With a rise in the number of indie games released over the years, there has also been a rise in the number of roguelikes, particularly on the Nintendo Switch where indie games have managed to find a good home. Though there is some debate on roguelikes vs. roguelites, the mechanics are similar enough for our purposes.
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The gameplay of a roguelike is simple and broad, meaning it can take advantage of many different genres while still retaining its roguelike status. In many cases, roguelikes often don’t look or play anything like one another, something that isn’t common among any other video game genre. These are the very best ones available.
Updated November 7, 2024 by Jacob Whaling: Even with the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan winding down, there’s no shortage of amazing roguelikes on the console. We’ve updated this list to include even more to peruse through.
25
Crown Trick
Crown Trick is a turn-based roguelike dungeon crawler with deep, strategic combat. Enemies move after you do, which means you have all the time you need to analyze each situation and proceed along the best course of action. With tons of different weapons and relics to experiment with, you’ll definitely need the time to strategize.
Crown Trick’s flashy art style sets itself apart from similar roguelikes. While it isn’t as difficult as others in the genre, there’s definitely a good deal of challenge here to keep you invested for a while.
24
Nowhere Prophet
Nowhere Prophet blurs the lines between roguelike and card game, not unlike games such as Slay the Spire. However, where Slay the Spire takes place in a somewhat amusing fantasy world, Nowhere Prophet tells the tale of survivors in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world who must make their way to salvation by any means necessary.
Something unique about this game is that the combat’s main focus is on the positioning of units in battle, as units placed in front of one another will protect them from the majority of attacks, though this also means that those units at the rear will be unable to attack ahead of them.
23
Going Under
What was once a record-breaking hit song by Evanescence, Going Under is now a comedic action roguelike with a bright and colorful art style that stands out among other games in the genre.
While similar dungeon crawlers will have a somewhat serious story, Going Under sees the player character, Jackie, dive into the cursed ruins of failed tech startups, wielding various pieces of office rubbish as weapons to defend herself.
22
Crawl
Crawl is a unique take on the roguelike genre, incorporating a local multiplayer system where one player controls the hero and up to three other players control the monsters they face. While local multiplayer is definitely the focus, the game can also be played entirely solo.
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The dungeons are procedurally generated, but the additional players use the monsters that spawn to try and take out the player. If one of them manages it, their reward is being able to become the hero themselves.
21
Moonlighter
In Moonlighter, you play as a man with a double life. By day, Will operates a shop in Rynoka Village. This is no mere cutscene – you can decide what to sell and set the prices, plus hire your assistants and expand your operation. By night, Will follows his dreams of becoming an adventurer, investigating the local dungeons to find new things for the shop.
The adorable art style in this game is just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of activities to keep you busy on your travels, including crafting, enchanting, and befriending the locals.
20
UnderMine
This pixel-art roguelike looks more like it has been pulled straight out of Stardew Valley, as both games have a very similar art style and color pallet. However, UnderMine’s dungeon crawling combat is closer to The Binding of Issac or Moonlighter than a methodical farming simulation.
UnderMine attracts players and has managed to grab attention in all the best ways. Combined with RPG mechanics that allow players to customize their loadouts even further, UnderMine isn’t a game that should be ignored by roguelike fans.
19
Risk Of Rain Returns
- Released
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November 8, 2023
- Developer(s)
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Hopoo Games
- Publisher(s)
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Gearbox Publishing
- Engine
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GameMaker
- ESRB
-
T for Teen Due To Drug Reference, Mild Blood, Fantasy Violence
Risk of Rain Returns is a remake of the original Risk of Rain, featuring new characters, items, locations, enemies, and updated graphics and music. The original Risk of Rain is already a fantastic game, and Returns elevates it to a new level, somehow perfecting a game that was already nearly perfect.
If you’re familiar with its sequel, Risk of Rain 2, both the original and Risk of Rain Returns play a little differently. This is a side-scrolling roguelike, so the different perspective makes avoiding and attacking enemies much more different. In some cases its harder, but other times its easier. Either way, Risk of Rain Returns is an excellent game, especially in handheld mode on the Switch.
18
Crypt of the Necrodancer: Cadence of Hyrule
- Platform(s)
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Switch
- Released
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June 13, 2019
- Developer(s)
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Brace Yourself Games
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Engine
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Monkey X
- ESRB
-
E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy Violence
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
A spin-off that few saw coming, Cadence of Hyrule takes the fantastic gameplay of the original Crypt of the Necrodancer and puts a Legend of Zelda twist on the entire spectacle.
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Not only can players take control of Link and Zelda, but updates also allow the player to control Skull Kid from Majora’s Mask and Impa, the recurring nursemaid of Princess Zelda with her own score to settle with Ganon’s monsters. Topped off with some great remixes of classic Zelda tracks, it’s very easy to pick up, and love this game despite its crushing difficulty at times.
17
Slay The Spire
Taking a roguelike and injecting deck-building mechanics into it seems strange at first, but it works far better in Slay the Spire than anyone could have anticipated. Standard gameplay sees the player choose one of four characters, three of which need to be unlocked through subsequent runs, with each one’s deck playing differently enough to feel unique.
Even though each run is randomized, the actual card mechanics are solid enough to make sure players always have a fighting chance no matter which deck they choose to start with, though some have an easier time late in the run than others.
16
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+
The Binding of Isaac is definitely one of the first games that come to mind when it comes to roguelikes, and for good reason. Taking roguelike gameplay into a dungeon crawling environment ripped straight out of classic The Legend of Zelda games, it’s hard to not love this indie gem.
The graphics and gameplay are both very simple, but that is more than enough to grab anyone who is a fan of the genre. The story is also very strange compared to many other roguelikes, as players follow Isaac as he escapes from his religiously insane mother while she tries to kill him.
15
Darkest Dungeon
One of the more well-known roguelike dungeon crawlers in recent years, Darkest Dungeon is notorious for not only being incredibly fun but also incredibly hard. Taking a turn-based RPG that focuses on positioning and adding elements such as insanity, perma-death, and survival mechanics, Darkest Dungeon turned what could have been an overly simple experience into one of the best indie games available on the Switch.
While it is a great title, Darkest Dungeon does suffer from not being as accessible to players who aren’t familiar with games that have similar mechanics. Still, if you’re willing to invest the time to learn the game’s intricacies, you’re in for a treat.
14
Neurovoider
Neurovoider is a bullet-hell roguelike game that takes place in a high-tech futuristic world full of enemies who just love to shoot you. You’ll take on the role of a little robot struggling against the big, big world.
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This game has excellent multiplayer, is meant to be played repeatedly, and allows you to affect the way the procedurally generated levels are made. Be warned: it’s tough, especially if you’re not familiar with bullet hells and/or rougelikes, but don’t give up too quickly. We believe in you!
13
Risk Of Rain 2
Risk of Rain 2 is the action-packed sequel to the original Risk of Rain. In Risk of Rain 2, you will battle through the harsh environments of Petrichor V as several different survivors, gathering items to help you escape the planet. Each survivor has different skills to choose from, and they all have unique and interesting playstyles.
Where Risk of Rain 2 truly shines is the endless possibilities of item combinations. When you get deep into a run, you’ll have so many different item effects activating at once that you’ll feel like an unstoppable ball of death. If you’re looking for a roguelike that lets you lean all the way into the power fantasy of destroying hordes of enemies, Risk of Rain 2 definitely delivers.
12
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Easily one of the strangest games on the Switch in terms of concept, Crypt of the Necrodancer takes a standard dungeon-crawling roguelike and adds a rhythm mechanic to the mix. To successfully make your way through each dungeon, you’ll need to time your movements and attacks to the beat of the music.
The masterminds behind this title could have easily used pre-existing music, but instead, they created one of the best soundtracks and some of the best music in a video game to date.
11
Monster Train
Monster Train is another deckbuilding, card-battling roguelike, but with a unique tower defense-esque twist. On a train to hell, your goal is to defend the train’s core while the armies of heaven attempt to stop you at every turn. To do this, you’ll have to set up your monsters to defend each room of the train.
Monster Train strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and complexity, rewarding players who stick around and learn the game’s intricacies. With several different Factions to choose from, each with its own massive pool of cards, plus the 25 increasing difficulty levels, Monster Train has tons of replayability.
10
Enter the Gungeon
Enter the Gungeon could have easily become a generic roguelike dungeon crawler, but Dodge Roll decided to go all-in on the ridiculous premise and make some truly engaging and hilarious gameplay.
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As the title suggests, players have to enter the titular “Gungeon,” a dungeon full of references to firearms and ammunition of every variety, while wielding weapons that wouldn’t be out of place in a Worms game, such as bananas and pea-shooters that fire actual peas.
9
Rogue Legacy 2
Rogue Legacy 2 takes everything the first game did well, and does it even better. In almost every way, Rogue Legacy 2 improves upon the original’s formula, giving you more monsters, more dungeons, and new classes.
What sets Rogue Legacy 2 apart from other roguelikes is the succession system. Each time you die, you will choose one of your children to succeed you and attempt to do what you could not. However, each new child has their own quirks and abilities, like colorblindness or chronic fatigue syndrome. These traits ensure no two runs are the same.
8
Dicey Dungeons
On paper, Dicey Dungeons shouldn’t work anywhere near as well as it does, combining text-heavy combat reminiscent of tabletop RPGs and a combat system that is remarkably similar to card-based titles.
However, Dicey Dungeons manages to pull it off with comedy, a charming cartoony art style that is found in similarly drawn games like Night In The Woods, and surprisingly deep and enjoyable gameplay that is a breath of fresh air in a bloated genre.
7
Downwell
Downwell is probably the most minimalistic roguelike game on the Switch, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less good than its competition. Having similar firearm-based gameplay to Enter the Gungeon, Downwell’s players must shoot their way through levels while falling down an endless well, trying to make their way to the bottom.
This game has been out for quite a while compared to others, only coming to the Switch in 2019 after being first released in 2015, but that doesn’t mean Downwell hasn’t obtained a handful of new fans.
6
Dead Cells
Many people would rightly assume that Dead Cells is the pinnacle of roguelike games not just on the Switch, but in the entire genre. Taking the procedurally generated Metroidvania worlds and adding a colorful universe to explore, Dead Cells is considered not only one of the best roguelike games on the Switch, but one of the best roguelike games of all time.
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Dead Cells is also nearly impossible to complete, as the developers are constantly adding more content to keep the gameplay feeling fresh even after hundreds of hours of dying.