Welcome back, Dear Reader, to another instalment of the monthly update, this time starring new roguelikes and roguelites that are launching in the month of September 2026.
It’s a regular feature, but with a slightly revised format. In an effort to keep things simpler for us both, I’m going to try to keep this more focused, maybe cover fewer titles in an effort to keep the quality level as high as possible.
As per, I won’t feature anything made with gen-AI, or anything that looks too derivative. Hopefully, this refined format will help you find one or two new roguelikes to get excited about this September.
Crimson Moon | Sep 1 | PC (Win), PS5, Xbox Series
I missed this during the first pass, and shame on me for the mistake, because Crimson Moon is a slick-looking action-roguelite with soulslike-inspired combat, bloody visuals, and a focus on boss battles. You’ll be playing as a Nephilim, which means you’re a human-angel hybrid who loves spanking demons.
Crimson Moon is also dropping on PS5 and Xbox Series at the same time as the PC release. Furthermore, if you’ve got a friend, you can bring them along for some co-op adventuring.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault | Sep 2 | PC (Win), PS5, Switch 2, Xbox
Digital Sun’s sequel to Moonlighter has been bubbling away nicely throughout Early Access, and now the game is ready to open its doors and welcome in a whole new crowd of players as it hits consoles.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is an action-roguelite at its core, but after each run you must take your hard-earned loot back to your store and sell it for the best price possible. This gameplay loop bookends an evolving story where you must help your friends recover your lost home.
Cosmo Tales | Sep 3 | PC (Win) Early Access
Bohemia Interactive, of DayZ and Arma fame, is dropping a family-friendly sci-fi roguelite this month, and I’m already besotted with the retro-futuristic aesthetic and science-fiction setting.
This stunning-looking game has you flying what looks like a family car (who talks, apparently), except you’re in space and getting into battles with other spaceships. Each new run will have you evolving your build, and there’s an interesting dimension-shifting mechanic during combat.
Rutrum | Sep 3 | PC (Win)
Rutrum caught my eye because it’s a game about sparkly stones – and who doesn’t love collecting cool-looking stones? More than just gemstones, this game’s all about using nuanced physics to grow your fortune by merging gems! I really enjoyed Dogpile a few months back, and after a slight delay, this looks like it’ll let me scratch a similar itch.
Deadzoned | Sep 7 | PC (Win) Early Access
Indie developer caiys has a good track record lately, with Boneraiser Minions and Voids Vigil both impressing in the last couple of years. Now they’re back with a turn-based roguelike that sounds really interesting. It’s set on a backwater planet with a blackout problem (the story sounds a bit like Pitch Black), where beasts, bandits, and monsters come out in the darkness. I’ll let you know how I get on.
Mewgenics | Sep 8 | PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series
We already knew that the plan was to bring Mewgenics to consoles, but we didn’t know the details until the news was shared live on stage during Gamescom ONL. And the best thing: we don’t have long to wait.
Mewgenics is a twisted turn-based tactics game from the minds behind The Binding of Isaac, and it’s all about cat fighting and cat breeding, as you look to create the perfect moggy hit squad. Sounds weird, right? Well, it is weird, but it’s also a bunch of fun, and it’s coming to a console near you this September.
Wanderburg | Sep 8 | PC (Win) Early Access
Wanderburg caught me by surprise, because who doesn’t want to drive a castle on wheels?! In your role as a rolling castle, you must attack other strongholds, devour whole villages, and grow strong from the very things you consume. It looks borderline cute at first sight, but the longer I dwell on this strange premise, the more sinister and compelling it feels.
Asgard’s Fall — Viking Survivors | Sep 9 | PC
Despite being on my radar for some time, Asgard’s Fall snuck up on me, but I did enjoy the Origins version of the game when I tried it. And so, when the 1.0 release landed in my inbox, I was eager to take a closer look at how the bullet heaven has evolved in the last couple of years. I’ll share my thoughts soon, and bear with me, because as you’ll read shortly, the next couple of days are chock full of new releases
Ex Sanguis | Sep 10 | PC (Win) Early Access
This turn-based tactics game from Lightbulb Crew builds on the team’s work in Othercide and elaborates on the old XCOM formula, but then Ex Sanguis expands on those themes with some truly interesting ideas.
At the core of things, there’s a blood mechanic whereby you must bleed life back into a world in the grip of “stasis”. The combat then requires you to tweak the timeline to kick off powerful chain attacks – if you can think that far ahead, of course.
Roguecraft DX | Sep 10 | PC (Win)
Now here’s a game with an interesting backstory. If I’ve got it correct, Roguecraft DX is an evolving project that started life at a Commodore game jam before eventually being remade for Amiga!
The DX edition of Roguecraft, which is out this month on Windows PC, is the same as last year’s Evercade edition but with additional modes adding even more replayability.
If you’re a fan of retro dungeon-crawling and proper old school pixel art, Roguecraft DX looks like a genuine labour of love.
Forsworn | Sep 10 | PC (Lin, Win)
Forsworn sounds like a theory crafter’s idea of a good time, with 150+ items to combo with more than 200 abilities. You’ve got to assemble a team of heroes and then synergise their abilities. There are half a dozen unique heroes, each with three subclasses, and you can play solo or in co-op with a couple of buddies.
Fresh Tracks VR | Sep 10 | PC VR
I really wish I’d written about Fresh Tracks before today, because it’s a neat rhythm roguelite by Buffalo Buffalo all about dodging obstacles and enemies while zooming along on a pair of skis. Now the game is coming to VR headsets on PC, and I can’t think of a single reason why this wouldn’t translate well into the realm of Virtual Reality.
Shroom and Gloom | Sep 10 | PC (Mac, Win) Early Access
Developed by Team Lazerbeam and published by Devolver Digital, this first-person deckbuilder has a truly striking art style, and that alone is enough to entice me in and make me want to know more.
Then you get to the game’s double-deck mechanic, and the fact that you don’t just defeat your fungal foes, you eat them! Shroom and Gloom will only be an Early Access title for now, but it’s a unique proposition, and I’m eager to try it for myself this month.
Rig Riot | Sep 14 | PC (Win)
Considering how much I like a good mech shooter, I’m surprised I didn’t hear much about Rig Riot until it arrived – better late than never, I guess.
This rustic-looking mech shooter looks very engaging, and I’ll be checking this one out at some point, I’m sure. I think the thing I find most interesting about it is the pacing, with the gameplay looking a lot snappier than you tend to find in a genre about hulking robots.
Dunebound Tactics | Sep 14 | PC (Win)
This tactics game has a really interesting desert theme, with factions fighting each other across sandy terrain that can be manipulated and destroyed during combat. The combat looks a bit XCOM-like, and I think the combination of desert exploration and then tactical battles sounds quite enticing.
Cloudbreaker | Sep 15 | PC (Lin, Win)
Cloudbreaker is the first of three sci-fi strategy roguelites dropping on the same day, but luckily for us, they’re all quite different. We’re starting with Cloudbreaker because I’m really into the mixture of bullet heaven gameplay and inventory management (God of Weapons is among the games to prove that this works very well indeed).
I also love the sky armada atmosphere, with your ship floating through the clouds as you engage in chaotic battles. There’s also a really interesting inventory aspect where you have to position your engine parts with care if you’re going to stay up in the air.
Fleetbreakers | Sep 15 | PC (Win) Early Access
Fleetbreakers has been on my radar for some time, and I’ve even played an earlier build. Not only have my first impressions been positive, but Fleetbreakers has some extremely competent developers working on the project, including some of the folks from Ensemble Studios, who made the first Halo Wars and the original Age of Empires games.
This is only an Early Access release, which is always worth bearing in mind, so only sign up ahead of 1.0 if you don’t mind rolling your sleeves up and getting stuck into a fast-paced sci-fi RTS.
Sublight | Sep 15 | PC (Win)
If you like the idea of sci-fi space battles and big explosions against a backdrop of deep space, but you’re after something a little less intense than an RTS, then Sublight’s bullet heaven battles may be worth a look.
Emberward | Sep 17 | PC (Win)
This fantastic tower defence roguelite hybrid brings tactics and Tetris together with easy elegance, and I can’t wait to play the final version after having a blast with the game during Early Access. I like this one so much, it’s already included in my guide to strategy roguelikes.
Two Sides of Hell | Sep 17 | PC (Win)
As suggested by that fun-looking screenshot, Two Sides of Hell is a co-op roguelite intended for chaotic local multiplayer. As alluded to in the title and shown in the image, you can shift between the precision gunplay of the soldier or switch into your demonic form to smash some shit up. Not only that, but we’re told that local co-op is how the game is intended to be played, and things get much harder when you bring a buddy with you. Choose your Player 2 wisely, then.
Packed Lair | Sep 21 | PC (Win)
Who doesn’t love being bad in a video game every once in a while? The latest game that’s going to let us do just that is Packed Lair, an interesting fusion of roguelite ingredients that launches this month. It has you playing as an evil boss lord who has to clear out the local area of pesky heroes. You do this by building a base, arranging your minions, and then sending your creations into automated battles.
Ved: Recure | Sep 22 | PC (Win)
The concept behind Ved: Recure is quite a novel one: you become trapped in the 1000th game you buy but never play. As someone with way too many unplayed games in his various libraries, I feel personally attacked by this theme, even if I do think it’s brilliant.
The game itself is new to me, but the screenshots look pretty sweet, I reckon. Ved: Recure is described as a fast-paced action-roguelite, and the idea of theory-crafting ahead of epic boss battles sounds intriguing. If SummerClip can pull this off as intended, it could be a good one.
Furyball: Rogue Revenge | Sep 23 | PC (Win) Early Access
This physics-based action-roguelite brings sass and bloodsports together and then wraps it up in a gritty setting inspired by grindhouse cinema. As someone who has always enjoyed digital pinball and also physics-based roguelite games of this kind, I think the concoction of ingredients above sounds absolutely delightful!
Stick It to the Stickman | Sep 23 | PC (Win)
This is going to be a busy month for Devolver Digital, and this is another one of theirs. Developed by Free Lives, the folks behind the incredible homage to action movies of yesteryear, Broforce, Stick It to the Stickman is part brawler and part roguelite, and all tongue-in-cheek chaos.
This particular game has been in Early Access for some time, but now it’s time to leave the confines of development and climb the corporate ladder all the way up to the top! In fact, I actually bought this one ages ago and then hardly played it, so I look forward to giving it a proper go later this September.
Dog in the Machine | Studio Chahut | PC (Win)
If you’re a fan of either doggos or turn-based tactics games, then Dog in the Machine should be on your watchlist for the month of September. Not only does the game look good with its crisp visuals and clean aesthetic, but it sounds like the perfect game for people who like to set up traps and cause clever chain reactions.
Dicevaders | Sep 29 | PC (Mac, Win), Switch 1+2
Dicevaders is a cute little dice-based roguelike deckbuilder that impressed me when I tried the demo, and now the game is set to release in full on PC and on both the Switch consoles.
This dice-builder flips the script on StarVaders, and in this number-go-up roguelike, you’ve got to build the perfect alien invasion. It’s sweet and silly, and I’m looking forward to diving back in at the end of the month!
As always, the back end of the month is light on releases, so I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to update this page with one or two big games, as their launch dates are revealed.
