What is the best roguelike game of all time?

From brutally fair platformers to deck-building masterpieces and physics-simulated chaos, the roguelike genre has produced some of gaming's most addictive and replayable experiences. Which one keeps pulling you back?

1

Hades

Supergiant Games' 2020 critically acclaimed roguelike following Zagreus escaping the Greek Underworld with stunning art and storytelling.

2

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Edmund McMillen's dark 2014 dungeon crawler roguelike with hundreds of items and biblical horror themes that defined the genre.

3

Spelunky 2

Derek Yu's 2020 sequel platformer roguelike with brutally fair difficulty, procedural caves, and extraordinary depth.

4

Slay the Spire

MegaCrit's 2019 groundbreaking deckbuilder roguelike that spawned an entire subgenre and remains endlessly replayable.

5

FTL: Faster Than Light

Subset Games' 2012 spaceship management roguelike blending real-time strategy with permadeath tension across the galaxy.

6

Vampire Survivors

Poncle's 2022 bullet-heaven phenomenon that became one of the most acclaimed and addictive indie games ever made.

7

Dead Cells

Motion Twin's 2018 brutally satisfying action roguelike combining Metroidvania exploration with tight combat and unlockable weapons.

8

Hades II

Supergiant Games' 2024 early access follow-up starring Melinoë on a quest through an expanded Greek mythos with new mechanics.

9

Balatro

LocalThunk's 2024 poker-themed deckbuilder roguelike that became a viral sensation for its deeply satisfying combo system.

10

Noita

Nolla Games' 2020 physics-based roguelike where every pixel is simulated, creating a deeply emergent and chaotic experience.

11

Returnal

Housemarque's 2021 third-person shooter roguelike set on an alien planet, praised for its tight controls and atmospheric storytelling.

12

Risk of Rain 2

Hopoo Games' 2019 third-person shooter roguelike with escalating power scaling and a beloved roster of survivors.

13

Enter the Gungeon

Dodge Roll's 2016 bullet-hell dungeon crawler where adventurers descend into a gun-shaped dungeon in search of a magical bullet.

14

Darkest Dungeon

Red Hook Studios' 2016 gothic roguelike RPG exploring stress, sanity, and survival in Lovecraftian horror dungeons.

15

Caves of Qud

Freehold Games' deep and sprawling science-fantasy roguelike set in a far-future world with hundreds of mutations and skills.