If there is one thing that has kept me sane outside of playing roguelikes (and Tetris), it has been mulling over word games with my lovely wife, usually at some ungodly hour in the morning, when ideally we would still be asleep – it’s 50/50 the dog or my bladder.

The one we keep coming back to is Wordle, originally developed by Josh Wardle and later acquired by the NYT in 2022. This daily staple, along with the NYT’s other games, including the Spelling Bee – where you’ve got to make words and pangrams from a pre-made selection of letters – has kept us gently entertained for months.

In that time, I’ve also been trying out a bunch of different roguelike word games, and what I’m here to tell you, Dear Reader, is that this burgeoning sub-genre is producing some really cool and interesting results.

The reason why this mish-mash works so well is that its procedural aspects, coupled with the roguelite structure of adding rule-changing elements to your repertoire, are a perfect fit for word games. I’m not surprised by this, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the experiences that are coming to market.

And so, having looked into this niche more deeply than most games journos have dared to peek, I’ve gathered together a collection of great roguelike word games and some games like Wordle. Whether you want more of the same or a new experience with the potential to evolve in complexity, the list below has you covered.

Before we get into it, a couple of housekeeping notes to address how I’ve picked the games included below. For starters, I have played all of them myself. Next, I’ve skipped anything I know to be made using gen-AI. Finally, I like to avoid including games that feel too derivative or borrow too heavily from others. That said, in this instance, there is a sub-section for games like Worlde further down the page, and many of those are directly inspired by the original.

But first, I shall start with a couple of my favourites, before sharing a few honourable mentions and some interesting examples.

Roguelike Word Games

Cursed Words: The Word Game That Isn’t | Buried Things

We’re starting things off with Cursed Words, which enjoys this top spot purely down to recency bias, because when I first started writing this feature, I had just finished an article about this word search-inspired roguelite. Therein, I recommend it because it brings a bunch of personality to the table, as well as a few gameplay twists that you won’t find anywhere else on this page.

It’s a slow burner where you’re forced to intently inspect each grid for better scoring words, but I found myself fascinated by its unique challenge. Things start simple enough, but it doesn’t take long before the subtitle “The Word Game That Isn’t” comes into play, with new rule-bending tiles joining an ever-elaborating challenge and a broadening roster of strange characters.

Read More: My article about Cursed Words is available to read here!

Beyond Words | MindFuel Games

Another very recent game that launched in the run-up to me finally getting around to this article, Beyond Words takes the formula perfected in Balatro and respins it with words, Scrabble-like tiles and challenge boards. For sheer gameplay variety, this is your best bet, in my humble opinion.

It took me a while to warm up to Beyond Words, but once it had its hooks in me, I found myself absorbed in its challenging setup. Each board has interesting quirks, and you need to think with your future self in mind and place words with care if you’re going to advance through the later stages of each run.

Read More: There’s a review of Beyond Words available right here!

Tomb of the Bloodletter | Ethan’s Secretions

I really enjoyed the old school vibe and playful sense of humour in Tomb of the Bloodletter. Not only does this one offer a fantastic retro art style, but the emphasis on word-building has made this one of my favourite roguelike word games.

The game’s unique spin is that you’ve got an on-screen keyboard with keys that constantly get new properties. This means that you’re pushed to use particular letters when spelling out words, and this ensures every new challenge is a bit different from the last.

Read More: Tomb of the Bloodletter impressions available here!

Word Play | Game Maker’s Toolkit

When it comes to the overall game, it’s hard to fault Word Play, which I found endlessly fascinating when I played it last year.

The only real problem with it, I’d say, is that the visual side of things is a bit understated. If that sort of thing doesn’t matter to you, proceed with confidence; however, if you look for games that push the boat out when it comes to presentation, avert your eyes back up the page.

More roguelike word games

Wordatro! | Le Poulet

As implied by the title, Le Poulet’s Scrabble-inspired word game also borrows heavily from Balatro. I don’t mind at all, because the results are easy to pick up and instantly engaging. Thanks to crisp but bright visuals, it’s also really easy to parse what’s going on.

Wordatro! also features game-changing artefacts, which change up each run and keep things fresh run after run (and the daily challenge does a good job of showcasing its depth). Your objective is very Balatro-esque in the sense that you’ve got to boost both sides of an equation, raising your score and multiplier in tandem to reach constantly scaling scores.

Letterlike | Puzzlelike Studios

I quite enjoyed Letterlike when it first came out, and it includes a whole bunch of ideas that I’ve seen appear in later games. It could look a bit more inviting, but the core game is rock solid and works great on mobile.

Birdigo | John August, Corey Martin

Of all the games on this page, I think Birdigo has the nicest, most pleasant theme. This sometimes deceptively challenging word game has you migrating with birds around the planet.

Read More: There’s a full review of Birdigo right here!

Scriver: A Word Game | doughbody

The art theme marks Scriver out from the crowd, and it has been implemented in a really accessible way. It’s also worth noting that Scriver is available on iOS, and it feels very comfortable to play.

Read More: Check out my first impressions of Scriver right here.

OMG Words | Dave

The pixel art is cute, and the colour palette is also really appealing. OMG Words borrows heavily from Scrabble, but it’s also super engaging and easy to lose time on thanks to its rule-bending relics.

Glyphica: Typing Survival | aliasBLACK

Typing is the main focus in Glyphica, which will have you smashing out words at speed in no time. It’s very different to everything else on this list as it comes with time pressure, but if you’re after a word game with bite, this bullet heaven hybrid is worth a look.

Free Games like Wordle and Scrabble

If all you want is games that mimic Wordle but in fun or interesting new ways, the following examples are a couple of my favourites.

All of the below are browser games, and while I could have tried to list as many as possible for the sake of keywords, I prefer to keep things succinct. Thus, I’ve picked out a couple of notable examples, including the next game from the creator of the original, Josh Wardle:

• Parsewords: If you like cryptic crosswords, this mind-melting game will have you using clues to create new words out of old ones. This one had me stumped at first, but it’s really quite clever.
• Waffle: In this more straightforward adaptation, you must move letters around a grid to make as many words as you can before running out of moves.
• Antiwordle: In this amusing spin on the original formula, you’ve got to guess wrong for as long as possible. This is much harder than it sounds, and I really enjoyed the new challenge.

Scrabble | Scopely

You don’t need to mess around with cheap copies; the OG is available to play in your browser over on the game’s official page. In fact, much like the NYT, there are several mini-games to try, so you’ll find plenty to do there.

Stay tuned for more word games as I update this page, but if you’d like to discover more games that scratch a similar itch, you’ll find some on my guide to roguelike deckbuilders.