Sometimes, all you want is to be entertained while you have small pockets of time in your daily life. While portable platforms can be quite a pricey purchase for the privilege of gaming on the go, mobile game is way more accessible to the common gamers. And with that, we want to introduce you to hardcore games that you can play right off your mobile phone. Let’s talk about roguelite games.
Roguelite are games that possess some of the qualities of a roguelike game. Roguelike are known to be one of the harder game genres out there, and roguelite offers a more accessible gaming experience to a wider audience. However, roguelite games are not that easy relative to the mobile game titles out there. So if you’re looking for challenge, check out our recommendations. But if you’re adamant about playing them on your console or PC, then check out this article instead.
Let’s go dungeon crawling!
Dead Cells
Price and Platforms: (US$8.99 – Steam) [] (US$8.99 – Android) [] (US$8.99 – iOS)
We love pixel art, and when it’s added with modern game engine and art technique, it breathes fresh new air into the artstyle. Dead Cells is about a prisoner who gets experimented on and turned into a semi-immortal blob that has to fight its way through different biomes. You’ll meet mini-bosses and level-bosses, all giving you a good challenge. The weapons and skills are unique to the game theme of dark, dungeon and magical with a hint of biological experimentations.
The gameplay is fast and the controls are snappy. Dead Cells is probably one of the best games you can try if you’re looking to explore the roguelite gaming experience.
Slay the Spire
Price and Platforms: ($24.99 – Steam) [] (US$9.99 – Android) [] (US$9.99 – iOS)
Sometimes, one isn’t looking for difficult gameplay using quick reflexes and fighting prowess. Some prefer the cerebral challenge. A battle using strategies and wit. Slay the Spire might just be your cup of tea. It consists of a deck-building game, which comes with each character. Every character has its own unique set of cards that you can use in your battles against enemies. The game takes up a turn-based battle that you’ll encounter as you climb the spire.
Slay the Spire is a highly strategic and addictive deck-building roguelite that challenges players to navigate a perilous spire, build powerful decks, and defeat formidable foes on your quest for ultimate victory.
20 Minutes Till Dawn
Price and Platforms: ($4.99 – Steam) [] ($2.99- Android) [] ($2.99 – iOS)
There is a pure satisfaction that comes with mowing down in what appears to be an endless hordes of enemies in games. This is the main experience that 20 Minutes Till Dawn promises its players. The game is a survival roguelite where you play unique characters equipped with various weapons to take down the creatures of the night. It’s more a bullet-hell experience as you unlocked abilities and upgrades to counter the ever-growing horde of monsters.
The game features a unique art style and color palette, employing greyscale pixel art with red highlights that somehow looks aesthetically pleasing.
Soul Knight
Price and Platforms: (Free – Android) [] (Free – iOS)
We promise this is not a pixel-art only games featured in this article. It’s a coincidence. Anyway, Soul Knight features chibi-fied pixel art style characters that are in a dungeon-crawl. Unleash bullet hell and don’t forget to dodge incoming projectiles as well. Soul Knight is probably one of the friendlier looking games out there in the roguelite genre as it features bright colors and cute characters.
The main objective of the game is for you to recover magic stones that govern the balance and peace of your world. These magic stones are stolen by aliens and it’s your job to defeat the various hordes of monsters unleashed to keep you away from these precious gems. So far we’ve got aliens, dungeons, and magic. Sounds like a good time to us!
Hoplite
Price and Platforms: (Free – Android) [] ($3.99 – iOS)
It’s time for something more serious. Hoplite, a game featuring Greek themes and designs is a cerebral battle between you and the enemies in the level. While there is no input in terms of fighting and defending, Hoplite features a chess-like gameplay where you position yourself in a certain way against your enemy to vanquish them.
Hoplite has two distinct kill moves. Either you stab any enemy by moving from one enemy-adjacent tile to the other, or by directly approaching the enemy and closing the distance between you with a lunge. The genius of the game is that while it might look and sound complicated, it’s very easy to pick up and we guarantee you that you’ll be hooked on this game in no time.
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
Price and Platforms: ($9.99 – Steam) [] (Free – Android) [] ($4.99- iOS)
When it comes to building your own adventure, nothing comes close to Shattered Pixel Dungeon. Three things you need to know about this game: dungeon crawl, turn-based and procedurally generated environments. There’s is not central narrative to the game, only that with your in-game choices, you begin your own adventure in your own terms.
The best thing about this game is that it has a strong modding community. That means you can try out new challenges and maps, mods and even custom scenarios for you to experience, expanding the game’s longevity and customization options. If you’re more of a modder and looking to experience what other people have built outside of the primary game, this is the game for you!
Pocket Rogues
Price and Platforms: ($9.99 – Steam) [] (Free – Android) [] (Free – iOS)
Sometimes, going old school is perhaps the best way to make games if you have a solid gameplay experience with responsive controls. Pocket Rogues fits in that category where it is a top down dungeon crawler in the roguelite genre.
Besides having the components of a typical roguelite ( multiple dungeons, unique loot and monsters), the one thing that stood up to us is the wide variety of hero classes to choose from. Tackle the same bosses again as a necromancer and let the dead do your dirty work. It’s a fun mobile game that guarantees many game sessions. And if you enjoy the game and would like to continue it at home, you can do so by purchasing the game on Steam!
Crypt of the Necro Dancer
Price and Platforms: ($14.99 – Steam) [] ($4.99 – Android) [] ($3.99- iOS)
If you’re a hardcore roguelite gamer, chances are you could parry in your sleep or have the game-winning skills combos for any roguelite games out there. If you’re looking for a unique roguelite mobile game experience, then Crypt of the Necro Dancer is something you could try. Besides comprising of the usual mechanics of the roguelite genre, the game also feature a rhythm-based gameplay. Players must move, attack, and use items to the beat of the music. Staying in sync with the rhythm is essential for success, making each move and action a carefully timed dance.
With rhythm being the main gameplay, you got to have a stellar soundtrack to go with it. Crypt of the Necro Dancer features an eclectic range of soundtrack collection including music genres such as electronic, rock, and more. Experience a new twist to the classic roguelite genre!
Night Of The Full Moon
Price and Platforms: (Free – Steam) [] (Free – Android) [] (Free – iOS)
Roguelite games can sometimes quite repetitive in terms of what it offers in the gameplay. Here’s where Night Of The Full Moon comes in with its compact yet fulfilling gameplay. In Night of the Full Moon, players build and customize their decks of cards as they progress. Each card represents a different ability or attack, allowing for strategic decision-making in battles. Unlike most roguelite games on mobile, the game presents a strong narrative point within its gameplay, allowing players to have a much satisfying end to each game session they go through.
Night of The Full Moon offers multiple branching story paths and endings, depending on the choices players make during their journey. This adds replayability and encourages different playstyles. The game draws inspiration from classic fairy tales, with each playthrough featuring different fairy tale characters and encounters. This give players a new flavor everytime they start a new run.
Doomdepths
Price and Platforms: (Free – Android) [] (Free – iOS)
We’ll finish off the list of roguelite games for your mobile phone with the game that we feel best represents the genre in its purest form. The main focus of Doomdepths is on tactical combat. Players must carefully plan their moves, considering positioning, timing, and resource usage to survive encounters with enemies. One wrong move and you’re going to feel what roguelite games are all about!
The game features retro and minimalistic graphics, which further emphasizes the developer’s intent in focusing more on the combat. None of that flashy graphics or cutscenes, you kill or be killed. Doomdepths consistently has seen improvements since its launch with updates and continuous development, adding more features and increasing the gameplay quality. And all this coming from a single dedicated developer that is the creator of the game. The game as a wide following with its own active subreddit, so all these points to great game that you can play right in your phone!
2024 Update – Explore These Roguelite Titles
There’s more roguelite game titles to explore on your phone! Here’s more roguelite themed mobile games that is available in both Android and iOS for you to scratch the roguelite itch today!
NEO Scavenger
NEO Scavenger” is a post-apocalyptic survival game that blends deep strategy with challenging resource management. Players navigate a harsh world where they scavenge for supplies, craft tools, and make decisions that impact their survival. The game’s narrative is driven by exploration and encounters with both hostile and friendly NPCs, offering a unique blend of depth and replayability. Critics and players often praise its unforgiving gameplay, atmospheric soundtrack, and the tension created by its permadeath feature. Overall, “NEO Scavenger” appeals to fans of hardcore survival simulations looking for a deep and immersive experience.
*Incompatible with newer Android versions.
Price and Platforms: (Free Demo/$9.99 Full Version – Android) [] (Free Demo/$9.99 Full Version – iOS)
Slice & Dice
You’ll find a couple of games in this list ported from its PC version, and Slice & Dice joins that list. Its too much fun to be had to just have it on PC! Slice & Dice is all about slicing every baddie that comes in your way with the outcome of the battle decided by throwing the dice. But instead of numbers, the dice throw determines your course of action. With each dice throw, it determines what action your adventurers will take.
It heavily features the rogueish element in a fantasy world where you take charge one party consisting of five adventurers through a series of battles. Level up your characters, each coming from different adventure classes and equip them with the best equipment. Remember, one death and it’s back to the starting line! Better hope for that healing spell with your dice throw.
Price and Platforms: (Free Demo/$8.99 Full Version – Android) [] (Free Demo/$8.99 Full Version – iOS)
Crying Suns
Enough about dungeons and fantasy worlds. It’s time we take it to space! Crying Suns is a tactical roguelite game set in a post-apocalyptic universe. You are now the space fleet commander exploring the remnants of a fallen galactic empire. The game takes you through a procedurally generated sectors, where you’ll find yourself strategizing in engaging battles. Deploy various ships at your disposal while you manage available resources and crew. The game also has an in-depth story that enthrals you further into the game, bringing a fantastic gaming experience right on your phone. Each choice you make has consequences, which requires some tactical approach when making decisions. The final outcome of the game is up to you. If you enjoy the sci-fi genre with roguelite elements and using your. noggin, this game is made for you.
Price and Platforms: (Free Demo/$8.99 Full Version – Android) [] (Free Demo/$8.99 Full Version – iOS)
And there you have it folks, 10 roguelite mobile games (and more!) that you can play on your phone at your convenience anytime of the day! Click on the links below the title to download the game on Google Play Store or Apple App Store respectively. And if you’re interest to experience the game on PC, check out the Steam links. We hope that our recommendations will start you off on a new gaming journey and pave your way to the more hardcore game genres that exist today. Perhaps one day, you will ready to take on soulslike games like these!
*Article updated in 2024.