Cuphead vs Dead Cells
Cuphead is a platformer soulslike game from Studio MDHR (2017) while Dead Cells is a platformer roguelike game from Motion Twin (2018).
What each one is
Steam files Cuphead under Platformer and Soulslike. In contrast, it files Dead Cells under Platformer and Roguelike.
Cuphead is a classic run and gun action game heavily focused on boss battles. Inspired by cartoons of the 1930s, the visuals and audio are painstakingly created with the same techniques of the era, i.e. traditional hand drawn cel animation, watercolor backgrounds, and original jazz recordings.
Dead Cells is a roguelite, metroidvania inspired, action-platformer. You'll explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle... assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers in 2D souls-lite combat. No checkpoints. Kill, die, learn, repeat.
At a glance
| Cuphead | Dead Cells | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.5/10 | 8.7/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (96%, 220,388) | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 183,007) |
| Critic aggregate | 88/100 | 89/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $24.99 |
| Install size | 4 GB | 0.49 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Developer | Studio MDHR | Motion Twin |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Cuphead vs Dead Cells, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
CupheadPlatformer soulslike gameDead CellsPlatformer roguelike gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
CupheadDifficult, Cartoon, Co-opDead CellsAdventure, Action Roguelike, MetroidvaniaThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
CupheadScore 8.5 · 96% on Steam · 88 criticDead Cells ✓Score 8.7 · 97% on Steam · 89 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Cuphead220,388 reviews · 3 add-ons · 4 GBDead Cells183,007 reviews · 8 add-ons · 0.49 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Cuphead ✓$19.99Dead Cells$24.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
CupheadVerifiedDead CellsVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueCuphead and Dead Cells on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Dead Cells (GamingPickz Score 8.7)
- The cheaper right now: Cuphead ($19.99)
- Lighter on storage: Dead Cells (0.49 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
DifficultPlatformer2DIndieActionSingleplayerSouls-likeFunny
Where they differ
CartoonCo-opGreat SoundtrackLocal Co-OpMultiplayerHand-drawn
AdventureAction RoguelikeMetroidvaniaPixel GraphicsRogue-likeRogue-lite
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Cuphead is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Dead Cells is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Cuphead | Dead Cells | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Geforce 9600 GT | Nvidia 450 GTS / Radeon HD 5750 |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core2 Duo E8400, 3.0GHz | Intel i5+ |
| Minimum RAM | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Install size | 4 GB | 0.49 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Cuphead · Dead Cells.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Cuphead and 1 for Dead Cells. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Cuphead and Dead Cells in scope?
Cuphead has drawn 220,388 Steam reviews, ships 3 add-ons and installs in 4 GB. Dead Cells has drawn 183,007 Steam reviews, ships 8 add-ons and installs in 0.49 GB.
Is Cuphead or Dead Cells better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dead Cells rates higher (8.7 to 8.5). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Cuphead or Dead Cells?
Cuphead is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $24.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.