Welcome, Dear Reader, to my long-in-the-making article about the best roguelike deckbuilders, as played by me. This article is to be expanded upon forever more, so do allow for the fact that it will never be as comprehensive as either you or I would like.
The first half of the article is dedicated to the big three; those games that, in my opinion, stand out from the ever-growing crowd of roguelike deckbuilders out there. After that, it’s honourable mentions and the best of the rest.
Before we get to the good stuff, however, a quick bit of housekeeping:
A roguelike deckbuilder is a game that combines card-based gameplay and deckbuilding with roguish procedural generation. It turns out that these elements go together quite wonderfully, and the popularity of Slay the Spire, in particular, now means that we’ve got a wide range of high quality and highly tactical experiences to choose from. These games are all about collecting powerful cards that synergise, and then using them as efficiently as possible to beat the opponent or situation in front of you.
Slay the Spire | Mega Crit | Android, iOS, PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PS, Switch, Xbox
The reference in the world of roguelike deckbuilders. Many would say it’s the best. You’ve probably already played it but just in case you haven’t, this is a great place to start your journey.
Slay the Spire is not the flashiest deckbuilder I’ve encountered, but thanks to its painterly art style it still looks great. It also boasts a strong science fantasy theme, which is reflected in the abilities you unlock along your journey. There is a huge array of cards and they work together in really interesting ways. On top of that, you can tweak your build with a number of relics, although some of them come with significant drawbacks – it’s a finely tuned balancing act.
In terms of availability, you can play Slay the Spire on pretty much everything. There are versions of the game on PC and console, and both mobile platforms. It’s a great fit on Steam Deck or even a mobile tablet, if you’ve got one of those. The mod scene on PC is also healthy, but honestly you could still play vanilla for hundreds of hours.
This most ubiquitous of deckbuilders is even sprouting a sequel that you’ll be shocked to hear is going by the name of Slay the Spire II. The game’s developer, Mega Crit, is promising us our first look at some point in 2025 – you can read more about the sequel here.
If you want a lovely long read about Slay the Spire, hit this link.
Cobalt Core | Rocket Rat Games | PC, Switch
If you’re a science fiction aficionado then put Cobalt Core right at the top of your list of deckbuilders to try. This charming little space battler has you stuck in a time loop and trying to solve the mystery about what’s happening to you. That means a slowly emerging story, epic turn-based space battles, and a wonderfully realised and immersive setting.
There is tons of nuance baked into the combat system thanks to impressive item variety and a range of ship configurations, and it’s all wrapped up with a clever narrative layer that delivers enough to keep you returning for just another run.
Cobalt Core is also one of the more platform shy games on this list and is currently only available on PC and Nintendo Switch. It’d be a great fit on the Switch, I think; I spent most of my time playing the game on a Steam Deck, reclined on the sofa. Proper cozy.
The Cobalt Core review can be found this way!
Balatro | LocalThunk | PC (Mac, Win), PS, Switch, Xbox
My personal favourite, Balatro is a fusion of poker-themed deckbuilding and solitaire-like replayability. While it helps to have a basic understanding of poker hands, it’s not essential as you will pick things up quickly enough. In other words: don’t be put off by the theme if you’re not a card shark – you’ll be just fine.
The aim of the game is to pull off crazy combos with the cards you’re dealt, using jokers to change the value of the cards in clever ways. There are multiple decks to unlock, each with several difficulty levels that include restrictions that change the dynamic and give you new wrinkles to overcome. There are also twenty different challenge modes to work through, and these can get fiendishly difficult before the end (I’m currently stumped on Golden Needle).
It’s on the more mechanical side of things, but there’s tremendous depth here; the game-changing joker cards are super interesting to unlock and then experiment with. I’ve put hundreds of hours into this one already, and I’ve still not completed everything.
My review of Balatro can be found hiding behind this link!
The above are those I consider to be the best of the best, and I’d happily recommend them to anyone. However, the genre boasts a number of outstanding titles, and I want to highlight as many of these great deckbuilders as possible.
To keep this list feature as relevant as possible, I’ll continue to update it with honourable mentions, such as those below, as and when I discover fun stuff that I think deserves wider attention, including Early Access games as long as they’re extremely polished.
Most of the games in this article have been paid for with money I should have spent on sensible things, however, a couple were sent to me by developers/publishers (Balatro, Cobalt Core, Lonestar).
Monster Train | Shiny Shoe | iOS, PC, PS, Switch, Xbox
One of the more action-packed games on this list is Monster Train, a deckbuilder about fighting angels while you look to rekindle the flames of Hell. In that pursuit, you must guide your train o’ monsters through a holy war against a bunch of pesky do-gooders. The action takes place between multiple floors of a moving train, with automated skirmishes that happen after you’ve played your hand. You’ll have to constantly reevaluate your unit positioning if you’re going to stay on track (ba-dum TSS).
Griftlands | Klei | PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PS, Switch, Xbox
Klei’s entry on this list is typically atypical. The indie studio has crafted a deckbuilder where your words need to be just as sharp as your weapons, which makes for a refreshing change. The emergent sci-fi storytelling that is drawn out from this unique blend of ingredients, coupled with Klei’s trademark visual flair, means that Griftlands is perfect for anyone looking for something where personality means just as much as the numbers game.
Luck be a Landlord | Trampoline Tales | Android, iOS, PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
This entry is deckbuilder-adjacent as it’s more about assembling a collection of cards/tiles for a slot machine, which then react with each other every time you pull on the lever. You must build a collection of cards that synergise well together, but it’s not an exact science. That sounds RNG-heavy, however, you’ll quickly start to see patterns and formulate strategies to inform your decision-making.
Inscryption | Daniel Mullins Games | PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PS, Switch, Xbox
The spookiest game on this list and by some margin. Inscryption is a wickedly clever card game that draws you into its world like no other. The evocative sense of place is reinforced as you play through tense battles against your AI-controlled adversary, sacrificing cards and then upgrading them in order to deal big damage and weigh the literal scales in your favour. If what you’re after is sinister immersion, look no further.
Dicey Dungeons | Terry Cavanagh | Android, iOS, PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PS, Switch, Xbox
Super Hexagon is one of the greatest arcade puzzle games ever made, and its creator followed that with Dicey Dungeons, an utterly charming deckbuilder with crisp graphics, great tunes, and giant walking dice that are on a mission to take down Lady Luck herself. It’s one of the more straightforward games on this list and thus an ideal entry point into the genre.
Loop Hero | Four Quarters | Android, iOS, PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PS, Switch, Xbox
I love it when a roguish game does a good job of incorporating the genre’s repetitive nature into the story itself. Loop Hero is one of the best at this; it has you operating in a space between time and reality, where you must rebuild the world around you. Players follow a looping path, and along the way you play cards that manifest as buildings that affect your journey, with an array of enemies that must be bested in combat. There’s also a campfire where you can rest; stopping there resets your progress and undoes the loop you’ve built, but it lets you keep all the resources you’ve bagged in that run. These can then be spent upgrading your base of operations. Innovative and excellent.
Shogun Showdown | Roboatino | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
This delightful little game blends cute-yet-brutal samurai combat with tactical puzzles and deckbuilding elements. Every new showdown is a minimalist challenge just waiting to be worked out, but if you don’t make the right moves, you can always just reboot and go again thanks to the bite-sized run times. The controls are super simple and it feels like it should be a breeze, but there’s actually a compelling challenge built into Shogun Showdown, and it’s one of the best games on this list.
Ring of Pain | Simon Boxer, Twice Different | PC (Mac, Win), Switch, Xbox
The rotisserie chicken of roguelike deckbuilders, this one takes place on a ring that you turn left and right in order to access the cards in either direction. Each round takes place on one ring, although they get larger as time goes on, with more cards added. In one round you might need to sneak past the first card, if you can, then fight another, before you get to some loot and then hit the exit card. Leaving via the exit will take you to the next procedurally generated ring and a whole new level of pain.
Vault of the Void | Spider Nest Games | Android, iOS, PC (Mac, Win)
With a huge deck of cards that can be enhanced in different ways, as well as hundreds of artifacts to add extra spice, Vault of the Void is a card game for those who prefer limited amounts of RNG. This is one of the games that I’ve discovered while researching for this article, and I’m sure that I’ll keep coming back to this one for a long time to come. Not only does it have incredible depth, but it also looks fantastic with high production values that had me instantly impressed. It recently launched on mobile platforms, too.
Hand of Fate 2 | Defiant Development | PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PS, Switch, Xbox
If you’re after a roguelike deckbuilder with extreme polish, look no further than Hand of Fate 2. I’ve not played the original so I’ve no comment on which game is better, but I can say that this sequel has much-refined visuals and the combat looks a significant upgrade. And when I say combat, I don’t mean throwing down cards, in HoF2, when you get into scrapes, you’re transported to the battlefield and must take control of your character and dish out the damage yourself.
Fights in Tight Spaces | Ground Shatter | PC, PS, Switch, Xbox
Another stylish entry on this list is Fights in Tight Spaces, which uses shade and colour to great effect in its depiction of close-quarters combat. This turn-based brawler is all about playing the right cards at the right time to control the flow of combat. Your enemies are clumsy henchmen and oftentimes you’ll be able to use them against each other. Then, once you’ve done beating the crud out of a room full of baddies, you can watch a cinematic replay of how it all went down.
Lonestar | Math Tide | PC (Mac, Win)
Footing this article is a new game that I’ve just discovered. Perhaps there is a bit of recency bias here, but I’ve had such a great time with Lonestar and I want to share it with you all. There’s a lot going on in this sci-fi game about playing as a bounty hunter, but nearly all of it revolves around excellent space battles. You cards are components that you position on your ship, and the aim of the game is to fine tune every aspect of your build in order to knock your opponent out of the game. It’s part FTL, part Cobalt Core, part Elite, and that’s enough to counter the fact that the mechanics are not always explained well.
