Some games treat death as the end — but in others, it’s just the warm-up. Welcome to the world of roguelike games.
But what exactly does roguelike progression mean? It’s a system where dying sends you back to the beginning, often stripping you of your gear or powers — but granting valuable experience, both for your character and for you as a player. Sometimes you get to keep certain upgrades, and sometimes… it’s a full reset.
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | Video | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dead Cells | 2017-05-10 | Indie & Adventure | Motion Twin | |
 | Slay The Spire | 2019-01-23 | Card & Board Game & Indie | Mega Crit Games | |
 | Returnal | 2023-02-15 | Shooter | Housemarque | |
 | The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | 2014-11-04 | Shooter & Adventure | Nicalis, Inc. | |
 | Rogue Legacy 2 | 2020-08-18 | Platform & Role-playing (RPG) | Cellar Door Games | |
 | Spelunky 2 | 2020-09-29 | Adventure & Platform | Blitworks | |
 | Hades | 2020-09-17 | Adventure & Role-playing (RPG) | Supergiant Games | |
 | Hades II | 2024-05 | Adventure & Hack and slash/Beat 'em up | Supergiant Games | |
 | Elden Ring Nightreign | 2025-05-30 | Role-playing (RPG) | FromSoftware | |
 | Vampire Survivors | 2021-12-17 | Indie & Arcade | Poncle |
Below, you’ll find the best games with roguelike elements and progress-based systems. They’re not the easiest titles out there, but each one rewards patience and perseverance. Ready? Let’s dive into a world where dying is all part of the plan.
Hades
| Release date: | 2020-09-17 |
| Genre: | Adventure & Role-playing (RPG) & Hack and slash/Beat 'em up & Indie |
| Developer: | Supergiant Games |
You play as Zagreus, son of Hades, trying to escape the underworld to uncover the truth about his origins. Along the way, you’ll meet Olympian gods, mythical beasts, and… death. A lot of it.
This is one of the most stylish roguelike games in recent years — fast-paced, beautifully animated, with a story that unfolds with each escape attempt. Even failure feeds into the narrative, and no two runs ever feel the same.
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Dead Cells
| Release date: | 2017-05-10 |
| Genre: | Platform & Adventure & Indie |
| Developer: | Motion Twin |
There’s not much story here — you play as a mysterious being called The Beheaded, exploring a dark, shifting world searching for a way out. Every run brings new weapons and a freshly generated map.
This is procedural generation and progression resets in their purest form. Death sends you back to square one, but also lets you unlock upgrades and new builds.
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Slay the Spire
| Release date: | 2019-01-23 |
| Genre: | Role-playing (RPG) & Strategy & Turn-based strategy (TBS) & Adventure & Indie & Card & Board Game |
| Developer: | Mega Crit Games |
In Slay the Spire, you build a deck of cards to climb a mysterious tower. The story is light, but gradually unfolds through your choices and battles.
It’s one of the best games with roguelike elements, where one poorly chosen card can unravel your entire strategy. A brilliant mix of planning and randomness
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Returnal
| Release date: | 2023-02-15 |
| Genre: | Shooter |
| Developer: | Housemarque |
You play as Selene, an astronaut stranded on the planet Atropos and stuck in a time loop — each death sends her back to the crash site. As she repeats the cycle, she uncovers secrets about the planet and herself.
Returnal blends third-person shooter gameplay with classic roguelike progression. Death means a full reset, but you gradually gain permanent upgrades. The environments are procedurally generated, and the combat is brutally intense.
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Binding of Isaac
| Release date: | 2014-11-04 |
| Genre: | Shooter & Puzzle |
| Developer: | Nicalis, Inc. |
Isaac escapes into his basement to flee from his religiously fanatic mother — only to find a terrifying and surreal world filled with monsters, symbols, and his own fears.
A classic among roguelike games, where everything is random — from the weapons to the bosses. Each run is different, and progression resets are harsh but fair.
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Rogue Legacy 2
| Release date: | 2020-08-18 |
| Genre: | Platform & Role-playing (RPG) & Adventure & Indie |
| Developer: | Cellar Door Games |
In Rogue Legacy 2, you play as the descendants of a legendary knightly family, each generation trying to uncover the secrets of a cursed castle. Every child inherits traits and abilities that change how the game plays.
It blends traditional roguelike progression with generational development — even if one hero falls, their heirs grow stronger.
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Spelunky 2
| Release date: | 2020-09-29 |
| Genre: | Platform & Adventure & Indie |
| Developer: | Blitworks |
In Spelunky 2, you play as Ana, daughter of a legendary adventurer, who travels to the Moon searching for her missing parents. Beneath the surface, she finds caves full of traps, creatures, and mysteries.
Levels are procedurally generated every time, and one wrong step can mean instant death. It’s a game of patience, precision, and huge payoffs.
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Roguelike games are about more than just fast reflexes — they test your resilience and reward your persistence. If you enjoy starting over, learning from every mistake, and getting a little better each time, these titles are precisely what you’re looking for.
Whether it’s the satisfaction of finally beating a boss, the thrill of a perfect deck, or the joy of discovering new traits, roguelike progression systems keep pulling you back in — run after run.