The 10 Best Roguelikes of All Time, Ranked
The article ranks ten of the greatest roguelike and roguelite games, a genre built around procedurally generated levels and runs that end when a character dies. It explains that roguelites are included alongside traditional roguelikes, even though they let players retain some upgrades between runs.
The genre began with the 1980 game Rogue, which became popular as free software despite failing commercially. The article highlights Returnal for bringing the format to a major-budget production, Tales of Maj’Eyal for tactical depth and accessibility, Vampire Survivors for approachable bullet-heaven gameplay, and Spelunky 2 for refining its influential predecessor.
In short
- The ranking includes both roguelikes and roguelites.
- Rogue began the genre in 1980.
- Returnal, Tales of Maj’Eyal, Vampire Survivors and Spelunky 2 are highlighted.
Explained simply
Roguelikes take their name from Rogue, a 1980 game in which players explored randomly arranged levels and lost their progress when they died. Many later games adopted these ideas, while roguelites added ways to keep some upgrades between attempts.
Each play-through, or run, can bring different rooms, enemies and choices, so players adapt as they go. Games in the genre range from turn-based adventures to fast action titles, including Returnal, Tales of Maj’Eyal, Vampire Survivors and Spelunky 2.
The genre’s lasting appeal comes from combining uncertainty with learning: a run can end suddenly, but players can carry their experience into the next one. The distinction between roguelikes and roguelites is not always used consistently, so rankings often include both.