The Best Roguelike Games On The PlayStation 5, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Robust control with DualSense on PS5 for best roguelike games leads to improved gameplay.
• Various innovative gameplay styles like VR and deckbuilding make roguelike titles a hit on PS5.
• Hades stands out as a top-rated roguelite game on PS5 with a compelling storyline and challenging gameplay.

Roguelike games are some of the best for players who are looking for a challenge, as well as an action game that feels different every time they start a new run. While roguelike titles are commonly played on PC, many successful games from the genre have also made it to consoles such as the PlayStation 5.

These games work wonderfully even when using the DualSense controller of the PlayStation 5, as combat feels reactive and quick, allowing the player to survive for longer. Although Roguelites are considered to be different from roguelike titles, these are by far the best of both for the PlayStation 5, ranked.

Updated on November 7th, 2024, by Megan Smith: PS5 roguelikes are some of the most enjoyed games compared to playing them elsewhere such as PC, due to players being able to use a controller to better control their character during intense moments. This is especially the case for those games that tend to amaze players with action-packed gameplay while also throwing hordes of enemies at the player. The best roguelike games on the PS5 shown below don’t just focus on the Bullet Hell games or the dungeon crawlers, but also the roguelike titles that explore interesting mechanics, such as the recently released Balatro. Players who are looking for more games for their console should look no further than these incredible games.

13 Wizard Of Legend

Combo Spells And Play Wisely

Dungeon Crawlers are some of the best for using rogue-like elements in their games. Wizard of Legend challenges players to explore dungeons while finding various relics and spells that a player can combo to cause interesting effects.

Every new run in Wizard of Legend is something new, as each dungeon is procedurally generated to create a new challenge for its players. This, alongside the assortment of unlockables, means players on the PlayStation 5 are sure to find countless hours of challenging fun while attempting to create a powerful wizard.

12 The Light Brigade

A Shooter Roguelike That Uses VR

Unlike many of the other roguelike titles, which are seen as some of the best on the PlayStation 5. The Light Brigade is a roguelike that plays as a first-person shooter. There are few games like this that can be enjoyed through a first-person point of view, making the battles within The Light Brigade rather interesting.

Not to mention that this game is also enjoyed through the PlayStation VR, making players feel a more personal connection to the intense shooter combat they are likely to face while they attempt to restore light against the darkness. It isn’t just guns in The Light Brigade, as players also have an assortment of spells on hand to use against the various bosses a player is likely to face.

11 Cult Of The Lamb

Run A Cult In-Between Attempts To Take Down Gods

The Cult of the Lamb is a fascinating roguelike title that combines these mechanics in combat while also allowing players to somewhat catch a break while managing their own cult. Players are not only going back out to the various Bishop areas in the hopes of releasing their old god but also to find the supplies needed to keep their cult happy.

If a player dies while in a skirmish, their cult may be disappointed with them, but at least they will return home. With the choice of instead focusing on the cult, The Cult of the Lamb is a must for any players on the PS5 who also want a game they could use to relax, as they instead manage their followers.

10 Enter The Gungeon

One Of The Greatest Bullet Hell Rougelike Games

Not every roguelike title that is also a dungeon crawler requires the player to experience medieval-like battles that make the most of swords and shields, as Enter the Gungeon follows a group of adventurers as they plan to shoot and loot their way through the dungeons ahead.

While attempting to make it to the ultimate Gungeon treasure of the gun that can kill the past, players will see themselves met by a Bullet Hell wonderland that encourages players to pick up their pistol and try again when they fail. Aiming is incredibly easy with a controller, which makes Enter the Gungeon a great roguelike to enjoy on the PlayStation 5 without the worry of trying to attack.

9 Risk Of Rain 2

A Vibrant World Of Unrelenting Battles

The Light Brigade isn’t the only roguelike shooter title to be created, as Risk of Rain 2 is another brilliant roguelike game on the PS5 that is instead enjoyed as a third-person shooter. Killing enemies in an incredibly vibrant world, Risk of Rain 2 puts the players’ skills to the test as they can either, alone or with friends, attempt to escape an alien planet by battling through the hordes of monsters.

Enemies drop various loot for players to combine in exciting ways depending on the character they have chosen to play. With an assortment of worlds, weaponry, and loot to experiment with, players are able to find plenty of ways to enjoy themselves in Risk of Rain 2 as they create challenges for themselves.

8 Until You Fall

Another VR Roguelike With An Intense Soundtrack

• Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Meta Quest
• Released: 2020-10-27
• Developer(s): Schell Games
• Genre(s): Hack and Slash and Roguelike

While many games on the PlayStation 5 are played with the controller, players are also able to enjoy various games that use the PlayStation VR. Until You Fall is one such roguelike that must be played with the PS VR, as players must physically hack and slash at the various enemies they encounter if they hope to survive.

As the name of the game suggests, players will need to keep fighting until they die and start over again, unless they have tired themselves out through the active gameplay. Surrounded by a world of neon, it’s no surprise that Until You Fall is also enjoyed alongside an incredible synth-wave soundtrack to keep players pumped up with adrenaline.

7 Returnal

Break The Cycle Against An Alien Empire

Returnal was originally a PlayStation-exclusive roguelike title that players could only enjoy on the PlayStation 5. However, in recent years, the game was also released on PC. This third-person shooter encourages players to break the cycle as they fight to survive against an ancient alien enemy.

Each moment of bullet hell combat will feel different from the next as players notice that every time they die and start their journey again, the cycle on this isolated planet feels different. Early in the game, it is where Returnal is the most challenging, as players fight to make progress that will likely see them starting over multiple times.

6 Inscryption

Play Cards Carefully To Make It Far

Commonly, roguelikes are seen as titles where players encounter difficult combat situations where they must learn the move set of a foe if they wish to pass. These games are common on the PS5, but aren’t always the case. Inscryption is a great example of the other sort of roguelike possible for players to enjoy even on the PlayStation console, as the game is primarily a deckbuilding title too.

Players must build up their deck of cards during their adventure in Inscryption and hope that they have made the right choices if they wish to make any progress. These battles aren’t as intense as other roguelike games but still have the players putting their thinking heads on if they wish to outsmart Leshy, as well as the other enemies in the game.

5 Dead Cells

An Incredibly Epic Adventure

Dead Cells is a beautiful-looking game that masterfully combines the genres of Metroidvania with roguelike to create an intense yet incredible adventure. The world of Dead Cells looks impressive on the PS5 console, with the vibrancy of the various areas making coming back to them hundreds of times pleasant.

The cycle in Dead Cells is a tough one, with 2D souls-like combat. Players will quickly learn that the only way to go forward is to learn from every death. Playing Dead Cells with the DualSense controller works well with its responsive combat that requires a player with quick reflexes.

4 Spelunky 2

Dig Deep To Find Treasure And Family

The original Spelunky was an incredibly challenging roguelike that had players spelunking in the hopes of finding treasure. Spelunky 2 followed in the footsteps of the original while not only being a challenging title but also improving upon everything that made Spelunky a great roguelike in the first place.

With new areas, monsters, and traps to uncover in this platformer, which plays brilliantly on the PS5, players get to experience the next generation of explorers who are searching for their family who went missing on the Moon. This game has an incredible focus on community too, which can be found easily on the PS5 console.

3 The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth

A Grim But Great Roguelike

Even with a variety of new roguelike games, players still rate the classics of the genre as being some of the best. The Binding Of Isaac is a roguelike title that has seen various expansions over the years, adding entirely new content through new rooms to explore and new items to use.

The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth is arguably one of the best as it makes the classic roguelike title feel like an entirely new game with the assortment of content it includes. Each attempt at making it to mom’s heart feels different in The Binding of Isaac, as players are encouraged to take different items and make an entirely new build.

2 Balatro

A Roguelike That’s Just Poker

Balatro is a recent roguelike that has surprised many with its straightforward gameplay that has had players enjoying poker for countless hours. Players must make the most of illegal poker-hands in the hope of making it far in Balatro, with also an assortment of other hilarious cards to add to the roster too.

Players are likely to be chasing the thrill of mind-blowing combos as they find cards that go together to achieve the various blinds the player is challenged to obtain. Balatro has also received countless crossover moments, like teaming up with Cyberpunk for some interesting new cards.

1 Hades

A Phenomenal Story Within A Roguelike

Out of all the roguelike – or roguelite – games available on the PlayStation 5, it’s no surprise to see that arguably one of the best is the much-loved Hades. Playing the god Zagreus, as he attempts to escape the Underworld to find his mother, is a worthwhile challenge.

It is filled with intense combat, an assortment of weaponry, and a variety of blessings a player can receive from the various other gods who also wish to help him. Even when players successfully escape the Underworld the first time, the game doesn’t stop there, as Hades has a deeper story to uncover.