In the past few years, we’ve witnessed a resurgence of theroguelikegenre thanks to the indie scene. While many of these titles lean heavily on action-packed combat, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, some dare to add their own twist to the formula.
There are roguelikes out there that down—or even skip entirely—the fighting, instead rewarding players with smart strategy, careful management, or even a healthy dose of luck.
10 Best 3D Roguelikes You Need To Play
Risk of Rain 2 isn’t the only one, I’ll have you know.
This list wants to shine the spotlight on 10 standout games that prove you don’t need endless battles to enjoy the roguelike experience.
I’ll include games categorized as roguelike and roguelite interchangeably because the gameplay loop is strikingly similar.
10Cursed to Golf
Par for the Cursed
Cursed to Golf
Who would have thought that Purgatory was an ever-changing golf course?
InCursed to Golf, our protagonist ends his subscription to life just before delivering the decisive swing in an international golf tournament. Luckily, he is offered the possibility of coming back to life—but the catch is that he has to golf for the privilege.
Golfing in Purgatory is trickier than in real life, though. Instead of sandpits and water hazards, there are spiked traps, explosives, and much more.
To rise to the challenge, our hero is granted a selection of powers that change from run to run, such as the ability to alter the ball’s direction mid-flight or even make it drill through terrain.
Cursed to Golf’s blend of golfing gameplay and roguelike mechanics makes it bothinteresting and charming—a truly unique take on the genre.
9Against the Storm
Winds of Change
Against the Storm
A dark fantasy world, ravaged by the Blightstorm, has been reduced to a single bastion of civilization—the Smoldering City. Now it’s time to fight back and reclaim the lost world by founding new settlements.
This is the premise ofAgainst the Storm, a roguelike city-builder where you step into the role of a governor tasked with expanding the Smoldering City’s sphere of influence.
The odds are stacked against you, as the Blightstorm’s aftermath presents endless challenges—from inhospitable landscapes to hostile wildlife. Moreover, you’ll need to manage the diverse needs of various races, making tough decisions along the way.
Rather than focusing on one city, you must establish multiple settlements, each with unique specializations and obstacles. Every run is a fresh, engaging experience designed totest your strategy and adaptability.
8As Far As The Eye
A City Builder With No City
As far as city builders go, the gameplay loop is typically about gathering resources, expanding your borders, and keeping your population healthy. But what if your city moves across the world?
As Far As The Eyeattempts to answer that. This nomadic city-builder with roguelike elements challenges you to guide your wandering population toward the center of the world before rising waters engulf it.
There are no enemies or combat—the challenge lies entirely in survival and resource management. You’ll need to develop your tribe to overcome the obstacles ahead and succeed on your journey to the world’s center.
Old Man Yells at Villagers
It looks likecity-builder games are all the ragewhen it comes to combat-free roguelikes, butdotAgemanages to stand out with its unique premise. Instead of enjoying a cozy town-building experience, you’ll need to plan your settlement’s expansion to stave off a prophesied apocalypse.
Don’t be fooled by the vibrant colors and cutesy art style—dotAgecan be brutal! The game starts simply enough: a handful of villagers (or “pips”) to manage and a town to build.
In the blink of an eye, you’ll find yourself having to ensure the survival of a hundred pips through a scorching summer, as some go rogue and buildings catch fire—all while the countdown to the next apocalyptic event ticks away.
This game is vast, brimming with interactions and replayability. It’s incredible what a solo developer can accomplish these days.
6Streets of Rogue
Don’t Need Combat to Sow Chaos
Streets of Rogue
I’ll be honest—this game features plenty of combat, but it’s only there when you decide to engage.
Streets of Rogueis an immersive sim turned roguelike, allowing you to approach environments and missions in multiple ways, many of which avoid direct confrontation.
Why fight a guard in front of a building when you can sneak around and enter from the back? Why assassinate your target directly when you can rig a computer to explode as they approach?
Streets of Rogue 2 Now In Development, Version 88 Update Incoming
Streets of Rogue 2 has been announced by indie developer Matt Dabrowski to be in early development. A new update, Version 88, will release soon.
Although combat is a core mechanic for many characters, it’s often more advantageous to avoid it, as situations can turn sour very quickly.
Streets of Roguerewards lateral thinking and creativity. Playing smart can be infinitely more satisfying than being aggressive.
5Luck be a Landlord
Fighting the One-Armed Bandit
Luck be a Landlord
The roguelike genre is known for its unique concepts, and even within this framework,a roguelike slot-machine game manages to stand out.
InLuck be a Landlord, you must pay your rent exclusively with money won by gambling on a slot machine—no pesky day jobs getting in the way. After each spin, a new symbol of your choice is added to an available slot on the rollers.
Each symbol offers a payout, and many can synergize with each other. For example, a Chef symbol boosts the value of all adjacent fruit symbols, while a Coal symbol gives no money but transforms into a valuable diamond after 20 spins.
You’ll need to manage the board’s limited space with clever positioning and smart use of earned items. While luck is a factor, strategic thinking is what ultimately leads to success.
4World of Horror
Not for the Squeamish
World of Horror
Combat isn’t the only way to invoke tension.World of Horroris a haunting supernatural investigative roguelike set in a small Japanese city, where bizarre, inexplicable, and horrifying events have begun to occur.
As the player, you’ll investigate and uncover the secrets behind these incidents while confronting unspeakable terrors that seem straight out of a Junji Ito manga or a Lovecraft novel.
Featuring a stark 1-bit presentation and a chilling chiptune soundtrack,World of Horrorperfectly captures the eerie atmosphere of horror manga, keeping you constantly on edge.
If you enjoy spine-tingling horror stories and aren’t easily scared,World of Horroris a must-try.
3Renowned Explorers: International Society
This Belongs in a Museum
Renowned Explorers: International Societyaims to provide players with a bite-sized glimpse into a world where grand explorations were possible, as depicted in classics likeAround the World in 80 Daysor Marco Polo’sThe Million.
InRenowned Explorers, you hand-pick a crew of three characters from those available. Each character can specialize in fighting, science, diplomacy, or scouting, allowing you to mix and match your team during each run to try new strategies for each expedition.
Exploring the great unknown means leveraging each character’s skills to overcome various challenges—whether that involves studying the strange rituals of local populations, finding resources, recovering artifacts, or settling disputes through brute force or diplomacy.
2Curious Expedition 1&2
The Thrill of Discovery
Continuing the theme of 19th-century exploration roguelikes, we haveCurious Expedition, a franchise often cited as an example of what Early Access titles should strive for.
Curious Expeditionsoffers, in each run, a vast, procedurally generated world where you must lead your crew to explore weird, dangerous places while discovering artifacts and engaging with indigenous populations. Dangers abound, and clashes with hostile tribes and wildlife are inevitable.
At their core, these are games about resource management, with your crew’s mental sanity being the most precious resource. It’s not easy being this far from home, surrounded by a mysterious landscape, so it’s up to you to make the journey worthwhile.
Five of a Kind
Balatro, despite its mechanical simplicity, is a hard game to explain to someone who has never heard of it.
If you told someone outside the gaming sphere that a game where you play poker hands to gather points to pass to the next level was somehow nominated for Game of the Year alongsideAstrobotandFinal Fantasy VII: Rebirth, they would think you’re out of your freaking mind.
Yet there is something in the simple yet endlessly replayable formula ofBalatrothat gives you that gambling rush without actual gambling.
Every run is different and forces you to strategize aroundthe Jokers you find, the cards you discover in the shop, and the consumables you might leverage—all for the ultimate objective of gathering so many points that math has to ask the alphabet for backup.
Personally, I sank 50 hours into it in less than two weeks after getting it. It’s one of those rare games that I would recommend to anyone even remotely interested in the concept.
What’s The Difference Between Roguelike & Roguelite?
Roguelike and Roguelite can be thrown about pretty frequently, but their differences are pretty subtle. We’ll break down everything to know right now.
