If you’re trying to find a list of the best roguelike games on Switch and mobile, you’re in the right place. Here at Pocket Tactics, we’ve got a wealth of roguelike experience, from dueling with demon dads to deploying robots on far-flung planets, so we’ve put together our picks for the best of the genre you can play today. We’re always adding to this list, so even if you think you know our picks, it’s worth double-checking.
If you’re a Switch owner looking for even more great games, there’s no need to head into the catacombs, as we have all the right guides ready and waiting. Be sure to head on over to our articles covering the best Switch fighting games, the best Switch strategy games, best Switch simulation games, and the best games like Animal Crossing on Switch and mobile.
Here are the best roguelike games:
Dead Cells – Nintendo Switch and mobile
Developer Motion Twin released this thrilling roguelike back in 2018. But, Dead Cells continues to go from strength to strength in the years since. Explore a huge castle and eviscerate enemies with a wide array of sharp, satisfying weapons. The trick to Dead Cells is that no matter which way you play, it all feels fantastic. Plus, the castle itself changes each time you take on a run, so there’s an endless amount of areas to discover.
Dead Cells doesn’t seem to stop growing, as it continues to expand in the years since it first hit the market with new areas, biomes, and even more weapons. Meanwhile, Motion Twin updated the title to include DLC based on Shovel Knight, Hollow Knight, Guacamelee, and many more. There’s even a DLC based on Castlevania, bringing one of the title’s main influences into the fold. We’ll never tire of killing enemies in this fantastic roguelike, and with so much content, we won’t have to.
Into the Breach – Nintendo Switch and mobile
Time for something a bit more thoughtful. Imagine a futuristic chess match with bugs, mechs, and time travel. Into The Breach is a grid-based, turn-based roguelike where players lead a team of soldiers who must save humanity before it’s too late. The army of the future are masters of time travel, so if you mess up the mission, it’s time to start all over again.
This entry is so satisfying because of the intricate, methodical gameplay. Plus, the tactical action lends itself both to handheld play with Switch, and any mobile device you can find. There’s no bad way to play Into The Breach, and if you have a Netflix subscription, you can play it for free with the Netflix Games service. Join the fight today.
Hades – Nintendo Switch and mobile
Roguelike games don’t come much better than Hades, Supergiant Games’ mythical masterpiece. Marrying engaging gameplay and a story that keeps you coming back for more, there’s a reason that the industry can’t wait to get its hands on the final version of its sequel. It’s incredible.
Young Zagreus wants to escape hell and the grasp of his father, Hades. But, his battle to the surface is fraught with challenges, only alleviated by godly gifts from a fun cast of characters. Dionysus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and many more are ready to add skills to Zagreus’ arsenal, each with wildly varying effects. Hades is so addictive it’s criminal, and we could play it forever thanks to its incredible action. Yet, the character progression and slow addition of story elements push you to finally free Zagreus from his father’s cruel grasp.
Plus, if you love and complete Hades, you have our list covering the best games like Hades on Switch and mobile, and the Hades 2 release date to look forward to…
Slay the Spire – Nintendo Switch and mobile
If you can’t handle demanding action gameplay, Slay the Spire offers all the difficulty in a card-based package. You must ascend and slay the titular spire, and the key to this is building the perfect deck of cards. The cards you find are random, and death means starting all over again. Because of this, there’s little that matches the thrill of a run where the cards are your perfect picks.
Like many roguelikes, this is a title that you can play almost infinitely. And with so much content, areas to explore, and enemies to defeat, there’s very little stopping you. Other than maybe your day job? Thanks to the style of turn-based deck-building gameplay, this is another title that works great on both Switch and mobile. So, there’s nothing to stop you from slaying that spire!
Moonlighter – Nintendo Switch and mobile
I always appreciate a game that balances different styles, and Moonlighter is high on that list. Explore a series of dungeons to pull ancient artifacts from enemies, and then open up a shop to sell them to villagers. Moonlighter is as much about your shop and the townsfolk as it is about the action, and both aspects work brilliantly.
When you open your shop, you decide on the price of your artifacts, and there’s a knack for getting the right price for your pillaged goods. Meanwhile, the action is no slouch either, utilizing a simple control scheme with surprising depth. The dungeons are never the same twice, but the action and enemies are consistently challenging and fun. This entry is also free with a Netflix subscription, so download it from the Netflix Games service when you can.
Don’t Starve – Nintendo Switch and mobile
In case our previous picks aren’t morbid enough, here’s an entry that delights in pushing players to the edge. Don’t Starve is a survival game about scavenging to stay alive, and building structures to last through the night. Animal enemies are nipping at your heels, and you must utilize science and magic to keep them at bay.
The balance of hunger, building, and general survival can all be overwhelming, but it makes it so satisfying when you make it work. Better still, the title continues to see updates since its release which add heaps of content, so there’s plenty to play. Plus, the Nintendo Switch is home to Don’t Starve Together, in case you want to share the addictive misery with a pal.
FTL: Faster Than Light – mobile
Oh man, if there’s one entry here that we wish was on Switch. FTL: Faster Than Light is a classic of the roguelike genre and lets us feel like the captain of a spacecraft, with all the stress that includes. Command a ship as it travels through procedurally generated galaxies, and react swiftly to each new challenge to save your crew and the mission.
The beauty of FTL is in the layers of intricate systems, allowing you to feel like a master of space travel when it works. But, when it all goes wrong, there’s a good chance you’ll feel stupider than Captain Kirk with an armful of Tribbles. Take your seat captain and get ready for a demanding and thrilling voyage like no other.
Balatro – Nintendo Switch and mobile
Slay the Spire isn’t the only roguelike card game on this list, not since Balatro arrived in 2024 and gave the classic game of poker an incredibly engaging spin. Rather than betting against opponents, this game is all about building the best possible hands to make big chip stacks over eight rounds. Sounds simple? Well, it isn’t.
The key to Balatro is in the Joker cards. You can hold up to five Jokers, each of which has a unique effect that adds to or multiplies the score of your hand. At first, you just need to make it to 800 chips, but we’ve seen players record scores into the billions with wild Joker combinations. It requires a bit of luck, a bit of skill, and a small amount of maths knowledge, but if you have all that, this is a game you won’t be able to put down.
Wildfrost – Nintendo Switch and mobile
Fancy another roguelike card game? Wildfrost is one of the best of that specific sub-genre we’ve played in ages, with a charming art style, deep and engaging mechanics, and a frankly ridiculous replayability factor. It’s a big hit here at Pocket Tactics Towers, and could well be a contender for our games of the year list come the end of 2024.
If you’re a fan of games like Slay the Spire or Dicey Dungeons, you can find a good time here, with over thirty hours of card-battling content to get through at your own leisure. There’s also just an Adventure Time vibe about the whole thing that keeps us coming back for more, especially in terms of card designs. For more on this one, check out our Wildfrost review.
Dicey Dungeons – Nintendo Switch and mobile
If you’re feeling lucky, Dicey Dungeons might be the pick for you from our list of the best roguelike games. It’s a properly engaging game that combines chance and deck-building mechanics in a way we’ve not seen before, with some fantastic in-game visuals to boot.
Dicey Dungeons keeps things fresh with six classes of characters to choose from, with each complimenting different playstyles. Like with other games on this list, the more you play, the more likely you are to go all the way and see those sweet, sweet credits. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to roll the dice!
Vampire Survivors – Nintendo Switch and mobile
If you’ve not heard of Vampire Survivors, there’s a good chance you were living under a rock in 2023. Despite the arrival of big hitters like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Starfield, Vampire Survivors was potentially the best game of the year, with its idle roguelike action and tongue-in-cheek approach to the gothic genre winning over countless gamers, including a sizeable chunk of the PT team.
Since first launching, we’ve seen some fantastic DLC crossovers with Among Us and Contra, with the promise of more to come. Ultimately, Vampire Survivors is just one of those games you can’t put down once you’ve started it, and thanks to a wealth of in-game achievements and unlocks, that means you’re not going to be putting it down for a while. What more can you ask for for less than $10?
Rogue Legacy – Switch and iPhone
Being a roguelike games fan and not having played Rogue Legacy is like being a rock fan who’s never heard AC/DC’s Back in Black. Seriously, have you been living in a cave? When Rogue Legacy first arrived in 2013, it invigorated the fledgling roguelike genre with engaging mechanics, fearsome boss battles, and a Metroidvania-inspired exploration system that hides plenty of spectacular secrets.
Still, my favorite thing about Rogue Legacy is its tongue-in-cheek approach to in-game narrative and dialogue. Despite the castles, dungeons, and big bads, this game never takes itself too seriously, which in turn, takes the edge off when you die for the 40th time. Seriously, if you’ve never tried this one, it’s well worth picking up.
Alright, folks, that’s all we have for today. But for even more great guides to the freshest titles on handheld devices, head on over to our guides covering the best Switch games for kids, the best Switch adventure games, and the best Switch casual games.
