Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites And Run-Based Games

Binding of Isaac is the best roguelike I’ve ever played. It works a lot better with Steam achievements though, they’re a good indicator of how much progress you’re making.

Currently in the thrall of Slay the Spire. I've gotten soooooo close, but haven't quite beaten the final final boss. I've got my eyes on Dead Cells next.

And you know, I wouldn't have labeled Tumbleseed as a roguelike, but the more I think about it, I can see that it absolutely is.

Edit: Over a year after I made this post, and I'm about 585 hours in on Slay the Spire, and I've beaten the 20th Ascension with the Defect, and working on clearing it with the others as well.

I've also put in 280 hours into Hades and 320 hours into Dead Cells. I've clearly been very busy since June 2020.

Man. So nice to see Ironcast, Yodanji, Black Future and Sky Rogue get some love. Bloody happy as heck Streets of Rogue and Incisible Inc are on the system now too. Cmon Spelunky. You're the only one missing. I would love to see Unreal Worlds come to the system too tho.

Lately One Way Heroics joined the roguelike club. However, the text is very small and you need a really big TV to read all the information properly. I hope there is a fix soon.

Great list. The only one on this list that I don't really get is Everspace. A lot of people seem to like it so I downloaded it but I just don't get what's supposed to be fun about this? Seems very boring. Maybe I'm missing something. I'm just bummed I spent so much on it. Great list though.

Not going to lie, I disliked Enter the Gungeon so very much that I honestly think this whole genre of games just is not for me. Darkest dungeon seemed okay, but never felt like I was progressing much (similar to has been heroes), but I liked the ideas and style of the game. I enjoy a good space game but Everspace was dull and the ship controlled all wrong for me to the point I hoped and prayed my inertial systems would be damaged so I could actually pilot the thing like a space ship. It's a whole genre that is too common and doesn't actually make for compelling gaming for me. I find them nearly as unpleasant as the Charlie's Angels game from the GC/PS2 era which I often cite as the worst video game ever made.

Really not a massive roguelike fan, but I love Into the Breach. Going to go and play a round now.

Looking forward to Shiren the Wanderer on Switch next year.

I honestly thought nothing about Slay the Spire before getting it (last August), but it soon became my favourite game on Switch (575 hours invested, and counting). If you've an interest for the roguelite/like genre and/or card-battlers, don't pass this one up. Seriously.

I haven't beaten Tangledeep yet, but I give that a mention for being a pretty solid dungeon crawler with various jobs/modifiers and a neat aesthetic.

I'll be starting Dead Cells, this Friday. Seen some gameplay already, and it looks and sounds absolutely great.

For me, I consider Caveblazers and Vertical Drop Heroes HD up there with all these games too. Two of my most played games on Switch, and some truly chaotic, memorable runs in both so far.

Edit: Can’t forget A Robot Named Fight

@nessisonett Achievements are exactly the same as Secrets which are in-game

Don't know if it counts but I would put Curious Expedition in there. I've got way more than my money's worth out of that one.

Road Redemption is a good game. Spiritual successor to Road Rash. This site scored it 8/10
You purchase upgrades to help you along your run but if you die all is lost. However, the experience gained is used to unlock permanent upgrades from a skill tree.

@Scapetti Yeah, but they’re organised terribly in game and it’s hard to look through them quickly. Switch really misses a proper achievements system.

Thank you for acknowledging my feelings towards the term, which I indeed feel is a misnomer. ^_^

Solid list, I have most of these. Some honorable mentions that didn’t make the cut - The Swindle and Children of Morta. Both really good and fun.

While I'm not surprised after its review here, I'm still a little disappointed that One Step From Eden doesn't get a mention as it's easily in my top five roguelites on the Switch (and I've played a lot of them). A tad on the easy side once you get the hang of it but still a great time.

Crypt of the Necrodancer is right up there as one of my favourites too. Cadence of Hyrule is a real blast to playthrough once but Necrodancer is still a much better roguelite in terms of replayability.

@nessisonett Switch doesn't need an achievement system. Granted, they can serve as a convenient bookkeeping tool to keep track of tasks, but they serve no real purpose beyond that, and any game which they will help can include them as part of their own design. No need to mandate that games that don't want them or wouldn't be served by them have them.

Another shout for Into The Breach, in my top 5 games of all time now I reckon. I've 100%-ed it recently but still go back to it. Had less luck with Enter The Gungeon which I absolutely SUCK at but I'm really tempted by Moonlighter especially as it's in a sale.

Shocked by how many of these games I have played. Currently have streets of rogue and slay the spire in my backlog. Can't wait to start both!

I like the look of most of these, but don't own any of them. What would people recommend for a noob, something that isn't massively difficult too? Cheers

I have most of these downloaded and it is a genre that is very hit or miss. I either love them (Has Been Heroes and Slay the Spire) or hate them (Goner and Tumbleweed).

My other honourable mentions for the list are Has Been Heroes (more like a puzzler than an RPG) and Sparklite (rogue-lite Zelda).

Wow, quite a few i haven't heard of ever! Pretty stoked to go through them, see what looks intriguing to me

Happy to see neurovoider on the list. Spent a lot of time with it when I first got my switch, coop too. Also one of the very very few games of this genre I’ve beat in its entirety

@Kiz3000 Knew I forgot one, Sparklite! Another fun game in the genre.

@PapaMurphy This list is vary varied, lol. It depends on which side genre you favor most. Rogue like/lite just means permadeath/start from scratch. What makes them fun is the unlockables that you can earn along the way that make runs easier, change gameplay entirely, etc....

That said, Dead Cells is probably the one you’ll forgive/forgive yourself most on when it comes to restarts. Binding of Isaac is another that is extremely good. Starts harder but once you get the hang of it becomes one of the easiest of the bunch. Fair warning on that one thou, extremely dark tone/story.

I love roguelikes. Damn fine list. Just missing Tangledeep and Nuclear Throne (one of my all time favourites).

@Dm9982 see, I didn't even know that's what it meant, I thought it was just a term for an exploratory type experience, cheers for that lol. I'm only just getting back into games after a long absence. I'll investigate your recommendations further, cheers mate, I appreciate that.

@FargusPelagius I agree with u on Enter the Gungeon. Maybe I should give it another chance someday. Nah....

@Dm9982 nice shout out for Children of Morta. My number two game of 2019 after Slay the Spire 😁👍

In fact the only games here I'd put ahead of it are StS, Dead Cells and Isaac.

Enter the Gungeon is cool, but the best rougelike of all time to me is Dead Cells.

It plays like all those Symphony of the Night Castlevania games I grew up on, but on cocaine.

@rockodoodle I redownloaded it when they did the advanced gungeons add on. It was still dull crap then too. I actually preferred playing Implosion and that was utterly mediocre overall. If I see Roguelike and a 8 or 9 I simply cannot believe it.

@FargusPelagius I kinda liked Implosion. It felt a little like Diablo set in the future and it had two difficulty settings iirc. And at least it looked better.

@Murbs Yeah CoM is great, and amazingly has a really good story. Something that Rogues aren’t known for usually! If you like their game design, if def recommend the rest of 11 Bit’s line up on Switch - Beat Cop, This War of Mine, and Moonlighter.

@PapaMurphy Cheers and enjoy! I’d also recommend Children of Morta as its easily accessible too and doesn’t have a huge difficulty like most rogues. Plays very similar to Diablo 3 for combat

@rockodoodle yeah kept me entertained in those early Switch months. Was worth the price, responsive controls and a by the numbers experience. It wasn't bad. Did they ever improve on it and make a sequel? Follow up?

@FargusPelagius did you play the additional added content? There is another mission that I never played. I should go check that out. Otherwise, I don't think there is anything else to it.

Isaac is the only one you need. Yeah, it's pricey but it's because it knows it's the best. Much better than second best (Gungeon)

What, no Death Road to Canada? :c

My favorite on switch is Tangledeep. No idea why it’s not on this list. :/

My favorite rogue like is ZombiU, at least in terms of potential if nothing else.

Wizard of Legend isn't in the list as well :S One of my favorite roguelites I've played in my Switch. Kinda the one I keep going back to whenever I get the itch for rogue games

But that might change with Void Terrarium release soon...

Dead Cells is favorite by far. I also really like Cademce of Hyrule, but that game is not a roguelike or even a roguelite by any means. It only has random generation, but there aren't any real penalties to dying.

After finally 100%ing (1 savefile, not all three) Binding of Isaac AB+ after 700 hours and a bunch of quarantine, I've dipped back into Flinthook recently, starting to get ghost ships on that one. Yoodanji is also so much fun. I need to get into Enter the Gungeon and Dead Cells.

I've only played Everspace and Sky Rogue. Everspace I got on PS4 for the better graphics and it was dirt cheap. I played it a few hours and haven't returned. Sky Rogue I played the Switch demo quite a bit, and got more into that. It's probably a bit more accessible as the Everspace controls I struggled with aiming. I'll get Sky Rogue when it's dirt cheap, which shouldn't be too far away now, and will give Everspace another go. Of the others listed, Dead Cells is one I'll try. I think my main beef with these games is the "one life" aspect. If it was 3 lives, they would be more accessible.

The most fun for me were Dead Cells, Rogue Aces(so fun), Streets of Rogue, Slay the Spire, Downwell, Everspace, Galak Z, and Binary Stars(so cool). I think Unexplored kinda sucks, thought Binding of Issac was over rated, and Bad North hit a wall. But Tumbleseed is the one I have the hardest time with yet I like it. Got Gonner cheap and its really fun. Also like Black Paradox

@Ralziel
Nuclear Throne is probably my favorite too but its PS4 isnt it?.
And try Feral Fury and Cryptark.
Id alsol add 2 rogue shooters Anger Force and Sky Force

@Priceless_Spork Nuclear Throne is also on Switch now!

@PapaMurphy Enter the Gungeon is awesome. Every time you play you're unlocking something, some crazy new gun or item to your Ammonomicon, or if you can pass a level (there are only 5 regular levels to get through) you get money to buy things after you die. Then you do it again and again and you get better at it, unlocking all the secret characters and merchants and game modes, and secret levels, there's just so much to do, you can play it hundreds of times and see something new each time. But, most importantly the game is really fun with the dodge roll to go through bullets as a main mechanic in addition to the twin stick shooting and crazy active & passive items/guns combos and synergies and different room layouts each time I think it's one of the best games ever made.

Like they got guns that shoot guns that shoot bullets or you can get a gun that shoots black holes, or have a dog or a wolf and/or a skeleton companion that attacks enemies or a junk man by your side or you could get lucky and get a clone or get a stop watch to activate Super Hot mode where time is down to a crawl unless you move, etc. You die a lot, but, you get better at it and with any luck you get really cool gear and you start putting the smack down and destroying everyone in your path...until your ammo starts running low and you've got a bad curse and the demons of Bullet Hell that you've been dragged down to are too tough, but there's always next time.

I thought there was some difference between 'Roguelike' and 'Roguelite' ?

Edit: Yes it seems Rogue-lite is used for games which aren't as harsh as Rogue-like. Rogue itself being a game from the 80's

@PapaMurphy Binding of isaac, hands down, tons of fun, 2 types of difficulty and a lot of replayability. Can't go wrong with this one

@rockodoodle there was a prequel bit with the guy who guides you in an older suit. It was harder and more old school. I'd have to check as it's been a good two years since I went through Implosion.

@jco83 My understanding: Roguelites are games like Dead Cells, Slay The Spire, Rogue Legacy, and really almost every game in this genre now, where over time you unlock better weapons/abilities/etc. that you can use in concurrent runs. Roguelike is for games where you truly start over from scratch every time, keeping nothing from previous runs.

Castle of no escape 2. thank me later.

Thought about getting everspace... Then saw the price yikes!!

Tangledeep is the best roguelike on the Switch. Shame shame, NintendoLife!

@rockodoodle I totally get you. When I started ETG I was struggling to get into it. Then I started to play with other people and it just clicked. It's way more fun with another person

@nagapls I think a lot of games are like that, especially if you are limited in skill like I am.

My switch is a roguelike/lite machine. I love them. Great list.

@nessisonett I own half of these games and want the other half, but Binding of Isaac is the pinnacle of the genre. A game I have sunk hundreds of hours into and still finding something new whenever I play it.

Roundguard is a great rogue-like mixed with peggle mechanics.

@Magician Yeah that's a good one. It is the only game I still play regularly on my Vita.

I’ve played both and ScourgeBringer is nothing like Celeste. Not sure why game’s journalists keep saying this, other than to repeat the devs marketing statement. Dead Cells I see. The platforming is nothing like what is found in Celeste.

Interesting

Games I'd add to this list:

Children of Morta
Iris and the Giant
Dig Dog
Going Under

Imagine the Spelunkies should get added to these list.

I am not that much of a rougueliker (although loved Hades and ITB) - but having so much fun with the first Spelunky since it came to Switch.

Also - on these lists in general, shouldn't you remove some games as you add them, otherwise it just gets a bit unwieldy and not so useful to people new to the switch or genre looking at what to dabble in.

What got added today? It's nice when these top-list updates say what the latest change was; I'm always interested in what gets added to the list but I don't want to re-read through the entire article to find it.

Dead Cells is first and Hades is last so I have no clue how these are sorted since it's apparently not by release date, review score, or name. Or is it by release date except when it's not?

@FishyS agreed

Mana Spark need to be included in the list. It's fun, good, and balanced roguelite. And I recommend to buy DLC, 'cause it's adding more fun and good things to the game. Mana Spark often goes on sales, with big discount.

Just logged in to stan my all-time fave NeuroVoider. Best twin-stick roguelite ever.💎

Can I please nominate ToeJam and Earl: Back in The Groove for this list? Unless I missed it?
Aside being amazing, it very much operates under Rouge lite/like rules with random generated levels, mystery presents, exp points, levelling up, and once you run out of lives your save file for that play through will delete!

Flinthook is an amazing rogue game if you stick with the initial difficulty and learn it. It took me a few pick up and tries, fail constantly, get frustrated, give up, then try again a week later. But once I got into it, I absolutely loved it.

Enter the Gungeon is still my favorite. I would like Isaac but it's a little too poopy.

No mention of Death Road to Canada. TwT

The only problem with Binding of Isaac is how you start neglecting your other games once you get into it.

Binding of Isaac is in a league of its own, above anything else. I can’t wait for Repentance in Nov.2021

Skul the Hero Slayer should probably have a place on this list. Enjoying it so far quite a bit.

Gods Will Fall has no place on a best of list. All of the roguelike elements are so bare bone and not thought out at all. A good roguelike should offer diversity in it's replayability and Gods Will Fall is basically the same run every time with very minor changes.

I really digged enter the Gungeon and Dead Cells but I never understood the hype about Binding of Isaac. But it is good that it has it's niche.

I would add West of Dead to this list. Really fun game with zombie cowboys and Ron Perlman.

I wouldn’t say Binding Of Issac is my favorite, but I have put more time into it than any single game ever.

One rouge-lite that doesn’t get enough love is Descenders. I’d say it’s one of the uglier games I’ve played on the Switch, but so incredibly addicting!

I really enjoyed Ironcast. But does it really belong in this list?

Dungeon encounters. Look past the seemingly simplistic game style, there is tremendous depth.

Maybe that's the the game category I'm less attracted to. And it's hard to see Moonlighter, Crypt of the Necrodancer and 20XX together and call it a "category". That's crazy to me! Lol

Is blazing beaks considered to be a roguelite? I really enjoy it and wouldn't mind similar games.

Everspace was great but I haven’t been able to get into any other rogue likes. Hades, and Slay the Spire had fantastic reviews but for me the randomness and repetitiveness ruined the fun. Addictive gameplay seems to be the goal in many more than enjoyment.

@TuxDC A certain amount of repetition and randomness is basically the definition of the genre so it may just not be the genre for you.

Although if you are interested in playing more, perhaps you might like rogue lites very heavy on the 'lite'. I've been playing Rogue heroes: Ruins of Tasos from this list and it is nice because each dungeon can be learned after only a few random iterations and then you move permanently onto the next dungeon (as well as some zelda-like world map activity in-between dungeons) so there honestly isn't much repetition.

@Primarina maybe they'll add it still; it took them some months to add Spelunky 2 I think so not everything gets added instantly. I don't know what the criteria they use to make these lists beyond a Nintendo Life review of 8-10 and being in the correct genre.

hmm.. the review of Metallic Child says they are not sure if it should be categorized as a roguelite so that may be the issue; perhaps it will show up on a different top list.

Let's be real, roguelike and rougelite are interchangeable these days.

Hmmm… never heard of Yodanji before this list. Seems interesting.

No Griftlands 😞

Dear NintendoLife.
Ah'm confused.

You list Dead Cells both here and in the metroidvania lists, but don't list the vastly-superior-as-an-actual-metroidvania Sundered in either. Is your grnre tagging system broken or did you never play that gem of a game?

Why called it Rogue like? Is the game a scoundrel?

Technical term should be reincarnation - games with reincarnation. You died and reborn endlessly, accumulating knowledge or abilities from past lives to beat the game of life, to reach enlightenment when the game ends - pure emptiness.

PLAY DEATHSTATE

Oh no, not this list again. One Step From Eden would be in my top five yet it's nowhere in sight despite plenty of pretty average games making the cut. Monster Train should be there now too but I suppose that'd require NL to actually review it first.

Love Binding of Issac, cant wait for Repentance though, always keep on going back to it as still have LOADS to unlock

You are missing the recently released Skul

@Mana_Knight I was also surprised Toejam and Earl is missing from this list.

People misspelling rogue as rouge is one of my favourite things. I'm counting 4 on this page.

The lack of Monster Train still makes me sad

I'm sad that Tangledeep (still) didn't make the list. It's got a wonderful 16-bit charm while offering a meaty roguelike adventure. (I may be biased though, as I was a backer when it was on Kickstarter.)

With that said! There is a lot of good stuff on the list. I love Slay the Spire, and Yodanji is an interesting little game that I've yet to crack but find charming. And Hades, that juggernaut, is not to be missed.

@Primarina Snow Selicy is my favourite but I do like Pyro Terra too.

i love these lists. Just saying. Some stuff I'm going to try for sure...

What a huge lists, there really are lots of nice roguelike these days. Thanks God I don't like the randomness inherent to the genre, I like my games short and efficient, which is the total opposite. But I can totally understand the appeal, and I would have totally embraced the style in my younger days when I had lots of free time to play games.

Anyway, as a Megaman enthusiast, I really recommend 20XX which has a really great Megaman X gameplay. And the good news is that since pretty much all of the X games are subpar (outside of X1, 2 and 4 which are amazing), it's actually a good opportunity to get more Megaman X goodness.

Another game that seems to be missing in this list, is One Step From Eden which uses the awesome Megaman Battle Network combat mechanics but uses it a rogue RPG. I have yet to play it but it had a really good reception from both the critics and the players.

Shiren 5 should be on this list. its THE roguelike of all them all.

@shinesprites exactly. dubious list

From this list, Moonlighter is probably the one I'd most recommend, though I wouldn't even call it a roguelite. Given that you get permanent upgrades and progress through entirely separate dungeons, I'd put it in the more general dungeon crawler category. Of all the actual roguelikes/lites I've never finished, I put the most time into Enter the Gungeon before getting tired of it, so I guess that more or less makes it my favorite.

Dandy Dungeon - Legend of Brave Yamada is excellent and very funny

I really enjoy Scourge Bringer, but man, do I suck at it. I kinda wish it was a metroidvania or something instead.

@nessisonett agree, I’ve noticed I’m an addict when it comes to that game. 100s of hours on 3ds, then my pc, just yet again on Wii U, and again on switch, and again on my steam deck. I can’t stop

@Joeynator3000

I agree with you entirely.
I didn't see death road to Canada anywhere on that list.

I love rogue likes, and have played much of the list, yet death road is one I come back to more than most.

What's interesting is this isn't really my kinda genre but I have many of these game and enjoyed playing them. Simply dang good indie video games. Moonlighter, Binding of Isaac, Darkest Dungeon stand out in particular.

"Like Rogue?"
Not in the slightest

I just decided to play Neurovoider a couple days ago (after at least a year hiatus)and i had my best run yet, beating it on a previously unfinished difficulty.
It’s a 7 for me, but i think i’ve played more often than my 3 favorites which are Gungeon, Scourgebringer and Undermine.
Maybe i should raise the score.

First time I actually notice this guide, it doesn't only enlight (TIL The Persistence and Invisible Inc are roguelikes) but highlights one of the fair few genres that particular fit like a glove on Switch and grow more widely represented thereon as a result. Although despite looking like one of NL's most elaborate lists of the bunch, this isn't without glaring gaps - Children of Morta where? Unless I missed it and really should stop reading NL drowsy and in bed.😅

I would also like to recommend Metallic Child, a really well made game that I can't understand not being talked about more.

I'm actually playing Little Noah now, it should be on this list.

There's a lot of sinkers on this list. This list should be half the length. Why is Gods Will Fall on here? That game is so bad.

Wizard of Legend is worth a look for anyone who likes action/rpg games like Rogue Legacy and Dead Cells from this list. It’s often on sale for $7.50 too and I think there’s an e shop demo. Very tight and satisfying combat, fun and almost limitless character customization for each run

This list is great for any rogue like lovers (like me). Working a full time job doesn’t give me as much time for AAA games as I used to have, and good Roguelikes give me that feeling of being able to experience a whole game in short bursts. Just wish listed a few games that weren’t in my radar before, thanks!

Cannot stand controls in enter the g. I’m 700h+ into Isaac though.

Shiren is sorely missing here

...2 years later and still no mention of Death Road to Canada. :c

I recently got my hands on the physical release of The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth+ and immediately bought the Repentence DLC along with it. I've been having a blast with it. It's going to be hard to find a better roguelike, although I am looking to dip into Slay the Spire, Dead Cells, Hades and Rogue Legacy. So many good games, so little time!

I'm not really into this genre, so the only game I've actually been able to finish from this list is Rogue Legacy 2. Fantastic game, even if you're not a genre fan!

Risk of Rain 2 is my favorite game of all time. Unfortunately the excellent DLC is still not available for consoles nine months after the PC release, but Hopoo recently sold the Risk of Rain rights to Gearbox, who has said their immediate focus is to bring that DLC to consoles, so it can't be much longer.

A "best of" list leads people to believe there's some discernment or curation of the games on said list. This just seems to be a running list / info dump with very little by way of qualitative comparison. "Best" and 4-pages of games are mutually exclusive terms.

Isaac is always my go-to (turn off my brain) game.. thousands of hours on multiple consoles.. my ps4 save data went ‘missing’ when I bought my ps5 a month ago.. 🤷‍♂️ welp guess I gotta start over again.. and again.. and again

Real shame Going Under isnt included here

@Gamehendge I'm not sure about that. These days, I think you could make a top 100 list for any major genre where each one is at least worth taking a look at. Any ranking system is inevitably tainted by bias, so all it really adds is a reason for people to argue in the comments.

No love for Ultimate ADOM? My late 90s self is screaming.

@SuperBiny64

I concur with Descenders.

Only rogue-like game I actually like. Sense of speed is unmatched.

RogueLIKES are totally different than rogueLITE.

Mechanics matter. You can not put roguelikes in the same category of roguelites.

For example, I really like roguelikes, but I can not stand roguelites.

Rogue Heroes is some of the most fun I've had on my Switch. Its old School like Gauntlet, Zelda, Dungeon Explorer with a bit of Stardew Valley and Rune Factory thrown in. Plus it has 4 player online or local play up to 4 players. Just when you think the game is over it gives you another gift. Single player is about 16 hours but you can stretch it out by doing the side quests. just a bunch of fun. on sale th egame is usually 5.99 to 8.99 I recommend to any gauntlet, (oldschool) Zelda Fan. To me it was more like a Turbografx game called Dungeon explorer except that its 10 times better. good stuff! If anyone gets it let me know I will play with ya online.