Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Police Stories (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Police Stories on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: Insurgency: Sandstorm, which both atmospheric, strategy and difficult.
- Police Stories is tagged Action, Strategy, Co-op, Simulation, Tactical, Villain Protagonist, Top-Down Shooter, Shooter by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
Insurgency: Sandstorm
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 9 player tags including Realistic, Shooter and Tactical; released around the same time (2018).
Insurgency: Sandstorm is a hardcore tactical FPS built on lethal close-quarters combat and ruthless intensity. Every bullet count, every step matters, and teamwork is your only path to survival in the brutality of modern warfare.
Insurgency: Sandstorm at a glance Released 2018 Studio New World Interactive Player sentiment 85% positive of 133,079 Price $29.99 RealisticShooterTacticalOnline Co-OpGoreViolentDifficultSimulation
- 2
911 Operator
Why it matched: both crime, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Simulation, Strategy and Indie; released around the same time (2017).
Game about the difficult work of people that manage emergency lines and services. Answer incoming calls and react properly - give first aid instructions, advise, dispatch correct number of firemen / police / ambulances, or sometimes - just ignore the call. Play on ANY CITY in the world!
911 Operator at a glance Released 2017 Studio Jutsu Games Player sentiment 89% positive of 19,785 Price $14.99 SimulationStrategyIndieRealisticCrimeTactical2D
- 3
PAYDAY The Heist
Why it matched: both crime, strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Crime, Online Co-Op and Shooter.
Take on the role of a hardened career criminal executing intense, dynamic heists in constant pursuit of the next “big score”
PAYDAY The Heist at a glance Released 2011 Studio OVERKILL - a Starbreeze Studio. Player sentiment 93% positive of 40,968 Price $9.99 CrimeOnline Co-OpShooterDifficultTacticalStrategySimulationIndie
- 4
Door Kickers
Why it matched: both strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Tactical, Strategy and Simulation.
Door Kickers is an innovative realtime strategy game that puts you in charge of a SWAT team and lets you command them during a tactical intervention.
Door Kickers at a glance Released 2014 Studio KillHouse Games Player sentiment 94% positive of 10,057 Price $19.99 TacticalStrategySimulationIndie2DShooterTop-Down ShooterDifficult
- 5
Hitman: Codename 47
Why it matched: both crime, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Shooter, Difficult and Crime.
As the enigmatic Hitman, you must use stealth and tactical problem solving to enter, execute and exit your assignment with minimum attention and maximum effectiveness. For a price, you have access to the most devious devices, but how you use them will determine if you retire as a millionaire or get permanently retired.
Hitman: Codename 47 at a glance Released 2007 Studio IO Interactive A/S Player sentiment 71% positive of 5,088 Price $7.99 ShooterDifficultCrimeTacticalViolentStrategy
- 6
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
Why it matched: both atmospheric and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Gore, Pixel Graphics and Violent; released around the same time (2015).
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is the brutal conclusion to the Hotline Miami saga, set against a backdrop of escalating violence and retribution over spilled blood in the original game.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number at a glance Released 2015 Studio Dennaton Games Player sentiment 94% positive of 79,987 Price $14.99 GorePixel GraphicsViolentDifficultIndieTop-Down Shooter2DShooter
- 7
Lobotomy Corporation | Monster Management Simulation
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Difficult, Simulation and Gore; released around the same time (2018).
A roguelite monster-management simulation inspired by the likes of the SCP Foundation, Cabin in the Woods, and Warehouse 13. Order your employees to perform work with the creatures and watch as it unfolds; harness greater energy, and expand the facility
Lobotomy Corporation | Monster Management Simulation at a glance Released 2018 Studio ProjectMoon Player sentiment 94% positive of 56,811 Price $24.99 DifficultSimulationGoreIndieStrategy2D
- 8
Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Gore, Violent and Strategy; released around the same time (2018).
Help legendary horror icon Jason Voorhees stalk and slay campers across 100+ puzzle levels in a hilariously off kilter puzzle game. Jason will terrorize victims from the campgrounds of Crystal Lake to the highrises of Manhattan, from supermax prisons to space stations... and beyond!
Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle at a glance Released 2018 Studio Blue Wizard Digital Player sentiment 94% positive of 6,080 Price Not listed GoreViolentStrategyIndieDifficultSimulation
- 9
The Escapists 2
Why it matched: both strategy and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Pixel Graphics and Online Co-Op; released around the same time (2017).
Craft, Steal, Brawl and Escape! It’s time to bust out of the toughest prisons in the world as you return to the life of an inmate in The Escapists 2, now with multiplayer! Have you got what it takes to escape?
The Escapists 2 at a glance Released 2017 Studio Team17 Player sentiment 91% positive of 33,775 Price $19.99 StrategyPixel GraphicsOnline Co-Op2DSimulationIndieDifficult
- 10
12 is Better Than 6
Why it matched: both atmospheric and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Shooter, Top-Down Shooter and Indie; published by the same company; released around the same time (2015).
12 is Better Than 6 is a dynamic top-down shooter with stealth elements, presented in a Wild West theme. The story puts you in the shoes of escaped slave fleeing to the United States in 1873.
12 is Better Than 6 at a glance Released 2015 Studio Ink Stains Games Player sentiment 84% positive of 10,276 Price $1.99 ShooterTop-Down ShooterIndie2DViolentDifficultGore
- 11
Day of Infamy
Why it matched: both strategy; shares 9 player tags including Realistic, Shooter and Tactical; released around the same time (2017).
Experience close-quarters battles in iconic WWII settings. Defend the line, storm the beach, torch the enemy, or use a radio to call in fire support. Day of Infamy is a teamwork-oriented shooter that will keep you on your toes and coming back for more with its diverse game modes and authentic arsenal.
Day of Infamy at a glance Released 2017 Studio New World Interactive Player sentiment 82% positive of 22,100 Price $14.99 RealisticShooterTacticalStrategyGoreIndieOnline Co-OpSimulation
- 12
Due Process
Why it matched: both crime and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Tactical, Simulation and Online Co-Op; released around the same time (2020).
A PVP tactical FPS about PLANNING & EXECUTION. Sound strategy and good teamwork are essential for victory because new PROCEDURALLY-GENERATED MAPS are delivered every week. You'll face a new tactical challenge every round.
Due Process at a glance Released 2020 Studio Giant Enemy Crab Player sentiment 81% positive of 8,556 Price $9.99 TacticalSimulationOnline Co-OpShooterCrimePixel GraphicsStrategy
- 13
War of Rights
Why it matched: both strategy; shares 8 player tags including Realistic, Simulation and Strategy; released around the same time (2018).
War of Rights is a first person multiplayer game featuring massive 400 player battles with a focus on historical authenticity, teamplay and immersion. It is set during the perilous days of the American Civil War, in the Maryland Campaign of September, 1862.
War of Rights at a glance Released 2018 Studio Campfire Games Player sentiment 88% positive of 15,040 Price $29.99 RealisticSimulationStrategyShooterIndieViolentGoreTactical
- 14
Papers, Please
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Indie, Simulation and Pixel Graphics.
Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.
Papers, Please at a glance Released 2013 Studio Lucas Pope Player sentiment 97% positive of 80,337 Price $9.99 IndieSimulationPixel Graphics2DStrategyDifficult
- 15
Hotline Miami
Why it matched: both atmospheric and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Violent, Indie and Pixel Graphics.
Hotline Miami is a high-octane action game overflowing with raw brutality, hard-boiled gunplay and skull crushing close combat.
Hotline Miami at a glance Released 2012 Studio Dennaton Games Player sentiment 97% positive of 127,794 Price $9.99 ViolentIndiePixel GraphicsGoreDifficult2DShooterTop-Down Shooter
- 16
Iratus: Lord of the Dead
Why it matched: both strategy and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Indie and Villain Protagonist; released around the same time (2020).
Iratus: Lord of the Dead is a turn-based tactical roguelike RPG set in a dark fantasy universe. Lead an army of undead to help an angry necromancer in his quest to reach the surface world and bring death to the mortal realms!
Iratus: Lord of the Dead at a glance Released 2020 Studio Unfrozen Player sentiment 86% positive of 8,251 Price $2.99 StrategyIndieVillain Protagonist2DDifficultViolentGore
- 17
Hitman: Blood Money
Why it matched: both crime, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 5 player tags including Crime, Shooter and Difficult.
Money Talks. Silence Pays. Prepare to Make a Killing. When assassins from Agent 47's contract agency, The ICA, are eliminated in a series of hits, it seems a larger, more powerful agency has entered the fray. Sensing he may be a target, 47 travels to America, and prepares to make a killing.
Hitman: Blood Money at a glance Released 2006 Studio Feral Interactive Player sentiment 94% positive of 16,066 Price $9.99 CrimeShooterDifficultStrategySimulation
- 18
GTFO
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Online Co-Op, Difficult and Shooter; released around the same time (2021).
GTFO is a hardcore cooperative horror shooter that throws you from gripping suspense to explosive action in a heartbeat. Stealth, strategy, and teamwork are necessary to survive in your deadly, underground prison. Work together or die together.
GTFO at a glance Released 2021 Studio 10 Chambers Player sentiment 84% positive of 66,650 Price $39.99 Online Co-OpDifficultShooterTacticalGoreViolent
- 19
Hitman: Absolution
Why it matched: both crime, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 5 player tags including Tactical, Shooter and Crime.
The original assassin is back! Betrayed by the Agency and hunted by the police, Agent 47 finds himself pursuing redemption in a corrupt and twisted world.
Hitman: Absolution at a glance Released 2012 Studio Nixxes Software Player sentiment 93% positive of 63,506 Price $19.99 TacticalShooterCrimeDifficultStrategy
- 20
Hell Let Loose
Why it matched: both strategy; shares 8 player tags including Shooter, Realistic and Tactical; released around the same time (2021).
Join the ever expanding experience of Hell Let Loose - a hardcore World War Two first person shooter with epic battles of 100 players with infantry, tanks, artillery, a dynamically shifting front line and a unique resource based RTS-inspired meta-game.
Hell Let Loose at a glance Released 2021 Studio Expression Games Player sentiment 82% positive of 149,565 Price $49.99 ShooterRealisticTacticalSimulationGoreStrategyViolentIndie
- 21
Ready or Not
Why it matched: both crime, atmospheric and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Tactical, Realistic and Shooter; released around the same time (2023).
Become an elite SWAT commander and bring order to a city overwhelmed by chaos and corruption.
Ready or Not at a glance Released 2023 Studio VOID Interactive Player sentiment 79% positive of 344,226 Price $49.99 TacticalRealisticShooterViolentCrimeGore
- 22
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Shooter, Gore and Violent; released around the same time (2019).
Become the ultimate assassin in the most realistic modern warfare sniping game available. Engage in an immersive single-player campaign across large, open-ended maps. Tactical thinking, stealth approach and precision in execution of long shots required.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts at a glance Released 2019 Studio CI Games Player sentiment 73% positive of 13,229 Price $2.99 ShooterGoreViolentRealisticTacticalDifficult
- 23
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Why it matched: both crime, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 5 player tags including Shooter, Difficult and Gore.
Enter the realm of a retired assassin, forced back into action by treason. You may be a hired killer but you still have a sense of loyalty and justice. Visit the dark recesses of a world corrupted by crime, greed, degradation and dishonor. And a past that catches up with you.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin at a glance Released 2002 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 82% positive of 4,890 Price $8.99 ShooterDifficultGoreCrimeTactical
- 24
Battlefield Hardline
Why it matched: both crime, atmospheric and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Shooter, Violent and Tactical; released around the same time (2015).
Strategy. Speed. Story. These are the core pillars of Battlefield™ Hardline, a cops vs. criminals experience unlike any other.
Battlefield Hardline at a glance Released 2015 Studio DICE Player sentiment 69% positive of 5,407 Price $39.99 ShooterViolentTacticalGoreCrimeVillain Protagonist
Common questions
What game is most like Police Stories?
Insurgency: Sandstorm, on the evidence we have. It both atmospheric, strategy and difficult. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to Police Stories" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with Police Stories. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.