Roguelike games continue to be popular with indie developers looking for their first hit, and AAA developers looking to pack some extra excitement into their next big title. It has become quite common and has been booming in recent years. It’s so trite.
But there are plenty of roguelike shooters out there that stand on a crowded field. Some of the games on this list have once come from indie hopefuls, but here’s a AAA effort too. Whether you’re the indie-only type of gamer or you tend to favor big blockbuster releases, there’s something below that everyone will love.
By Jacob Waling on April 15, 2023: Roguelikes are more popular than ever as newcomers take over the scene with fresh ideas. We’ve updated this list with a few new entries from the best roguelike shooters you can play right now.
16 return
Returnal is a PlayStation exclusive roguelike shooter that mixes science fiction and horror. You play as Celine, who finds herself in a terrifying nightmare universe where death means reincarnation and seeks a new chance to reclaim the uneasy planet on which she found herself. Returnal feels and plays like a frenzied bullet hell game mixed with the charming qualities of a roguelike.
What immediately stands out about Returnal is the way it mixes intense third-person shooter action with lighthearted exploration. Each new death means you can fight again. This time you are armed with the knowledge of how to defeat a certain boss or how to use a certain very powerful weapon.
15 neon abyss
Neon Abyss is a mostly straightforward roguelike where you play as a character who must navigate increasingly difficult levels and enemies in a creepy cyberpunk world. Neon Abyss is full of unique weapons and items, most of which offer interesting buffs, skills or abilities. Gun weapons also fire neon-drenched bullets, lasers, and energy balls.
Neon Abyss mixes platforming action, melee combat, and a variety of firearms. The game’s creative sci-fi and cyberpunk-inspired weapons are really nice to use. Each new run offers a new weapon to try out. Melee weapons pack a good punch, but it’s an odd gun that boosts roguelike energy up to 11.
14 strafing
Gameplay from the Strafe trailer, where players point guns at enemies
Strafe is certainly rough around the edges, but it makes no excuses for what it’s trying to be. This first-person shooter dives head-on into 90s nostalgia and wraps it in roguelike glory.
The “extreme” nature of that period is literally measured by how much blood is shed. Are you over the top? Yes, but you have to. Is Strafe as good as Doom or Quake? Absolutely not, but it’s a good time regardless of your non-classic status.
13 tower of guns
Gameplay of Tower of Guns
You won’t find fully developed character stories in Tower of Guns, but that’s not even the point. Terrible Posture Games developed this game with 7 randomly generated floors of chaos.
As if it couldn’t get any better, you can also try running with the most unique gun in FPS. Tower of Guns jumps in on what it wants to do and makes no apologies for it. The boss can be defeated in about an hour, but this roguelike shooter promises endless replayability.
12 Prey: Mooncrash
Gameplay of Prey: Mooncrash
Above all else, Prey: Mooncrash deserves more attention. Released in 2018 by Arkane Studios, this DLC is a captivating first-person shooter roguelike. This additional content to an already solid title completes the core mechanics. You’ll feel your creativity spark as you solve the problem in each attempt.
Prey: Mooncrash has 5 unique classes to choose from and definitely delivers on its promise of an “infinitely replayable experience”. The decisions you have to make for each run give your plan a true sense of investment.
11 immortal redneck
Gameplay of Immortal Redneck
Immortal Redneck skips the story in favor of intense gameplay and fun aesthetics. But let’s be honest, most people don’t expect a game about rural mummies to deliver an award-winning narrative.
We’ve come to this game to enjoy an old school shooter packed in a fun new package. In that respect, Immortal Redneck pays homage to Duke Nukem and other FPS classics on top of familiar, smooth and satisfying gameplay.
10 ziggurat
Ziggurat’s gameplay where the player wields a staff and faces enemies
Ziggurat has the unique label of a fantasy-based roguelike shooter. It also allows players to shoot spells fast enough to spin Gandalf’s hat. A short but unique take on the genre. But the strength of its execution and style will make you want to come back for more.
This game is a love letter to an early attempt at a dark fantasy first-person shooter series. The dungeon crawling aspect of this shooter even evokes memories of classic games like Diablo 2. Ziggurat is a gem that any fantasy fan can be kicked for hours on end.
9 hollow bastards
Gameplay of Void Bastards with players facing a few enemies
Void Bastards is a first-person roguelike experience in a cel-shaded comic book style. The details are dark but with a fun sci-fi feel that will make you feel like you’ve jumped into a graphic novel. An apt description would be a cross between The Fifth Element, Alien, and XIII.
You never know what kind of prisoner you’ll try and run across the map. Planning your next steps is critical and your chances of survival can quickly reverse. The difficulty can be steep, but you can also be a cartoon hero, abandoned in the bitter cold of space, trying to survive.
8 Binding of Isaac
Gameplay in The Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac is a great game with an extreme twist. But beneath the terrifying facade is a twin-stick roguelike shooter with impressive design.
If you dig into the humor and themes, you’ll have more reasons to dive into random dungeons. There are hundreds of pickups to discover, and Isaac often doesn’t look remotely the same from one run to the next.
7 mother gunship
Gameplay of Mothergunship where players face enemies
The sequel to Tower of Guns combines a roguelike first-person shooter with a detailed gunsmithing simulator. Grip Digital and Terrible Posture Games have built all of these elements into a sci-fi environment that you’ll want to come back to again and again.
Bullet hell is also strong with this. If you think it would be fun to build a weapon to destroy a fleet of robotic aliens with all the aforementioned features, then you will fall in love with Mothergunship.
6 enter the gungung
Gameplay in Enter the Gungeon where players try to get through rooms
Enter the Gungeon brilliantly combines bullet hell with roguelike mechanics. Moreover, it would lead you to believe that clichéd claims about genre don’t always apply. There’s no shortage of memorable bosses, as well as fun and creative ways to blast your way through enemies.
Fans of the tried-and-true formula of exploring dungeons and earning fun loot to become stronger will find something to love here too. Unique guns, random drops, and offbeat humor will make even the most boring fan of twin stick shooters feel fresh.
5 crab champion
Crab Champions is a fast-paced shooter with roguelike elements that delivers all the thrill of running and shooting in short 30-minute intervals. Despite its humorous aesthetic, Crab Champions is surprisingly deep and fun, with fast and responsive combat and shooting, and exciting upgrades and unlocks.
Crab Champions can also be played with up to 3 other players, allowing you to fight crab swarms with your friends. If you like games like Risk of Rain 2 or Warframe, Crab Champions will make you feel right at home.
4 reborn shooting
Gunfire Reborn is a first-person shooter that combines roguelike and RPG elements. You can try different characters and builds, and the variety of builds will keep you interested between runs.
Gunfire Reborn also supports up to 4-player co-op, allowing you to play with friends and create compatible builds. With a great co-op experience, tons of builds to try, and an interesting upgrade path, you can’t go wrong with Gunfire Reborn.
three nuclear throne
Nuclear Throne is a top-down roguelike shooter that drops players into a nuclear apocalypse where the only objective is to reach the nuclear throne. To do so, you’ll need to use a variety of guns, upgrades, and even body mutations to fight the inhabitants of the wasteland.
With chaotic, fast-paced gameplay, Nuclear Throne doesn’t feel overly complicated and doesn’t slow down even a fraction of a second. Success requires relying on split-second decision-making and adaptability. Things can go wrong at any time. Nuclear Throne is about adapting on the fly to overcome any challenge that may come your way.
2 vampire survivor
Vampire Survivors is a repulsive hell that gathers swarms of projectiles to take out waves of oncoming enemies. Vampire Survivors thrives on unlockables, with hundreds of items, characters, and upgrades to collect and discover.
Although the controls are simple, Vampire Survivors delivers profound and satisfying combat, and allows for a higher level of customization and optimization by removing only the essentials. As you progress, you can direct the RNG a bit to perfect your favorite builds against hordes of vampires, skeletons, and other monsters.
One risk of rain 2
Risk of Rain 2 gameplay where characters face large enemies
To call Risk of Rain 2 a masterpiece in terms of being a roguelike game is almost criminally underselling the sum of its parts. The simple but highly satisfying roguelike gameplay loop, obvious allergy to downtime, charmingly minimalistic graphical fidelity, and absolutely phenomenal soundtrack only scratch the surface of what makes this game truly special.
To face the perils of Petrichor V, each unlockable character is uniquely managed without completely alienating from the game’s core mechanics, providing an angle to the gameplay that’s different enough from the last to keep the experience fresh.