SUMMARY
- Steam offers a massive library games that belong to several different categories.
- Roguelike games are endless, perma death based games that players get challenged in.
Roguelike and Roguelite games offer some of the most satisfying and fun modern gaming experiences. Over the past years, the popularity of these genres has considerably increased. And it’s very easy to keep spending hours and hours playing these games.
Thanks to their relatively simple concepts, players often find themselves lost in these games. Valve’s online game storefront for PC, Steam, has tons of these games that players can grind for hours together. Here are some of the best Roguelike and Roguelite games available on Steam.
Best 5 Roguelike games on Steam
Roguelike is a genre of role-playing game that is basically characterized by a dungeon crawl via procedurally generated levels. It also features turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, as well as permanent death of the player character. One of the most significant characteristics of the Roguelike genre is that these games do not have meta-progression. If a player dies in the game they must start over from scratch with no advantage
Here are some of the best Roguelike games on Steam:
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is a 2022 roguelike shoot’em up style video game. Developed and published by Luca Galante, this game is certainly one of the best Roguelike games on Steam with a rating of 10/10. Besides the game has also won several awards.
The game allows players to control an automatically attacking character alongside fighting against continuous monsters. The aim is to survive the onslaught for as long as possible. As players progress they unlock additional characters, weapons, and relics for subsequent sessions. Ironically, in spite of having the word ‘Vampire’ in its title and art, none of the monsters encountered in the game are vampires.
Hades
Released in 2020, Hades is a roguelike video game developed and published by Supergiant Games. The game based on Greek mythology also enjoys a 10/10 rating on Steam. It has been highly regarded by critics who believe it is among the greatest video games of all time, because of its exceptional narrative, gameplay, art style, music, and voice acting.
Players get to control Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he tries to escape from the Underworld. As he sets out to reach Mount Olympus, he is bestowed with gifts from the other Olympians on his way. Every run includes a random series of rooms that is populated with enemies and rewards.
The Binding of Issac: Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is an indie roguelike game designed by Edmund McMillen and developed and published by Nicalis in 2014. Enjoying a 10./10 on Steam, this sequel is praised for its gameplay and improvements as compared to the original The Binding of Isaac.
The plot of the game is based on the biblical story of Issac. It is also inspired by McMillen’s religious upbringing. The players get to control Isaac, a young boy, whose mother is convinced that she is doing God’s work, and thus deprives him of everything and locks him in his room. Just when his mother is about to kill him, Issac escapes to the basement where he fights through random, roguelike dungeons.
Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire is a 2019 roguelike deck-building video game. Developed by the American indie developer Mega Crit and published by Humble Bundle, the game was well-received among the community with a 10/10 rating on Steam.
In this game, the player takes charge of one of four characters and attempts to climb a spire of multiple floors. This is created through procedural generation, battling foes and bosses. Combat happens via a collectible card game-based system, wherein the players gain new cards as rewards from combat and other means. This requires them to use strategies of deck-building games to build an effective deck to complete the climb.
Risk of Rain
Risk of Rain is a game series with two roguelike games, of which Risk of Rain 2 which was released in 2020 has been highly regarded. The series is developed by Hopoo Games and published by Chucklefish
The game allows players to manage the survivor of a space freighter crash on an alien planet. Here players must try to survive by killing monsters and collecting items that can effectively boost their offensive and defensive abilities.
Best 5 Roguelite games on Steam
Roguelite games are similar to Roguelike games except they have meta-progression. This means, that even after players die, they keep something that they can use to make the next run easier. The “lite” indicates only the permadeath aspect. Players still have to start over on death, however, it is not as painful as starting from scratch, making it more casual or “light.”
Here are some of the best Roguelite games out there:
Holocure
HoloCure – Save the Fans! is a shoot’em up video game developed by Kay Yu in 2022. It is basically a freeware fan game that features VTubers from Hololive Production. Its gameplay is highly inspired by Vampire Survivors and Magic Survival.
The game allows players to control a character who must battle increasingly powerful enemies. The game is played from the top-down perspective wherein the players are free to move in any direction. The character automatically attacks nearby enemies, however, the player can also choose to manually direct the attacks.
Dead Cells
Released in 2018, Dead Cells is a Metroidvania game developed by Motion Twin and Evil Empire, and published by Motion Twin. It enjoys a 10/10 on Steam, being highly praised for its combat style and level design, as well as the randomized levels and weapons.
As players step into the role of an amorphous creature called the Prisoner, they must fight their way out of a diseased island to slay the island’s King. On the way, they can get weapons, treasure and other tools through exploration of the procedurally-generated levels.
Dave the Driver
Dave the Diver is a 2023 developed and published by Mintrocket. The game was highly acclaimed and even received several nominations and awards.
Players take control of Dave, who is a hard-working diver. Players must collect fish, complete quests, and manage a sushi restaurant. The gameplay blends exploration, restaurant management, and boss fights. During the day, Dave explores the ocean, while at night, he runs the sushi restaurant. The day’s catch affects the restaurant’s menu offerings.
Inscryption
Enjoying a 10/10 on Steam, Inscryption is a deck-building game developed by Daniel Mullins Games and published by Devolver Digital in 2021. The game merges various genres, including deck-building, roguelike, turn-based strategy, escape room, puzzle, and adventure. At the same time, it draws inspiration from other tabletop role-playing games, board games, horror, vlogs, and found footage.
The game includes a footage recorded by Luke Carder, who is an internet content creator specializing in collectible card games under the pseudonym “The Lucky Carder”. Before the game begins, Carder finds a set of handwritten coordinates indicating a location near his own when he opens a pack of old, printed cards known as Inscryption.
Brotato
Released in 2023, Brotato is also a shoot’em up video game created by French indie developer Thomas Gervraud under the studio name Blobfish. The game features a top-down perspective.
In Brotato, the player controls one of several potatoes. Many of the potatoes are unlocked at the start and include different starting attributes. The goal in the game is to dodge as many enemy attacks as possible with the potato. The player can also eventually upgrade and improve various attributes and weapons.