Field guide · Cel shaded and comic book FPS games

Games like Borderlands: cel shaded and stylised FPS games on PC

By Ekin, a solo developer in Istanbul (Whale Development Studios), maker of Iron Curtain Call. Published 8 November 2026; every price, release date and platform below was checked on 8 November 2026 against the US Steam store and the sources at the end.

Hand inked classic cartoon rubber hose characters and heavy outlines in a first person combat arena in Iron Curtain Call
Iron Curtain Call swaps comic book cel shading for rubber hose rubber hose ink and greasepaint inside a Cold War Soviet puppet state. Free demo on Steam.
The short answer

The ten games at a glance

When players search for games like Borderlands, they are usually chasing one of two things: bold ink outlines that make a 3D world look like a printed comic book, or loud, irreverent gunplay where enemies and weapons never take themselves too seriously. I am building Iron Curtain Call as a solo developer in Istanbul with hand inked rubber hose rubber hose character art and a talking propaganda telephone, so I mapped out the ten shooters on Steam that best capture that illustrated, loud first person energy.

If you want Borderlands style cel shaded gunplay in a fast roguelite loop without a hundred hours of inventory sorting, start with Roboquest ($24.99, free demo on Steam) and Gunfire Reborn ($19.99). If you want a pure comic book aesthetic where every panel, sound effect and outline looks drawn by hand, play Void Bastards ($29.99), The Darkness II ($29.99) and XIII ($12.99). If you want loud comedic sci fi and satirical radio chatter, play High On Life ($39.99) and Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition ($39.99). And if you want a hand inked rubber hose cartoon shooter set in a satirical sixties Cold War Soviet puppet regime, try the free Steam demo or browser trial of my game Iron Curtain Call (releasing 11 March 2027).

At a glance

The ten games at a glance

US Steam store prices, release dates, platforms and free demo availability checked on 8 November 2026.
GameArt and comic styleCombat loopFree demo on SteamUS priceOut
Iron Curtain CallMy gamerubber hose rubber hose ink & greasepaintParry, kick, grapple, dual wieldYes, free: Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutesNot priced yet11 March 2027Free demo since 28 October 2026
Borderlands 2Heavy ink cel shaded sci fi WesternCo op looter shooter RPGNo$19.9917 September 2012
RoboquestComic book cel shading with onomatopoeiaFast movement roguelite FPSYes, free$24.997 November 2023
Gunfire RebornStylised low poly cel shaded fantasyCo op hero roguelite looter FPSNo$19.9917 November 2021
Void Bastards2D comic panels and halftone speech bubblesTactical roguelite boarding FPSNo$29.9928 May 2019
High On LifeBright alien cartoon worlds & talking gunsComedic metroidvania sci fi FPSNo$39.9913 December 2022
Bulletstorm: Full Clip EditionPulpy sci fi spectacleLeash, kick and Skillshot score FPSNo$39.997 April 2017First released in 2011
The Darkness IIGraphic novel ink & crosshatchingQuad wielding demon tentacle FPSYes, free$29.999 February 2012
XIII ClassicClassic BD comic book frames & headshot popupsEspionage stealth action FPSNo$12.9911 June 2020First released in 2003
Shadow WarriorPulpy action comic martial artsKatana combos and heavy gunplayNo$29.9926 September 2013
Game by game

Each game, what it shares with Borderlands and what it drops

Each card covers what the game shares with this guide’s theme, how it plays and its verified US Steam store facts on 8 November 2026.

Iron Curtain Call

My game

Play it if you want my game.

I am building Iron Curtain Call for players who love the bold, readable silhouettes and loud personality of Borderlands but want a tight single player shooter without level gated loot tables or bullet sponge health bars. Every tin soldier, television studio and carnival boss is drawn with heavy rubber hose rubber hose ink lines and greasepaint shading. Instead of farming weapon rarities, you survive by parrying incoming fire, kicking clockwork troopers into hazards, grappling across propaganda stages and dual wielding vintage steel while the Party Line telephone berates your performance.

Developer and publisher
Whale Development Studios
Out
11 March 2027
Free demo out
28 October 2026
On Steam
Windows and macOS (demo on Windows, macOS and Linux)
US list price
Not priced yet
Demo
Yes, free
Gameplay trailer · 1:00 · Twelve chapters in sixty seconds. YouTube · Video page

Download the free Steam demoPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download

Borderlands 2

Play it if you want the benchmark.

Gearbox Software’s Borderlands 2 defined the cel shaded looter shooter formula on PC: thick hand inked textures over 3D geometry, millions of procedurally combined weapons, four player co op and Handsome Jack’s constant radio taunts across Pandora. If you are looking for the benchmark that every other game on this page either builds on or reacts against, it still runs on Windows, macOS and Linux for $19.99.

Developer
Gearbox Software
Publisher
2K
Released
17 September 2012
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Roboquest

Play it if you want comic book speed roguelite.

RyseUp Studios’ Roboquest takes the bright cel shaded outlines, colour coded weapon perks and two player co op of Borderlands and compresses them into a blistering movement shooter. Every weapon hit pops comic book sound words onto the screen, rails and jump pads keep your feet off the floor, and a full run takes under an hour. It has a free Steam demo.

Developer and publisher
RyseUp Studios
Released
7 November 2023
On Steam
Windows (demo on Windows)
US list price
$24.99
Demo
Yes, free

Gunfire Reborn

Play it if you want co op looter roguelite.

If your favourite part of Borderlands is stacking absurd elemental weapon modifiers and skill tree synergies with up to three friends, Gunfire Reborn distils that build crafting into a stage based roguelite FPS. You pick an anthropomorphic hero, roll weapon inscriptions and Ascensions after each room, and test your build against multi phase bosses.

Developer
Gunfire Reborn Studio
Publisher
Duoyi Games
Released
17 November 2021
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Void Bastards

Play it if you want british comic book satire.

Directed by Jonathan Chey, Void Bastards looks like a printed British sci fi comic come to life. Enemies are flat 2D hand drawn sprites inside 3D derelict spaceships, footsteps and gunshots appear as floating comic lettering through walls so you can read sound visually, and every bureaucratic prison death prints a new disposable inmate onto the ship’s manifest.

Developer and publisher
Blue Manchu
Released
28 May 2019
On Steam
Windows and macOS
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam

High On Life

Play it if you want talking guns & alien comedy.

If you came to Borderlands for loud comedic banter and bizarre alien weaponry rather than stat spreadsheets, High On Life gives every gun in your holster a face, a personality and a traversal gadget. Your weapons argue with you mid fight while you swing across neon planets with a sentient knife.

Developer and publisher
Squanch Games, Inc.
Released
13 December 2022
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$39.99
Demo
None on Steam

Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition

Play it if you want pulpy sci fi skillshots.

Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition shares Borderlands’s love of loud, over the top sci fi wasteland spectacle, but replaces random loot drops with the Skillshot scoring system. You yank enemies into the air with an energy leash, boot them into electrical hazards or carnivorous plants in slow motion, and spend the points on ammunition and upgrades.

Developer
People Can Fly
Publisher
Gearbox Publishing and 2K
Released
7 April 2017
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$39.99
Demo
None on Steam

The Darkness II

Play it if you want graphic novel ink & tentacles.

Digital Extremes rendered The Darkness II with hand painted graphic novel crosshatching and thick black ink outlines so it matches the Top Cow comic books it adapts. You dual wield firearms while two demonic tentacles slash, impale and hurl car doors at mobsters to keep you in the shadows.

Developer
Digital Extremes
Publisher
2K
Released
9 February 2012
On Steam
Windows and macOS (demo on Windows)
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free

XIII Classic

Play it if you want classic bd comic panels.

Ubisoft Paris’s original XIII (11 June 2020, adapted from Jean Van Hamme and William Vance’s Belgian graphic novel) was one of the first PC shooters to commit completely to cel shading. Long range sniper headshots open a three panel comic strip in the corner of your screen, and explosions paint "BOUM" and "BLAM" across the room.

Developer
Ubisoft Paris Studio
Publisher
Microids
Released
11 June 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$12.99
Demo
None on Steam

Shadow Warrior

Play it if you want pulpy katana & gun comedy.

Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior pairs wisecracking buddy banter between Lo Wang and the banished demon Hoji with fast directional katana dismemberment and heavy firearms. Like Borderlands 2, it runs natively on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Developer
Flying Wild Hog
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
26 September 2013
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam
Where my game fits

Where Iron Curtain Call fits if you love Borderlands

I am not making a 60 hour co op looter shooter with colour coded gear score numbers. Here is what Iron Curtain Call shares with Borderlands and what it does differently:

Bold ink outlines and readable silhouettes. Where Borderlands uses comic book cel shading over 3D models, Iron Curtain Call uses rubber hose rubber hose ink, pie cut eyes and theatrical greasepaint so every mechanical enemy reads instantly at high speed.

Loud satirical voiceover without open world backtracking. Like Handsome Jack’s radio interruptions, our Party Line telephone and Ministry loudspeakers constantly mock your performance, but every stage is a tight, handcrafted single player arena.

Skill based aggression instead of gear level gates. You never bounce off a boss because your rifle is two levels too low. Every fight is won with parries, kicks, grappling hooks and dual wielding.

Questions

Questions players ask about games like Borderlands

What is the best cel shaded FPS like Borderlands without a long RPG grind?

Roboquest ($24.99, with a free demo on Steam) and Void Bastards ($29.99) give you bold comic book visuals and punchy gunplay in short, replayable runs. If you want a handcrafted rubber hose cartoon shooter, try the free demo of Iron Curtain Call.

Which games like Borderlands have a free demo on Steam right now?

Two shooters in this guide offer a free playable demo on Steam right now: Iron Curtain Call (native on Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a 60 second browser trial) and Roboquest.

Which games like Borderlands run on macOS and Linux?

Iron Curtain Call (free demo live now), Borderlands 2 ($19.99) and Shadow Warrior ($29.99) all list Windows, macOS and Linux support on Steam, while Void Bastards supports Windows and macOS.

What PC and indie games are coming out in 2027?

More than one page can hold: Steam shows a lot of PC and indie games with a 2027 date, and dates keep moving. What we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026 are the shooters and the Mac action games, in two dated lists: upcoming FPS games and upcoming Mac games. Iron Curtain Call, our own cartoon noir shooter, is due 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, and its free demo is on Steam now.

What games release on 11 March 2027?

Among the shooters we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026: Blood of Rations (11 March 2027) and Iron Curtain Call (My game, 11 March 2027). We only checked shooters, so this is not the full set for that day; Steam’s own Coming Soon page has the rest.

What is a good new single player FPS I can play for free right now?

Iron Curtain Call has a free demo on Steam (Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutes) and a free 60 second browser trial with no download. It is a single player cartoon noir shooter, and it is our game, so weigh that. For other free shooters, our list of free FPS demos on Steam holds the best rated ones.

Sources and when we checked them

Every release date, US list price, platform flag and demo entry on this page was read from the official US Steam store API and Wikipedia/Wikidata on 8 November 2026.

  1. Iron Curtain Call, Steam store page
  2. Borderlands 2, Steam store page
  3. Roboquest, Steam store page
  4. Gunfire Reborn, Steam store page
  5. Void Bastards, Steam store page
  6. High On Life, Steam store page
  7. Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, Steam store page
  8. The Darkness II, Steam store page
  9. XIII Classic, Steam store page
  10. Shadow Warrior, Steam store page
  11. Cel shading, Wikipedia
  12. Borderlands (video game), Wikipedia
  13. Borderlands 2, Wikipedia
  14. Roboquest, Wikipedia
  15. Gunfire Reborn, Wikipedia
  16. Void Bastards, Wikipedia
  17. High on Life (video game), Wikipedia
  18. Bulletstorm, Wikipedia
  19. The Darkness II, Wikipedia
  20. XIII (2003 video game), Wikipedia
  21. Shadow Warrior (2013 video game), Wikipedia

Try Iron Curtain Call free on Steam or in your browser

Download the free Steam demo on Windows, macOS or Linux, play 60 seconds in your browser with no install, or wishlist the full game ahead of 11 March 2027.

Download the free Steam demoWishlist and Follow on SteamPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download