passive bonuses, and unlock new playable characters by completing specific challenges. Progress carries across all game modes, and each character levels independently, encouraging multiple playthroughs with different knights.
How long does it take to beat Castle Crashers?
The main campaign takes approximately 4-6 hours to complete on your first playthrough. However, unlocking all characters, weapons, and animal orbs requires multiple playthroughs and can extend gameplay to 15-25 hours. Maxing out all characters to level 99, completing Insane Mode, and achieving 100% completion can take 30-50+ hours. The game encourages replaying with different characters, as each playthrough unlocks new content and helps level up your knights for the more challenging difficulty modes.
Can you play Castle Crashers cross-platform?
No, Castle Crashers does not support cross-platform multiplayer. Online co-op is limited to players on the same platform (Xbox players with Xbox, PlayStation with PlayStation, PC with PC, etc.). However, the game does support both local couch co-op and online multiplayer within the same platform ecosystem. The Nintendo Switch version, Castle Crashers Remastered, also only supports local and online multiplayer with other Switch players.
About the Author
Miguel (austernotus) is a game developer and pixel artist who believes the best recommendations come from understanding a game's core systems. With a background that spans from high-level MMO PVP (2100+ in WoW) to professional SEO, his analysis goes beyond the surface to find the games you'll actually love.