The roguelike is the indie scene’s defining genre — procedurally generated runs, permadeath, and “just one more try” loops that quietly swallow hundreds of hours. From deckbuilders to bullet-heavens to dungeon-crawlers, these are the best indie roguelikes and roguelites we’ve played — spanning every flavour of the genre, in no particular order.
We update this list as we review more games, so bookmark it and check back. Entries link straight to our full reviews.
Hades
The genre’s masterpiece — lightning combat and a story that unfolds through every death.
Balatro
The poker-meets-roguelike phenomenon that ate 2024 — one more hand, forever.
Slay the Spire
The deckbuilding roguelike that founded a genre. Build a deck, climb the spire, repeat.
Dead Cells
A razor-sharp roguevania fusing Metroid exploration with souls-like combat.
Risk of Rain 2
A third-person roguelike where the difficulty climbs with the clock — frantic, escalating chaos.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The grim, endlessly deep dungeon-crawler that defined the modern roguelike.
Vampire Survivors
The minimalist bullet-heaven phenomenon — pure escalating dopamine.
Enter the Gungeon
A bullet-hell roguelike crammed with guns, dodge-rolls, and puns.
Inscryption
A deck-building roguelike that keeps tearing off its own mask. Unforgettable.
Spelunky 2
The platforming roguelike of pure, brutal, emergent chaos — the genre’s gold standard.
FTL: Faster Than Light
Command a starship in a tense, roguelike dash across hostile space.
Cult of the Lamb
Roguelike dungeon runs by night, cult management by day.
Monster Train
A roguelike deckbuilder with a two-lane twist — defend your train across three floors.
Darkest Dungeon
A punishing gothic roguelike where stress and madness are as deadly as monsters.
Children of Morta
A roguelite with a soul — a beautifully animated story about a family of guardians.
Loop Hero
A hypnotic, hands-off roguelike where you build the very dungeon that kills you.
Noita
A roguelike where every pixel is simulated — and your own spells will get you killed.
Into the Breach
Perfect-information turn-based tactics with a roguelike, run-based heart.
Rogue Legacy 2
A roguelite where each heir inherits the last one’s gold — and their quirks.
Crypt of the NecroDancer
A roguelike where you only move to the beat — dungeon-crawling as a rhythm game.