Exordium Games really isn’t wasting any time with its gladiator-themed roguelike, Bloodgrounds. Three months after its launch in Early Access, the game has just received its second major update.
Titled Trials of the Gladiator, the update adds nine new class abilities and more than 30 different Gladiator Expeditions. Together, these abilities introduce a mix of crowd control, movement, and devastating area effects that dramatically expand Bloodgrounds’ build potential.
The new Gladiator Expeditions also let players use fighters who aren’t currently battling in the arena, recovering, or training, adding strategic depth and new purpose to gladiators waiting on their return to glory.
Bloodgrounds is planned to make a full release in early 2026. Before then, though, the team intends to add item crafting, new bosses and enemies, and more features that can be found in the below roadmap.
The game’s first major Early Access update called Masters of the Arena was released back in December and added larger arenas, controllable camera rotation, and new arena obstacles.
You can check out a trailer for the game’s Early Access launch below:
If you've enjoyed this article, please share it with your network and help spread the word!
Still with us? Of course you are! If you want to keep reading about great hand-picked rogues, the following articles represent a huge collection of the best roguelike games ever made.
Next, there are genre-specific lists that delve into the best roguelike games of all types. I’ve pulled out the best examples from each category, alongside the links to more in-depth articles!
The best turn-based roguelikes: Caves of Qud | There are some seriously incredible turn-based roguelikes out there. Of all the modern games, these are the closest to the original Rogue.
Awesome first-person rogues: Gunfire Reborn | We almost went with Blue Prince for this spot, but most people checking out first-person rogues probably want to wield a gun, you know?!
Cool roguelike deckbuilders: Balatro | Sorry, Slay the Spire fans, but this poker-solitaire deckbuilder has stolen Mike’s heart and won’t give it back.
Exciting roguelike platformers: Spelunky | Now, don’t get us wrong, Dead Cells is an incredible game, especially with all the DLC switched on. But when it comes to impact, you just can’t beat Spelunky.
Amazing action-roguelites: Hades 2 | And finally, let’s wrap things up with our favourite of them all. There’s no beating the original Hades, although Hades 2 comes pretty close!
