Best Roguelike Games on Xbox Series X/S

Roguelikes are a varied and multitudinous genre filled with deck-builders, hack’n’slash games, strategy games, and bullet heavens. Its variety in recent times is one of the reasons it has also become so popular. At the same time, the mechanics of each game may vary but they’ll all feature the permanent death of your character and randomized, procedurally generated levels.

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On the Xbox, there are several roguelikes you can play on the Xbox Gamepass, so if you’re already subscribed to that, and you’re a roguelike fan, you’ll love these titles. Otherwise, if you’re just a roguelike fan whose main console is the Xbox, you should try these kings of the genre.

Arena Roguelikes

Arena roguelikes will have players battling from one room to another. Each room completed will offer a prize that your character can use to become stronger, either in the run or for out-of-run upgrades that will make future runs easier (meta progression).

10. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Isaac was just a normal child until his mother tried to murder him. Now he’s in a desperate struggle to escape his deluded mother and eventually use his tears to blast Satan back to where it belongs.

Released: November 4, 2014

Classic top-down roguelike
Co-op with up to one other player
2D art that harkens back to the golden age of Newgrounds

The Binding of Isaac is a classic arcade shooter where you play as a small boy named Isaac. Isaac’s mother received a vision from god and is now hellbent on sacrificing her to this god. Isaac starts each run by crying projectile tears at his foes, but as the run progresses, you can replace these tears with lasers, get a fire-spewing familiar to follow you around or become a bullet hell boss with tears that cover the entire screen.

9. Enter The Gungeon

Dodging waves of bullets, shooting powerful guns, and unlocking more weapons for your next run are what makes Enter the Gungeon such a good roguelike.

Bullet hell roguelike
Unique array of characters to choose from
Two-player co-op

If you’re looking for a fun roguelike shooter mixed with a bullet hell, Enter the Gungeon is just the game you’re looking for. There are several different classes you get to choose from, and plenty of guns and upgrades to unlock. But what makes Enter the Gungeon such a fun roguelike is how well it uses the bullet patterns commonly found in bullet hells to keep the player on the edge of their seat.

Bullets will come at you in several different shapes and patterns, and when you’re just starting out; it can feel overwhelming to learn. But once you’ve mastered how to dodge each pattern, Enter the Gungeon’s combat rooms become a constant flow of glowing bullet waves and heart-racing action.

8. Hades

Help Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he fights his way out of the underworld and to the surface. To do so, Zagreus will be gifted boons from his Olympian family, bestowing him with the power to fight through the countless shades that block his path, and giving the player one of the best roguelike experiences they could ask for.

Released: September 17, 2020

Power-ups that snowball into the end game well
Memorable characters and a beautiful story
Plenty of replayability

Hades has earned a reputation as one of the best roguelikes a new fan can jump into and for a good reason. Super Giant’s procedurally generated masterpiece has a cast of amazing characters and an easy-to-learn system of in-run upgrades that gradually upgrade the player until they become a one-man wrecking ball.

But what makes Hades so addictive is how every death will also progress the story forward and give you a chance to upgrade Zagreus, the player’s character. As you battle your way out of the underworld, you’ll meet new characters and unlock more story elements to interact with once you die and return to the House of Hades. Death also allows you to access meta upgrades, or change weapons for another run. Other roguelikes have also done this idea, but few have done it with the simplicity and smoothness of Hades.

7. RoboQuest

Roboquest stands out from its roguelike peers with its stellar, high-speed FPS gameplay, and entertaining roguelike mechanics.

Released: November 7, 2023
Developer: RyseUp Studios

FPS roguelike
Fast-paced, movement-heavy gameplay
2 player co-op
On Xbox Game Pass

Roboquest is a gem for fans of the movement shooter genre. In this game, you’ll play as one of six different robots as you battle through waves of different kinds of enemies with glowing red weak spots. Each enemy defeated drops XP and a chance for a weapon.

But the part that will bring you back for another run is just how smooth its movement and abilities can be. Sliding mechanics in this game are similar to those of Apex Legends, except there’s no internal cooldown between slides. This means players can jump and slide back-to-back as many times as they please, allowing them to speed through levels and run circles around most of the bosses in the game.

Deck Builders

Deck builders must have some form of a card game element and a randomized deck that changes throughout a single run.

6. Slay The Spire

The king of deckbuilding roguelikes, Slay the Spire’s simple mechanics and deep, strategic planning, will keep you coming back to climb ascension ranks and finish off one more run.

Released: January 23, 2019

Simple mechanics, but deep complexity in how those mechanics interact
4 classes with unique decks, unique cards, and unique artifacts
Possibly one of the fairest roguelikes to play
On Xbox game pass

Slay the Spire has defined what a roguelike deck-building game should look like. Slay strikes the perfect balance of simple mechanics, but complex interactions that are still easy to learn. But what makes Slay have so much variation is how distinct its four classes play from one another. Each of its classes has unique cards and artifacts that give them different playstyles from one another. Additionally, each class’ card pool also supports three distinct sub-themes that can be built (or splashed) into a deck based on what artifacts you get. This allows the player to have a consistent strategy they can rely on, but also a different meaning to get that strategy working.

5. Monster Train

Monster Train’s mix of tower defense and deckbuilding creates a unique gameplay experience where your demons will help power whatever engine your deck tries to build to help propel you to victory.

Released: May 21, 2020
Developer(s): Shiny Shoe

A Fun combination of tower defense, roguelike, and deckbuilding game
A unique take on the Slay the Spire formula with demon tribes and two leaders for each tribe
While there’s no true multiplayer, scoreboards, steam integration, and live tracking of what other players are doing in daily challenges makes you feel like you’re still part of a community.

In Monster Train, hell has been frozen over and heaven has won. To reignite hell, you and your cohort of demons have to protect a small spark as it’s carried on a train back to your home. In-game, Monster Train combines the deckbuilding roguelike mechanics of Slay the Spire with the premise of a tower defense game. Your job is to defend the crystal holding the spark that’s placed on the top floor of your train’s cabin. Enemies will spawn on the bottom floor and move up a floor each turn until they reach the crystal. With your deck of cards, you’ll summon demons to each floor and cast spells to repel the angelic invaders.

But what makes Monster Train such a special roguelike is the unique synergy between the demons in your deck and the many artifacts you can discover on your journey. If you build your deck right, your demons can become insanely powerful monsters, but the challenge is getting them to that point. While in Slay the Spire, different combos of cards and artifacts will be the key to slaying the Heart, the key to a successful Monster Train run is in getting your engine of cards up and running so you can steamroll through your foes with just sheer value.

Metroidvania

Metroidvania games will play like the classic games Metroid or Castlevania, meaning they’re 2D, side-scrolling platformers.

4. Dead Cells

Preserving the best parts of the Metroidvania genre while also introducing the fun of roguelikes, Dead Cells seamlessly combines these two genres into a single incredible game you’ll want to die in again and again.

Player skill will always be more important than your build’s strength.
Fun humor with a dark twist to many of the aesthetics and storytelling
Satisfying once you learn how to play it well

Dead Cells is a game that allows the player to build up their strength throughout several runs by unlocking more items to help them in future runs. There is rarely a time in Dead Cells when your build will make you an invincible god in a world made of fragile mortals. Instead, your ability to dodge well and adapt to each enemy’s attacks is more likely to carry the day rather than just the items and trinkets you find.

This results in a satisfying roguelike to play again and again until you can get everything right and play it all as flawlessly as possible.

3. Rogue Legacy 2

The heroes and descendants of Rogue Legacy will challenge your platforming skills, but even if you fail, your bloodline will only grow more powerful as each successive adventure gives your family more money and more power.

A good platformer with plenty of traps and enemies to keep you on your toes
Whenever you die, your character’s descendent takes over
Gold is used for meta-progression

If you need a game that focuses on meta progression and good Metroidvania platforming fundamentals, then Rogue Legacy 2 will be perfect for you.

Each run will have you play as a brand new character, with a different class, new abilities, and special traits (both positive and negative) that make the individual unique. Whenever your character dies, they’re dead permanently and their next successor will take over the run from the beginning.

As you delve deeper into the castle and explore more of its labyrinthine dungeons, you’ll also gain more gold to be used in the out-of-run upgrades, like new classes, new weapons, and ways to make your gold more valuable.

Third-Person Shooter

2. Risk of Rain 2

The best roguelike to play if you’re looking to just relax, kill monsters, grow insanely strong, and then coast on the strength of your build. Risk of Rain 2 has one of the most addictive build experiences out of all the roguelikes on this list.

Released: September 11, 2020

Gather artifacts and become absurdly overpowered
Fun classes to play
4 player co-op

Out of the titles on this list, few games will make you feel as ridiculously overpowered as Risk of Rain 2 will. You start every run with just a basic character with decently powerful abilities. However, as you slay monsters, you’ll earn cash which can unlock treasure chests and containers strewn throughout the level. Each container has powerful items that can increase stats or give your attacks unique effects. What’s fun about this is that these artifacts can stack and multiples of them can be found, so while you start from humble beginnings, every run will end with you becoming a nearly unstoppable deity of death and destruction.

1. Vampire Survivors

One of the most addictive games to play, Vampire Survivors will ‘wow’ you with its hyper-simple concept but constantly alluring gameplay. If there was a game that would tempt you into an endless loop of “just one more run”, it’s this one.

Released: December 17, 2021
Developer(s): Luca Galante

Hyper-easy controls
Addicting to play with plenty of things to unlock
1-4 player couch coop
On Xbox game pass

Vampire Survivors is what spurred the popularity of the Bullet Heaven genre. The idea of it is simple: walk around on a flat 2D map and collect EXP. Experience points are dropped from the enemies you’ll slay from your weapons, which are fired automatically for you. When you’ve collected enough experience, you’ll level up and unlock a brand-new weapon to add to your arsenal.

The premise sounds simple, but in effect, Vampire Survivors becomes a wonderfully addicting roguelike. Its simplicity makes it accessible to every kind of player, and the chaotic, monster-blending madness you’re treated to at the end of the run is a fantastic reward for building up your survivor correctly.