Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl follows Coast Guard veteran Carl and a talking cat named Princess Donut as they survive an 18-level alien reality show dungeon built from the ruins of Earth. Each floor brings distinct nightmares, complex puzzles, and lethal challenges that make readers wish they could experience the levels themselves.
While players cannot be dropped into an alien reality show, several existing titles capture the specific themes, layouts, and hazards of each currently-published Dungeon Crawler Carl book.
Book 1: Lethal Company
For the tutorial levels on Floors 1 and 2, Lethal Company on Windows PC captures the frantic, hazardous survival atmosphere of Carl and Donut's early days in the dungeon.
Book 2: Baldur's Gate 3
Floor 3, known as the Over City in Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, aligns with Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3. Players can experience this urban setting on PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
Book 3: Antichamber
Floor 4 introduces the Iron Tangle, a complex subway system filled with maps that lie and up-is-down puzzles. Antichamber on Windows PC mirrors this disorienting experience with wrapping hallways and matter-manipulation mechanics.
Books 4 and 5: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Floor 5 features Hump Town and biome-themed bubbles spanning land, sea, air, and subterranean quadrants. Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch offers a similar traversal of watery, volcanic, tomb-like, and wintry environments—though without the razor-toothed feral goose boss named Denise.
Book 6: Inscryption and Slay the Princess
Floors 7 and 8 involve a fairytale maze and the Ghosts of Earth. Inscryption (available on Switch, PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X) fits the tone, while the horror visual novel Slay the Princess captures the doomed fairytale feel and repeated-death mechanics of the skipped maze.
Book 7: Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
Floor 9 features large-scale Faction Wars. Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord on PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X matches this logistics-heavy medieval sandbox gameplay, where players manage budgets and resources to command troops through real-time sieges.
Book 8: Distance
Floor 10 turns into a death-race gauntlet in A Parade of Horribles. Distance, a 2012 sci-fi horror racing game available on PS4, PS5, and Windows PC, matches this setup with Escher-inspired tracks, flying cars, sawblades, lasers, and a simmering background horror story.