Lollipop Chainsaw 2 is real, and the Tokyo Game Show 2026 build showed off the same zombie-slaying cheerleader cheesiness that made Suda51’s original a cult favorite. The sequel isn’t out yet, so if you finished the 2024 RePOP re-release and are looking for something to fill the gap, these are the best Lollipop Chainsaw alternatives on desktop right now. Every pick delivers the same horror-comedy, big-melee, pop-soundtrack chaos that made the Starling family’s chainsaw cheerleader run stick.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Free demo | Price | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP | The original itch | No | ~$45 | The reference point |
| Dead Rising 4 | Improvised weapons | No | ~$40 | Weapon combos |
| No More Heroes 3 | Suda51 auteur cheese | No | ~$60 | Beam katana meets aliens |
| Onechanbara Origin | Chainsaw-adjacent bikini samurai | No | ~$40 | Style meter |
| Bayonetta 3 (Cemu emulation) | Combo-driven action | No | ~$60 (Switch) | Umbran combat |
| Yakuza: Dead Souls | Zombies plus melodrama | No | ~$20 (legacy) | Kamurocho outbreak |
| DEATHLOOP | Stylish sardonic murder | No | ~$60 | Time loop hooks |
Why people leave Lollipop Chainsaw
The 2012 original is showing its age in ways the RePOP re-release didn’t fix. The pacing between the combat setpieces and the QTE stretches is slower than a 2026 action game gets away with, the licensed music was replaced with soundalike tracks in the re-release, and if you’ve already 100-percented the medals and unlocked all the outfits, the campaign is short. The sequel from Dragami Games isn’t out yet, so most players finish RePOP and start looking for the next thing that hits the same horror-comedy hack-and-slash notes. The seven picks below cover that gap from seven different angles.
The alternatives
1. Dead Rising 4, best for improvised weapon combos
Dead Rising 4 brings back Frank West in an open-world Colorado town buried under a Christmas zombie outbreak. The combo weapons are the reason to play: you weld a lawnmower to a wheelchair, a laser sword to a shopping trolley, and every improvised build has its own moveset and durability curve. The tone is closer to Lollipop Chainsaw’s than the previous Dead Rising entries, and the mall setpieces echo the school-hallway feel of the Starling family.
Where it falls short: the story pacing is uneven, and Frank’s writing is thinner than Juliet Starling’s.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: Around $40 base game
- vs Lollipop Chainsaw: comparable list price, more content
Available: Dead Rising 4 on Steam
Bottom line: pick this if the combo-weapon layer of Lollipop Chainsaw was your favorite part.
2. No More Heroes 3, best for the Suda51 auteur cheese
No More Heroes 3 is Suda51’s other big series, and it’s the closest thing to Juliet Starling in Travis Touchdown’s beam-katana pop-punk mess. The overworld is a smaller Santa Destroy than you remember, the ranked-fight structure hits back-to-back setpieces the way Lollipop Chainsaw hits its boss stages, and the alien-hero framing swaps the zombie horde for something even weirder without losing the horror-comedy bite. Grasshopper Manufacture polish is everywhere.
Where it falls short: the open-world sections between the fights are thin, and the frame rate hitches on lower-end PCs.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: Around $60
- vs Lollipop Chainsaw: pricier, longer, deeper combat
Available: No More Heroes 3 on Steam
Bottom line: the closest match for Suda51 fans specifically.
3. Onechanbara Origin, best for chainsaw-adjacent style-meter action
Onechanbara Origin is the entry point into D3’s long-running bikini-samurai zombie-slasher line. The two-sister combat, the style meter that rewards long unbroken chains, and the pop-guitar soundtrack all sit in the same neighborhood as Lollipop Chainsaw. It’s aimed at the same audience: sincere about the horror, cheeky about the horror at the same time. The Origin release trimmed the fanservice enough to make the combat readable.
Where it falls short: the localization is thin, and the character-model quality is a full generation behind No More Heroes 3.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: Around $40
- vs Lollipop Chainsaw: comparable price, less production polish
Available: Onechanbara Origin on Steam
Bottom line: the closest thematic match if you liked Juliet’s specific power fantasy.
4. Bayonetta 3 (via Cemu emulation), best for combo-driven action
Bayonetta 3 is a Switch exclusive, so on desktop you’re looking at Cemu emulation. Once running, it delivers the deepest combo action on this list: Umbran Climax, weapon-swap juggles, a Homunculus roster that keeps escalating, and setpieces that push the Wii U-into-Switch engine harder than they should. If the reason you like Lollipop Chainsaw is the action-heroine-with-a-signature-weapon fantasy, Bayonetta is the mature form of the same idea.
Where it falls short: Cemu setup takes a lunch break to configure, and playing an emulated Switch game on a keyboard is not the intended experience.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: Around $60 (Nintendo Switch)
- vs Lollipop Chainsaw: pricier, deeper, needs emulation on desktop
Available: Cemu emulator site
Bottom line: the destination when you outgrow the Lollipop Chainsaw combat depth.
5. Yakuza: Dead Souls, best for zombies plus melodrama
Yakuza: Dead Souls was Sega’s mid-generation experiment where Kamurocho gets locked down under a zombie outbreak and Ryu ga Gotoku’s melodrama crew starts wielding shotguns. The tone matches Lollipop Chainsaw’s better than the mainline Yakuza titles: it’s a serious series treating a silly premise with a straight face. On desktop it’s playable via the RPCS3 emulator with a legally-dumped PS3 copy.
Where it falls short: the aiming controls are stiff, and the emulator path is not for the impatient.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: Around $20 secondhand PS3 disc
- vs Lollipop Chainsaw: cheaper, longer, weirder
Available: RPCS3 emulator site
Bottom line: the deep cut for people who wish Kamurocho had a Suda51 problem.
6. DEATHLOOP, best for stylish sardonic murder
DEATHLOOP is Arkane’s time-loop assassin sandbox, and the reason it’s on this list is the tone: cheeky, self-aware, dressed up in a 60s poster-art palette, willing to kill its own protagonist for the joke. The combat is closer to Dishonored than Lollipop Chainsaw’s melee runs, but the confidence in the writing and the willingness to be silly about violence is the shared DNA. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of entry.
Where it falls short: multiplayer as Julianna is optional but rough, and the checkpointed loop structure is not for everyone.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: Around $60 base, often $20-30 on sale
- vs Lollipop Chainsaw: pricier, more polished, different subgenre
Available: DEATHLOOP on Steam
Bottom line: pick this if the wink-at-the-camera tone matters more to you than chainsaws.
7. MADiSON, best for horror with a photographer’s eye
MADiSON is the wildcard on the list. It’s a first-person psychological horror game where you develop Polaroids to move through a haunted house, and it has nothing to do with cheerleaders. It’s here because it’s the current best example of “horror game with a signature gimmick that gives every setpiece a shape,” which is what Lollipop Chainsaw’s chainsaw did for its combat. If you liked the way Juliet’s weapon defined every fight, MADiSON’s camera will hook you the same way.
Where it falls short: the pacing is deliberate to a fault, and jumpscares carry more of the horror than the mechanics.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: Around $30
- vs Lollipop Chainsaw: cheaper, slower, scarier
Available: MADiSON on Steam
Bottom line: the surprise pick if the “signature-weapon horror” thread is what you’re chasing.
How to choose
Pick Dead Rising 4 if the weapon-combo layer was your favorite part. Pick No More Heroes 3 if you want more Suda51 auteur cheese, not less. Pick Onechanbara Origin if Juliet’s power fantasy specifically is what you’re after. Play Bayonetta 3 via Cemu when you’ve outgrown Lollipop Chainsaw’s combat depth. Yakuza: Dead Souls is the deep cut. DEATHLOOP is what you queue when the sardonic tone matters more than the chainsaw. MADiSON is the swerve.
Stay on Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP if you haven’t finished the medals and outfits yet, and if you’re on Steam, the Lollipop Chainsaw 2 wishlist button is already worth pressing.
FAQ
Is Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP the same game as the 2012 original?
Mostly. RePOP is a 2024 remaster from Dragami Games with 4K textures, faster action, new difficulty modes, and re-recorded music that replaced the licensed tracks. The story is unchanged.
When does Lollipop Chainsaw 2 come out?
Dragami Games showed the sequel at Tokyo Game Show 2026 but has not committed to a public release date. Wishlisting the game on Steam is the fastest way to get a heads-up.
What’s the closest game to Lollipop Chainsaw on Steam?
Dead Rising 4 for the combo weapons, No More Heroes 3 for the Suda51 auteur voice, and Onechanbara Origin for the thematic match. Any of the three scratches a different part of the itch.
Can I play Lollipop Chainsaw on Steam Deck?
Yes. Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP is Steam Deck verified and runs well at the 30fps cap. Dead Rising 4 and No More Heroes 3 both run on Deck with tweaks.
Are there free alternatives to Lollipop Chainsaw?
Not with the same production values. The itch.io horror-comedy scene has a lot of short-form work in adjacent territory, but nothing in the free tier lasts an evening the way the paid picks above do.
