Games Like Contra
Quick Answer
The closest games to Contra are Contra III: The Alien Wars, Metal Slug 3, Cuphead, Blazing Chrome and Gunstar Heroes. Below are 9 picks with the reason for each — what carries over from Contra, and what does not.
What Made Contra Work
Contra is a run-and-gun: one hit kills you, the spread gun is the only weapon that matters, and two players make it survivable. It is short, brutal and built for memorisation. The good recommendations are other run-and-guns, not modern shooters with health bars.
Contra is Konami's 1987 run-and-gun arcade game, released on the NES in 1988. Bill and Lance fight through jungles and alien bases with one-hit deaths, weapon pickups like the Spread Gun, and two-player co-op. On NES, the famous Konami Code gives thirty lives. Fans usually want another fast, difficult 2D shooter, ideally one to play with a friend.
9 Games Like Contra
1.Contra III: The Alien Wars
The SNES entry, and the high point of the series.
Why it fits: Konami's 1992 SNES game adds top-down stages and dual weapons, and is often considered the peak of the series.
What is different: Adds top-down stages and lets you carry two weapons and swap between them.
Where to play it: SNES and Game Boy Advance.
More about this game →2.Metal Slug 3
The most generous run-and-gun ever made, and superb in co-op.
Why it fits: SNK's 2000 arcade game is known for its detailed animation, vehicles and co-op run-and-gun action.
What is different: Denser and funnier, with vehicles to ride, prisoners to rescue and branching routes; the one-hit deaths stay.
Where to play it: Neo Geo arcade; later PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →3.Cuphead
Boss-pattern run-and-gun with the same one-hit tension.
Why it fits: Studio MDHR's 2017 game uses a 1930s cartoon style for a run-and-gun built mainly around boss fights.
What is different: Mostly boss fights, you have a few hit points rather than one, and it looks like a 1930s cartoon.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →4.Blazing Chrome
Made specifically to be Contra again, and it succeeds.
Why it fits: JoyMasher's 2019 game is a run-and-gun openly modelled on Contra, with two-player co-op.
What is different: A modern homage to the 16-bit Contras rather than a new idea; it adds a melee attack and its own pixel art.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →5.Gunstar Heroes
Treasure's Genesis run-and-gun, and mechanically richer.
Why it fits: Treasure's 1993 Genesis game lets you combine two weapon types into new shots and has frantic multi-stage boss fights, with two-player co-op like Contra.
What is different: You combine two weapon types into one, and you can throw and slide enemies as well as shoot them.
Where to play it: Mega Drive, and later 3DS.
Games like this →6.Contra: Operation Galuga
The modern remake, and a solid entry point.
Why it fits: WayForward's 2024 game reimagines the original Contra with modern visuals and options.
What is different: A remake of the first game with a life-bar option, perks bought between stages and a longer story.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Switch.
More about this game →7.Broforce
Destructible run-and-gun chaos, four players, very funny.
Why it fits: Free Lives' 2015 game, published by Devolver Digital, is a four-player run-and-gun with destructible environments and action-hero parodies.
What is different: The ground is destructible everywhere, and each rescued prisoner swaps you into a different parody action hero.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →8.Huntdown
A polished modern arcade run-and-gun with great co-op.
Why it fits: Easy Trigger Games' 2020 game, published by Coffee Stain, is a co-op run-and-gun with an 1980s action-film look.
What is different: You take cover and have a health bar, and every stage ends with a named boss gang.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →9.Alien Hominid HD
One-hit-kill run-and-gun with a cartoon look.
Why it fits: The Behemoth's 2007 Xbox 360 HD version of its 2004 run-and-gun has one-hit deaths, two-player co-op and a hand-drawn cartoon style.
What is different: You play the alien, the art is rough hand-drawn Flash style, and you can jump on enemies and bite them.
Where to play it: Xbox 360; the original is on PS2 and GameCube.
More about this game →
Where to Start
Contra III: The Alien Wars is the best next step. Metal Slug 3 is the pick for co-op. Blazing Chrome is the best modern game in this style.
How We Picked These Games
Every pick is a 2D run-and-gun or a close relative with the same one-hit tension. We included Contra's own best entries, the genre's other classics and modern games built on the same foundations.
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How These Picks Match Contra
Contra is catalogued here as a run-and-gun on the Nintendo Entertainment System. All nine picks share at least one of its genre tags — nine shooters, eight arcade games and four action games among them.
Going by the "where to play it" notes, five can be played on PC, seven can be played on a PlayStation, nine can be played on a Nintendo system and seven can be played on an Xbox. Cuphead, Blazing Chrome, Broforce, Huntdown and Alien Hominid HD are from small or self-published studios.
| Game | Genre | Shares with Contra | Where to play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contra III: The Alien Wars | Shooter, Arcade, Action | Shooter, Arcade, Action | SNES and Game Boy Advance. |
| Metal Slug 3 | Shooter, Arcade, Action | Shooter, Arcade, Action | Neo Geo arcade; later PS4, Xbox One and Switch. |
| Cuphead | Shooter, Platformer, Indie | Shooter | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. |
| Blazing Chrome | Shooter, Arcade, Indie | Shooter, Arcade | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. |
| Gunstar Heroes | Shooter, Arcade, Action | Shooter, Arcade, Action | Mega Drive, and later 3DS. |
| Contra: Operation Galuga | Shooter, Arcade, Action | Shooter, Arcade, Action | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Switch. |
| Broforce | Shooter, Arcade, Indie | Shooter, Arcade | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. |
| Huntdown | Shooter, Arcade, Indie | Shooter, Arcade | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. |
| Alien Hominid HD | Shooter, Arcade, Indie | Shooter, Arcade | Xbox 360; the original is on PS2 and GameCube. |
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