Highlights
- The roguelike genre has seen steady releases for over ten years due to their tight gameplay loops and high replay values.
- There are a handful of great roguelikes set in science fiction settings, offering both traditional and streamlined experiences.
- While Risk of Rain 2 breaks some traditional roguelike rules, its lack of permanent progression and action-packed gameplay make it accessible and fun.
It's safe to say that the roguelike genre is a saturated market; their tight gameplay loops and high replay values make them great targets for indie developers, and their massive popularity since the release of games like The Binding Of Isaac has kept them releasing steadily for over ten years now.
Sci-Fi Games With The Hardest Space Combat
Space Combat is an exhilarating addition to the best sci-fi games, but for some, it's a rather difficult fare.
Due to the genre's namesake and point of origin, Rogue, roguelikes have continued a fantastical trend since their conception; this is furthered by the fact that Rogue itself takes a lot of inspiration from tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons. However, in recent years, there have been a handful of great roguelikes that take place in science fiction settings, be that traditional roguelikes like Caves Of Qud, or more streamlined experiences such as Risk Of Rain 2.
Roguelikes Vs Roguelites : Those interested in the semantics can read more about these genres here , but this list includes games that feature both procedural generation and permanent death, with most of them also featuring turn-based combat; some of these games are arguably closer to the roguelite genre, but none of them feature permanent progression outside of character unlocks and extra difficulty options.
8 Approaching Infinity - A Deadly, Star Trek-Style Roguelike
Steam User Rating: 93%
This 90s-themed traditional roguelike takes inspiration from older science fiction such as Star Trek, sending players on a journey through space as the captain of a spaceship. Approaching Infinity is a traditional roguelike with a lot of old-school charm, but its cluttered user interface and simple turn-based gameplay might not be enough to grab everyone.
Approaching Infinity facilitates emergent gameplay through procedural generation and a focus on exploration, as well as plenty of monsters and hazards to interact with, and the game's multiple victory conditions add a great deal of replay value. Approaching Infinity may be in Early Access, but it's complete gameplay loop and consistent updates make it a promising roguelike.
7 Cobalt Core - Cute & Colorful Deckbuilder
Steam User Rating: 97%
This recent roguelike deckbuilder from the creators of the spaceship-building game Sunshine Heavy Industries is a cute and colorful experience with a unique, tactical twist on both roguelikes and deckbuilders alike.
Cobalt Core has a similar structure to games such as FTL: Faster Than Light, in which players travel across space via nodes, with each node representing different combat encounters and events. The game's combat is played out with cards, similar to games like Slay The Spire, with the added twist that players can maneuver their ship. Although Cobalt Core is a solid experience with a lot of positive reviews, it could be argued that it lacks the staying power of other games on this list.
6 Risk Of Rain 2 - Action Roguelike in a Sci-Fi World
Steam User Rating: 96%
Risk of Rain 2
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One , Nintendo Switch , PC , PS4
- Released
- September 11, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Hopoo Games
Although its nature as an action game somewhat defies the definition of a roguelike, Risk Of Rain 2 is a tremendously fun action-roguelike that steps outside the genre's bounds with its lack of turn-based combat.
While some may argue that this makes Risk Of Rain 2 a roguelite, its lack of permanent progression outside of character and item unlocks arguably makes it a more traditional experience than some might at first think. Risk Of Rain 2's exotic alien locales, vivid colors, and variety of playable characters make it one of the most accessible roguelikes on Steam, even if it does break the rules a little.
5 Jupiter Hell - Action-Packed Inspired by DOOM
Steam User Rating: 91%
This spiritual successor to the traditional roguelike, DoomRL, is a DOOM-inspired isometric roguelike with a gritty, 3D aesthetic, cover-based combat, and even talented voice work in the form of several 1980s-style one-liners.
Jupiter Hell is significantly action-orientated, with its distinct and tactical cover-based shooter gameplay and appropriate abundance of gore. The game's dark and dingy environments may not be for everyone, but Jupiter Hell does a great job of making turn-based gameplay an action-packed experience.
4 Into The Breach - Tactical Puzzles
Steam User Rating: 94%
Developed by the creators of FTL: Faster Than Light, Into The Breach is an intriguing combination of puzzle, tactics, and roguelike games. The game follows a roguelike structure in which players battle off a variety of alien creatures with their bespoke squad of mechs, traveling to various locations and attempting to minimize civilian casualties.
8 Indie Strategy Games For Beginners
The following eight indie strategy games are ideal for newcomers to the genre.
If players lose, they must start again in traditional roguelike fashion; the only element of Into The Breach that pushes it further into the roguelite category is the fact that players can start their next run with one of their more experienced mech pilots.
3 Cogmind - Tactical Robot Building Game
Steam User Rating: 94%
For those that can look past Cogmind's old-school ASCII art (though the game does come with a slightly more palatable tileset), there's a deep and complex traditional roguelike experience beneath.
Cogmind is a playground full of emergent gameplay and variety that encourages player creativity and clever thinking; the game's unique twist, allowing players to build their character out of scrapped robot parts, takes Cogmind's innovative gameplay loop even further by forcing players to constantly switch out their degrading gear, diversifying their build and reacting to whatever the game throws at them. This makes Cogmind a truly unique old-school roguelike experience, but also one that won't be for everybody.
2 Caves Of Qud - Sci-Fi Fantasy Roguelike-RPG
Steam User Rating: 95%
Caves Of Qud is a treasure trove of unique, fun ideas and clever mechanics that all blend together to create an immersive, atmospheric, and deadly tactical experience. Although Caves Of Qud now features a roleplay mode that removes permanent death, it remains a traditional roguelike game at heart.
10 Best Classic Roguelikes
Nothing beats a classic, and considering how popular the Roguelike genre is these days, it's time to look back at the games that started it all.
Caves Of Qud may feature a minimal tile-based aesthetic that stays true to old-school roguelikes, but beneath its simple surface is a series of complex, in-depth systems that help to support the varied gameplay loop within. Caves Of Qud is best for its RPG mechanics, variety of character builds, and the abundance of well-crafted procedural generation that fuels some of its most interesting locations.
1 FTL: Faster Than Light - Roguelike For Battling Spaceships
Steam User Rating: 95%
This modern-classic roguelike, also developed by Subset Games (the developers behind the aforementioned Into The Breach), is an easy-to-learn, hard-to-master game about managing the crew of a spaceship. FTL features permanent death and procedural generation, but its lack of turn-based combat arguably pushes it closer to the roguelite genre.
FTL: Faster Than Light can be a difficult experience, as there are plenty of systems to learn about and decisions to make, but the game shines with its tactical and action-packed combat encounters. In FTL, combat plays out in real-time, but the game allows players to pause the action at any time to contemplate their next move; this makes FTL's combat both tactical and accessible, allowing players to think about how to solve each problem as they come up.