Best Games Like Starship Troopers

We got a list of the Best Games like Starship Troopers, the Cult Classic movie from 1997.

If you’ve been hanging out on the platform formally known as Twitter, you may have noticed that the recent release of Helldivers 2 has sparked a debate over the movie Starship Troopers. And while Helldivers 2 is most certainly linked to the 1997 classic, we’ve been thinking about what other games feature bugs, hostile environments, and satire of fascism and or the military-industrial complex.

We dug deep into our libraries and found some titles that might interest you across all genres. Please stick around for our recommendations and awful puns.

Best Games Like Starship Troopers

Helldivers & Helldivers 2

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Let’s get the big one out of the way first. Initially, we had planned to put this one last as a joke but we decided to put it early would be funnier. You’ve probably heard of Helldivers 2 which has united gamers across the world to spread sweet-managed democracy and freedom to the far-flung corners of the galaxy so we’ll spare you the sales pitch.

So we’re gonna talk about Helldivers, the original which is a vastly different game from its more popular sequel. If you’re familiar with Arrowhead Game Studios’ previous output, Magicka you know what to expect. Up to 4 players top-down coop action with a bunch of fun abilities and action-rich encounters to be had.

If you’ve been enjoying Helldivers 2, its prequel is well worth your time. It might be on the older side but years and years of post-launch support have turned it into an excellent experience for you and your fellow Helldivers.

Helldivers is available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Steam.

Earth Defense Force 5

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There are games about fighting bugs and there are games about saving the Earth from mutated bugs, frogs, aliens, and other nonsense. And nonsense might be the only word that can accurately describe Earth Defense Force.

It is a game about protecting Earth from the horrors of outer space and underground by using the wildest contraptions our scientists can come up with. Be is Jetpacks and railguns, mechas, drone strikes, power armor, and an infinite supply for tanks and armored vehicles.

Of course, you think you can find these things in Helldivers 2 but hear us out here. Have you ever considered shooting at gigantic frogs while flying around between skyscrapers? Because EFD lets you do that, it encourages you to do that together with a band of fellow hot-blooded citizens of Earth. EDF 5 is fantastic and the sixth entry in the arguably best in class of bug shooting is expected to get its worldwide release later this year.

Earth Defense Force 5 is available on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Factorio

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When we get a chance to mention Factorio, we’ll mention Factorio. It is a video game for anyone who wants to waste a casual 100+ hours of their life only to go “Hm.. I might do it again.”.

You play a poor sod who ends up stranded on an alien planet invested with bugs who hog all the resources. Your mission? Resettle those bugs and borrow their resources to cease the means of production. And if that isn’t Starship Trooper-esque, what is?

At first, your means of dealing with the bugs are fairly limited. Handguns, simple turets, and cars are just the beginning. Eventually, you can work yourself up to artillery, nuclear weapons, and firebombings to get those damn bugs off that Uranium Ore you’ve been eyeballing for the past 10 minutes.

It is a fantastic title for anyone who enjoys a game with mechanics that piggyback so well off each other, that you’ll eventually have to ask yourself it you’re the master of your factory or if it’s the other way around.

Factorio is available on Steam and GoG with an expansion on the way in the near future.

RoboCop: Rogue City

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You might be wondering, why is that new RoboCop game on here? You might know that RoboCop is an earlier work of Paul Verhoeven who would later adapt the book Starship Troopers into the iconic movie. That’s enough of a connection for us to link this game here.

RoboCop Rogue City really makes you feel like RoboCop in Rogue City. Not just in the Batman or Spider-Man sense, no the game actively encourages you to roleplay as the titular character while bringing justice and parking tickets to the world.

Its gameplay might look a little stale at first but walking around like a tank while turning criminals into meat paste. Trust us here, it is a fantastic title for anyone who’s into that specific era of movies.

RoboCop Rogue City is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

And that sums up our picks for games just like Starship Troopers. There are of course the officially licensed ones that you can check out as well. For more on games, check out our coverage of Helldivers 2 where you can learn about the recent update, find guides, and more.