Notable Roguelike Games: A Curated List

There are a ton of great roguelikes out there these days — action, deck-building, shooters, strategy, you name it. Here’s a list of ones I’ve put serious time into and think are worth checking out, whether you’re new to the genre or just looking for your next obsession.

The Binding of Isaac

Release: 2011 (Rebirth remake: 2014)
Developer: Edmund McMillen / Nicalis
Genre: Action Roguelike / Bullet Hell

The art style might turn you off at first — it’s dark, gross, full of crying babies and bodily fluids. But if you can get past that, you’ll find one of the deepest games ever made.

Isaac’s claim to fame is its item system. Over 700 items, and every run throws together a completely different combination. One run you’re a rapid-fire tear machine, the next you’re a close-range blood-spewing maniac. The synergy potential is nearly endless — I’ve played hundreds of hours and still stumble onto new combos.

Almost everyone I know who plays roguelikes has Isaac as their most-played Steam game. It’s not the flashiest, but it might be the most replayable game ever.

Dead Cells

Release: 2017 (EA) / 2018 (Full)
Developer: Motion Twin
Genre: Action Roguelike / Metroidvania

The combat feel. It’s all about the combat feel. Dead Cells has some of the tightest, most satisfying combat of any game I’ve played, period. Rolling, parrying, ground-pounding, chaining combos — every action feels crisp and responsive.

It also does a nice Metroidvania-lite thing with its level design. Procedurally generated, sure, but with plenty of exploration and unlockable paths. Cells earned each run go toward permanent gear unlocks, so failed runs still contribute to progress.

If you want to know what “fluid combat” really means, Dead Cells is the benchmark. It’s tough at first, but once the rhythm clicks, good luck putting it down.

Slay the Spire

Release: 2017 (EA) / 2019 (Full)
Developer: Mega Crit Games
Genre: Deck-building Roguelike

Slay the Spire basically invented its own genre. The loop is simple: climb the tower, fight enemies, pick cards, build your deck. Simple to grasp, but the strategic depth runs surprisingly deep.

Four characters, each with completely different card pools and play styles. The Ironclad leans on strength and block. The Silent does poison and shivs. The Defect plays with orbs and energy. The Watcher… the Watcher is kind of broken, honestly. The relic system adds another layer — stacking passive effects in creative ways.

This is my most-played game on Steam Deck. A run takes about 30 minutes, perfect for quick sessions. Just be warned: “quick session” often turns into “oh, the sun is coming up.”

Hades

Release: 2020
Developer: Supergiant Games
Genre: Action Roguelike

If there’s one game that dragged roguelikes into the mainstream spotlight, it’s Hades.

Supergiant just doesn’t miss. The art is gorgeous, the music slaps, the voice acting is stellar, and somehow they also managed to tell a genuinely compelling story on top of all that. Every time Zagreus dies and returns to the House of Hades, new dialogue triggers. You actively look forward to dying because you want to see what happens next in the story.

I’ve cleared it dozens of times and I’m still playing, chasing character storylines and unlocking new dialogue. Narrative-driven roguelikes are rare, and Hades set a bar that almost nothing else has reached.

Spelunky

Release: 2008 (Original) / 2020 (Spelunky 2)
Developer: Derek Yu / Mossmouth
Genre: Platformer Roguelike

Don’t let the cute pixel art fool you — Spelunky is ruthless.

What sets it apart is the physics system. Bombs, ropes, traps, enemies — they all interact in unpredictable ways. You kick a rock, the rock hits a trap, the trap explodes and kills a shopkeeper, and now the shopkeeper’s ghost is hunting you for the rest of the run. This kind of chaos is completely normal in Spelunky.

The real reward is that you genuinely get smarter as you play. Not your character — you. You learn to anticipate, to be cautious, to find paths through chaos. It’s a game that teaches you how to play it, if you’re patient enough to listen.

Risk of Rain 2

Release: 2019 (EA) / 2020 (Full)
Developer: Hopoo Games
Genre: 3D Action Roguelike / Third-Person Shooter

Translating roguelike mechanics into 3D is tricky, but Risk of Rain 2 pulls it off.

The signature mechanic is time pressure — the longer you take, the harder enemies get. You’re constantly balancing “push forward” against “farm more items.” Items can stack infinitely too, so stacking the same one multiple times leads to some truly absurd power scaling by the late game. That’s where most of the fun lives.

Co-op is surprisingly great. Running around with friends, causing chaos, dying together — it’s a blast. One of the few successful 3D takes on the genre.

Vampire Survivors

Release: 2021 (EA) / 2022 (Full)
Developer: poncle
Genre: Survivors-like / Bullet Heaven

You literally only control movement. Your character attacks automatically. Sounds boring, right?

Try it. Seriously, just try it. Watching hundreds of enemies swarm toward you while your character unleashes waves of auto-fire that clear the screen — it’s pure dopamine. The weapon evolution system is clever too, letting you combine specific weapons and passives into super-forms. The moment a weapon evolves hits like crack.

This game costs a few bucks and launched an entire subgenre practically by itself. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones.

Enter the Gungeon

Release: 2016
Developer: Dodge Roll
Genre: Bullet Hell Roguelike

Guns. So many guns. Some normal, some completely unhinged — there’s a gun that shoots letters, a gun that turns enemies into chickens, you get the idea.

The pixel art is stunning, packed with detail and references. Combat is fast and dodgy — literally, the dodge roll is your core survival tool. Weaving through curtains of bullets while returning fire feels like an action movie. It’s tough, especially the bosses, but unlocking each new gun gives you that perfect little hit of accomplishment.

If bullet hell and pixel art are your thing, the Gungeon will eat hundreds of hours.

Hades II

Release: 2024 (Early Access)
Developer: Supergiant Games
Genre: Action Roguelike

The sequel to Hades, now starring Melinoë — Zagreus’ sister and a witch. The core loop is familiar: fast combat, House upgrades, Olympian boons. But the magic system is more fleshed out, the resource economy has more going on, and the boss fights feel fresh.

It’s still in Early Access, but there’s already a staggering amount of content. Art and music are as top-tier as you’d expect from Supergiant. If you loved the first game, this one’s a no-brainer.

Final Thoughts

This list is obviously incomplete — the roguelike space is huge and everyone’s got their own favorites. These are just the ones I’ve played the most and think represent the genre well.

Pick one that sounds interesting and give it a shot. Worst case, you waste an evening. Best case, you find your next thousand-hour obsession.