Softonic confirmed this week that the Max Payne 1 and 2 remake is now in full production at Remedy, but “full production” and “in your library” are a long way apart. If you were hoping to jump back into bullet-time noir this weekend, you have a wait ahead. In the meantime, seven games below cover the same beats, slow-motion gunplay, moody narration, and rain-soaked cities, in a way that scratches the same itch.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Platforms | Price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Payne 3 | The original vibe, modern polish | Win, Mac | Paid, often deeply discounted | Bullet-time still holds up |
| Alan Wake 2 | Narrative dread | Win | Paid | Sam Lake writing, Remedy shared universe |
| Alan Wake Remastered | Third-person action-horror | Win | Paid | Original with updated visuals |
| Control Ultimate Edition | Weird-world third-person action | Win | Paid, includes DLC | Levitation and telekinesis combat |
| Quantum Break | Sci-fi time-manipulation shooter | Win | Paid | Slow-mo powers in the same lineage as bullet-time |
| Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition | Kung fu neo-noir | Win, Mac | Paid | Melee brutality with pistol pacing |
| Hotline Miami | Top-down noir violence | Win, Mac, Linux | Paid, small | Same neon dread in miniature |
| PAYDAY 2 | Heist gunplay in crews | Win, Mac, Linux | Free base, paid DLC | Persistent squad shooter |
Why people leave Max Payne
Max Payne 3 shipped in 2012 and the earlier games have aged in different ways. What actually pushes people to look for alternatives:
- The DRM friction on Max Payne 3, Rockstar Social Club sign-in on every launch, still catches people out.
- Long unskippable cutscenes in Max Payne 3 that break the flow of the shootouts.
- Max Payne 1 and 2 look and control like 2001 and 2003 games (because they are). The audio mixing on modern hardware is uneven.
- The remake announcement itself, some players want to play a spiritual successor now rather than replay the originals for the seventh time.
The alternatives
1. Alan Wake 2, best for narrative dread
Alan Wake 2 is Remedy’s most ambitious game to date, and it inherits Max Payne’s DNA in every scene: heavy narration, cinematic slow zooms, and a soundtrack that treats the score as another character. The gunplay is punchier than the original Alan Wake, and the writer/detective split gives the story two distinct halves.
Where it falls short: Requires the Epic Games Store on PC. Newer hardware is preferred, and the game is not friendly to modest GPUs.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid: full-price release, occasional Epic sales
Platforms: Windows
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Play this if the “moody narrator over gunplay” formula is what pulled you to Max Payne.
2. Alan Wake Remastered, best for third-person action-horror
Alan Wake Remastered rebuilds the 2010 game with modern lighting, sharper textures, and stable framerates on current hardware. The core loop, torch to burn shadow off enemies, then shoot, is still tight, and both DLC episodes (The Signal and The Writer) are included.
Where it falls short: Combat variety is thinner than modern shooters. Some pacing dips in the mid-game.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid: mid-price, deeply discounted often
Platforms: Windows
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Prep work for Alan Wake 2, and a solid Remedy noir on its own.
3. Control Ultimate Edition, best for weird-world third-person action
Control trades bullet-time for telekinesis. Jesse Faden throws chairs, walls, and everything else at cultists inside a shape-shifting government building. Ultimate Edition bundles both story DLCs (The Foundation, AWE) with the base game. AWE explicitly ties Control to Alan Wake’s universe.
Where it falls short: Loot system is thin and doesn’t age well next to newer looter shooters. Some enemy types feel like difficulty padding.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid: often heavily discounted since launch
Platforms: Windows
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The Remedy game that makes the case for weird combat, and the direct line to Alan Wake 2.
4. Quantum Break, best for sci-fi with a slow-mo trigger
Quantum Break is Remedy’s other Max Payne-flavoured entry, this time with time-manipulation powers slotted into the third-person shooter loop. Time Stop, Time Dodge, and Time Blast function as a modernised bullet-time system. The live-action episodes between chapters divide opinion but the shootouts are the point.
Where it falls short: Windows Store version had launch issues that Rockstar and Microsoft have partially resolved. The Steam release is the safer pick.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid: often discounted
Platforms: Windows
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Closest to Max Payne in Remedy’s catalogue, both in feel and in narrative pacing.
5. Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition, best for kung fu neo-noir
Sleeping Dogs puts you in a Hong Kong police officer’s shoes, undercover in the Triads. Melee combat is the star, but the pistol work has real weight and the city itself is one of the best-realised open worlds outside of Rockstar’s own releases. Definitive Edition bundles all DLCs.
Where it falls short: Driving is the weakest system. Some story beats lean into gangland clichés.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid, occasionally on deep sale for a few dollars
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The neo-noir action game that Max Payne fans routinely underrate.
6. Hotline Miami, best for top-down noir violence
Hotline Miami delivers the same fever-dream neon aesthetic as Max Payne in a very different package: top-down, one-hit-kill combat where every level takes maybe a minute if you play it perfectly. The soundtrack is legendary.
Where it falls short: One-hit kills mean constant retries. Some players bounce off the punishing loop.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid, priced like a coffee
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Reach for it when you want Max Payne’s tension in ten-minute bites.
7. PAYDAY 2, best for heist gunplay in crews
PAYDAY 2 is a co-op shooter about pulling bank jobs, but it borrows Max Payne’s cinematic gunplay for its stealth-then-loud approach. The base game is free-to-play now, and the ten years of DLC give you more heist variety than any other shooter on the market.
Where it falls short: DLC pricing is the definition of overwhelming. Solo AI teammates are dumb.
Pricing:
- Free: base game
- Paid: heist DLCs, often bundled during sales
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Not the same tone, but the gunplay pacing is a spiritual cousin.
How to choose
- If you want Max Payne itself, sharper: play Max Payne 3 (or wait for the remake).
- If you want the Remedy successor with the biggest budget: Alan Wake 2.
- If you want the “Remedy third-person action” fix without waiting: Alan Wake Remastered or Control.
- If bullet-time analogues matter most: Quantum Break.
- If you loved the Max Payne 3 setting (rain, cities, moral ambiguity): Sleeping Dogs.
- If you want the neon aesthetic in a tight package: Hotline Miami.
- If you have friends who want to shoot things together: PAYDAY 2.
Stay on Max Payne 3 if you can tolerate the DRM friction and want the closest thing to what the remake will feel like.
FAQ
Are the original Max Payne 1 and 2 still worth playing?
Yes, if you can accept early-2000s graphics and controls. They are also both available on Steam for pocket change. Skip them only if you specifically want the remake experience.
Is Max Payne 3 as good as the first two games?
Different tone. Rockstar’s take on the character, sunnier São Paulo setting, more grounded story. Fans of the original noir often prefer 1 and 2, fans of modern gunplay prefer 3.
Which Remedy game is closest to Max Payne?
Quantum Break in gameplay terms, Alan Wake in tone terms.
Will the Max Payne remake come to Mac and Linux?
Rockstar’s recent PC releases have been Windows-first with delayed Mac ports and no Linux support. Expect the same treatment.
Is Alan Wake 2 worth playing without the first Alan Wake?
Yes. The game recaps the essentials and stands on its own. Playing Alan Wake first adds context but is not required.
Are any of these on the Steam Deck?
Max Payne 3, Alan Wake Remastered, and Hotline Miami are Deck Verified or Playable. PAYDAY 2 works with tweaks. Alan Wake 2 does not run well on Deck at native settings.
