13 Best Roguelike Games to Play on iOS

Roguelikes have recently exploded in popularity, captivating players with challenging gameplay and endless replayability. Procedurally generated levels, permadeath, and a steep learning curve make these titles stand out from your average action-adventure games. These games have made their way onto nearly every platform, so finding the best roguelikes for iOS can be a pain, considering how many options there are.

The key appeal of roguelike games comes from their unpredictability. Every playthrough is a new beginning and plays differently than the last. The popularity of these games is such that almost every platform has a roguelike title, including Android and iOS.

iOS fans cannot complain about the lack of video games ported directly from consoles, but they can also choose from roguelike titles. That’s why choosing the best roguelike game for iOS is quite a challenge.

To make things easier for iOS players, we’ve put together this list of the best roguelike games for iOS. Just pick one and start playing.

13 Best Roguelike Games for iOS Users

1. Crypt of the Necrodancer

Genre: Rhythm

For those who don’t know, rhythm games incorporate music into every aspect of gameplay, meaning that everything players do in these titles creates music. Crypt of the NecroDancer Gameplay from a top-down perspective; players control multiple characters as they explore various underground dungeons.

Music plays a big role in the gameplay, as players have to synchronize their button presses with the music. Everything works through these synchronized inputs, movements, combat, etc. But the death of your character means starting over; it’s a roguelike after all.

2. Hades

Genre: Hack and Slash, Action, RPG

Play as Zagreus, son of Hades, the king of the underworld, who wants to escape his father’s domain to reach his mother Persephone. Hades is not happy about this and will do anything to stop his son. With fast-paced combat and incredibly awesome abilities, this game has no shortage of things to like.

Every time you die you start over, but the game never stops being a lot of fun and the combat never feels repetitive.

3. Don’t starve

Genre: Survival, Sandbox

Explore an unknown world where you have been trapped by an evil genius. Build structures, hunt wild animals and craft useful items that will help you survive in this beautiful but brutal kingdom. After a while, you get hungry, so keep eating, and your sanity decreases at night, so make sure you have a light. Different monsters randomly attack your camps, so don’t forget to collect tools to defend yourself against them.

Different seasons come and go, and each season has its pros and cons. Just make sure you’re prepared for winter. This game won’t hesitate to take everything you’ve built and force you to start over, so be careful. This isn’t a game for the faint of heart.

This is the only game on the list of best roguelike games for iOS that features horror elements, so play at your own risk.

4. Terrariums

Genre: Survival, Sandbox

You are on an unknown planet, and everything is pixelated, but beautiful to look at. The digging begins; you collect bricks, dirt, and some minerals, and eventually you start building something like a settlement.

People will start joining your settlement and it will grow, and then you just have to make sure everything is safe from the monsters that will eventually start appearing. There are even bosses that will appear from time to time, so make sure you have enough gear to fight them.

5. Dead cells

Genre: Sidescroller, Action

Fight with swords, wear powerful sandals, kick enemies to death, set traps to get rid of them and do everything you can but don’t stop. Dead cells you play the role of a prisoner who has spent a long time in captivity and now wants to escape at all costs.

From defeating powerful bosses to discovering mysterious new locations, do everything you can in one playthrough because when you die, you start all over again.

6. Destroy the Spire

Genre: Construction of the deck

IN Destroy the SpireYour goal is to climb the spire, overcoming the various obstacles in front of you. Monsters, strange creatures, and more will try to bring you down and stop your progress. Build a deck of cards to fight these enemies and make sure no one stands between you and your goal, the summit.

Deep strategic game mechanics combined with card building provide a new experience with every play.

7. Legacy of the Rogues

Genre: Platformer

Explore randomly generated dungeons. Your goal is to defeat four bosses, each residing in a unique setting within said dungeon. You can jump and use your sword to defeat the enemies you face.

Although you lose everything upon death, what happens next is what makes this game unique: control is transferred to one of three randomly generated heirs of your character. After each death, you choose a descendant to take on your character’s legacy. Each descendant even has some unique abilities. Some are colorblind, others dwarf, etc. Gold earned during each playthrough can be used to upgrade your character’s equipment; these items are passed on to your heir.

Play this game for its addictive gameplay and unique concept.

8. The Binding of Isaac: Regeneration

Genre: Gunman

Isaac is a young child trying to escape from his crazy mother. When she comes closer to sacrificing him, he finds escape to the basement of their home, which turns out to be a huge dungeon full of terrifying creatures. Isaac fights these creatures, hoping to find a way out.

The game is a top-down, dual-stick shooter. Isaac’s skills and health can be upgraded; he can even collect power-ups, such as a shield and bombs. Explore dungeons and defeat grotesque bosses in Isaac Binding is fun. You will never leave this game, no matter how many times you get defeated.

9. Infinity Dungeons

Genre: Tower Defense

Dungeons of Infinity is a procedurally generated roguelike tower defense game in which players must guide the survivors of a crashed spaceship through several levels in order to escape the planet.

You will need to choose your companions and then build defenses against the various hostile forces on the planet. Be aware of every strategic decision you make, because your defeat means starting all over again.

10. Tallowmere 2: The Curse of the Kittens

Genre: Action, Platformer

Play as Lady Tallowmere as she explores a vast labyrinth of dungeons. With each new room, you go deeper and find new, more difficult enemies to fight. You unlock a variety of new weapons and your character levels up.

After each death, the dungeons are reset and rebuilt, meaning you will never see the same dungeon again.

11. Down

Genre: Vertical Platformer

Jump into the well and use your machine gun ability to take out any unusual creatures that get in your way. Things can get a little tricky when there are too many creatures on the screen, but that’s what makes this game so much fun.

Also, pay attention to any shop or other location where you can get some bonus items. A fast-paced, one-of-a-kind platformer that deserves to be on every smartphone, its simplicity and fun core gameplay loop make it Precipitation one of the best roguelike games on iOS.

12. Brotato

Genre: Twin-stick shooter

Customize your potato and wreak havoc on enemies that attack you from all sides of the screen. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new skills, weapons, and customization items.

The character shoots himself, but you control where he goes and aims. Keep in mind that it’s not as easy as it seems; this game gets harder and harder over time.

13. Soul Knight

Genre: Twin-stick shooter

This may be one of the most popular roguelike games on iOS. Inspired by Enter the Gungeonan amazing roguelite, this title allows you to use various other types of weapons in addition to firearms. Use swords, magic, and many other unique weapons to get rid of those annoying enemies.

There are a lot of enemies to defeat and a lot of bosses to defeat in the game, so it will take some time to complete it if you don’t die.

All of the games on this list of the best roguelike games for iOS are a must-have for any roguelike fan with an iPhone. They will challenge you and tell you unique stories in their own vivid way, so don’t miss any of them. However, if you’re not a fan of roguelikes, there are plenty of other console-quality games available on iOS.

(Hero and Featured Image Source: Brace Yourself Games, Supergiant Games)

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