Roguelike mobile games offer unique experiences with their procedurally generated levels, maps, along with challenging gameplay. These games also feature “permadeath,” meaning that if your character dies, you must start the game again from the beginning. Whether you are an Android or iOS user, there are numerous roguelike games available that promise hours of engaging and thrilling gameplay.
Roguelikes are often associated with dungeon crawlers and RPGs, but many action games also use these mechanics. A key feature of roguelikes is the permanent improvement systems that enhance your character’s skill tree and equipment. This means that although you have to start from the beginning after each game due to permadeath, you get to keep the improvements you’ve earned. This allows you to progress a little further with each attempt. Sounds fun, right?
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Best Roguelike Mobile Games:
Now that we have a clearer understanding of what a “roguelike” is, let’s explore some of the best games in this genre currently available on Android and iOS.
1. Soul Knight
Soul Knight is one of the most popular roguelikes on Android and iOS, boasting over 50 million downloads. The game’s mechanics are straightforward: choose from more than 270 weapons and navigate randomly generated dungeons. Your goal is to explore as much as possible, dodge bullets, and destroy all the aliens you encounter along the way. Soul Knight is also an excellent offline game for mobile, making it perfect for playing in areas with no internet coverage.
2. The Way Home
Winner of the Indie Games Festival in 2021, The Way Home follows the story of Kevin and Cheese, who are trapped on a mysterious island and must find a way back home. The game features maps that are automatically generated by the algorithm and includes 80 different types of monsters to battle using various attack and skill combinations. In addition to combat, the game also incorporates resource gathering and building elements, with four islands available for exploration. The Way Home can be played for free with ads or by purchasing the premium version, which offers the same game without ads.
3. Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire is one of the best deck-building games available on video game consoles and mobile devices. It also stands out as a compelling roguelike where you must develop and improve your deck with cards earned as rewards from each confrontation. Despite its complexity, Slay the Spire is a single-player game. Its success largely stems from the simplicity of the cards and its clean, modern interface, which makes the dungeon crawling (or in this case, card dueling) enjoyable and keeps you coming back for more.
4. Dead Cells
Like Slay the Spire, Dead Cells is available on multiple platforms, which says a lot about its quality, especially considering it was developed by an indie studio. Dead Cells is a true metroidvania game — it features 2D level design with lots of action and multiple paths to explore in each playthrough, all paired with perfect controls.
Dead Cells qualifies as a roguelike because its dungeons, along with their enemies and treasures, are randomly generated each time you play, although the improvements you earn are permanent. The game offers many hours of gameplay, but once mastered, it can be completed in about 45 minutes. It’s a true gem for fans of the genre. Additionally, if you are a Netflix subscriber, you can download the full version of the game with the Castlevania DLC for free.
5. ReversEstory
ReversEstory is a 2D action and shooting game where you control an adorable flying character armed with a bow instead of a spaceship. The boss fights are challenging, but overall, the game is very entertaining and enjoyable. If you enjoy arcade games mixed with roguelike elements like permadeath and strategic changes based on the weapons and skills you acquire during the game, ReversEstory is a great choice. Selected by Google as one of the 10 best indie games of 2019, this game is definitely worth trying.
6. OneBit Adventure
OneBit Adventure is a 2D turn-based roguelike survival RPG where your goal is to adventure as far as possible, level up, and battle rogue monsters. The game offers seven character classes to choose from: warrior, blood knight, mage, necromancer, pyromancer, archer, or thief, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The gameplay is casual yet engaging, with charming pixel art graphics. OneBit Adventure includes all the elements we expect from a roguelike, such as a wide variety of weapons to find, infinite levels, boss battles, passive abilities, and more.
7. Death Road to Canada
Death Road to Canada is a pixelated action game set in a post-apocalyptic zombie world. Your goal is to travel from Florida to Canada, the last nation on Earth. Along the way, you’ll face hordes of zombies and meet some very strange characters. Each game features randomly generated locations, events, and survivors, adding to the game’s personality and fun. Despite being released in 2017, it continues to receive updates from the developer, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.
8. Slice & Dice
Slice & Dice offers a unique twist on turn-based RPGs by resolving combat through rolling dice. Essentially, it’s a dice combat game. The objective is to defeat 20 enemies to reach and conquer the final boss. True to roguelike form, the combats are randomly generated. The game’s richness lies in its variety, featuring over 100 hero classes, 61 monsters, 354 items, and more than 300 difficulty modifiers. You can try Slice & Dice for free with a demo version. To unlock the full game, a single payment of $8.99 is required.
9. Endurance
Endurance, along with its predecessor Ailment, are roguelike titles developed by a single person, Ivan Panasenko. These games blend action and shooting with a mysterious story where a space crew goes crazy, and you must uncover the cause. Throughout your adventure, you’ll collect various items, wield a vast arsenal of weapons, and encounter many classic RPG elements. An interesting feature of both games is their compatibility with gamepads, enhancing the gameplay experience.
| Android Download | iOS Download |
| Android Download | iOS Download |
10. Shattered Pixel Dungeon
If you’re looking for a free roguelike with all the classic elements of the genre, Shattered Pixel Dungeon is worth checking out. Originally a mod of Pixel Dungeon, it now boasts an even better rating than the original. This game is a classic RPG at its core, offering four different types of heroes to choose from, each with their unique classes and abilities. It features a charming pixel art style and numerous levels that are randomly generated, filled with monsters, treasures, and various surprises. Plus, it’s free, which is always a bonus.
11. Crying Suns
Crying Suns is a tactical exploration game inspired by literary classics like Dune and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation. In this game, you play as a space admiral exploring a procedurally generated universe. The story features over 300 possible events, making each playthrough a unique surprise. The combat between squadrons and ships is highly engaging, and the graphics are meticulously crafted, leaving little to criticize in this exceptional game.
12. Vampire Survivors
In this gothic horror casual game, you’ll mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn. Vampire Survivors combines roguelite and roguelike elements, where your choices can help you quickly become powerful enough to face the hundreds of monsters coming your way. This supernatural indie phenomenon, known for its intense bullet-hell experience. You can play the entire game solo or with 1-4 players in couch co-op mode in landscape orientation.
