The Best Roguelike Games for Dungeon Crawling Pleasure

The captivating realm of the roguelike genre stems from traditional gameplay elements of dungeon crawling, with procedurally generated levels and permadeath of player characters. Within the roguelike genre, some games distinguish themselves as “roguelite,” where progression to characters and story evolves the more one plays, rather than restarting completely.

Players explore dynamic landscapes where danger lurks at every step, and no two playthroughs play the same. Embark on a thrilling journey to unravel the mysteries of this genre, where skill, strategy, and luck of the random number generation gods intertwine to create an exhilarating gaming experience.

1. Hades

Hades revolves around hack-and-slash combat, skillful timing, and strategic decision-making. Players control Zagreus, the son of the god of the Underworld, as he battles through the procedurally generated areas teeming with mythical foes. The story unwinds through interactions with the other immortals, revealing Zagreus’ reasons for escaping the Underworld and uncovering the truth about his existence. With every attempt, players pick a weapon from the armory to fight with, and after defeating each stage, claim an enhancement power from one of the gracious Olympians. 

2. FTL: Faster Than Light

FTL: Faster Than Light merges real-time strategy and roguelike gameplay in a universe at war's climax. Players control a spacecraft capable of traveling faster than light, belonging to the Galactic Federation, currently at war with a xenophobic rebel faction called the Rebellion. The primary goal involves delivering crucial data to the Federation while facing unpredictable challenges. During each attempt, players upgrade the ship, recruit skillful crew members, and fight off enemies on the way by jumping to waypoints in every sector.

3. Returnal

Returnal offers a refreshing yet visceral twist in manic shooter and roguelike gameplay. Players must break the cycle in this psychological horror, controlling Selene Vassos, who crash-lands on the alien planet Atropos and gets caught in a time loop. Each cycle introduces new challenges, shaping the player’s approach to facing the three haunting biomes. The narrative unfolds through environmental clues and enigmatic cutscenes, exploring Selene’s mysterious past and journey through the cryptic planet.

4. Dead Cells

Dead Cells creates a remarkable genre synergy, fusing Metroidvania platforming and combat with roguelike dungeon crawling and permadeath features. The gameplay engages players through Metroid-style exploration and Dark Souls combat adaptation. Playing as the Prisoner, an amorphous being, players can collect mutations between levels. The story unfolds organically as players navigate the Prisoner through procedurally generated levels, battling through hordes of mutated monsters.

5. Enter the Gungeon

This manic shooter roguelike game sends players into a quirky adventure through firearms-themed dungeons known as the Gungeon. The gameplay revolves around exploring the procedurally generated stages, confronting a frenzy of foes, and collecting an arsenal of wacky firearms.

Players control one of four player characters, the Marine, Convict, Hunter, or Pilot, collectively called the Gungeoneers. Combat relies heavily on memorizing enemy behavior patterns and dodging to avoid bullets. Players fight a random boss at every level end, hoping to make it past the fifth chamber where the true ending lies. 

6. Rogue Legacy

Released in 2013, Rogue Legacy stands strong as a platformer with roguelike elements, holding the graphical charm of the classics. Players control a hero slaying foes in randomly generated dungeons, defeating four bosses in four different environments of the castle. When the player dies, the character’s heir succeeds them, starting a new run carrying their unique characteristics and abilities, including genetic peculiarities that alter the gameplay.

Gold found while exploring the castle helps improve equipment and abilities and gets passed on to the character’s heirs. 

7. Darkest Dungeon

Players manage a roster of heroes to explore dungeons below a gothic mansion in Darkest Dungeon. This roguelike role-playing game mixes turn-based combat and real-time strategy in an unrelenting challenge. The core feature lies in the stress level of each hero, which increases with further exploration and the stresses of combat and traps. The primary goal remains to cleanse the estate from otherworldly evils, conquer the eldritch bosses, and restore hope to a troubled land.

8. Spelunky

Spelunky still receives critical acclaim for its gameplay as one of the first games to borrow concepts from roguelikes and combine them with platformer elements.

Players delve into a series of procedurally generated caves while collecting treasure, saving damsels, and overcoming traps and foes. The game challenges players to think strategically while navigating tight spaces and taking advantage of all the gear and archaeological artifacts. Spelunky’s immersive experience lies in the unpredictable nature of encounters, where skill and luck lead to triumph in the ever-shifting underground.

9. Nuclear Throne

Nuclear Throne throws players into a post-apocalyptic world with manic shooter elements. Players control one of twelve characters, ten of which unlock through playing and come with unique abilities. They progress through a linear level structure until level 7–3, where they face the final boss.

Players who succeed in the final battle may loop from the beginning and play again with increased difficulty. The game resets at death but offers many rewards for getting crafty with playstyles and finding secrets in this volatile, radiated world.

10. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

The Binding of Isaac stands firm as an instant indie classic roguelike in all its iterations. Rebirth remakes the original released as a Flash game in 2011, and its top-down shooter gameplay still intense and challenging. The gameplay involves shooting through Isaac’s mother's basement as she tries to kill him, encountering grotesque foes, and collecting enigmatic power-ups.

The dark narrative unfolds through visual storytelling, revealing the unsettling story of Isaac’s journey through the nightmarish basement.

11. Crypt of the NecroDancer

This quirky game fuses a rhythm dance game with a roguelike, sending players into the Crypt to fight monsters to the beat. Players match the beat with movement and attacks, collecting coins dropped by enemies and finding items to equip each run. The coin-scoring multiplier increases if players kill enemies in succession without taking damage or missing a beat.

Bosses and enemies grow stronger as the deeper players dance into the Crypt, presenting an intense puzzle to overcome in the pulsating corridors.

12. Risk of Rain 2

In Risk of Rain 2, players control a survivor stranded on a hostile alien planet. To survive the onslaught, players navigate various environments, shooting enemies and looting chests to collect items that enhance their offensive and defensive capabilities.

Battles get hectic, and boss monsters stand massive, making it challenging to activate the teleporter to progress. This game offers many things to unlock, making every run special in achieving overarching goals. Skillful play, strategic cooperation, and decision-making meet to face the unpredictability of the evolving alien landscape.

13. Caves of Qud

This game weaves a handwritten narrative through a science fantasy role-playing epic set in a far future richly cultured and abundant with sentient plants. In Caves of Qud, players create a mutant character, picking from over 70 mutations and defects and exploring a hybrid handcrafted and procedurally generated world.

This game engages players through a quest system and gameplay style similar to NetHack. This deeply simulated game creates vast, randomized physical and political systems every run, offering an immersive experience in a surreal realm.

14. Into the Breach

Into the Breach engages players with strategic, turn-based gameplay featuring a compelling narrative set in the far future. Humanity fights against an army of giant monsters collectively called the Vek; players operate a mech to combat them.

Equipped with various weapons and armor, the player coordinates the actions of their team in response to enemy moves telegraphed on a gridlike battlefield. This game encourages thoughtful planning, requiring players to adapt to the dynamically generated challenges presented in each scenario.

15. Curse of the Dead Gods

Curse of the Dead Gods presents a challenging dungeon crawler where players assume control of an explorer who navigates three dungeons in search of power and eternal life. Each randomized dungeon contains hazards, hostile enemies, and valuable rewards for overcoming them.

In addition to a life meter, the game features a curse meter, where players gain curses that hinder abilities and present extra challenges while exploring. Lifting these curses requires defeating bosses, making this game a challenge all the way through.

16. Streets of Rogue

Streets of Rogue delivers an open-ended narrative across six stages in a procedurally generated city. Playing as a Resistance member, players engage in dynamic gameplay by accomplishing specific mission goals through special character traits and items. New gadgets and abilities can be bought upon death using chicken nuggets collected during the run.

This game invites players to think creatively and adapt to the chaotic streets for an engaging gaming experience.

17. UnderMine

In UnderMine, players control a series of procedurally generated player characters seeking fortune in a dangerous mine. This game offers an exhilarating gaming experience with engaging real-time combat and high risk-reward value. The game hinges on collecting as much as possible and surviving as long as possible. Because upon death, half of the gold collected gets stashed away and used later to buy equipment and upgrades for future runs.

18. Tangledeep

Tangledeep features fantastic dungeon crawling turn-based gameplay set in magical randomized dungeons. Players take on the role of customizable characters with various job classes, each offering their own set of skills and abilities. The goal lies in getting to the dungeon's heart and uncovering the secrets of the magical world. Take on the intricate dungeons, defeat powerful enemies under challenging situations, and advance deeper into the ever-changing deep.

19. Dicey Dungeons

Taking place on a game show-like backdrop, players assume the role of adventurers-turned-into-dice in Dicey Dungeons. Merging deck-builder and roguelike, Lady Luck challenges adventurers to delve into dungeons, collecting loot, and fighting monsters with the luck of dice. Players must traverse the map to the deepest level and defeat the boss, unlocking metagame progressions like additional characters and new rulesets. 

20. Unexplored

Unexplored features intricate procedurally generated dungeons and simplistic graphics with a faithful refreshed interpretation of Rogue. Players wander dangerous dungeons, solve mysterious puzzles, avoid traps, and battle foes in real-time. Players must reach the deepest floor and retrieve the Amulet of Yendor. But a massive variety of monsters and traps stands in the way.