10 Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes That You Need to Play

Roguelike games are a versatile and beloved genre. While the definition can vary and be drastically altered across different games, unifying elements might include permanent character death, a large number of mechanics to encourage different combinations and synergies, or procedurally generated dungeons. While fans might differ on how roguelike a particular game is or what their personal definition of roguelike games entails, the genre draws gamers who crave high-option customization or compelling iterative gameplay loops.

This genre goes particularly well with the portability and quality-of-life functions provided by the Nintendo Switch. That's probably why so many of the great roguelikes have found homes on Nintendo's hybrid handheld console. While this list is by no means comprehensive of all the great options out there, these are ten of the roguelikes for the Switch.

10 Binding of Isaac Is a Morbid Dungeon Explorer

This 2011 Indie Game Introduced Roguelikes to a New Generation

Binding of Isaac is a modern revision of the biblical story from the Book of Genesis. In this game by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, Isaac's mother gets a message from God to kill her son as a test of faith, so Isaac runs away into his monster-infested basement. This macabre RPG shooter pits players against randomly generated Zelda-style dungeons full of creepy and unsettling monsters that seek to do Isaac harm, looking for power-ups to help him overcome grotesque bosses and eventually, his mother.

This game deserves mention for being one of the first roguelikes of the modern era and a huge contributor to the explosive growth of the genre. The game isn't without controversy, and its complex treatment of both the positive and negative aspects of religion led Nintendo to walk away from initial plans to port the game, though by 2015 they changed their minds for a Wii U release. Today, Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ and its DLC Redemption compile a complete decade's worth of DLCs and updates for modern consoles.

9 Cadence of Hyrule Is a Rhythmic Dungeon Explorer

This Game Is Literally Crypt of the Necrodancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda

Taking the original concept of Crypt of the Necrodancer and combining it with the world of Legend of Zelda, Cadence of Hyrule is a great choice for fans of either series. The novel rhythm-based combat features enemies from across the Zelda franchise and forces players to memorize enemy routines and time their attacks to the soundtrack. The charming pixel graphics harken back to the Game Boy Advance classic Minish Cap, and the catchy dance remixes of classic tunes from the series will have longtime fans of the series smiling. It even offers co-op play so players can groove to Hyrule's beats with a friend.

The unique concept of Necrodancer combat made the game an immediate indie darling on its initial release. Using the Zelda likenesses for this Nintendo exclusive was a brilliant break for Brace Yourself Games, as it allowed them to introduce their original gameplay to a massive pre-existing audience with a familiar and nostalgic coat of paint. For players who want a finger-tapping challenge, Cadence of Hyrule and its predecessor Crypt of the Necrodancer offer one-of-a-kind gameplay with polish and flair.

8 Inscryption Is More Than Just a Roguelike

This Genre-Bending Deckbuilder Blends Cardplay With Escape Rooms and Adventure Games

Inscryption is a difficult game to define, and is truly only roguelike in the very beginning, but fans of card, adventure, and horror games deserve to treat themselves to this strange masterpiece. The game begins as an unnerving blend of point-and-click adventure and card battler. Players alternate between playing a gory card game for their life against a mysterious captor or exploring his creepy and cryptic cabin. This first section expects players to die a few times as they get a feel for the card game and start to discover the deeper mysteries of the game, so roguelike fans will be in their element here.

Past the first section, players are treated to a surprise and a stark change to the game. While this plot twist is best experienced spoiler-free, it escalates implications in the game's larger story while drastically expanding the main gameplay mechanics. Once past the claustrophobic introduction, Inscryption becomes an adventure game closer to a card-based Golf Story or Mother. This game will appeal to fans of the Pokemon Trading Card Game who don't mind some Five Nights At Freddie's creepiness, or old-school RPG fans who aren't afraid to experiment with unique mechanics and surreal narratives.

7 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX Is An Exploration Roguelike

This Remake Is Perfect for a Pokémon Fan's First Roguelike

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a remake of the original Rescue Team games for the Switch. The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series combines dungeon exploration with classic Pokemon collection, which has made it a fan-favorite spin-off . Rescue Team DX combines the Red and Blue versions of the original game into a single stand-alone game that lightens some of the less forgiving elements of the original game to make a newbie-friendly introduction for new fans.

Focusing on the first three generations of Pokémon and their evolutions, Rescue Team DX has over 400 different pocket monsters for players to catch and collect. Combat uses the series' familiar 4-move system but adds a combat grid to introduce a tactical component new to the Nintendo flagship series. With a huge variety of side missions and secrets beyond the core campaign, the game offers endless randomly generated dungeons to explore in the quest to catch 'em all. For fans of roguelikes who are familiar with the Pokémon series, or long-time Pokémaniacs who enjoy an occasional roguelike, this game serves as a perfect pairing of the two tropes.

6 Outer Wilds Is a Platform Puzzler in a Time Loop

This Indie Game Tasks Players With Discovering Galactic Mysteries, 22 Minutes at a Time

Outer Wilds may defy many of the strict definitions of traditional roguelikes, but it shares a focus on experimental exploration and reiterative play that fans of the genre will recognize. Combining a physics-based space exploration platformer with a time-loop mechanic, Outer Wilds gives players 22 minutes at a time to uncover the mysteries of the cosmos before the sun goes supernova and they travel back in time to the game's start. Mysteries abound in the cozy galaxy, and exploring every nook, cranny, and secret of the flavorful world takes on a Groundhog Day effect, where players have to retrace their steps dozens of times to discover everything of significance to the story.

The game's unique aesthetic mix of pioneering space technology, space opera deco, and sci-fi strangeness is a delight to explore, and the low-mechanic platforming gameplay is quick to learn and hard to put down. Without equipment or variable statistics, the game eschews the intense customization of other roguelikes and instead requires players to master their platforming paths and analytical skills to solve puzzles and discover one of the game's multiple endings. For players who beat the game and can't get enough, a DLC named Echoes of the Eye expanded Outer Wilds to much acclaim, and publisher Annapurna Interactive also released another time-loop game called 12 Minutes, featuring the voice talents of James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe.

5 Vampire Survivors Is a Retro Pixel Shooter With a Gothic Skin

Bullet Hell Survival Fans Will Feel Right At Home In This Frantic Game

Vampire Survivors looks like a colorized Castlevania game but plays like a classic arcade spaceship or jet-fighter bullet hell, right down to screen-wiping power-ups and deadly boss enemies. The premise is simple: players pick a character and try to survive as long as possible against an endless stream of foes who grow stronger over time. A variety of weapons can be acquired through leveling or discovered through exploration, giving players an arsenal of holy weapons and items to defeat the bats, ghouls, and devils that haunt the woods and castles of the game.

The sheer number of secrets and unlockable items in Vampire Survivors gives it far more hours of replay than the simple concept would otherwise suggest. Players will be amazed at how many different secrets and game modes emerge after they think they've reached an ending. Vampire Survivors ​​​​​​​is also supported by an incredibly robust DLC market, meaning fans who fall in love with it can extend their enjoyment for untold hours more.

4 Sunless Skies Is a Strange and Sprawling Space Trader

Achieve Fame, Fortune, or Knowledge In This Occult Sequel to Sunless Seas

Failbetter Games has been making eldritch exploration whimsical since it first released Fallen London under the name Echo Bazaar in 2009. The original browser RPG was set in a Victorian London stolen beneath the earth by eldritch Masters who rule the city with a language that drives people mad and burns when written down. The exploration and survival roguelike Sunless Sea expanded the setting, where players sailed steamboats and dreadnoughts across and under the dark and dangerous Unterzee seeking fame and fortune. Sunless Skies is the direct sequel, where players are space-train pilots pioneering in a fungal wilderness among the resentful stars. The imaginative world-building sets this game apart: swarms of chorister bees sing secrets in harmony until angered by intruding players, and miners hunt for veins of hours to extract and ship to the brutal mechanical workworlds of New London. Every encounter and interaction is boldly and creatively painted by lush prose.

Gameplay is simple to understand and hard to master, making each encounter with strange and deadly foes a tense decision between fighting or fleeing until tougher weapons and vehicles are acquired. Players control a Lineage of sky captains one at a time, with maps, exploration experience, and most of the ship passing from captain to captain when one dies, while incomplete story and character missions reset at the start of each run. Players can expect to die plenty—maybe starving and attempting to eat the crew, succumbing to terror and going mad in the far corners of the Reach, or being destroyed by one of the raiders or monsters that threaten trade between strange ports. While Sunless Skies includes some quality-of-life improvements that make it more roguelite than others on this list, fans looking for more challenge should try the preceding Sunless Sea for a more traditionally roguelike experience.

3 Hades Is a Beautiful Masterpiece Steeped In Greek Mythology

This Flavorful and Challenging Action RPG Is a Fantastic Roguelike

Family can be difficult, as Hades' son Zagreus will attest. In Hades, players control the prince of the Underworld as he defies his father and attempts to reach the world of the living to speak with his mother. The hordes of the dead stand arrayed against him, and escaping takes skill at arms and the help of other Greek gods who grant Zagreus powerful boons to aid him on his journey. With gorgeous art design, rich writing and voice acting, and scores of secrets and upgrades to discover, Hades is a game that players can return to again and again.

One of the greatest things about Hades is the depth of gameplay both in battle and in the Underworld palace that serves as the game's home base. Each available weapon plays very differently, and discovering synergies between certain weapons and certain godly boons is a core part of improving at the game. Between runs, the large cast of charming supporting characters grant boons as players bond with them, and base upgrades let players decorate with macabre opulence. Now is the perfect time for gamers who haven't tried Hades to jump on this superlative roguelike—Hades II has a full beta released right now and is expected for full release on both the Switch and the Switch 2 sometime in 2025, so players don't have to wait to binge two games' worth of Supergiant Games' addictive series.

2 Slay the Spire Is a Creative Deckbuilder

Fans Are Looking Forward to the Sequel's 2025 Release

Slay the Spire is a deck-building game with incredible depth and multiple layers of secrets to discover. Players battle their way up a punishing tower using cards to protect themselves and attack foes, collecting more powerful cards and supporting relics to improve survivability. Sparse lore intimates a strange world populated with powerful monsters that guard the secrets at the top of the spire. Fans look forward to discovering more of the game's story with the anticipated release of Slay the Spire 2 sometime in 2025.

The game thrives on replayability, gradually adding additional classes and requiring players to master knowledge of enemy capabilities and routines to advance. Four different classes each offer multiple playstyles, letting players mix and match cards to tailor their strategy to the relics discovered during their ascent. When players get tired of basic runs, a Daily Challenge mode offers high-powered variants on gameplay to experiment with the game's engaging mechanics. With its strategic gameplay and virtually endless variations, Slay the Spire is a roguelike for the ages and is worth hours of entertainment.

1 Balatro Is a Poker Roguelike Gone Wild

This Poker-Themed Deckbuilder Ups the Ante

Taking the roguelike community by storm on its release in 2024, Balatro is an undisputed king of the genre. Players use a modified scoring system to tally the value of poker hands. As they add extra cards to their deck, pick up game-altering Jokers, and level up their scoring patterns, players add and multiply their chips to earn a set number of points each round. The stakes get higher as Balatro goes on, with players forced to top their high scores and overcome game-altering bosses called Antes to continue progressing.

With simple gameplay and hundreds of player options, Balatro is an endless and addictive challenge. The sheer number of different player and opponent options means that players will constantly need to adapt strategies for or even during each run. Balatro's meteoric rise to fame is well-deserved, and it's the best roguelike available for the Nintendo Switch.