Rogueliker

Games like Wordle: Roguelike Word Games and the Best Wordle-likes

11th July 2026

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.

So what is Wordle?

Simply put, it’s a puzzle where you have to guess a five-letter word using your smarts. You must come up with a random starting word, and then, using the clues from that first word, guess another. Greyed-out tiles are wrong, yellow ones are correct but in the wrong position, and green letters are correct and in the right place.

For example, in the Wordle puzzle below, I guessed “DRUNK” first and then, knowing there was an “R” in the word, I guessed “SOBER”.

Since I first discovered it, not only have I played a ton of different Wordle games, but I’ve also been trying out a bunch of roguelike word games, and what I’m here to tell you, Dear Reader, is that this burgeoning sub-genre is also producing some really cool and interesting results.

Roguelike Word Games

While not as popular as Wordle, I think a lot of word nerds will find roguelike word games to be highly enjoyable too. You just might not have heard of them before!

The reason why this mix works so well is procedural generation, which keeps things fresh with a new run every time. This, coupled with the roguelite structure of adding rule-changing elements to your repertoire, is 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 that’s both roguelike word titles and games like Wordle more generally.

And so, having looked into the Wordle-like niche more deeply than most games journos have dared to peek, I’ve gathered together a collection of truly great word-based puzzle games. Whether you want more games like Wordle or an entirely 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. The main point I want to highlight is that I have played all of these games myself. I’ve also skipped anything I know to be made using gen-AI.

But first, I shall start with my favourite games like Wordle, then move on to a couple of my favourites, before finally sharing a few honourable mentions.

Games like Wordle

If all you want is a great game like Wordle, I’m not going to make you scroll through all of the lovely roguelikes to find my picks.

The titles below are Wordle games, certainly, but the core idea will have been remixed in a fun or interesting new way. All of them are playable in your browser, 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 shown some discipline and picked out my five favourite games like Wordle, including the next game from the creator of the original, Josh Wardle, which sits in fifth:

5. 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 absolutely stumped at first, but it’s really quite clever and will keep you pondering for hours upon hours. One for the deepest of deep thinkers out there.
4. Waffle: In this more straightforward adaptation of the Wordle formula, you must move letters around a grid to make as many words as you can before running out of moves. Waffle is simple, effective, wholesome Wordle fun!
3. Weaver: My third pick blends Wordle-like energy with the Word Ladder invented by a certain Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who was best known by his pen name: Lewis Carroll. Every day is a school day, eh?! Weaver challenges you to get from one word to another by changing one letter at a time. Sound simple, right?
2. Quordle: Next, we have a four-way Wordle game that will melt your brain the first time you play it. That said, after a while, I really started to appreciate how much Quordle fires up the old grey matter – and the UI is elegantly done, too. I highly recommend you check this one out, and there are several other games on the Quordle website to keep you thinking. It’s also worth noting that several other games have more puzzles running at once, such as Octordle, but for me, four is the magic number.
1. Antiwordle: My final game like Wordle offers an amusing spin on the original formula. Here you’ve got to guess wrong words for as long as possible. This is actually much, much harder than it sounds, and I really enjoyed the new spin that Antiwordle puts on a familiar challenge.

In my humble opinion, those are the best games like Wordle. I’ve played quite a few at this stage, but I’m always on the lookout for new puzzles and word games, so I’ll update you if and when I find more!

Roguelike Word Games

If you’re feeling brave and/or you’re tired of games like Wordle and you fancy something new, it’s time to dig into a few roguelike-inspired games. They come in all shapes and sizes, and are particularly well represented on PC, and they take word-based gameplay to a whole new level.

Cursed Words: The Word Game That Isn’t

Buried Things | PC (Win)

We’re starting off the roguelike section 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.

In that article, linked below for your convenience, 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 higher-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.

Beyond Words

MindFuel Games | PC (Lin, Win)

Another recent game that launched in the run-up to me finally getting around to writing this article, Beyond Words takes the formula perfected in the likes of Balatro and then 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.

Tomb of the Bloodletter

Ethan’s Secretions | PC (Win)

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.

Word Play

Game Maker’s Toolkit | iOS, PC (Mac, Win)

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.

A quick update: Word Play finally arrived on mobile via a new iOS port, which landed in July, 26!

More roguelike word games

Wordatro! | Le Poulet | PC (Win)

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 | Android, iOS, PC (Win)

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 – bird word game | John August, Corey Martin | PC (Mac, Win)

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.

Scriver: A Word Game | doughbody | iOS, PC (Win)

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.

OMG Words | Dave | PC (Win)

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 | PC (Mac, Win)

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.

Scrabble | Scopely

Finally, we end on Scrabble, not a roguelike but certainly a fitting conclusion to this collection! This is the game that introduced many of us to the delights of wordplay. It’s one of my favourite board games, and I’ve got at least two copies of it here at home.

When it comes to playing online, you don’t need to mess around with cheap copies; proper Scrabble is available to play in your browser over on the game’s official page. In fact, much like the NYT, there are several well-designed mini-games to try out, so you’ll find plenty to do while you’re there.

Stay tuned for more roguelike experiments and games like Wordle as I update this page with fresh discoveries as I find them!

Would you like to know more?

Still with me? Of course you are! If you want to keep reading about great hand-picked roguelikes, this website is absolutely chock-full of them. Head over to the Guides Page for a concentrated hit of roguish games, organised via sub-genre and platform.

What’s more, there are always going to be new lists for emerging trends as well as fresh titles to highlight. This is because my backlog is embarrassingly long, and so I’m always trying to balance the new games that arrive in my inbox with playing the stuff I already have.

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