Field guide · Wide open arena firefights and overwhelming enemy waves

Games like Serious Sam and Painkiller: non stop arena horde FPS games

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.

High speed arena combat against waves of wind up tin robots in Iron Curtain Call
In Iron Curtain Call, wide propaganda plazas fill with wind up robot battalions that burst into health and ammo when you dash and punch through them.
The short answer

The nine games at a glance

Players who search for games like Serious Sam and Painkiller want the exact opposite of a slow corridor tactical shooter: they want wide open arenas, waves of aggressive enemies charging from every angle, constant circle strafing and oversized weapons that clear a whole squad at once. While building Iron Curtain Call as a solo developer in Istanbul, I designed its 1965 propaganda plazas around that same pressure cooker rhythm, where standing still for two seconds gets you surrounded by wind up tin soldiers.

If you want the direct modern torchbearers of Croteam and People Can Fly’s arena formula, start with Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem ($19.99), Serious Sam 4 ($39.99) and the classic Painkiller: Black Edition ($9.99). If you want modern boomer shooters that turn arena horde clearing into high speed movement spectacles, play ULTRAKILL ($29.99, free demo on Steam), Turbo Overkill ($19.99, free demo on Steam), DUSK ($19.99), Prodeus ($24.99) and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun ($21.99). And if you want a 1930s rubber hose cartoon arena shooter with a free Steam demo on Windows, macOS and Linux right now, try my game Iron Curtain Call (out 11 March 2027).

At a glance

The nine games at a glance

US Steam store prices, release dates, platforms and free demo availability checked on 8 November 2026.
GameArena horde scale and rhythmSignature crowd control weaponsFree demo on SteamUS priceOut
Iron Curtain CallMy game1965 propaganda plazas and train arenasThe Care Package rocket launcher and Snow Globe freezeYes, free: Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutesNot priced yet11 March 2027Free demo since 28 October 2026
Serious Sam 4Massive open field legion battlesMinigun, portable cannon and dual shotgunsNo$39.9924 September 2020
Serious Sam: Siberian MayhemFocused Russian tundra and industrial arenasCrossbow, AK and classic cannonballsNo$19.9925 January 2022
Painkiller: Black EditionLocked gothic cathedral and opera house wavesStakegun that pins monsters to walls and electrodriverNo$9.9924 January 2007First released in 2004
DUSKFast circle strafing occult arenas + Endless modeDual wielded lever shotguns and riveterNo$19.9910 December 2018
Turbo OverkillMulti tier cyberpunk plazasChainsaw leg slide and micro missile twin pistolsYes, free$19.9911 August 2023
ProdeusExplosive industrial rooms and community mapsQuad barrel shotgun and arc railgunNo$24.9923 September 2022
ULTRAKILL Style graded vertical arenas + Cyber GrindMarksman coin ricochets and core eject nukeYes, free$29.993 September 2020Early Access
Warhammer 40,000: BoltgunPurge arenas packed with Chaos cultists and MarinesHeavy Bolter, Chainsword and MeltagunNo$21.9923 May 2023
Game by game

Each game, how its arena waves work and what makes its crowd control satisfying

Each card covers the arena combat loop, the crowd clearing arsenal, and its verified US Steam store facts on 8 November 2026.

Iron Curtain Call

My game

Play it if you want wide cartoon arenas where robot waves burst into springs, health and ammo.

In Iron Curtain Call, every arena is built for constant movement: you dash between wind up tin soldiers, freeze a charging squad with The Snow Globe, and shatter them with The Diplomat shotgun or The Care Package rocket launcher. Mission 1 is free on Steam right now for Windows, macOS and Linux, and a 60 second browser trial runs at /play/.

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

Serious Sam 4

Play it if you want the largest open field enemy counts and classic backwards pedalling.

Croteam’s Serious Sam 4 (24 September 2020, $39.99) throws hundreds of Headless Kamikazes, Kleer skeletons and Scrapjacks across wide European plazas while you unload miniguns and cannonballs.

Developer
Croteam
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
24 September 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$39.99
Demo
None on Steam

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem

Play it if you want the tightest, best paced modern Serious Sam campaign.

Co developed by Timelock Studio and Croteam, Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem (25 January 2022, $19.99) trims the pacing down to five dense, high energy chapters across snowbound refineries and ghost towns.

Developers
Croteam and Timelock Studio
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
25 January 2022
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Painkiller: Black Edition

Play it if you want the 2004 gothic arena shooter that perfected the stakegun.

People Can Fly’s Painkiller: Black Edition (24 January 2007 on Steam, originally 2004, $9.99) locks you inside cathedrals, asylums and military bases until every wave of monsters is pinned to the stonework.

Developer
People Can Fly
Publisher
Prime Matter
Released
24 January 2007
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$9.99
Demo
None on Steam

DUSK

Play it if you want ninety miles an hour circle strafing on Windows, macOS and Linux.

David Szymanski’s DUSK (10 December 2018, $19.99) pairs three campaign episodes of escalating arena ambushes with an Endless wave mode built for pure movement mastery.

Developer
David Szymanski
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Released
10 December 2018
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Turbo Overkill

Play it if you want to carve through arena hordes with a chainsaw built into your leg.

Trigger Happy Interactive’s Turbo Overkill (11 August 2023, $19.99, free demo on Steam) lets you slide straight through rows of fodder enemies while firing homing rockets at airborne heavies.

Developer
Trigger Happy Interactive
Publisher
Apogee Entertainment
Released
11 August 2023
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

Prodeus

Play it if you want deafening industrial arena firefights with a built in level browser.

Bounding Box Software’s Prodeus (23 September 2022, $24.99, Windows and macOS) turns every room into a chaotic light show of plasma, rockets and chunky sprite detonations.

Developer
Bounding Box Software Inc.
Publisher
Balor Games
Released
23 September 2022
On Steam
Windows and macOS
US list price
$24.99
Demo
None on Steam

ULTRAKILL

Play it if you want an endless wave arena mode alongside the fastest campaign on Steam.

Arsi "Hakita" Patala’s ULTRAKILL (3 September 2020 Early Access, $29.99, free demo on Steam) includes The Cyber Grind, a procedural wave arena where only aerial dashes, parries and multi kills keep you alive.

Developer
Arsi "Hakita" Patala
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Entered Early Access
3 September 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

Play it if you want heavy Space Marine arena purges with a chainsword.

Auroch Digital’s Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (23 May 2023, $21.99) locks down huge imperial chambers for multi wave purge encounters where you rev your chainsword and roar taunts.

Developer
Auroch Digital
Publisher
Focus Entertainment
Released
23 May 2023
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$21.99
Demo
None on Steam
What makes a great arena wave shooter

Why distinct enemy silhouettes and audio cues matter in a crowd

In Serious Sam, you hear a Kamikaze scream before you see him; in Iron Curtain Call, every wind up robot class has a distinct silhouette and telegraph so you can prioritize targets while dashing at full speed.

Questions

Questions players ask about games like Serious Sam and Painkiller

Which games like Serious Sam and Painkiller have a free demo on Steam right now?

Three games in this guide have a free playable demo on Steam right now: Iron Curtain Call (Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a 60 second browser trial), Turbo Overkill and ULTRAKILL.

Should I play Serious Sam 4 or Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem first?

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem ($19.99) is a standalone expansion with tighter level pacing and stronger arena design from the first mission, making it the better starting point for most players.

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. Serious Sam 4, Steam store page
  3. Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem, Steam store page
  4. Painkiller: Black Edition, Steam store page
  5. DUSK, Steam store page
  6. Turbo Overkill, Steam store page
  7. Prodeus, Steam store page
  8. ULTRAKILL, Steam store page
  9. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Steam store page
  10. Serious Sam: The First Encounter, Wikipedia
  11. Serious Sam 4, Wikipedia
  12. Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem, Wikipedia
  13. Painkiller (video game), Wikipedia
  14. Dusk (video game), Wikipedia
  15. Ultrakill, Wikipedia
  16. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, 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