Hello Dear Reader, and welcome to the latest instalment of our biggest and baddest feature of the month: the monthly round-up.
Now that we’ve arrived in May, it’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the halfway point of 2026. Thankfully, though, the roguelike and roguelite releases continue to come thick and fast. Highlights for the month ahead include the co-op action roguelite spin-off Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core, the Spore-inspired evolution roguelite Everything is Crab, and the Huntdown prequel, Huntdown: Overtime.
As always, I’ll be sticking to our usual guidelines: steering clear of AI-heavy projects, demos, and anything that feels overly derivative.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in with our first pick: Dungeon Clawler.
Dungeon Clawler | Stray Fawn Studio | April 30 | Android, iOS, PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
Claw machines were always a source of frustration in arcades during my youth, but admittedly they look like a perfect fit for a roguelike.
Dungeon Clawler puts these coin-gobblers front and centre, offering a fun twist on the deckbuilding formula. Between battles you can add new items to the machine and then extract them to create game-changing builds and crazy combos.
The 1.0 release is said to have expanded on the game with brand new Daily Challenges, new characters, and formidable new bosses.
Our first true entry for May is the 1.0 release for Die in the Dungeon, a deckbuilding roguelite where your deck is made of dice and not cards.
Each dice represents a different action, from basic ones like attacking or healing to boosting other dice or copying their abilities. You can build your dies your own way too by changing their faces, adding unique properties, and shaping its role in your deck.
Mike’s ears must be burning as I’m going to be mentioning him a lot here. Anyway, he previously reviewed this one in Early Access and praised it for being accessible to newcomers and offering a stern challenge.
Gambonanza | Blukulélé | May 1 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
This turn-based chess roguelike made some big moves during February’s Steam Next Fest, landing as the 24th most popular demo.
A remix of one of the oldest and most beloved strategy games, Gambonanza plays out on tiny boards with high stakes. Here, the goal isn’t just to checkmate the king, but to capture every piece on the board.
Along the way, players can discover over 150 powerful gambits that reshape the rules of each run. You can even upgrade tiles on the board to trap enemies and enchant your pieces to generate gold.
GladiEATers | MilkBubblesGames | May 1 | PC (Win)
The idea of a creature-collecting roguelite where you cook up your own party before serving them into battle is absolutely hilarious to me.
That’s the central hook of GladiEATers, our final May 1 release, blending top-down JRPG action with cooking minigames and creature collecting. There are more than 65 creatures to chop, boil, and fry, all brought to life in gorgeous pixel art by Marvel and DC artist Rosi Kämpe.
Alongside the game’s JRPG-inspired Chef Stories, you can also take the fight online in competitive multiplayer battles.
Prime Monster | Cavalier Game Studios | May 4 | PC (Win)
Without getting into specifics, most of us have a politician or two we view as monstrous, regardless of our political leanings.
That idea is taken quite literally in Prime Monster, a card-based political roguelite that sees you cling to power and unleash pain on the public.
Will you release the osferatu Files? Decriminalise arson? Allow Same Hex Marriage? The power is yours acting as the all-powerful Prime Monster.
Sticker/Ball | bilge | May 4 | PC (Win)
Given how great Clover Pit turned out, we’re keeping a close eye on the next project from its publisher, Future Friends Games.
Sticker/Ball is a self-described pool-based roguelike where you fire balls and score points by ricocheting them into dice. On the surface, it shares some DNA with pinball, but things get interesting with the addition of over 100 unique stickers that interact in strange and surprising ways.
Poop stickers can attract flies, for example, while spiders spin webs that can catch them, creating clever chains that rack up even more points.
Handmancers | 58blades | May 5 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
There’s something about a first-person deckbuilder that just clicks, locking eyes with enemies and launching attacks through card play feels refreshingly direct. That’s exactly what Handmancers is going for, a rock, paper, scissors roguelite deckbuilder heading into Early Access.
Cards are played through your hands, with heavy moves building up cramps, while lighter attacks deal less damage but give you time to recover. The temptation might be to spam your most powerful abilities, but doing so could leave you struggling to keep up as the fight drags on.
Turnbound | 1TK | May 6 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
Look who’s back! We only featured Turnbound in our January roundup, and the auto battler has already wrapped up its Early Access run.
Using strategy inventory management, your goal is to escape from a haunted board game, battling the trapped souls of other players. Each tile you place on the grid also has a strategic cause-and-effect loop, rewarding foresight, creativity, and luck.
The game has generated a ‘Very Positive’ response on Steam, and the 1.0 looks to expand on the action further with a new character, Kitsune.
Wardrum | Mopeful Games | May 7 | PC (Win)
I’ve been marching to the beat of this Team17-published title since first laying eyes on its gorgeous HD-2D-inspired visuals.
Leading a tribal warband, you execute your tactics in real time, timing your attacks to the pounding rhythm of a primal drum. It sounds simple enough, but enemies can inflict debuffs on you such as bleed, blinding, and deafening which can disrupt your sense of timing.
I’d encourage you all to stay tuned if you like the look of this one, as we have an interview landing with developer Mopeful Games soon.
Froggy Hates Snow | Crying Brick | May 7 | Switch, PC (Win), PlayStation, Xbox
I do feel pretty bad for poor Froggy. With a hatred of the cold, he’s left to brave the elements in a hostile snow-covered desert.
This survival roguelite sees you dig, shovel, and flamethrower your way through the frozen landscape in search of hidden treasures and resources. Managing those resources is key to survival, with keys you collect able to be used either to escape or unlock chests for upgrades.
This one had a demo available for Steam Next Fest in Feb, and it’s still live to download if you want to try before you buy.
Infinity Sweeper | Longshot Studio | May 7 | PC (Mac, Win)
Who can forget Minesweeper, a true staple of Windows PCs in the 2000s? Infinity Sweeper brings roguelite elements to the classic puzzle game, opening up a new layer of danger, rewards, and strategy.
As in the original, your goal is to clear the board by uncovering tiles while avoiding hidden bombs. Things get more interesting, however, with a range of modifiers that shift the rules, alongside boss battles every four stages.
Huntdown: Overtime | Easy Trigger Games | May 7 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
The original Huntdown was an acclaimed side-scrolling shooter, so I’m really excited to see what Easy Trigger Games does with this roguelite prequel.
Inspired by 80s action movies, it follows John Sawyer’s transformation from battered bounty hunter to cybernetic killing machine. The game offers a brutal roguelike loop, letting players earn bounties and enhance their character with upgrades through procedurally generated runs.
You might be scratching your heads as to why we’ve featured this one again, but sadly, Eko suffered a bit of a minor delay.
Playing as the titular Eko, you embark on a quest to rescue your friend and the princess of the realm from a shady figure known as the Dark Queen. The game’s combat has been described as dynamic and fast-paced, with you being able to wield elemental abilities such as fire and water.
I know I’m not allowed favourite children here, but Everything is Crab is one that I have long had on my Wishlist.
Self-described as Spore meets modern roguelites, it sees players make evolutionary choices to create their own unique creature each run. There’s said to be 125 evolution-based abilities, allowing for endless possibilities and visual combinations.
Mike previewed this one relatively recently and swears its a good old time.
Seeing Dark Light: Survivor in action is actually pretty mind blowing!
This roguelite shooter allows you to switch from third-person and first-person on the fly to better adapt to the threats before you. There’s also the option to change the visuals to a more pixelated indie game look.
Playing as one of the last surviving humans, every run is said to be a fight for survival with you needing to gather resources, unlock permanent upgrades, and discover powerful new weapons and items.
Nano Squadron | Rough Sawn Games | May 15 | PC (Lin, Win)
This top-down space roguelite sees you pilot a ship built from nanobots in a battle against an alien fleet.
Your ship isn’t just any ordinary vessel, as it can adapt using materials dropped by defeated enemies, allowing you to upgrade weapons and shields on the fly. You can also toggle between auto-fire and manual aim, depending on whether you want to focus on piloting or precision shooting, giving it a twin-stick shooter feel.
This 2D roguelite platformer is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, blending biopunk aesthetics with dark sci-fi influences.
Combat looks slick and fast-paced, with players needing to read enemy weaknesses, parry attacks, and carefully time dodges to survive. There are a range of classes you can play as from ninjas to samurais and assassins and each has their own play style and abilities.
The battlefield also shifts with each run, with six expansive zones to explore from ruined shelters to plague-ridden wastelands.
Rune Dice | Smart Raven Studio | May 19 | PC (Win)
Another dice-related rogue to feature on our list this month is Rune Dice.
This tactical deckbuilder sees players roll dice with realistic physics to trigger powerful chain reactions. Dice throws must be planned carefully along with strategic planning to make for the most powerful synergies.
There are 8 unique classes to choose from that have their own special dice and magical abilities. These can be combined with a range of dice, relics, and runes to form your own playstyle.
As I alluded to in my recent round-up of the franchise, Deep Rock Galactic is very near and dear to mine and Mike’s hearts.
Tunnelling its way to release this month, Rogue Core shares a lot of DNA with the original game, but introduces a noticeably different structure. Similar to Risk of Rain, the difficulty ramps up as runs progress, with plenty of random loot along the way to shape your build and create powerful synergies.
The original Deep Rock Galactic, with its varied player abilities and destructible environments, was endlessly entertaining, so I’m excited to see how this spin-off squeezes even more mileage out of the formula.
Atomic Owl | Monster Theatre | May 20 | PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
Also soaring onto consoles on May 20th is Atomic Owl, a retro-inspired roguelite platformer.
You play as Hidalgo Bladewing, a bird on a quest to save his corrupted friends and defeat the twisted Crow Sorcerer, Omega Wing. The console release includes enhanced audio, UX improvements, and a new non-roguelite mode (but who needs that!).
I haven’t played this one myself yet, but I love the hand-drawn pixel art style, and it reminds me a lot of a melee-focused Neon Abyss.
Ex Sanguis | Lightbulb Crew | May 21 | PC (Win)
In this XCOM-style roguelite, each drop of blood spilled colours the world in black and red, creating a striking yet gory spectacle.
Within its tactical, turn-based battles, players can trigger chain reactions across the battlefield and use timeline effects to speed up, delay, or swap turn positions to outsmart enemies.
A standout mechanic is that you choose the level of challenge. You can push straight towards a boss or take time to gather resources, returning stronger and better prepared for the fight ahead.
Beastro | Timberline Studio | May 21 | PC (Win), PlayStation, Xbox
I always love a good pun, and Beastro genuinely looks fantastic. The game is a melting pot of genres, blending cooking, farming, and roguelite card battles.
The dishes you serve build up your caretaker’s deck, with each ingredient unlocking a new card. Battles then play out in a charming puppet theatre style, with cut-out characters mounted on sticks. The turn-based card combat is said to be inspired by trick-taking card games.
Soul Blaze | Cosmic Mocca | May 28 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
I always have an extra bit of respect for a game knowing it’s the work of a single developer, and that’s the case with Soul Blaze.
This creature-collecting, dice-rolling roguelite sees you embark on an adventure across several regions, battling your way through a series of bosses. Each run, you collect marbles that can be used to unlock new starters and permanent upgrades.
Unlike Pokémon, where building a strong squad can take hours, runs in Soul Blaze are fast-paced, encouraging you to experiment with new team compositions each time.
Moonsigil Atlas | Snake Tower Games | May 28 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
Rounding out our list is Moonsigil Atlas, a cosmic deckbuilder that was very recently snapped up by publisher Twin Sails Interactive.
Moonsigil Atlas is described as a deckbuilding roguelike with no energy or action points. Instead, players slot their cards into a physical space, arranging them Tetris-style, with no hard limit on how many cards can be played, as long as they fit within the available space.
Mike played the demo for this one last October and he mentioned that its unique hook helps it to stand out from a crowded genre.
The Archives!
April 2026: The strongest month of the year so far, April was packed with more roguelikes than you can shake a stick at. Highlights included the Vampire Survivors spin-off Vampire Crawlers, the Xbox and PlayStation ports of Hades II, and the long-awaited Returnal successor, Saros.
Late March 2026: Whilst March was a admittedly a pretty front-loaded month, the latter stretch did still include some noteworthy titles. My personal highlight was the Steam Next Fest breakthrough hit RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike. Other highlights included the Switch 2 port of Deadzone: Rogue and The King is Watching’s Crowns of History DLC.
Early March 2026: This was a very special edition indeed as it saw the release of the biggest launch of the year so far, Slay the Spire 2. My other highlights from the first stretch of March included Switch 2 ports of Blue Prince and Rotwood, as well as Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse.
February 2026: February saw the release of Mewgenics which one of our most anticipated releases of the year and has become one of the biggest rogue launches of all time on Steam. Other standouts included Caves of Qud heading to Switch as well as BlazBlue Entropy X.
January 2026: The year kicked off strongly, with Cult of the Lamb’s first paid expansion, Woolhaven, headlining the month. It might have been the most high profile release of the month by far, but we still saw the release of a few hidden gems including Lort, Hungry Horrors, and Blightstone.
December 2025: Reflecting on the final month of 2025, it was The Rogue Prince of Persia landing on Nintendo’s consoles that was my personal highlight. Some other fun additions included the mobile version of CloverPit as well as the soulslike deckbuilder, Death Howl.
November 2025: Scanning back through this article reveals a great line-up of games, including Forestrike and a winning DLC for Risk of Rain 2. I’m going with Dog Witch as my personal pick for the spotlight, though, as I found this quirky little deckbuilder to be most enjoyable.
October 2025: When we look back it’ll probably be Ball X Pit that we remember as the standout game of October, but the new beat ’em up, Absolum, was also really good. In fact, there were loads of fun games out this month, so hit the link and find something awesome to play.
September 2025: Thanks to the release of two massive indie games, September was one of the busiest imaginable. Silksong dominated the headlines in the first half of the month, but it was Hades II that had my attention for most of September. On top of that there’s Towa, Moros Protocol, Ratatan, CloverPit, MegaBonk and Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor – truly one of the best months ever for roguelike enthusiasts!
August 2025: I’m mentioning it here because Jupiter Hell Classic isn’t actually in the August round-up – it dropped late in the month. However, it’s bloody great and I wanted it to get a mention here one way or t’other.
July 2025: An eclectic month by any measure, with the standout games including co-op platformer Neon Abyss 2, the well-received action-roguelite Hell Clock, strategy games like He is Coming and Lost in Prayer, and even a Pac-Man inspired survivors-like (Maze Mice).
June 2025: There were several big announcements this month due to Summer Game Fest and all that, but one or two great rogues slipped out at the same time, including Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, Battle Train, and Soulstone Survivors. The port of Against the Storm for consoles also proved quite popular, at least based on the activity I saw here on the site.
May 2025: May was an absolute belter of a month, with more games than we could reasonably keep up with. Hit the link for all the latest on a month that ended with Elden Ring: Nightreign and started with Maze Mice, with a stop off at Monster Train 2 and Into the Restless Ruins along the way.
April 2025: I didn’t expect Blue Prince to deliver such an astonishing single-player experience; I finally got to check out the roguelite mode in The Last of Us: Part II after the remaster hit PC; I was surprised when Lonestar left Early Access, but very pleasantly so; Soulslinger and Kiborg both delivered decent mid-budget roguelite actioners; Approaching Infinity made an appearance before the month’s end!
March 2025: This March there was a dizzying array of promising roguelike releases. Highlights included Knights in Tight Spaces, Rogue: Genesia, Schism, Metal Bringer, Voids Vigil, 33 Immortals, Reignbreaker and Nordhold. Phew (and there’s more that I could have included, so hit the link for a healthy selection of new games).
February 2025: With highlights including Die in the Dungeon and Sworn, this February is very respectable with a diverse selection of rogues to choose from. I think my favourite game this month, however, is Rift Wizard 2, a hard-as-nails turn-based roguelike about growing a spell book capable of taking on all sorts of gnarly monsters.
January 2025: The year has kicked off with a decent selection of games, so hit the link for highlights that include a gritty shooter called Cruel, bullet heavens such as Jotunnslayer and Pinball Storm: Lokanta (both very different games), and OMG Words, a fun little word rogue that have quite enjoyed. There is also the not-so-small matter of the new campaign mode for Darkest Dungeon II, Kingdoms, which also released in January along with new DLC.
November and December 2024: This double bill of archived articles is crammed full of excellent games. The standout game is undoubtedly Caves of Qud, which is finally ready after years in Early Access. However, there’s more going on than just that, with Battle Shapers, Ballionaire, Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, and Magicraft all launched, too.
October 2024: This was a really solid month thanks to the release of [REDACTED], the Early Access launch of Windblown, and a surprising little gem by the name of DICEOMANCER. Lots of caps lock in October, and there’s even some roguish robots in disguise.
September 2024: What an excellent month for new roguelike games, with the highlights including deckbuilders Shogun Showdown and Pyrene, the FPS blaster otherwise known as Wild Bastards, and there was the mobile release of Balatro. Rogue Waters delivered pirate-themed turn-based tactics, and I also really enjoyed both Realm of Ink and Halls of Torment (the first of which landed in Early Access and the second of which just left it).
August 2024: The August archive boasts highlights including the blackjack-themed deckbuilder Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers, a co-op update for Cult of the Lamb, plus excellent games including Peglin, Terminus: Zombie Survivors, Knock on the Coffin Lid, and Nova Drift all left Early Access. Plot twist: Risk of Rain 2’s latest DLC launched to very mixed reviews.
July 2024: Headline acts this July included the console release of Darkest Dungeon II, and Lost Castle 2 releasing into Early Access. The original Epyx version of Rogue has finally been ported to Nintendo Switch, with one or two improvements that no doubt explain the delay. Finally, shout outs to Arc Seed, because I do love a giant mecha battle, and Wastelander, because I’m a sucker for sci-fi strategy games.
June 2024: This month got better as it went on. June closed out with a tetromino-powered tower defense roguelite by the name of Emberward, a turn-based western rogue called Guncho (wanted dead or alive, apparently), the quirky auto-battler otherwise known as Million Monster Militia, and the early access exit of Champion Shift. All of them landed in the back nine of the month, so keep on scrolling.
May 2024: Hit this link for some of the very best launches of the year, including the Early Access release of Hades II, the wonderful turn-based roguelike Path of Achra, and a big crossover as Contra comes to Vampire Survivors. Plus stellar shooters Robobeat and Mullet MadJack both dropped in May, and there’s a certain Prince from Persia who arrived before the end of the month, too. Phew.
April 2024: One of my favourites in April was peaceful puzzler Planetiles, which certainly contrasts the grimy first-person horror of Buckshot Roulette. Traditionalists will note the release of Story Mode in Dwarf Fortress as a milestone, while console owners finally got to savour the delights of Dave the Diver. Finally, I want to highlight Against Great Darkness and Inkbound; two indie gems out this month.
March 2024: Mortal Glory 2 dropped in March and it’s an excellent tactical turn-based roguelite about fantasy gladiators. The always brilliant Crypt of the NecroDancer got a big multiplayer update by the name of Synchrony. Two very different magic games were released into Early Access this month, with third-person actioner Vellum landing alongside turn-based spell-simulator Rift Wizard 2. Finally, the wonderful dice roller Slice & Dice made an appearance on Steam.
February 2024: An earlier iteration of this format – February’s round-up is a bit of a mess. Nevertheless, it was a good month for games with the release of Balatro on PC and console, which has been my most-played game of the year by far, and Shiren 6 finally arrived on Nintendo Switch. Other highlights include the full release of Inkulinati, and the Early Access launch of Deep Rock Galactic: Survivors.
January 2024: The first month of the year is usually pretty quiet across the industry (except for at Capcom for some reason) but we did get some good rogues, too. Lonestar is my personal pick, but Go Mecha Ball landed on PC and console, and the unofficial Indiana Jones parkour simulator otherwise known as Phantom Abyss left Early Access. Finally, BlazBlue Entropy Effect also left EA.
November and December 2023: It was still early days for Rogueliker and the formatting is all over the place, but if you want even more games, I’ve got a few from late 2023 to tell you about. Picayune Dreams is one of the highlights, as is Against the Storm, two of the year’s best games, in fact. Other top-tier titles to drop before the end of the year include Cobalt
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Still with us? Of course you are! If you want to keep reading about great hand-picked rogues, the following articles represent a huge collection of the best roguelike games ever made.
Next, there are genre-specific lists that delve into the best roguelike games of all types. I’ve pulled out the best examples from each category, alongside the links to more in-depth articles!
The best turn-based roguelikes: Caves of Qud | There are some seriously incredible turn-based roguelikes out there. Of all the modern games, these are the closest to the original Rogue.
Awesome first-person rogues: Gunfire Reborn | We almost went with Blue Prince for this spot, but most people checking out first-person rogues probably want to wield a gun, you know?!
Cool roguelike deckbuilders: Balatro | Sorry, Slay the Spire fans, but this poker-solitaire deckbuilder has stolen Mike’s heart and won’t give it back.
Exciting roguelike platformers: Spelunky | Now, don’t get us wrong, Dead Cells is an incredible game, especially with all the DLC switched on. But when it comes to impact, you just can’t beat Spelunky.
Amazing action-roguelites: Hades 2 | And finally, let’s wrap things up with our favourite of them all. There’s no beating the original Hades, although Hades 2 comes pretty close!