10 Best PlayStation Alternatives to Gears of War

Gears of War is a beloved Xbox title, a third-person shooter video game that helped popularize the use of cover-based combat. It features intense, brutal action and memorable characters. Bringing in the Chainsaw Gun as its signature weapon is pretty unique. The game ensures it brings fun as players traverse the well-designed multiplayer and co-op experiences. Gears of War is set in Sera, a war-torn planet, a reverse anagram for Ares, the Greek God of War, a creative wordplay. Some characters, like Marcus and Dom, have become a highly valued aspect of the game. With a similar story, environment, mechanics, and/or other features, here are the top 10 best alternatives to Gears of War for gamers to choose from.

10. Death Stranding

For gamers who don’t mind some weird but thoughtful and more existential games, Death Stranding just might be it. It delivers a trippy experience that defies most genres. Sam Porter Bridges, a post-apocalyptic courier hauling packages across damaged America. He does this while dodging ghostly threats, other rogue couriers, and physical laws. Most of the game is about balance and connecting humanity, and there’s a fair share of combat. You’ll face loneliness, the rain, and a crying baby strapped onto your chest. It’s all Kojima, part walking simulation and part sci-fi epic. 

9. Demon’s Souls 

Demon’s Souls is a challenging, intense RPG with a focus on combat and exploration. Should you fancy intense action and dark vibes, Demon’s Souls is a fantasy come true. The game offers a brutal medieval punch fueled by timing and patience, plus a punishing difficulty. While in the game, expect no guns, just blades, dragons, and lots of regret. Every enemy feels like a boss, or better yet, a therapy session waiting to happen. Demon’s Souls could easily become your next obsession if you don’t mind learning from multiple deaths.

8. Returnal 

Suppose mind-bending, bullet-dodging sci-fi is your forte? Well, Housemarque’s Returnal might be the alternative you seek. The combat game follows Selene, a lone space explorer stuck in a time loop on a hostile alien planet. On this planet, every creature wants you dead, and watch out, they mostly succeed. With the lack of cover-based gunfights, Returnal throws you into fast-paced, arcade-style combat involving a lot of moving, dodging glowing bullets, and adapting on the go, or better yet, on the fly. Each loop forces you to rebuild from scratch and reshapes the world, making every run a mix of chaos, learning, and adrenaline-fueled skill.

7. Remnant: From the Ashes

Remnant from the Ashes offers an intense, action-packed adventure full of twists, challenges, and mystery. It takes the third-person shooter format and drops it into a grim post-apocalyptic world full of massive bosses and twisted creatures. Combat is fluid and explosive, featuring ranged weapons and mod-based powers that let you summon creatures, heal allies, and hurl fireballs. There is loot to grind, builds to customize, and lore to uncover. It forces you to be smart, quick, and a tad bit paranoid similar to Gears of War.

6. Dark Souls

Dark Souls isn’t just a game; it’s a rite of passage. Players are dropped into a decaying, cryptic world with no map and enemies who don’t care about your health bar. It’s all about perfect timing, punishing enemies, and learning from every painful death. No hand to hold, just swords and shields in an eerie atmosphere and deep lore. With controls in your hand, expect full rage and heavy sweating. But when you finally topple that boss who has been bodying you for hours, the dopamine hits for real, providing a highly rewarding experience. You’ll have earned it. 

5. Horizon Forbidden West

For gamers who get a kick out of visually stunning open-world games, Horizon Forbidden West drops you into a post-apocalyptic future ruled by giant robot animals. Undoubtedly, strategy beats brute force.  As Aloy, you’ll hunt these machines with a bow, sling, and a ton of tech. It’s part exploration and part sci-fi mystery that demands planning, precision, and the occasional mid-air shot to the face. Filled with plenty of breathtaking landscapes, stealthy ambushes, and gear upgrades to obsess over. Think primal instincts meet futuristic warfare.

4. Devil May Cry 5

Cover-based shooting might feel too slow and grounded, but Devil May Cry 5 will launch you into stylish chaos. It’s all about fast pace and over-the-top demon brawls. Combos matter more than bullets, and every fight is a chance to be the most badass character ever. You can choose to play as Nero, Dante, or Vergil, characters packed with ridiculous abilities and flashy moves. It’s more theatrical than it is tactical. You don’t hide behind cover, push it out of the way, and strike a pose. Devil May Cry 5 is glam metal mayhem and proud of it.

3. Deathloop 

Want an alternative that blends brains with bullets? The video game Deathloop throws you into a time-warping murder puzzle mixed with serious style. Colt, the character, is an assassin trapped on a chaotic Island in a day that never ends. He hunts eight targets before the loop resets. You remember everything, so every death teaches you something new. It has smooth first-person gunplay and powers like teleportation and telekinesis. It puts out a ’70s spy-meets-sci-fi kind of vibe. It’s wickedly clever, stylish, and witty. Pure finesse with a silenced pistol that will have you reminiscing about Gears of War.

2. Helldivers 2 

If quirky humor and heavy reliance on teamwork makes your joystick twitch, Helldivers 2 should be on your to-play list. It focuses on managed democracy and spreading freedom. Helldivers 2 offers an absurd twist on the genre, particularly if you enjoy intense hoard-based combat where strategic coordination, teamwork, and communication are required to survive. The missions are kept fresh with the diverse enemy types and procedurally generated levels. With that, go ahead and call down air strikes, support fire, heavy weapons, and reinforcements to decimate the enemy.

1. The Last of Us Part I

Featuring a grizzled smuggler and a sarcastic teenager in a post-apocalyptic world crawling with infected freaks and desperate humans, The Last of Us delivers a slow and rich story. You’ll crouch in silence, crafting makeshift weapons while praying no Clickers hear you breathe. The combat delivers more tension than explosions. It’s less blast your way through and more survive by any means necessary with excellent storytelling. A survival-horror action game with a focus on story and character, and with grit and heart.