Games Like NieR: Automata — Existential Action RPGs That Get Weird

NieR: Automata is not actually an action RPG. It's a video game that wears the skin of an action RPG while using that form to ask questions about consciousness, purpose, identity, and whether anything matters. It's also weirdly gorgeous, with some of the best combat Platinum Games ever designed, a soundtrack that will make you cry, and a structure that fundamentally requires multiple playthroughs to experience in full.

Finding games like NieR: Automata is harder than it sounds. Plenty of games have great combat. Plenty of games have big ideas. Very few have both plus Yoko Taro's specific "I'm going to break your heart in ways you weren't ready for" energy. Here's what hits closest.

The Yoko Taro and Platinum Games universe

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 is the remastered version of Yoko Taro's previous NieR game. Automata is technically a sequel/prequel to this. The combat is less polished than Automata (no Platinum Games involvement) but the story is equally devastating.

Drakengard 3 is the earlier Yoko Taro game that sets up the Drakengard/NieR universe. Combat is janky — the game is divisive — but the narrative runs on the same wavelengths. Only available on PS3 which is a genuine shame.

Bayonetta 3 is Platinum Games' other masterwork. The combat is arguably deeper than Automata's. The story is different in tone (less existential, more witch-vs-angel fantasy) but the sincerity of commitment is there.

Astral Chain from Platinum lets you control two characters at once. Unique, stylish, executes on its concept better than most games manage. Nintendo exclusive unfortunately.

The "gorgeous action with deep story" picks

Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth are Square Enix at their most polished. The combat feels reminiscent of Automata's flow (Square was the publisher on both). The themes about identity, memory, and loss resonate similarly.

Final Fantasy XVI leans harder into pure action. The combat director came from Devil May Cry. Clive's emotional journey hits similar notes to 2B's without being a copy.

Star Ocean The Second Story R is the remake of a classic JRPG. Multiple endings based on your character's relationships, cosmic stakes, heartfelt storytelling.

The "multiple endings change everything" picks

NieR: Automata's endings A-E completely reframe what the game is about. Games that structure themselves similarly:

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim uses thirteen interlocking protagonists across multiple timelines. You choose which character's story to follow when, and the puzzle-solving is figuring out how everything fits together. The reveal when it clicks is Automata-level satisfying.

Fate/Stay Night and its Realta Nua remaster have three routes that reveal completely different views of the same events. Essentially three games in one, and the ultimate truth emerges only when you've seen all three.

The Silver Case from Suda51 structures its narrative across two interwoven perspectives. Deeply strange and philosophically loaded.

The existential indie picks

Pathologic 2 is one of the heaviest games ever made. Survival horror where you play a doctor trying to save a town from plague. Every decision has weight. Every minute costs. Different genre entirely but the existential weight matches Automata's.

Disco Elysium is the detective RPG that asks you to interrogate your own psyche. Unique structure, devastating writing, essentially nothing else like it. The games like Disco Elysium post has more.

Outer Wilds is exploration puzzle game where understanding the universe is literally the mechanic. Automata fans resonate with Outer Wilds for very good reasons. The games like Outer Wilds post covers this.

The action-forward alternatives

Scarlet Nexus had the budget and ambition to be the next Automata. Two protagonists, psychokinetic combat, anime style. Didn't quite hit, but what's here is good.

Astral Chain — mentioned above, worth mentioning again for the specific combat feel.

Hi-Fi Rush is Tango Gameworks' love letter to rhythm-action. Not existential but the combat flow and style commitment share DNA. Tragically the studio was shut down.

DMC5 stands alone. Three playable characters, ridiculous combat depth, earnest stupidity wrapped in sincere execution.

The "weird structure" picks

Omori is a JRPG that shifts genres and tones in ways Automata fans appreciate. Cute pixel aesthetic that gets genuinely dark.

Undertale is the other major "your choices actually change the game" entry. Multiple distinct playthroughs reveal different stories. The games like Undertale post covers its space.

Eastward is a gorgeous indie JRPG with heavy narrative weight. Pixel art SNES aesthetic with modern game design sensibilities.

The World Ends With You has themes and combat that feel adjacent to Automata in the best ways. NEO TWEWY on modern platforms is the accessible entry point.

The completely different recommendations

Sometimes the best "games like NieR Automata" recommendations come from outside its genre.

Kentucky Route Zero is a narrative adventure about a mystery highway in Kentucky. Slow, meditative, devastating. Different from Automata in every way except the philosophical weight.

Signalis is retro survival horror with heavy themes about identity, memory, and systematic oppression. Indie two-person team. Punches far above its weight. If you loved Automata's sci-fi existentialism, Signalis nails it in a different package.

Everhood is an indie rhythm-dodging game with narrative structure that echoes both Automata and Undertale. Weirder than either.

What we make at Choost

We're not making 40-hour action RPGs with multi-ending structures — it's far beyond our scope. But the Yoko Taro school of "give players real meaningful choice and let the game change based on them" is something we respect enormously. Granny's Rampage doesn't do branching narrative but does deliver tight focused experience with clear player expression. For more recommendations, the games like Persona and best JRPG games posts have more.

Watch the trailer

The short answer

For the direct predecessor: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139.

For similar Platinum combat polish: Bayonetta 3 or Hi-Fi Rush.

For similar philosophical weight: Disco Elysium or Outer Wilds.

For multi-ending structure: 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

For the existential indie pick: Signalis or Pathologic 2.

For the JRPG with structure tricks: Undertale.

Automata is uniquely itself. Nothing else does everything it does. But its pieces live across enough different games that you can keep finding things in that vein if you know what you're looking for. The combat, the storytelling, the philosophical ambition — all three corners exist in enough adjacent games to keep you busy for years.