The first entry on our list is Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru or Danmachi for short. It is an anime about a 14-year-old boy named Bell Cranel who lives in a fantasy world and belongs to the Hestia Familia. A Familia is a household that serves under a goddess, with whom they work together to build their resources and reputation. Bell is the only member of Hestia’s household and is only strong enough to make ends meet, so no one else will join their Familia because of their low reputation. Bell works hard entering the dungeon on a daily basis to provide for his goddess while hoping to get stronger to grow the Familia.

One day, Bell enters the ‘dungeon’, a vast and complex underground labyrinth at the center of the city of Orario. Adventurers from all around the world come to the dungeon to fight monsters to collect crystal shards, which can be exchanged for money. Bell encounters a Minotaur who nearly kills him, but a first class adventurer by the name of Ais Wallenstein saves him. After becoming captivated by her strength and beauty, Bell sets out to train himself so that he can one day reach the level of Ais.

Danmachi is set in a fantasy world that is a lot like the world of SAO. There are many similarities within both worlds. For starters, there is the dungeon where adventurers go to defeat monsters in hopes of reaching deeper within to discover more and get stronger whilst reaping the benefits. As you get deeper within the layers of the dungeon, each level is progressively harder with more difficult bosses. Kirito and Bell have special abilities that allow them to be much stronger than anyone else in the game, and they both want to get stronger in order to protect the ones they love. The same voice actor also voices both the protagonists.

As the second entry on this list comes No Game No Life, a story about two step siblings named Sora and Shiro that get abducted into a world of games. Sora and Shiro are shut-in NEETs that together are known as 'Blank', an undefeated duo that believes they have the ability to win any game. The God of Games, Tet, brings them to the world known as Disboard and challenges Sora and Shiro to settle conflicts between the countries of this world through high-stake games.

In Disboard, the magically enforced system created by Tet prevents physical harm to the inhabitants of the world; therefore they must settle their differences through games. The system requires each participant of any game to pledge forward something of equal value to play. There are sixteen different races in Disboard, one of them being the human race, which Sora and Shiro end up representing. Blank faces their hardest challenge yet as they venture forth into Disboard, fighting their way to become the new gods of the gaming world.

No Game No Life is very similar to SAO in that they both feature protagonists that prefer a different world than their own. Shiro is similar to Kirito in the sense that they are both experts in their respective fields. Kirito has knowledge of the game from being a 'beater' whereas Shiro has a lot of experience from playing games. They both become trapped in another world to fight for something. Kirito fights for his and Asuna's survival whereas Shiro and Sora fight to become the God of games. Both anime have stunning visual graphics and focus a lot on the gaming world.

Our next recommendation is an oldie but a goldie; it is non-other than Digimon Adventure. An anime about one magical summer where a group of seven kids gets taken into the digital world, a place where no other humans exist and is filled with strange monsters that they have to befriend in order to survive. Lost in a new world, they are not alone as they soon meet friendly digital monsters called 'Digimon' which appear to help them in their time of need. Each child has an item known as a 'Digivice' that allows them to become partners with their Digimon.

As they venture forth in the new world they live in to find a way home, they find out that all Digimon aren't as friendly as they seem, as they discover the evil forces that lurk within the shadows. What’s more is that evil is corrupting the other innocent Digimon, turning them against each other and bringing conflict to the once peaceful land. Together, they must fight along with their Digimon to overcome their own weaknesses and insecurities in hope to defeat the darkness that is corrupting the digital world.

Digimon is also set within a virtual world like Sword Art Online. The protagonists in both series are trying to find a way home, whilst encountering new aspects of the digital world. Though Digimon is a more child-friendly anime than that of SAO, it has a lot of similar aspects such as surviving in a world with friends and foes. Protagonists that grow stronger to protect the people they love and to advance deeper within the world to discover the truth.

Coming next is a recent anime known as Overlord. It is the year 2126 where a DMMORPG (Dive Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) known as Yggdrasil is on the verge of being shut down. Within its remaining servers is the leader, Momonga, who is leader of one of the most powerful guilds in the game, Ainz Ooal Gown. The guild consists only of four remaining members, all of which logged off before the server shut down to go back to their real lives. Momonga, decided to spend the remaining time left in game and stayed until the very end.

However, to his surprise, the server didn’t shut down. Momonga is still within the game and the non-playable characters seem to continue to function but appear to have their own personalities. Confused by this phenomenon, Momonga becomes trapped in that world and cannot use normal player functions. He has no choice but to find out what is going on, so he sends his servants to investigate and hopes to find others that were trapped in the game too.

Like Sword Art Online, Overlord is about a protagonist stuck within a fantasy gaming world. Both Kirito and Momonga are overpowered characters that have an advantage over other players and they both feature many intense battle scenes. Similar themes are found within both anime, they both contain the notion of guilds, exploring, hunting and crafting. They both also have many other similar RPG elements. If you liked the intensity and game-like features of SAO, then you will definitely like Overlord.

An even more recent anime is Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, a survival anime where a group of strangers are thrown into a fantasy world known as Grimgar. Without any of their past memories, the only thing they remember is their name. In order to survive in this world, they must accept the only paying job available, which is to become a soldier for the 'Reserve Army', who are sworn to protect the peace. Even though it may not seem like the real world, their lives are at stake, as they must fight in order to stay alive.

The story follows a ragtag group of weak fighters that were banded together because all the other stronger soldiers created their own groups. Haruhiro, Manato, Yume, Shihoru, Mogzo and Ranta form a party together. They must work and fight together to survive, whilst trying to find their own past memories. They learn to fight and earn enough to make a living, however what awaits for them in the world of Grimgar is unknown.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is similar to SAO in the sense that it is about survival, they are trapped within their worlds and must learn to live in the new hostile environment. They both exist within a MMORPG kind of setting and both contain many tear-jerking moments. Both anime also show the protagonists learning new abilities to assist in their adventures and developing relationships with the other inhabitants of the world they now share.

The last anime in our list of recommendations is a returning entry as it is so similar that it cannot be left out. Log Horizon is about a virtual MMORPG known as Elder Tale, which after a strange update, the players could not log out of. It follows the story of a college student by the name of Shiroe, who is a veteran in the game. Thirty thousand gamers are stuck within the game with no escape; even if they die, they will respawn back into the game. Most players like Shiroe quickly adapt to their new way of living and begin to build their own civilizations.

Shiroe is a well-known strategist with the ability to analyze situations and find the best solutions to complex problems. He finds himself having to negotiate with the non-playable characters of the game in order to bring peace amongst the players and the 'natives' of the game. Shiroe's friend Naotsugu also becomes trapped within the game after not playing it for many years. Together, they form an alliance with other players hoping to bring peace and a safe-haven for other players alike.

There are many similarities between Log Horizon and Sword Art Online, the main similarity is being trapped within a game. RPG elements are also prevalent within both anime, such as guilds, parties and raids. Both feature protagonists that have played the game before but must adapt to living within the game itself, with no idea on what to expect within the new world. The themes are quite similar in the sense that both are about action and adventure whilst trying to survive and make do with what they have and can obtain. Log Horizon brings a different kind of perspective to the similar setting that you will definitely find interesting if you enjoyed SAO.