Summary
- Returnal offers a polished, addictive roguelike experience with generous save features.
- Dead Cells combines tight combat with meta-progression that makes failure feel rewarding.
- Hades turns dying into progress with fun gameplay and warm, witty writing.
There’s a reason the word “roguelike” scares some players off—it usually means brutal deaths, losing hours of progress, and starting from scratch with little more than a raised eyebrow from the game itself. But not all roguelikes are built to punish. Some sneak in with irresistible charm, fluid combat, or progression systems that make players feel like they’re getting somewhere.
8 Games That Helped Popularize Roguelike Mechanics
These roguelikes can be thanked for helping certain now-trending mechanics and features become near-standard in the genre.
These are the roguelikes that even genre skeptics end up loving. Whether it’s because they go easy on the permadeath or they wrap their chaos in stunning art, here are a few roguelikes that don’t feel like homework—and might just convert a few haters along the way.
5 Returnal
The Bullet Hell That Feels Like a Sci-Fi Time Loop Opera
Returnal
- Released
- April 30, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Housemarque
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
When Returnal first launched, it was praised for its visuals and sound design, then criticized for its punishing difficulty. But a few updates later—along with some generous save features—it became one of the most polished and oddly addictive roguelikes on console. What makes it appealing even to skeptics is how incredibly good it feels to play. Dashing through bullets while launching homing rockets and using a blade to finish enemies midair is buttery smooth.
But what sets Returnal apart is its mystery. The house segments, the haunting logs left by Selene herself, the sense that something awful is watching from behind the trees—it all builds into a story that doesn’t just sit in the background. And once the ability to unlock permanent items and shortcuts kicks in, the roguelike loop becomes more manageable, even for players who usually hate starting over. Few games make failure look this stylish.
4 Dead Cells
The Pixelated Platformer That Somehow Feels Like Jazz
Dead Cells
- Released
- August 7, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Motion Twin
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike
What starts as a fairly standard side-scrolling hack-and-slash quickly becomes something players can’t put down. Dead Cells thrives on rhythm. Its combat is kinetic, tight, and endlessly customizable. Want to burn enemies while freezing them midair and teleporting behind them? There’s a build for that. Want to use turrets, traps, and never swing a sword once? Also viable.
But what makes Dead Cells click even for players who don’t usually like this kind of loop is its meta-progression. Cells earned during runs can be spent on permanent upgrades, new weapons, or quality-of-life improvements like health potions. So even if a run goes sideways—and they often do—there’s a sense that something has been gained. And once the daily challenges unlock, the temptation to jump in “just for a quick run” becomes dangerously strong.
3 Hades
The Game Where Dying Feels More Like Unlocking
Hades
- Released
- December 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Supergiant Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, macOS, Nintendo Switch
What Hades pulled off feels like a magic trick. It’s still a roguelike in every technical sense—procedural dungeons, randomized boons, frequent death—but Supergiant Games figured out how to make failure feel like progress. Players who don’t usually enjoy getting kicked back to square one will find that every death unlocks something: a new weapon aspect, a snippet of dialogue, a fresh interaction with one of the gods.
Indie Roguelike Games to Play if You Like Hades
Hades, the roguelike ARPG from Supergiant Games, was one of the biggest hits of 2020, but there are plenty of other indie roguelikes to explore.
What helps, too, is that Zagreus is genuinely fun to play. Dashing through the underworld with a sword that turns into a machine gun or a shield that ricochets between enemies never gets old. And the writing? Surprisingly warm, witty, and consistently sharp. It’s the kind of game where players may die for the 80th time and still look forward to chatting with Hypnos back at the House of Hades.
2 Slay The Spire
A Card Game That Somehow Feels Like a Boss Rush
Slay the Spire
- Released
- January 23, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference
- Developer(s)
- Mega Crit
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Deckbuilding
Anyone who thinks they don’t like card games should give Slay the Spire about fifteen minutes. It doesn’t waste time with long tutorials or dozens of keywords—it throws players into a fight and lets them figure out how to build a deck that can actually survive. The roguelike loop here is razor-focused: build better decks, climb higher, die, and do it again with a little more knowledge than last time.
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What makes Slay the Spire click for non-roguelike fans is how logical it all feels. The synergies aren’t buried in spreadsheets. Finding the perfect combo—like stacking Strength with Flex and Limit Break—feels less like gambling and more like solving a satisfying puzzle. Every loss teaches something concrete. And with four characters that play radically differently, there’s always a new angle to explore without needing lightning-fast reflexes.
1 Cult Of The Lamb
A Cozy Cult Sim With Endless Personality
Cult of the Lamb
- Released
- August 11, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen / Blood, Violence.
- Developer(s)
- Massive Monster
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Roguelite, Indie Games, Simulation
This is the one that probably shouldn’t work but absolutely does. Cult of the Lamb is part roguelike dungeon crawler, part cult management sim, and somehow both halves are equally fun. One moment, players are laying waste to heretics with a flaming sword; the next, they’re back home cooking meals for their adorable yet terrifying followers and deciding which one to throw in prison for dissent.
The secret sauce here is the charm. The visual style looks like a mix of Animal Crossing and The Binding of Isaac, and somehow it’s never tonally jarring. More importantly, it’s forgiving. The roguelike loop is split into bite-sized crusades, and death doesn’t reset the cult’s progress—it just means the Lamb takes a little longer to free their gods. For players who find most roguelikes punishing, Cult of the Lamb offers a loop that feels oddly relaxing… even when it involves human sacrifice.
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Cult of the Lamb is a highly enjoyable game, though there are a few things that may keep it from ever achieving true cult status.