Steam has plenty of amazing roguelike titles, but with so many of them competing for gamers’ attention, some of the best inevitably get overlooked. To meet the criteria for this list, older games must have less than 3,000 overall reviews, and newer games must have less than 500. With that in mind, here are some fantastic Steam roguelikes that deserve more attention than they’re getting.
Updated on November 15, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra:Roguelike games have become all the rage in modern times, with these titles featuring some innovative design principles that indie studios have used to great effect. Instead of developing intricate linear environments that can’t be recycled all the time, roguelike design promotes repetition and environment design without being too taxing for developers. This genre has become overpopulated in modern times, and many players may miss out on certain gems that don’t get the success they deserve.
12 Nuclear Throne
Many players might be worried that roguelike games become somewhat repetitive and start lacking any sort of variety after a point. Well, games like Nuclear Throne prove why this notion is incorrect in so many ways.
The game boasts fourteen playable characters that are all pretty interesting to play in their own right. The game has a steep skill curve that players must master if they wish to beat the final boss of the game, the eponymous Nuclear Throne itself.
11 Synthetik
A roguelike top-down shooter with tactical combat, Synthetik is a great experience that fans of the genre should check out. This title can be played either alone or with friends, with both modes of play being a blast in their own right.
It’s important to choose viable upgrades, get an array of damaging weapons, and use tactics as well as shooting skills to beat the enemies in the game. Synthetik is not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a riveting title that players will become absolutely absorbed with once they understand the nuances of the game’s combat systems.
10 Receiver
Receiver is one of the most unique games on this list, turning the very act of shooting itself into a core gameplay mechanic. Simply reloading a gun takes numerous button presses that can be quite tricky to pull off early on.
However, it’s a testament to the brilliant design of Receiver that many players will automatically start reloading weapons through muscle memory alone. This is downright necessary since the enemies in the game seem pretty simple but can be absolutely horrifying to deal with if the player runs out of bullets during a particularly challenging encounter.
9 Caves Of Qud
Caves of Qud is one of the most unique games on this list, with its graphics being perfect for fans of Dwarf Fortress. The game might not look all that impressive, but it’s the amazing mechanics of Caves of Qud that make it such a beloved title.
The sheer number of options players have access to in Caves of Qudis simply mind-blowing. Each and every playthrough of the game is unique in its own right, with a single mistake being punished harshly and serving as a learning experience for the player time and time again.
8 Circadian Dice
Circadian Dice is a twist on the solo deckbuilding roguelike genre: instead of customizing a deck of cards, the player is customizing a set of dice. After choosing their class, the player sets for into a dungeon to kill monsters, collect treasure, and make the best run they can out of the game’s RNG. During each battle, the player has opportunities to upgrade the dice they roll against the enemy.
This can include buffing the effects of a die face, adding new abilities such as the ability to capture enemies or pierce their armor, or even unlocking extra dice to use. With interesting classes to choose from, each with their own unique powers and drawbacks, as well as items and enemies to consider, Circadian Dice packs a surprising amount of value into its small package. Unlike some other games, there’s no debate about Circadian Dice being a solid roguelike.
7 BroodStar
Fans of classic arcade shoot’em ups have a new way to flex their bullet hell muscles: BroodStar. This top-down shooter sees the player piloting a spacecraft and battling against waves of deadly enemies. Death erases most progress, but the player is able to keep whatever upgrade modules and research points they collected for ship upgrades.
With multiple weapon types, hundreds of upgrades, and 12 procedurally generated levels,BroodStar has more than enough variables to keep the game interesting over the course of multiple runs. Players that need some extra incentive can even take on challenges and try to climb higher in the Leaderboards, showing off their skills against other players around the world.
6 The Madman
Fans of Enter the Gungeon may want to check out The Madman, an action roguelike about a mercenary on a mission. The game gives the players plenty of weapons to deal with the enemies they encounter, which is good news, because there are plenty of them.
One of the best things about the game is its art style. Character designs are clean and appealing, and every level is distinct, preventing the “same old thing” vibe that often takes over in similar games after a while and making it beautiful to look at. The animations are excellent, making the whole game feel smooth and satisfying, which is important for any game about sprinting around blasting things.
5 TombStar
TombStar is a top-down space western, which is interesting even before the bullet-hell and roguelike elements are added. The player’s goal is to free planet TombStar from the Grimheart Gang. To facilitate this quest the player is given a variety of deadly and creative tools, from the Fireworks Cannon to the Armageddon Expander.
The game’s multiple playable characters each bring their own unique strengths, and their playstyles can be further customized using perks. Roguelike RNG helps keep battles interesting, and TombStar makes an effort to tell an interesting story with solid worldbuilding, something that many roguelike games would benefit from.
4 Summoners Fate
Turn-based combat meets card combat in Summoners Fate. The player must help summoners throughout the Multiverse complete their quests, a dangerous proposition that will require powerful cards and for some reason mutant rabbits. Aesthetically and mechanically, the game is an interesting mashup of tabletop RPGs and CCGs, with Magic: The Gathering perhaps being the largest influence.
Deckbuilding games can be extremely difficult to balance and execute, but Summoners Fate does a good job of it, and an even better job of bringing its disparate elements together so that it feels like its own unique experience instead of an ugly hodgepodge of the great roguelike games that inspired it.
3 Gladiator Guild Manager
Some roguelikes are more hands-on than others. Gladiator Guild Manager tasks the player with assembling and training the best gladiators they can for their guild, choosing tactics and positioning their fighters before the battle. Once the battle has started, however, it’s up to the gladiators themselves, and all the player can do is hope that their hard work and planning payoff when they count most.
Since it’s a management game, Gladiator Guild Manager in some ways feels like a sports sim, with team assembly and training taking the bulk of the player’s time while gladiators handle their own bloody business. That’s not a bad thing. Preparing for upcoming tournaments, adjusting for weather conditions, and trying to balance gladiator quirks with a dwindling coffer is a delicate business, and the player already has plenty to do. With factions, bosses, and gladiator RNG, there’s enough content here to keep roguelike fans busy for a while.
2 Playable Mockup
Playable Mockup is one of the strangest and most interesting roguelikes around, despite its brief run time. It’s a creepy, first-person deckbuilding game in which the player explores an infinitely looping corridor. If that weren’t a weird enough premise, the player’s deck manipulates time, and the corridor was created from a ghost photo. This is a roguelike with some fascinating lore.
Perhaps the biggest reason to recommend Playable Mockup is it simply doesn’t feel like other games in the genre. Calling it a deckbuilding game, an investigative game, and a roguelike is correct, but none of that does justice to the actual experience of playing it. For gamers who want a spooky investigation with luck as a critical factor in their success, Playable Mockup may be just the answer.
1 Eyes In The Dark
A self-described “roguelight” platformer, Eyes in the Dark is about Victoria Bloom and her mission to rid Bloom Manor of both the darkness and the creatures within. The first thing that most players will notice about the game is its stunning, high-contrast black-and-white art style. The game is undeniably gorgeous. Thankfully, it’s also fun.
Victoria will use a flashlight and slingshot on her quest to save her grandfather, but she will also discover new gadgets and upgrades. With every run, the layout and contents of the Manor change, forcing the player to adjust their strategy with the changing circumstances. Perks can be discovered, but force the player to adopt a weakness, helping keep things balanced even as the player grows in strength.
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