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For the best all-around starting point, play Slay the Spire if you want tactical card decisions, or Hades if you want fast combat and a story that advances between attempts. This ranked list treats “roguelike” broadly: each pick is built around repeatable runs, changing challenges or resources, and learning through successive attempts. Many modern games are called roguelites instead; the labels are not used consistently.
Our 10 best roguelike and roguelite games
This is an editorial ranking, not an objectively settled top ten. It balances different styles so you can find a game that suits your appetite for planning, reflexes, difficulty, and story. GamesRadar’s 2026 roundup covers many of the same games but orders them differently, which is a reminder that there is no universal ranking: GamesRadar’s best roguelike games guide.
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Slay the Spire
Best for tactical deckbuilding. Every attempt asks you to make connected decisions: which route to take, which cards to add or remove, and how to make your deck and relics work together. Nintendo’s description notes that routes, enemies, cards, relics, and bosses differ across journeys, giving each climb its own strategic shape: Nintendo’s Slay the Spire listing.
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The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
Best for unpredictable action runs. Its appeal is the sheer variety of items, combinations, secrets, and strange outcomes a run can produce, wrapped in a deliberately dark presentation. It is a strong fit if you enjoy experimentation and surprises more than carefully controlled builds. GamesRadar includes it in its broader 2026 list: GamesRadar’s best roguelike games guide.
#1 Best Overall
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Hades
Best action-and-story blend. Its responsive combat is paired with character relationships and narrative developments that make repeated escape attempts feel consequential. Permanent upgrades provide a form of progress between runs. Supergiant’s Steam description puts the changing encounters plainly: “New surprises await each time you delve into the ever-shifting Underworld, whose guardian bosses will remember you.” That is publisher copy describing the premise, not an independent assessment: Hades on Steam.
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Dead Cells
Best for demanding action-platforming. This is a fast, movement-led game where fighting, dying, learning, and trying again are central to the loop. It also draws on Metroidvania design. The Steam listing describes it as a “roguelite, metroidvania inspired, action-platformer,” making it a clear example of why modern genre labels overlap: Dead Cells on Steam. A physical Nintendo Switch edition is documented by the developer and Nintendo UK: Dead Cells physical edition and Nintendo UK’s Dead Cells listing.
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Spelunky 2
Best for systemic platforming. Randomized hazards are only part of the challenge: destructible environments and interacting systems reward careful observation and learning. It is an especially good choice if you like discovering how the game’s rules fit together, but its demanding runs can punish rushed decisions. GamesRadar describes it as a sequel to the original’s roguelike-platformer identity: GamesRadar’s best roguelike games guide.
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Balatro
Best for card-based score building. Poker hands are the tools, not the goal: the run is about shaping scoring combinations into something increasingly powerful. Its distinctive theme makes it easy to grasp, while the large Joker pool creates room for unusual builds. GamesRadar calls it a “poker roguelike”: GamesRadar’s best roguelike games guide.
Rank #2
Fable Fury – Cooperative Fantasy Roguelike Board Game | Dungeon Crawler Adventure Strategy Game | 1–6 Players | 45–90 Minute Gameplay | Ages 14+- COOPERATIVE FANTASY ADVENTURE – Work together with your party to defeat monsters, collect loot, and survive the dungeon.
- ROGUELIKE BOARD GAME EXPERIENCE – Every playthrough is different with evolving enemies, items, and strategic upgrades.
- STRATEGY GAME FOR GAME NIGHT – Perfect for tabletop gamers, friends, and families looking for tactical cooperative gameplay.
- HIGH REPLAYABILITY – Unique encounters, enemies, and loot create a new adventure every time you play.
- IMMERSIVE FANTASY WORLD – Beautiful artwork, thematic monsters, and exciting boss battles bring the dungeon to life.
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Returnal
Best for cinematic, high-pressure shooting. This third-person shooter combines bullet-hell combat with a science-fiction horror time-loop premise. Pick it if you want a demanding action game with a more cinematic presentation than the list’s platformers or deckbuilders. GamesRadar’s guide discusses its looping premise and intense combat: GamesRadar’s best roguelike games guide.
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FTL: Faster Than Light
Best for systems-first strategy. Each attempt puts a fragile ship, its crew, and limited resources under pressure as encounters escalate. It suits players who enjoy juggling interconnected problems and making difficult choices more than relying on action reflexes. GamesRadar continues to include it in genre coverage: GamesRadar’s best roguelike games guide.
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Risk of Rain 2
Best for escalating action and item combinations. Its run structure centers on growing power and increasing danger, making it a natural fit for players who enjoy building combinations while the pressure rises. GamesRadar includes it among notable modern entries: GamesRadar’s best roguelike games guide.
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Inscryption
Best for unsettling deckbuilding surprises. It wraps a deckbuilding run structure in an eerie atmosphere, making it the pick for players who want their card battles accompanied by a sense that something stranger is unfolding. GamesRadar identifies versions for PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One / Series X: GamesRadar’s best roguelike games guide.
Which one should you play first?
Start with the kind of challenge you want, rather than the genre label. These games differ sharply in whether success depends on planning, reflexes, experimentation, or persistence.
- Choose Slay the Spire for turn-based tactical planning and card synergies.
- Choose Hades for action combat tied closely to characters and story, with upgrades that persist between runs.
- Choose Dead Cells for demanding action-platforming and movement-led combat.
- Choose Spelunky 2 for a punishing platformer where learning how systems interact matters.
- Choose Balatro for a card-focused run structure with a poker theme.
What makes a game a roguelike?
There is no single definition that every player, store, or publisher applies the same way. A useful practical description is a game with repeatable attempts, new challenges across playthroughs, and often procedurally generated content, permadeath, randomized levels, or character development. SteamDB’s tag description captures those common traits, but it is not a binding genre standard: SteamDB’s tag descriptions.
Many contemporary games with these run-based features are called roguelites, and editorial coverage often groups the two labels together. Dead Cells explicitly uses “roguelite” in its Steam description; Hades is described on Steam as a “rogue-like dungeon crawler.” Hades also pairs repeated runs with permanent upgrades and story progress, features that distinguish many modern takes from stricter traditional-roguelike expectations: Dead Cells on Steam and Hades on Steam.
What to compare before choosing
- Substyle: Decide whether you want a deckbuilder, action-platformer, shooter, or strategy game.
- Planning or reflexes: Slay the Spire puts decisions at the center; Dead Cells and Returnal emphasize demanding real-time combat.
- Run variation: Look for the kind of changing routes, encounters, resources, or combinations that make attempts feel distinct.
- Persistence between runs: Some games carry upgrades or story forward, while other appeal comes more from learning and adapting during each attempt.
- Difficulty and learning curve: A punishing game can be rewarding if experimentation is part of the fun, but it may be a poor first choice if you want a gentler introduction.
Platform catalogs and editions can vary by region and change over time. The specifically documented physical-edition information here is for Dead Cells on Nintendo Switch; check the relevant regional listing for current availability.
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