Best Roguelike Games: 35 Picks from Hades to Slay the Spire 2

The best roguelikes on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch — we have put together a top 35 list of roguelike and roguelite games of every kind, from genre classics to hits like Hades, Balatro, and Vampire Survivors. A roguelike is easy to recognize by two key features: the levels are generated anew each time, and after death you have to start over. It sounds harsh, but that is exactly what creates the “one more run” effect that makes players fall in love with the genre. Roguelikes are thriving right now — there are so many interesting and unusual releases like Balatro or Vampire Survivors that everyone can find something to suit their tastes.

We have divided the list by type: action roguelikes, deckbuilders, bullet heavens, tactical roguelikes, and classic roguelikes. Inside, you will find both cult pillars of the genre and fresh hits.

It is also worth explaining the difference between roguelike and roguelite. Classic roguelikes are closer to Rogue, the game that gave the genre its name in the first place: these titles are defined by procedural levels, high difficulty, and an almost complete loss of progress after death. Roguelites use the same ideas — randomized runs, death as part of the loop, constantly changing rooms, enemies, and rewards — but they usually allow the player to keep part of their progress after the character dies. After a failed attempt, you can unlock new abilities, weapons, story scenes, or upgrades that make the next runs a little easier. The famous Hades belongs specifically to the roguelite category: death does not simply send the hero back to the beginning, but gradually reveals the story and makes him stronger.

The most popular branch of the genre: roguelikes where reactions and precision decide everything. You clear ever-changing dungeons in real time, dodge projectiles, and collect weapons with upgrades right during the run. This section includes benchmark hits like Hades, hardcore platformers, and co-op shooters.

A cult action roguelike from Supergiant Games and the winner of numerous awards. In Hades, the player takes on the role of Zagreus, son of the god of the underworld, who tries again and again to escape from hell to the surface. Each death sends the hero home, but it also moves the story forward: characters react to your attempts, while relationships with the gods of Olympus develop from run to run. This is why Hades is often called revolutionary for roguelikes: the game turned repetition, usually the purely mechanical foundation of a roguelike, into part of the drama and made every failure meaningful to the story.

Hades 2 is a direct sequel to the first game and one of the major hits of 2025. This time, the heroine is Melinoë, Zagreus’ younger sister, who descends into the underworld to stop Chronos, the Titan of Time.

The second game expands the original formula through new mechanics and a richer structure. Melinoë uses witchcraft rituals, gathers ingredients, unlocks magical cards that strengthen her in combat, upgrades weapons, tames familiars, and gains access not only to the underworld, but also to the surface near Mount Olympus. The combat system has become more methodical: mana, sprinting, binding spells, and more reasons to use the full set of moves have been added, instead of building an entire run around a single attack. As a result, Hades 2 keeps the breakneck pace of the first game, but makes the playthrough more varied, deeper, and more tactically interesting. We break down what has changed compared to the original in our Hades 2 review.

Dead Cells is a fast-paced action roguelike with metroidvania elements, where a headless prisoner fights his way through a gloomy fortress again and again. The combat system is fast and demanding, closer to souls-likes: one mistake can be fatal, and after death you have to start over.

The main strength of Dead Cells lies in its flexibility. You can rush forward at a brisk pace, or you can play more carefully: use traps, turrets, ranged weapons, and methodically clear every corner of the map. New metroidvania-style abilities gradually open up, giving access to secret areas and alternative routes. By the way, if you enjoy titles with this kind of progression, do not miss our list of the best metroidvania games.

A cult roguelike from the creator of Super Meat Boy. In The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, a boy named Isaac escapes from his deranged mother into the dungeons beneath his own house, fighting off disturbing enemies with his own tears. Behind the dark story lies enormous depth: hundreds of items combine in bizarre ways, transforming each run beyond recognition. One of the most replayable games in the genre.

Enter the Gungeon is a top-down arcade shooter about treasure hunters descending into a constantly changing fortress known as the Gungeon. Its main hook is an absurd arsenal of hundreds of guns, from ordinary pistols to weapons that fire bees and fish. Dodging a storm of enemy bullets is just as important here as shooting accurately. A difficult but fair arcade game with a distinctive style.

A big-budget roguelike shooter from Housemarque and a rare AAA project in the genre. In

Returnal, astronaut Selene crash-lands on a hostile alien planet and becomes trapped in a time loop: every death sends her back to the crash site, while the world around her changes. Dynamic bullet hell-style shootouts are combined with the oppressive atmosphere of cosmic horror and fragments of the heroine’s personal drama. You will find more sci-fi projects with a similarly bleak atmosphere in our selection of the best Lovecraftian games.

A new sci-fi action roguelike from Housemarque that expands on the concept of Returnal. The protagonist of Saros, Arjun Devraj, travels to the planet Carcosa in search of his missing wife, but quickly finds himself inside a nightmare filled with aggressive wildlife, ancient ruins, and mysterious solar eclipses that distort time itself. After death, Arjun resurrects in the central hub, gradually uncovering the secrets of the planet, the previous colonists, and his own immortality.

Unlike Returnal, Saros feels more accessible: runs have become shorter, teleporters to previously opened biomes have been added, along with permanent stat progression and difficulty modifiers. At the same time, the battles remain harsh and spectacular. The player has to dodge streams of projectiles, absorb blue charges with the shield at the right moment, and parry red bursts of energy. The roguelike component here is not the deepest, yes, but the dynamic combat system, the dark atmosphere of Carcosa, the powerful visuals, and the Lovecraftian spirit make Saros one of the most striking PS5 exclusives. You can read more about it in our Saros review.

An action platformer with roguelite elements, where after the hero dies, their work is continued by an heir with random traits. One descendant may turn out to be a giant barbarian, while another may be a nearsighted mage who sees the world as a blur. Gold collected during runs is spent on castle upgrades, and those upgrades are passed down to the entire bloodline, so even a failed attempt brings you closer to victory. Thanks to its clear structure, constant progress, and the ability to gradually strengthen the dynasty, Rogue Legacy 2 is well suited for getting acquainted with the genre.

Spelunky 2 is a roguelike platformer about descending into deadly caves, where the player searches for the exit on each level, collects gold, buys useful items, rescues pets, and tries to get as deep as possible. The hero has a whip, bombs, ropes, and anything else that can be found along the way: shotguns, jetpacks, compasses, glasses, bear traps. The levels are generated anew each time, so you have to quickly and carefully study the environment, avoid traps, fight monsters, and decide where it is worth taking a risk for a reward and where it is better to simply run for the exit.

The key feature of Spelunky 2 is its so-called systemic gameplay. Almost everything here is interconnected: for example, an arrow from a trap can hit an enemy, the enemy can fall onto explosives, and the explosion can open a new passage. Sometimes these chain reactions help you; sometimes they ruin an entire run in a second, which is extremely engaging. The game is harsh, but it rarely feels unfair: death usually becomes a lesson. You will find more interesting hardcore projects in our selection of the hardest games.

A co-op third-person shooter where up to four players land on a hostile planet and fight off waves of monsters. The longer a run lasts in Risk of Rain 2, the stronger the enemies become. In response, the player collects more and more items that strengthen attacks, speed up movement, trigger automatic effects, and begin to combine into powerful synergies. By the finale, a successful build can turn the character into an almost unstoppable machine for destroying everything alive.

Cult of the Lamb is a dark action roguelike and cult simulator. A possessed lamb, saved from death, founds its own cult and sets off to clear dungeons in the name of a dark patron. During expeditions, the hero fights heretics and gathers resources, and between runs returns to the settlement: builds new structures, converts followers, maintains their faith, feeds the flock, and performs rituals. The unusual combination of cute art, sinister themes, and simple management makes Cult of the Lamb more distinctive than most games in the genre.

A hardcore roguelike shooter from Vlambeer, the creators of Super Crate Box. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, you choose a mutant with unique abilities and fight through hordes of enemies toward the legendary Nuclear Throne. The gameplay of Nuclear Throne is extremely dense and fast: one mistake, and the run is over. A concise, finely tuned genre classic with a signature style.

A co-op roguelike action game that borrows the mechanics of Elden Ring along with its combat system — you can find other games with similar combat in our list of games like Dark Souls — and reworks them into a session-based multiplayer format. A team of three players lands on a randomly generated map, quickly clears camps, searches for weapons, levels up, fights bosses, and tries to prepare for nightfall. There is no time to hesitate: the dangerous zone gradually shrinks, and an unprepared group will almost certainly die during the first in-game days of the expedition.

Unlike the original, Elden Ring Nightreign has no long build setup or slow exploration. Characters are already divided into classes with their own abilities, ultimate moves, and roles in the squad: mages, tanks, fast melee fighters, and other archetypes. Even after failed runs, the player still receives relics and currency, unlocking permanent upgrades for future attempts.

Roguelikes where your weapon is not a blade, but a deck of cards. Between battles, you collect and upgrade your set of cards, search for relics, and build combinations capable of tearing through any opponent. Here, reaction speed matters less than tactical planning several turns ahead.

Slay the Spire is the game that essentially set the trend for roguelike deckbuilders. You climb the dangerous Spire step by step, collecting cards, relics, and potions while shaping your deck around your own playstyle. Every battle is a puzzle that asks you to think several turns ahead, while random events and enemies keep you from relaxing. Simple at first glance, but bottomless in depth.

In Slay the Spire 2, the player once again climbs a branching map, fights monsters, collects relics, upgrades the deck, and tries to reach the boss, constantly choosing between risk and cautious progression. At first glance, the sequel looks very similar to the original: the same turn-based card battles, familiar heroes, shops, campfires, and random events. But the game has become richer precisely in the details — there are new cards, artifacts, playable characters, enemies, and bosses, while the interface and visuals have become noticeably cleaner.

Slay the Spire 2 does not try to radically rethink the formula of the first game, but instead aims to perfect it. Judging by its Steam launch, that approach worked: in Early Access, the game peaked at half a million concurrent players, several times higher than the original Slay the Spire’s record.

A 2024 phenomenon that collected a pile of awards. Balatro is built around poker hands, but this is not a poker simulator. It is a roguelite deckbuilder about constantly strengthening your deck. The player builds pairs, three-of-a-kinds, straights, and full houses, earns points, and between rounds buys jokers, upgrades individual cards, changes suits, increases the value of combinations, and selects modifiers for the chosen strategy. Gradually, even a simple pair can start bringing in enormous scores if you build the right bonuses around it. This is where Balatro’s main hook lies: one game easily turns into “just one more,” and then into a session that lasts deep into the night.

A Vampire Survivors spin-off that brings familiar heroes, enemies, and weapons into the format of a roguelike deckbuilder with first-person dungeon exploration. In each run, the player moves through several floors, opens chests, breaks candelabras, fights monsters and bosses, and uses a card-based system in battle: spending mana, playing attacks, defenses, and special effects while seeing in advance what the enemies are about to do.

Between expeditions, the player returns to the village and spends gold on new heroes, permanent upgrades, gem slots, and passive bonuses. As a result, Vampire Crawlers keeps the spirit of Vampire Survivors, but turns it into a fast and highly addictive card roguelike.

Monster Train 2 is a dynamic deckbuilder with an unusual multi-floor defense mechanic. You defend a moving train from hell, placing fighters and playing cards across three tiers at once. The sequel expands the ideas of the original with new factions and cards. Deep tactics for those who want more after Slay the Spire.

Inscryption is a card roguelike with elements of horror, adventure, and puzzle design. The game begins as a dark card match against a creepy stranger in a shadowy cabin: you play creatures, sacrifice some for others, collect new cards, and try to survive increasingly dangerous rounds. Between matches, you can inspect the room, look for clues, and solve puzzles. Later, Inscryption starts breaking the fourth wall and transforms into something far stranger.

A young and wildly popular subgenre: hundreds of enemies fill the screen, while your hero almost automatically mows them down in packs. The whole appeal lies in progression, which turns the character from wave to wave into an unstoppable death machine. Short runs and the “one more try” principle make these games ideal when you need to kill half an hour.

Vampire Survivors is the project that started the bullet heaven craze. The controls are extremely simple: the hero walks around the field, weapons attack automatically, and the player has to survive against an ever-growing horde of monsters, collect experience, and choose upgrades when leveling up. Gradually, daggers, lightning, garlic, magic wands, and other weapons grow stronger, combine with passive bonuses, and turn into destructive combos that wipe hundreds of enemies off the screen. Despite the deliberately retro visuals and tiny price, the game can hold your attention for dozens of hours.

Megabonk is a 3D game in the spirit of Vampire Survivors, where the hero runs across open arenas, automatically attacks enemies, and tries to survive increasingly numerous waves of monsters.

Megabonk’s main feature is verticality and constant route planning. The player has to quickly decide where to run next, which chests to open, and when to take an extra risk. Weapons attack automatically, but builds can differ greatly: revolvers, rockets, swords, and other killing tools are gradually strengthened with bonuses to damage, speed, jumps, and the number of projectiles. Between runs, new characters, items, and permanent upgrades are unlocked.

A brisk bullet heaven about a potato fighting off aliens with six guns at once. Runs in Brotato are short and engaging: between waves, you buy weapons and upgrades, shaping a build around dozens of unique characters. An ideal “one sitting” game that quietly eats up an entire evening.

Halls of Torment is a dark bullet heaven styled after classic Diablo games. Unlike the brighter representatives of the genre, here you get a gothic atmosphere, hordes of demons, and an emphasis on collecting loot and upgrading stats.

A game where you have to survive for twenty minutes against endless waves of Lovecraftian creatures. Unlike many of its genre peers, here you aim and shoot manually, while progression between levels is built from upgrade cards. 20 Minutes Till Dawn offers short runs, dozens of characters and weapons, and a pleasant pixel-art style.

A project set in the universe of the co-op hit Deep Rock Galactic. A bearded dwarf miner single-handedly exterminates swarms of alien creatures while digging through destructible caves in search of precious minerals. In addition to the familiar automatic shooting, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor features mining and drilling, which add more depth to the runs. A great option for fans of both the original and the genre.

Roguelikes for those who prefer thinking over simply pressing buttons quickly. Here, you command a ship, a squad, or mechs, calculate moves, and weigh every decision, because the cost of a mistake is the entire run. A genre where randomness meets cold calculation.

A cult strategy roguelike about managing a spaceship. In FTL: Faster Than Light, the player distributes power between systems, patches hull breaches, puts out fires, and commands the crew in real time with pause. Every jump is a chain of random events and difficult decisions, where one mistake can cost the entire mission. Years after release, FTL is still actively played.

Into the Breach is a tactical roguelike from the creators of FTL, similar to chess with giant mechs. On a small battlefield, the player defends cities from insect-like monsters, seeing their moves in advance and building counterattacks around them. There is no room for randomness in combat here — only pure calculation. A compact puzzle game polished down to the smallest detail.

A dark tactical roguelike where the main enemy is not so much a horrific monster as stress itself. In Darkest Dungeon, the player leads a squad of adventurers into cursed dungeons, watching not only their health, but also their sanity: fear, paranoia, and despair break heroes just as effectively as enemy claws. A harsh, atmospheric game that is merciless toward mistakes.

Loop Hero is an unusual roguelike where the hero walks in circles on his own, while you place terrain cards on his path: forests, cemeteries, villages. Each card adds both enemies and resources, so you have to balance risk and reward. Between runs, the player rebuilds the camp, unlocking new possibilities. A hypnotic mixture of strategy and auto-battles.

Shogun Showdown is a turn-based tactical roguelike in the spirit of a board game played on a narrow strip of tiles. You can see enemy moves in advance and build chains of attacks by combining technique cards and weapons. Every battle is a compact puzzle where it is important to calculate the order of actions one step ahead. An excellent mix of tactics and roguelike design with pleasant pixel graphics.

The “true” roguelikes that gave birth to the genre: turn-based, grid-based, and often without any graphics beyond symbols. Beneath the harsh exterior lies incredible depth, where the interaction of almost every small detail has been carefully thought through.

NetHack is a legendary old-school roguelike from 1987 and one of the pillars of the genre. There is no modern graphics here: dungeons, monsters, and items are represented by symbols, but the depth of its systems remains impressive to this day. The game is famous for the principle that “the developers thought of everything” — almost any absurd action leads to a logical result. A free classic that is still alive.

A classic roguelike set in a science-fantasy post-apocalypse, where the strange world of the future is worked out down to the smallest details. In Caves of Qud, the player creates either a mutant with unusual abilities or a representative of ancient bloodlines, then sets off to explore ruins, settlements, dungeons, and living ecosystems with their own history, factions, and internal logic. You can trade, talk, hack, fight, reshape your body through mutations, enter conflicts with factions, or avoid danger altogether. The freedom of action is enormous, and every playthrough can easily turn into an unpredictable story where a strange discovery, a random encounter, or a failed experiment can completely change the run.

One of the most respected classic roguelikes, valued for its finely tuned balance. In Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, you descend into a dungeon in search of a legendary artifact, choosing from dozens of species and classes. Unlike many of its peers, the game deliberately cuts out unnecessary routine — all attention is focused on tactics and exploration. Free, with an active community.

Ancient Domains of Mystery is a classic roguelike with an emphasis on story and open-world exploration, which is rare for the genre. In addition to clearing dungeons, it features a world map, quests, and even a system where the world is corrupted by chaos, affecting the hero. A deep and atmospheric project.

Games that cross roguelike mechanics with something completely unexpected: shopkeeping, diving, or an architectural puzzle. Proof that the genre has long outgrown dungeons and continues to surprise with fresh ideas.

Tabletop Tavern is a tactical strategy game with roguelike elements, where tabletop miniatures fight right inside a medieval tavern. In spirit, the game feels like a mix of Total War and Slay the Spire: the player gradually builds an army, moves across a branching event map, takes part in battles, restores squads, and hires new fighters between encounters. Battles take place in real time and are inspired by Total War: you need to set up formations, account for terrain, weather, and the strengths of different troop types.

A hybrid adventure where the hero dives into the mysterious Blue Hole during the day in search of fish, treasures, and rare resources, then manages a sushi restaurant in the evening. Underwater in Dave the Diver, you need to monitor your oxygen supply, upgrade equipment, hunt sea creatures, and decide when it is time to return to the surface with your catch. In the restaurant, the catch becomes dishes: the player hires staff, improves the menu, and gradually develops the business. The project constantly introduces new mechanics, characters, and mini-activities, so a formula that seems simple at first quickly grows into a large and unexpectedly engaging adventure.

Moonlighter is a roguelike crossed with a shopkeeping simulator. By day, shop owner Will sells the loot he has obtained, while at night he secretly descends into procedural dungeons in search of new goods. You have to decide what to sell, what to keep for crafting, and what to invest in weapon upgrades.

Blue Prince is a puzzle game with roguelike mechanics and one of the discoveries of 2025. The player explores the mysterious Mount Holly estate and tries to reach the enigmatic 46th room, but every new day the house changes: behind a door, you can choose one of several randomly offered rooms, gradually building a route through bedrooms, corridors, studies, hidden rooms, and strange service areas. You need to count steps, remember clues, search for keys and items, unlock permanent upgrades, and figure out how different rooms influence one another. Behind the ordinary setup about an inheritance lies a knot of mysteries that can take dozens of hours to untangle.

A pixel roguelike that simulates a believable world. Water flows, wood burns, gas explodes, acid eats through the environment, and a careless spell can bring half a dungeon down on your head. In Noita, the player controls a wizard, descends deeper and deeper into dangerous caves, searches for new wands, and builds custom spells from found components. Combinations can turn the hero into a machine for destroying enemies, but they can just as easily accidentally blow him up too. Noita constantly surprises with how far its physics simulation is willing to go and remains one of the most unpredictable projects in the genre.

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a roguelike crossed with a rhythm game. Every movement and attack must be performed strictly to the beat of the energetic music: miss the rhythm, and the hero stays in place. It sounds absurd, but the idea works flawlessly: the charming style and infectious soundtrack turn memorizing enemy patterns into a pleasure. A unique game with almost no direct equivalents.

A roguelike is a game genre with two key traits: levels are randomly generated on each playthrough, and character death is permanent, sending you back to the beginning. The name comes from the 1980 game Rogue. The genre’s main feature is high replayability: two identical runs almost never happen.

The line is blurry, and the two terms are often used as synonyms. Strictly speaking, death in a roguelite is not as punishing: part of your progress carries over between runs — unlocked upgrades, currency, new characters. Hades, Dead Cells, and Vampire Survivors are roguelites, while NetHack is a pure classic roguelike.

The easiest games to start with are Hades, Hades 2, Saros, Dead Cells, or Rogue Legacy 2: their cumulative progression makes every attempt a little easier, so progress is felt even after defeats. Among card games, Slay the Spire is a strong entry point, while Vampire Survivors is the obvious choice among bullet heavens.

The roguelike deckbuilder genre is led by Slay the Spire and the phenomenal Balatro. Monster Train 2, with its multi-floor defense, and the story-driven Inscryption, with horror elements, are also worth checking out.

If you enjoyed Vampire Survivors, pay attention to other bullet heavens: Brotato, about a potato armed to the teeth, the gloomy Halls of Torment in the style of Diablo, and 20 Minutes Till Dawn with manual shooting.

The best co-op roguelike is Risk of Rain 2, designed for four players. Enter the Gungeon and Cult of the Lamb are great for two-player runs. Elden Ring Nightreign is also a good option. You can find more games to play together in our list of co-op projects.

Roguelikes can easily pull you in for dozens, or even hundreds, of hours. Which roguelike or roguelite managed to keep you hooked for that long? Tell us in the comments.

Roguelikes are a huge genre. If the projects listed above were not enough, here are several more games that could easily have made the main list:

Gunfire Reborn is a co-op first-person roguelike shooter for four players, where animal-like heroes with unique abilities gun down hordes of enemies. It combines the pace of a boomer shooter with weapon collecting and progression between levels. One of the best options if you want to shoot things with friends.

Skul: The Hero Slayer is a brisk action platformer roguelike about a skeleton who changes his appearance and abilities by picking up other skulls. Each skull is essentially a new set of moves, so the combat style changes on the fly. A bright and dynamic alternative to Dead Cells.

Wildfrost is a card roguelike with charming winter-themed art and deceptively high difficulty. Here, it is not enough to simply build a deck — you also need to position fighters properly and manage the timing of their attacks. A fresh take on the deckbuilder genre for those who have already played Slay the Spire inside and out.

Arms of God is a dark bullet heaven roguelike about a battle in hell, where the hero uses up to five weapons at once, upgrades them, and combines them into powerful builds under a metal soundtrack and bloody action in the spirit of the Doom series.

Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is a standalone co-op FPS roguelike for 1–4 players, where a squad of space dwarves descends into procedural caves, fights enemies, collects random upgrades, and creates builds directly during the expedition.