What are the best roguelike games? After many years of living in the shadow of more popular genres, the best roguelike games are finally getting the praise they deserve, with studios taking the very best elements of the genre and adding them to their games on PlayStation and Xbox.
Roguelikes are some of the most creative games around, so it’s not exactly surprising that you’ll see a couple on our best games list. They often tap into several other genres simultaneously, so if you’re looking for something that meets your hack-and-slash, twin-stick shooters, deck-builders, or even soulslike needs, you won’t be disappointed. Considering their generally high skill ceiling, and their ability to frustrate and even madden, you might want to keep one of the best PS5 controllers or best Xbox controllers handy…
These are the best roguelike games:
1. Hades
Roguelikes were a more niche subset of games before Hades blasted them into the mainstream in 2020, picking up several Game of the Year awards in the process. Playing as Zagreus, the son of Hades, you hack and slash your way through the Underworld to escape and find your mother, befriending and fighting icons of Greek mythology along the way.
It’s not the most challenging roguelike out there, but with fun gameplay, and an incredible story with compelling characters, it’s a must-play, and a great introduction to the genre, especially if you’re eyeing up the Hades 2 release date. We love Hades so much, in fact, it’s even nailed a spot on our overall best games list.
Hades is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
2. Dead Cells
A roguelike with the exploration of a Metroidvania and the combat of a soulslike, Dead Cells is one of the most challenging roguelikes around and one of the best Metroidvania games you can play. The combat is fluid and fast-paced, with punishing enemies, and you’ll need to memorize attack patterns to defeat them. And with a difficulty increase each time you clear a run, you’re never in for an easy ride.
At times it can be brutally punishing, but that just makes it all the more satisfying when you win. And with the developers constantly adding new DLC, it’s a game you’ll easily sink hours into.
Dead Cells is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
3. Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire is the quintessential roguelike deck-builder. Controlling one of four characters with unique abilities, players proceed through diverging paths and taking on enemies as they climb the spire toward a final boss. Players will collect cards along the way, adding cards to their deck, and will need to craft a strategy if they want to stand a chance of reaching the top.
With each win, players unlock new ‘Ascension’ levels up to 20, making the game harder each time, and ensuring the game is almost endlessly replayable. We’ve put many, many hours into Slay the Spire here at The Loadout, and the diversity of its characters, high skill ceiling, and charming soundtrack undoubtedly make it one of the best roguelike games.
Slay the Spire is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
4. Vampire Survivors
One of the breakout hits of 2022, Vampire Survivors is deceptively simple at first, but underneath the surface has a deep system of items, power-ups, characters, and more. Requiring only a stick or WASD keys, players acquire auto-attacking weapons to take on ever-increasing numbers of enemies, descending upon you from all directions.
Chaotic, challenging, 2D fun all for only a few dollars, you owe it to yourself to give Vampire Survivors a try – it’s one of the best survival games, after all. Vampire Survivors is available on PC and Xbox Series X|S – the latter also via Xbox Game Pass.
5. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac was one of the first roguelikes to gain widespread popularity, and with Rebirth, its 2014 remake, it only got better.
With maps inspired by the original Legend of Zelda, players take Isaac through levels consisting of interconnected rooms, fighting monsters and bosses in each one. With multiple DLC and unlockable characters, there’s plenty of content to keep runs fresh and interesting.
A legend of the genre, its relatively simple gameplay is backed up by new items and incredibly challenging combat. It’s not as flashy as some more modern titles but is a must-play for fans of the genre.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
6. Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain 2 is a third-person shooter where players take control of a handful of characters attempting to escape a hostile alien world. Its unique core mechanic is a timer, as over time, more enemies and stronger enemies will spawn, forcing you to continually find more items and advance through the stages. Unlike many roguelikes, it also has an excellent multiplayer mode, letting you take the game on with friends.
With fun characters, interesting items, and literally limitless scaling, Risk of Rain 2 is a game you can play for hours at a time and never get bored.
Risk of Rain 2 is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
7. Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon is unique, in that it has players controlling not one character, but an expedition of multiple characters as they venture through dungeons filled with unfriendly creatures. With a simple turn-based combat system, its complexity lies in the Affliction system wherein players must manage characters’ stress levels, or risk negative effects or even death.
Sporting 17 characters, each with strengths and weaknesses, Darkest Dungeon requires careful planning, and its complex gameplay systems make it as engrossing as it is challenging.
Darkest Dungeon is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
8. Rogue Legacy 2
Rogue Legacy 2 takes what made the original so brilliant and manages to improve upon it. Each run, players take on a different randomly generated character, with new abilities, fighting through a series of levels towards a final boss. Every boss remains dead after being killed, so players will always make progress, and with permanent buyable upgrades, struggling players can eventually power up enough to progress.
With fair but challenging combat, a varied and useful progression system, and interesting levels with platforming and puzzles, there’s something for everyone in Rogue Legacy 2.
Rogue Legacy 2 is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
9. Enter the Gungeon
Don’t let the cutesy visuals fool you – Enter the Gungeon is an incredibly challenging bullet-hell twin-stick shooter. Gungeon pits the player against a varied cast of enemies with nothing but the guns you find and a dodge roll to avoid the sea of bullets. Weapons are comedically over the top and always fun to use, so whether it’s a Mega Man-style blaster or a gun that fires exploding bananas, you know you’re in for a good time.
Silly and challenging in equal measures, Gungeon is beloved by roguelike fans for good reason – it’s just fun.
Enter the Gungeon is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
10. Loop Hero
Loop Hero may be the most unique game on our list. Blending deck-building, city management, and adventure RPG elements, players control the game’s hero, following a path, fighting monsters, and collecting cards that can be used to rebuild his destroyed world and providing bonuses to the hero. Combat is automatic, so the game is all about the items players equip, and the boosts they can gain from upgrading their camp.
Loop Hero is a game about fighting monsters, gathering resources, and building a character over time to defeat a formidable final boss, and is well worth checking out for an interesting take on the roguelike genre.
Loop Hero is available on Xbox.
11. Inscryption
Inscryption became one of 2021’s surprise hits, with Vancouver-based solo developer Daniel Mullins striking gold with the creepy, horror-themed deck-building element of the game in particular. The other aspects of Inscryption, from its story to its escape room-style puzzles, are also excellent, but fans quickly took to the internet to share their thirst for more tabletop throwdown – a thirst that would see Mullins introduce a dedicated Roguelike mode known as ‘Kaycee’s Mod’ some six months later.
While it might sound like a traditional PC mod, Kaycee’s Mod is an unlockable mode that can be delved into once you’ve cleared Inscryption’s main story for the first time. So yes, it is on PlayStation and Xbox, and yes it is one of the best deck-builders – alongside one of the best roguelike games – you can enjoy right now.
12. Returnal
Returnal is a roguelike predicated on self-awareness, as protagonist Selene struggles to discover why she’s become ensnared in an infinite rebirth cycle after crashing on the alient world of Atropos.
As one of the best PS5 exclusives (though PC players can get in on the action too), Returnal mixes stunning visuals with the break-neck gameplay developer Housemarque has become synonymous with, and neatly ties them together in a story that is just as brutal as its gameplay loop. Prepare to die – and revive – a lot, but there are few shooters in the genre that feel as good.
Returnal’s notched up a number of gongs, including the award for best action game at the 2021 Game Awards, and a 2022 BAFTA Games Award for best game. Needless to say, we’re not the only critics who can vouch for its quality.
13. Gunfire Reborn
If you believe you’re a fan of multiple genres, then Gunfire Reborn’s mix of FPS, roguelike, and RPG gameplay may be for you. In this roguelike, you play as one of the various and unique anthropomorphic classes, each with its own skills.
You play through a set of procedurally-generated levels, picking up a range of diverse weapons, many of which have a chaotic nature as things get progressively difficult. Expect to die frequently, but fortunately, your death won’t be for naught. Every run you play allows you to progress each class’ skills which will help in future playthroughs.
Don’t worry about facing waves of enemies all on your own, as Gunfire Reborn is also one of the best co-op games, allowing you to play with up to three friends, allowing you to build the perfect team.
14. Hitman: World of Assassination
Considering Hitman largely focuses on single-player, sandbox-style levels, you may be wondering what Hitman: World of Assassination is doing on this list. Well, the collection’s excellent Freelancer mode is a roguelike offering from the franchise, and it’s certainly exciting.
Somewhat following on from the epilogue of Hitman 3, you play as a now freelance Agent 47, being hired for jobs across the globe. IO Interactive has reworked all of the campaign locations to fit the mode, giving you an endless amount of replayable content for Hitman fans to enjoy.
As you continue to take down various targets in different syndicates, you’ll be able to customize and add to your safehouse, giving you a sense of consistent progression. However, unlike the main campaign, gear left in Freelancer missions will be lost forever, meaning you’ll have to purchase it from Suppliers during missions.
If you haven’t played the recent Hitman games, we’d recommend playing through the Hitman: World of Assassination campaign, which includes all of the story content of the three games into one bundle, with at least 40 hours of content to enjoy straight away. With the endless replayability of Hitman’s sandbox environments, as well as the roguelike Freelancer mode, you’ll have hundreds of hours of enjoyment.
15. Balatro
Throughout this list you might have seen one or two games and thought ‘hang on a minute, this is a rogue-lite game, not a roguelike!’ Well, Balatro is one of them, and it’s one of 2024’s biggest break-out hits in the genre.
In this ridiculously addictive take on Poker, Balatro will have you gambling away your hours in the hopes of winning big on dopamine. By combining basic hands with over 150 unique Joker cards, you’ll eventually build up a deck capable of navigating the most devious blinds imaginable.
Having sold over a million copies within its first month of launch, Balatro is the most exciting deck builder we’ve seen in some time. Not since Inscrpytion, and Slay the Spire before that have we seen this much (very valid) hype surrounding a game like this.
Balatro is available on PlayStation and Xbox.
16. World of Horror
If you’re a horror head then World of Horror does exactly what it says on the tin. Blending Lovecraftian beasties with Junji Ito’s trademark aesthetic, developer Paweł ‘panstasz’ Koźmiński has done a remarkable job of producing one of the most unique roguelites you’ll play this year.
In this cosmic horror experience, the Old Gods have reawakened, and they’re back to reclaim the world. Through its turn-based combat and cosmic event cards, World of Horror guarantees a fresh experience with every playthrough – it is a roguelite, after all.
If this sounds like a bit of you, World of Horror is available only on PlayStation. While it may show up on the Xbox storefront, this is a preview version only available on PC – it’s unknown if or when it will arrive on Xbox consoles.
17. Crypt of the NecroDancer
2015’s Crypt of the NecroDancer has aged like a fine wine, with Brace Yourself Games’ rhythmic roguelike recently having a bit of a resurgence – it might have something to do with the new Hatsune Miku DLC (complete with leek!)
Sporting 15 playable characters, each with their own playstyle, Crypt of the NecroDancer will have you boogie on down an ever-changing dungeon, battling all manner of monsters – dragons included. Though its default mode is a roguelite, requiring you to get stronger to delve deeper into the later levels, the All Zones mode removes that limiter, allowing you to see how far you can get in true roguelike fashion.
All good rhythm games need a banger soundtrack, and Crypt of the NecroDancer’s groovy accompaniment doesn’t disappoint. If you’ve got your dancing shoes on, you can pick the game up on PlayStation and Xbox.
18. God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla
God of War Ragnarok is already one of the best PS5 exclusives and its free epilogue DLC, Valhalla, injects the story-driven adventure with plenty of replayability thanks to its roguelike stylings.
The mode can be accessed at any time, though we’d naturally recommend you save this until you’ve finished Ragnarok itself – it is an epilogue, after all. As an expansion of Ragnarok’s narrative, Valhalla builds on Kratos’s journey – past and present – while pitting him against randomized encounters across many rooms.
Throughout a run, you accrue different currencies that can be used to upgrade Kratos and his equipment. Dying will cause the run to end, alleviating you of most of them, though certain currencies remain that can be used for permanent buffs. Sporting plenty of bosses and other challenging enemies to defeat, Valhalla is a wonderful roguelike experience.
For more on Ragnarok’s base game, check out our God of War Ragnarok review.
And there are the best roguelikes around in 2024. Give any of these a go and we guarantee you’ll be saying ‘just one more run’ in no time. If there isn’t anything on here to your taste, then be sure to check out the best PS5 games or best Xbox games depending on which platform you’re on. Have fun!
#roguelike #games #console
