Roguelike has become an immensely popular genre, but a crowded one as well, making it difficult to know which roguelikes are worth your time. For anyone unfamiliar, Roguelikes, named after the game Rogue, are games where, whenever you fail a run, you have to start over from the beginning. There is usually some type of meta-progression, where you get permanently more powerful, but the extent varies from title to title. The gameplay can take almost any form, although isometric action and deck-building are some of the more common. For this list, we have a few Hall of Fame contenders that you may be familiar with, and a few lesser-known choices that are worth checking out.
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Bingle Bingle
Spin to win.
Bingle Bingle is a Steam early access game, where you play roulette, trying to score enough points to advance to the next round. It feels similar to the actual game, as after each round, you go to a store, where you can get new balls, pockets, or perks, to change how the game goes and how much you score. You could focus on swapping all your pockets to black, or maybe into a specific number range; that way, you have a higher chance of winning your bets. Bingle Bingle lets you create some absolutely busted builds, and you can play roulette without worrying about losing money.
Platforms
Diceomancer
Slay the Spire with trippy 2D animation.
Diceomancer is a deck-building roguelike that plays similarly to Slay the Spire. You move from event to event across a board, fighting monsters or making choices, while adding cards to your deck and gathering powerful relics. It has a trippy 2D animated style, and it also has a special mechanic involving a die. You have a six-sided die that gains charges as you play, which can be rolled to replace any number on the screen. You can use it to turn a 40 HP chunk of an enemy's health into a four, or you could re-roll your single reward into six. The die can be upgraded to have more sides, letting you do some truly ridiculous plays with it.
Platforms
Nubby's Number Factory
Peggle but weird.
Nubby's Number Factory could be described as a Peggle roguelike, but that doesn't capture the energy of Nubby's Number Factory. The game has an aesthetic that can only be described as a 90s web page, which you can get a taste of by checking the game's official website. The premise of Nubby's Number Factory is that you work in the factory and need to meet the quota by hitting pegs each round, otherwise the sun will explode. You gain items and perks to increase your score, while multiplying the score of the pegs themselves. Nubby's Number Factory has incredible style and is simple to understand, making it an excellent game to check out.
Platforms
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Hades
In case you've been living under a rock.
With the news that Hades 2 is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year, it seems like a perfect time to check out the original Hades. One of the best roguelikes money can buy, Hades follows Zagreus, the son of Hades, in his attempts to escape the underworld. It has deep characters that have great voice performances, a killer soundtrack, and striking visuals. It also has incredible isometric action with a variety of weapons and god powers so that you can make tons of unique and busted builds.
Platforms
Blue Prince
Do you want to build a mansion?
Blue Prince is another deck-building roguelike, sure, but it's quite different from most of them. Primarily, it's because of the gameplay. Instead of combat, you are focused on constructing a series of rooms and hallways to reach Room 46 in the mansion. However, you will need to figure out how each room works, how they relate to each other, and solve a few puzzles. That said, it's less of a traditional puzzle game and more of a systems game, where you have to discover what the systems are and how they work. Plus, it's on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, making it easy to try out.
Platforms
Vampire Survivors
*Vampires not included.
Vampire Survivors is special for many reasons, but perhaps its most impressive feature is how much you are doing, despite only really using two buttons. You gain weapons, upgrade them, and create powerful combinations to mow down thousands of enemies running you down. Weapons fire automatically, leaving you to move and pick up upgrades, but there is so much happening that you won't miss the direct control. Vampire Survivors also has tons of secrets and unlocks for you to get, increasing your capabilities in levels and giving you even more ways to take down monsters. Vampire Survivors also has several DLCs adding more characters, weapons, and maps, giving you dozens of hours of gameplay.
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Dead Cells
One of the Greats.
Dead Cells is another all-timer, featuring tough but rewarding 2D action combat, mixing in Metroidvania-style exploration into a speed-focused game. You need to move through levels, taking down different bosses on your run, while finding new weapons, gadgets, and upgrades. Defeated enemies drop cells you can use to unlock new items or get permanent upgrades, but you have to make it far enough in a run to actually use them. You can discover secrets, permanently unlock new routes, and even take on increasingly difficult runs after your first victory. Dead Cells also has some great DLC, including a Castlevania crossover.
Platforms
Witchfire
Handguns and fireballs.
Witchfire is an FPS magic shooter, where you use a combination of firearms and magic to take down Gothic enemies. It's visually impressive, looking quite close to a AAA shooter, and plays like modern Doom. There are tons of missions, unlocks, characters, and, of course, guns, and the early access title has gotten multiple substantial content updates. It's a fluid and fast shooter that fans of either roguelikes or FPS games absolutely need to check out.
Platforms
Shogun Showdown
Fast-paced puzzle-combat.
Shogun Showdown is a turn-based tactics roguelike with some light deck-building elements. You play on a set of 2D tiles, usually between 5–7 tiles, where enemies will spawn in waves until you complete the battle. You have cards that play weapons, which deal various damage in different ways. For example, the swords damage the tiles on either side of you, while a bow fires an arrow in your direction. You need to play your movements and when to play your cards to avoid taking damage from enemies. You can move, swap spaces, or knock back enemies depending on your weapons. The tactics are incredible, and you can execute moves at such a fast pace that it feels like a dance as you and the enemies move around each other on the playfield.
Platforms
Void Bastards
Strategy shooting in spaaace!
Void Bastards is a methodical and tactical first-person-shooter roguelike, where you play as a prisoner sent to explore derelict spaceships. It has a comic book art style, with cel-shaded 2D enemies that you must take out, while gathering resources and completing objectives. You can find special powers and new weapons to help you through your run. Its haunted sci-fi atmosphere gives it a chilling feel, while you discover new horrors on the different spaceships you need to search.
Platforms
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