Below is an archived round-up of previously released roguelikes and roguelites. There are tons of great games listed below, so please take a look if you’re after a new roguelike or roguelite to play.
A warning though, the below was written before I had a defined format for this article, so it’s a bit all over the place. I’ve left it as was for posterity, but please bear in mind that this is not as polished as the more regularly updated article: The Best New Roguelikes, which has more info, more pictures, and more general awesomeness.
December 2023
This month’s update is much easier to digest, what with it being the last stop before Xmas and all.
Apocalypse Party is the first out of the gate. This December 1 release is a self-described “action roguelike game” set in the Middle Ages. Naturally that means dragons and perma-death. It’s by Breaker Games and as far as I can tell, it’s the studio’s debut!
Soulknight Survivor is an update to the list. I’m not sure how I missed this top-down action-roguelite but I most certainly did, because I would not have passed on mentioning this one – the 16-bit visuals hit me right in the nostalgia. It’s also a December 1 release date, and there’s a demo to try out, too.
Soulash 2 is a really interesting one. This is an early access release and a quick follow-up to last year’s devillish original. The idea in Soulash is that you’re a bad person intent on destruction. Evil shall prevail on PC on December 4, in this month’s wickedest traditional roguelike.
Picayune Dreams is also out on December 4. It gets a mention probably because of lack of competition, but therein lieth the reason to launch your game just before the holidays. It’s a strange roguelite shooter and not normally my thing personally.
Against the Storm is the big release of the month. Rogueliker’s first ever commissioned review is in the works and we’ll be ready to share it when this RTS-roguelite hybrid exits Early Access on December 8.
Stargate: Timekeepers is out on PC on December 12. Slitherine is making and publishing this one, and while it’s not a roguelike or roguelite, it is a tactical game with a time-loop mechanic. Maybe worth checking out.
Finally, the last new game that I’ve found on my search so far is Soulsinger: Envoy of Death. Yes, that’s a rather silly name, but the production values on this roguelite shooter are solid and I might try and play this one ahead of launch on December 14. I think this is currently PC only, but it looks like a console game waiting to happen.
Another update, this time one that I’m ashamed to have forgotten the first time around as I’ve already had my eye on it: Trinity Fusion. This one is leaving early access on December 15. It looks slick and I’ll try and cover it if I can, cos I quite like slick action platformers.
Another last minute update, this time for a very exciting bullet-hell action-roguelite, Tiny Rogues. This one’s already in Early Access but it’s getting a big free expansion. That being so there’s going to be a modest price rise when Between Heaven and Hell lands and the game is updated on December 22. I’ll also be covering this one.
Meanwhile, in DLC land, the Fish & Ships update for Ship of Fools is out now on all platforms, following on from an initial launch on PC. You can read more about the update via the link.
Yet another last minute update, Poncle just announced a hilarious collaboration with InnerSloth for Among Us expansion. Vampire Survivors: Emergency Meeting is heading to PC and Xbox on December 18. There a review right here.
And I’ve probably saved the best for last. That’s right, Red Hook has confirmed that The Binding Blade, the first expansion to Darkest Dungeon 2, is coming out this month. That one is landing on December 11, and you can read more about the DLC here.
November 2023
Words of Yendor – Word-based RPG adventure game with procedurally-generated elements, permadeath, and a big fat nod to Rogue in the title.
Magicraft – Magic-infused roguelite with dazzling visual effects and a nod or two to Don’t Starve in terms of the overall aesthetic style.
Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot – Slime is the literal name of the game here, and you’ll be taking on waves of pesky humans in the quirky-looking action-roguelite bullet-hell.
For the King II – A rare sequel in the world of roguelikes, this follow-up to the popular tabletop proxy with roguelite elements comes with up to four-player multiplayer.
Cursorblade – There probably isn’t a cuter game on this list. This twist on the bullet-hell genre has you playing as the cursor itself.
Survivors of the Dawn – A bullet hell shooter full of waves of aliens. It’s on my Wishlist for some reason, and it’s out this month. Thank past me for this one…
Roboquest – Unlike the vast majority of games on this list, Roboquest is heading to Xbox as well as PC. This shooter has a bunch of personality and we’re looking forward to playing it again now it’s done.
Cobalt Core – This one’s pretty cute too. Cobalt Core somehow fuses deck building with space battles – and I am most intrigued. It’s published by Brace Yourself Games, too, and that’s an outfit I’ve always admired.
Gunhead – I enjoyed the original Cryptark, which is a side-scrolling sci-fi mech shooter. This sequel takes the same formula into the 3D realm and it looks great. This one is hitting PC and PlayStation 5.
Risk of Rain Returns – The original side-scrolling RoR is back with a fresh lick of paint and a bunch of new ways to play. All the details are here.
Spells & Secrets – Aimed firmly at younger players, this Harry Potter-inspired roguelite allows for co-op spellcasting as well as solo play. This is also a rare cross-platform release
Death Must Die – Excellent name. I see some truly terrible game names out there, but this one bangs. Looks like a Vampire Survivors clone, but with a bit more personality than most.
Below the Stone – Dwarves and mining go together like two things that go well together. This little action-roguelite looks decent and I’ll be looking to cover it more in the future, time allowing.
Late Additions
I’ve had a couple of people reach out about late inclusions, and so we’re going to put them here, starting with… drum roll please…
Elewar: Fused Survivors – This intriguing bullet-heaven is looking to bring a bunch of new gameplay twists to the formula via a selection of spells and unlocks. It’s coming to PC and it’s going to be free-to-play.
Astral Ascent – As flagged by a friend over on Reddit, Astral Ascent is a roguelite action-platformer infused with magic. It’s cross platform, it’s landing on November 14, and it looks lovely (see the picture below for a mere taste of this pixel art adventure). Here’s the review.
Fusion Paradox – Another last minute addition is the news that Fusion Paradox has followed up on its initial appearance on PC with a cross-platform release on PlayStation, Switch, and a variety of Xboxes. In this blocky actioner you’re picking a fight with the god of war. Yikes.
If you’re an indie dev getting ready to launch your game and I’ve not included you here, get in touch at editor@rogueliker.com and we’ll add you to our lists!
The Archives!
August 2024: The August archive boasts highlights including the blackjack-themed deckbuilder Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers, a co-op update for Cult of the Lamb, plus excellent games including Peglin, Terminus: Zombie Survivors, Knock on the Coffin Lid, and Nova Drift all left Early Access. Plot twist: Risk of Rain 2’s latest DLC launched to very mixed reviews.
July 2024: Headline acts this July included the console release of Darkest Dungeon II, and Lost Castle 2 releasing into Early Access. The original Epyx version of Rogue has finally been ported to Nintendo Switch, with one or two improvements that no doubt explain the delay. Finally, shout outs to Arc Seed, because I do love a giant mecha battle, and Wastelander, because I’m a sucker for sci-fi strategy games.
June 2024: This month got better as it went on. June closed out with a tetromino-powered tower defense roguelite by the name of Emberward, a turn-based western rogue called Guncho (wanted dead or alive, apparently), the quirky auto-battler otherwise known as Million Monster Militia, and the early access exit of Champion Shift. All of them landed in the back nine of the month, so keep on scrolling.
May 2024: Hit this link for some of the very best launches of the year, including the Early Access release of Hades II, the wonderful turn-based roguelike Path of Achra, and a big crossover as Contra comes to Vampire Survivors. Plus stellar shooters Robobeat and Mullet MadJack both dropped in May, and there’s a certain Prince from Persia who arrived before the end of the month, too. Phew.
April 2024: One of my favourites in April was peaceful puzzler Planetiles, which certainly contrasts the grimy first-person horror of Buckshot Roulette. Traditionalists will note the release of Story Mode in Dwarf Fortress as a milestone, while console owners finally got to savour the delights of Dave the Diver. Finally, I want to highlight Against Great Darkness and Inkbound; two indie gems out this month.
March 2024: Mortal Glory 2 dropped in March and it’s an excellent tactical turn-based roguelite about fantasy gladiators. The always brilliant Crypt of the NecroDancer got a big multiplayer update by the name of Synchrony. Two very different magic games were released into Early Access this month, with third-person actioner Vellum landing alongside turn-based spell-simulator Rift Wizard 2. Finally, the wonderful dice roller Slice & Dice made an appearance on Steam.
February 2024: An earlier iteration of this format – February’s round-up is a bit of a mess. Nevertheless, it was a good month for games with the release of Balatro on PC and console, which has been my most-played game of the year by far, and Shiren 6 finally arrived on Nintendo Switch. Other highlights include the full release of Inkulinati, and the Early Access launch of Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors.
January 2024: The first month of the year is usually pretty quiet across the industry (except for at Capcom for some reason) but we did get some good rogues, too. Lonestar is my personal pick, but Go Mecha Ball landed on PC and console, and the unofficial Indiana Jones parkour simulator otherwise known as Phantom Abyss left Early Access. Finally, BlazBlue Entropy Effect also left EA.
November and December 2023: It was still early days for Rogueliker and the formatting is all over the place, but if you want even more games, I’ve got a few from late 2023 to tell you about. Picayune Dreams is one of the highlights, as is Against the Storm, two of the year’s best games, in fact. Other top-
