Roguelike games everyone should play


These games are tough but exciting. Each time you play, it's like a new adventure because everything changes. You have to be smart and quick to survive.

The Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac (2011)
Developer: Edmund McMillen
Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac

The Binding of Isaac is a randomly generated action RPG shooter with heavy Rogue-like elements. Following Isaac on his journey players will find bizarre treasures that change Isaac’s form giving him super human abilities and enabling him to fight off droves of mysterious creatures, discover secrets and fight his way to safety. Key features:...

Spelunky
Spelunky (2012)
Developer: Mossmouth, BlitWorks
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, PC (Microsoft Windows)

Spelunky (also known as Spelunky HD) is a remake of Spelunky (now known as Spelunky Classic), an open source indie platformer video game created by Derek Yu and originally released as freeware for Microsoft Windows. The player controls a spelunker who explores a series of caves while collecting treasure, saving damsels, fighting enemies and...

Hades
Hades (2018)
Developer: Supergiant Games
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Mac, Xbox One, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series

A rogue-lite hack and slash dungeon crawler in which Zagreus, son of Hades the Greek god of the dead, attempts to escape his home and his oppressive father by fighting the souls of the dead through the various layers of the ever-shifting underworld, while getting to know and forging relationships with its inhabitants.

Rogue Legacy
Rogue Legacy (2013)
Developer: Abstraction Games, Cellar Door Games
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Mac, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

You control a family of characters one at a time, and when your character dies, you choose who his or her successor is, whether it is a barbarian son of yours who has OCD, your daughter who became a ninja even though she can't see well, an assassin who is fighting for the gays, or a miner who wants to collect gold! Traits are randomized each...

Dead Cells
Dead Cells (2018)
Developer: Motion Twin
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Dead Cells is a rogue-lite, metroidvania inspired, action-platformer. You'll explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle... assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers in 2D souls-lite combat. No checkpoints. Kill, die, learn, repeat.

Enter the Gungeon
Enter the Gungeon (2016)
Developer: Dodge Roll
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia

Enter the Gungeon is a gunfight dungeon crawler following a band of regretful misfits seeking to shoot, loot, dodge roll and table-flip their way to personal absolution by reaching the legendary Gungeon’s ultimate treasure: the gun that can kill the past. Select a hero and battle your way to the bot¬tom of the Gungeon by surviving a challenging...

Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon (2016)
Developer: Red Hook Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Linux, Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows)

The game is a side-scrolling gothic role-playing game with a turn-based combat system. The player explores dungeons with a four-hero team. While players can only explore with four heroes, they will be able to recruit and manage around a dozen heroes from the local tavern or caravan. The heroes are recruited from 15 different classes each class...