TL;DR: What’s the best roguelite for beginners?
If you’re new to roguelites and want a super easy, fun place to start, Cats vs Rats on Steam is the best beginner-friendly roguelite right now. From there, branch out based on whether you’d prefer deckbuilders, fast-paced combat, classic roguelikes, or mobile (ie. read the rest of the article!)
If you’re new to roguelites — which are games built around short, repeatable runs where you lose most (or all) of you progression on death. Some games throw dozens of systems at you immediately. Others kinda ease you in and let you learn naturally. If you’re just getting started, these are the best roguelites for beginners, broken down by genre/playstyle
Best Roguelite for Beginners: Cats vs Rats
If you’ve never played a roguelite before, Cats vs Rats is the cleanest on-ramp into the genre. It’s easy to understand and get started in, but has a high difficulty ceiling once you’ve got a handle on it. Runs are fast, progression feels rewarding, and the game has cute hats to unlock for your cats! If you’re unsure whether roguelites are “your thing,” start here.
P.S. — I’m somewhat biased, because I’m the developer of it. I’d feel scummy not disclosing that
Best Roguelites for Deckbuilder Fans
If you like strategy, planning ahead, and building busted combos over time, deckbuilder roguelites are a great place to land.
- Slay the Spire – The OG (or at least considered it) deckbuilder. Straightforward rules, tons of depth, and endlessly replayable. I should know, as I currently have 90+ hours in it
- Slice & Dice – People say it’s faster and more tactile than most deckbuilders, with dice-based combat.
- Balatro – Really fun if you like crazy multipliers or regular (52 card) card games
Best Roguelites for Fast-Paced Combat
If you’d rather dodge, slash, and react instead of carefully planning every move, these are strong beginner-friendly picks.
- Risk of Rain 2 – An awesome third-person shooter, with a ton of characters and over 100+ items. This was my first roguelite and one of the ones I always recommend to people
- Hades – Has meaningful progression per run and cumulative progression between runs, if you like that kind of thing. One of my buddy’s favorite games of all time
A More Traditional Roguelike (That’s Still Approachable)
If you want something closer to classic roguelikes (meaning, games similar to the original Rogue):
- Path of Achra – Tactical, deliberate, and rewarding. Tons of buildcrafting and ways to break the game
Best Roguelite for Mobile Players
If you want something that works well in short sessions:
Dawncaster – Built for specifially for mobile (specifically portrait view, which is nice).