Games Like Ryse Son of Rome
Quick Answer
The closest games to Ryse Son of Rome are Assassin's Creed Origins, Shadow of Rome, Total War: Rome II, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance. Below are 9 picks with the reason for each — what carries over from Ryse Son of Rome, and what does not.
What Made Ryse Son of Rome Work
Ryse is a spectacle game. The combat is a small set of parries and executions, the campaign is short, and the reason people remember it is that it looked extraordinary at launch. What people usually want next is more Roman-era action, or more of the cinematic execution combat.
Ryse: Son of Rome is Crytek's 2013 Xbox One launch title, released on PC in 2014. Marius Titus rises from legionary to general while seeking revenge for his family, fighting through Britannia and Rome in a short campaign. Combat is built around blocks, counters and cinematic executions, and it was a technical showcase for the new console. Fans usually want either more Roman-era action or more cinematic, execution-heavy melee.
9 Games Like Ryse Son of Rome
1.Assassin's Creed Origins
Ancient-world action with a real combat system underneath.
Why it fits: Ubisoft Montreal's 2017 game is set in Ptolemaic Egypt and includes Julius Caesar and Roman legions, with a hitbox-based melee system.
What is different: An open-world RPG, not a linear brawler, and far longer; Rome is the occupying power here, not your side.
Where to play it: PS4, Xbox One and PC.
More about this game →2.Shadow of Rome
The other serious attempt at a Roman action game, and stranger.
Why it fits: Capcom's 2005 PS2 game mixes brutal gladiator combat and chariot races as the soldier Agrippa with stealth sections as Octavianus.
What is different: It splits its time between arena fights and stealth sections, and the chariot races have no counterpart in Ryse.
Where to play it: PS2.
More about this game →3.Total War: Rome II
If the Roman setting was the appeal more than the combat.
Why it fits: Creative Assembly's 2013 strategy game lets you command Roman armies in real-time battles and manage an empire on a turn-based campaign map.
What is different: You command armies from above and run an empire between battles; you never fight as one soldier.
Where to play it: PC.
More about this game →4.Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Short, cinematic, and combat built on weight rather than depth.
Why it fits: Ninja Theory's 2017 game follows a Pict warrior into Norse myth, with weighty melee and a strong focus on sound design and presentation.
What is different: Fewer fights and far more puzzles and voices; it is about psychosis, not glory, and the combat is one-on-one duels.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →5.Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance
Pure arena combat in the same setting.
Why it fits: Acclaim Studios Manchester's 2003 action game for PS2 and Xbox is an arena-combat game set in ancient Rome.
What is different: It leans on fantasy and the afterlife rather than the legion, and it shows its age in the camera and controls.
Where to play it: PS2 and Xbox.
More about this game →6.God of War
Ancient-world spectacle done far better.
Why it fits: Santa Monica Studio's 2005 PS2 game, set in Greek mythology, established the cinematic, finisher-heavy combat that Ryse's executions echo.
What is different: Kratos fights gods and monsters with chained blades and magic, and there is more platforming and puzzle-solving between fights.
Where to play it: PS2; remastered for PS3.
Games like this →7.The Order: 1886
The same trade of length and depth for presentation.
Why it fits: Ready at Dawn's 2015 PS4 game is a short, visually polished third-person shooter set in an alternate Victorian London.
What is different: A cover shooter with guns, not swords, and the setting is steampunk London rather than Rome.
Where to play it: PS4.
More about this game →8.Expeditions: Rome
Turn-based Roman campaigning with real strategy.
Why it fits: Logic Artists' 2022 turn-based tactics RPG puts you in command of a Roman legion, with campaigns across the Mediterranean.
What is different: Turn-based squad tactics and dialogue choices; you plan fights on a grid rather than play them in real time.
Where to play it: PC.
More about this game →9.Achilles: Legends Untold
Ancient-world action RPG with a heavier combat model.
Why it fits: Dark Point Games' 2023 action RPG follows Achilles after his death, with heavy melee combat in Greek mythology.
What is different: Viewed from above, with loot and stamina-based combat in the soulslike mould rather than Ryse's cinematic executions.
More about this game →
Where to Start
If you want Roman action with more depth, Assassin's Creed Origins is the closest, and it covers the same broad era. For short, cinematic melee, Hellblade is the pick. If it was Rome itself that you liked, Total War: Rome II lets you command it.
How We Picked These Games
We looked for Roman or ancient-world settings first, then for cinematic melee games that trade length for presentation. We kept one strategy game and one turn-based game for players who came mainly for the Roman setting.
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How These Picks Match Ryse Son of Rome
Ryse Son of Rome is catalogued here as an action-adventure on the Xbox One. Seven of the nine picks share at least one of its genre tags — seven action games and five adventures among them. The other two — Total War: Rome II and Expeditions: Rome — are different genres and are on the list for one specific thing Ryse Son of Rome did, so read the reason before ruling them out.
Going by the "where to play it" notes, four can be played on PC, six can be played on a PlayStation, one can be played on a Nintendo system and three can be played on an Xbox. Achilles: Legends Untold is from a small or self-published studio.
| Game | Genre | Shares with Ryse Son of Rome | Where to play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed Origins | Action, RPG, Adventure | Action, Adventure | PS4, Xbox One and PC. |
| Shadow of Rome | Action, Fighting, Adventure | Action, Adventure | PS2. |
| Total War: Rome II | Strategy, Simulation | Different genre — see the reason above | PC. |
| Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice | Action, Adventure | Action, Adventure | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. |
| Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance | Action, Fighting | Action | PS2 and Xbox. |
| God of War | Action, Adventure | Action, Adventure | PS2; remastered for PS3. |
| The Order: 1886 | Shooter, Action, Adventure | Action, Adventure | PS4. |
| Expeditions: Rome | Strategy, RPG | Different genre — see the reason above | PC. |
| Achilles: Legends Untold | Action, RPG, Indie | Action | — |
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