Best Roguelike Games on PS5 1
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What are the best roguelike games on PS5? It's a type of video game that's only really come to the fore in the last 15 years or so, even if its origin does stem from Rogue, a game released in 1980. Still, they're super popular now, thanks to their highly replayable nature and varied interpretations.

Roguelikes are games that typically involve a run-based structure as you move through randomly generated levels, find random equipment, and upgrade your character in fun ways — but once you die, you start the process over again from the start. A perfect example of a roguelike is Spelunky; you start from scratch each time, explore new level layouts each time, and upgrade your character in varied ways, slowly learning how to get through the adventure unscathed.

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An offshoot of the roguelike genre is the roguelite, a term typically used to describe a roguelike that, instead of setting you back to zero upon death, gives you options for permanent progression. Rogue Legacy is a classic roguelite; the gold you bring back from each run can be used to unlock new characters, upgrade stats, and so on, meaning you're that bit more powerful each time you go back.

Both versions of this core idea are very popular and there's an incredibly varied range of them nowadays, but which ones are the best? That's where you come in. As with all our lists, this feature on the best roguelike games on PS5 is ranked and rated by our Push Square community. By leaving user ratings on each game, you're directly contributing to this list, determining which games appear and in what order. If you want to have your say, use the below search bar to find some roguelikes and roguelites, and give them a rating.

Any game will need at least 10 ratings before it arrives on this page. If there's a game you feel is missing from this list, it's possible the title just hasn't been rated enough times.

Okay, enough talk. Here's our list of the best roguelike games on PS5, as determined by you.

10. The Light Brigade (PS5)

Roguelikes may be dime a dozen, but they’re less commonplace in virtual reality. The Light Brigade proves that the format can work with PSVR2 to excellent effect, and while it does little to reinvent the genre’s well-worn wheel, it instead focuses on executing all of its ideas to an exemplary standard. The result is an almost immaculate shooter, with stunning gameplay and an outstanding reward loop.

9. Cult of the Lamb (PS5)

Cult of the Lamb is an ingenious blend of rogue-lite action and life sim that's devilishly addictive. Indebted to an imprisoned, malevolent god, you spend half the game vanquishing foes, gathering resources, and rescuing animals. Then, things flip, and your time turns to building up a cult with various buildings and structures. There's an element of strategy to this half of the game, but it's generally pretty breezy, while the action is nice and snappy. Both sides of Cult of the Lamb feed wonderfully into each other, and combined with the cute cartoon visuals, it's an incredibly fun, dangerously moreish treat.

8. The Binding of Isaac: Repentance (PS5)

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is the ultimate version of this beloved rogue-like shooter. With creepy overtones and a cartoonish aesthetic, it's not to everyone's tastes, but the addictive gameplay and sheer variety of potential builds you can create make it an incredibly moreish prospect. There's a ridiculous amount of stuff to see and discover here, and you can enjoy it in local co-op with three buddies, too.

7. Rogue Legacy 2 (PS5)

If it's rogue-lites you're into, there are few better than Rogue Legacy 2. Building upon the already great original in basically every way, the sequel is vast in scope and executed brilliantly. Each attempt sees you begin with a new character, all of them with a unique build of strengths and weaknesses. Between runs, you'll upgrade the town, craft better armour, and gradually become stronger. It's incredibly moreish, with each run feeling different from the last, and the gameplay is responsive and rewarding.

6. Vampire Survivors (PS5)

Probably one of the most moreish games on the market, Vampire Survivors is a fascinatingly fun roguelite. With attacks firing off automatically, all you have to do is avoid enemies and survive each 30-minute round, gathering XP and leveling up your abilities as you go. While it doesn't look like much in static screens, it'll surprise you just how chaotic things can get, and building your character to become a literally unstoppable force is satisfying every time. The sheer amount of unlocks and secrets to discover means practically every run gets you something, too. We can't recommend this one enough, but be warned — you might never play anything else again.

5. Dead Cells (PS5)

Dead Cells is a real classic of the roguelike genre. It successfully combines randomly generated environments with the typically very structured Metroidvania framework; there's a huge volume of meta progression to make as you endlessly replay it, slowly opening it up even further. The side-scrolling action is really slick and satisfying, and through a ridiculous level of post-launch updates, the amount of stuff to see and do here is off the scale. This is another roguelike you could happily play forever.

4. Returnal (PS5)

Returnal is a frantic, ultra-tight third person shooter dressed up with some rogue-like elements to add variety and unpredictability to the mix, and the result is wonderful. Trapped in a loop on a hostile alien world, Selene is forced to relive her fateful crash landing each time she dies. Its mysterious story melds brilliantly with the roguelike structure, and between that and the excellent gameplay, Returnal is a difficult game to put down — and that's before mentioning online co-op, daily challenges, and the highly replayable Tower of Sisyphus.

3. Blue Prince (PS5)

A compelling combination of first-person puzzle solving with roguelike elements, Blue Prince is a unique and deceptively deep adventure. Rich with puzzles and secrets, you'll discover or learn something new every time you build your way through the mysterious mansion. There's far more to this game than meets the eye, and for its most determined players, there's a high degree of satisfaction to be found in peeling back its many layers.

2. Hades (PS5)

Bored of his immortal life in the Underworld, Zagreus takes it upon himself to escape the reaches of his godly father. In the brilliant roguelike Hades, you'll aid the prince in his attempts to reach the surface, engaging in countless runs through the ever-shifting realms. With each death comes plot development, however; a story is expertly interwoven with the gameplay loop, giving you a small taste of what each character has been up to before you dive back into the dungeons once more. With slick, fast-paced combat, an endless variety of perks and power-ups to try, and an escalating challenge for those that stick around, this is a fantastic action game that makes the most of its looping structure.

1. Balatro (PS5)

Balatro puts an ingenious roguelike spin on poker, and it plays unlike anything else. Each run has you using poker hands to score a points target, but the real fun comes when you start to build upon your deck of playing cards with an enormous variety of modifiers, upgrades, and augmentations. The ways that all its various mechanics intertwine create huge potential for outrageously powerful synergies, and watching the numbers tot up as your regular hand is boosted by special Jokers and card effects is incredibly satisfying. There's lots of stuff to collect, difficulty levels to conquer, and challenges to complete. There's a reason it's one of 2024's breakout hits — it's a fantastic, unique roguelike.

That's it for our list of the best roguelike games on PS5. What do you think? As mentioned, this page's ranking has been determined by the Push Square community. If you think something is amiss with the order, you can still contribute and make changes. You can rate games by either returning to the search bar at the top of this article, or by clicking the star next to any game name. Additionally, if you spot a PS5 roguelike or roguelite game that's totally absent from our PlayStation Games Database, please let us know. All that out of the way, give us your thoughts in the comments section below.