5 Great Roguelike Games Available on Xbox Series X|S

Everyone has a preference for the video game genres they enjoy playing the most. With Xbox, many of your favorite genres are easily accessible through services like Xbox Game Pass, but what if your favorite game genre is the randomly generated dungeon crawling experience that roguelike games offer?

Luckily, Xbox has numerous ways to check out the best roguelike games on consoles, and each title has its own variation and twist on the genre. So if you want to learn more about some of the best roguelikes available on Xbox Series X|S, we can help.

1. Hades

One of, if not the most famous roguelike game you can play on your Xbox Series X|S is the mythological tale of family and romance, Hades.

Hades sets itself apart from other roguelike titles by taking on a mythological theme and putting you in the shoes of Zagreus, an unknown Greek god and son of Hades. As Zagreus, you must try to escape the underworld, uncover the truth behind your parents, and defy your controlling god the underworld father.

Aside from stellar combat and gameplay loops featuring multiple Greek God-related boons that allow you to harness and combine the powers of the Greek Gods, Hades also offers a deeper and more narrative experience than most other Xbox roguelike titles .

This narrative focus elevates the quality of Hades above that of most other roguelikes available, with the title winning the 2021 GDC Game of the Year award to show it. So if you’re interested in an addictive and never-ending roguelike with a narrative steeped in Greek mythology to play on Xbox, Hades is the game for you.

If you’re looking for other potential Game of the Year contenders to broaden your gaming horizons, the best games available in 2022 could help you find the next quality title to add to your repertoire, since Hades receives the GDC prize 2021.

2. The Binding of Isaac

While not a Game of the Year winner, The Binding of Isaac is one of the longest-lived and most enduring roguelikes on Xbox, still getting content updates in 2023 despite its initial release in 2012.

The Binding of Isaac chronicles the insane experiences of a young boy named Isaac and his suffering at the hands of his Bible-obsessed family, turning Isaac’s trauma into a dungeon hellscape that you must navigate to defeat your own mother. So this roguelike is not for the faint of heart.

But while the themes of The Binding of Issac are incredibly dark and mature, the gist at the heart of the roguelike is an insanely deep modifier and item system that doesn’t make anyone run like the other. In one run, you can be a weak and weak Isaac, shooting droplets from your eyes; Next, you could be a laser-breathing demon.

This looping gameplay and power sneaking makes The Binding of Isaac a long-running and must-have title alongside other roguelike games. For roguelike games to play on your Xbox Series X|S, The Binding of Isaac is a staple.

3. Worship of the Lamb

A newer breed of roguelike available on your Xbox Series X|S that takes two genres of games and twists them both is the cult-building roguelike Cult of the Lamb.

Cult of the Lamb plays as a sacrificial lamb, risen from the slaughter, seeking revenge on those who have wronged you. Cult of the Lamb expects you to gain followers and become powerful enough to defeat your enemies.

Taking the farm-building formula developed by games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley and turning the farm into a cult wasn’t the obvious choice when thinking of a roguelike with its own unique take on the genre.

After playing the game and taking down swarms of enemies and bosses in a series of follower and resource dungeons, the rogue intent behind Cult of the Lamb becomes clear.

However, due to Cult of the Lamb’s cult simulation side, the game has a defined ending; Once you’ve defeated the game’s main bosses, there’s not much left to do other than build your cult. Even then, there’s still not much to do in the Cult of the Lamb postlude.

So if you’re looking for a roguelike to while away the time on your Xbox Series X|S with no indefinite commitment, then Cult of the Lamb is the game for you.

4. Enter the dungeon

Despite the many roguelikes available on your Xbox, no other has such a well-defined theme tied to its style, gameplay loop, and narrative as Enter the Gungeon, and that’s guns, guns, and more Weapons.

Enter the Gungeon’s premise is simple, pointing to roguelikes as a genre: enter a randomly generated dungeon, collect buffs, and get as far as you can. What makes the game unique is the myriad of weapons you can use, and most are recognizable from other notorious franchises.

Want to use Doom’s BFG and Men In Black’s Noisy Cricket at the same time? With Enter the Gungeon you can. The game takes the dungeon crawling premise of classics like The Legend of Zelda and adds more weapons than you could ask for.

Though simple and intentionally silly, Enter the Gungeon is more fun and one of the best time-wasting roguelike games you can play on Xbox.

5. Vampire Survivor

Vampire Survivors is a unique title available not only on Xbox but also on Xbox Game Pass and is one of the easiest to play yet deep roguelikes out there.

Vampire Survivors is almost entirely narrative and expects you to choose a character and survive its randomly generated arenas for as long as possible. And oddly enough, your only control is directional movement via your analog stick, and there’s no way to aim or fire attacks, as they all autoplay.

While this may seem simple, the idea of ​​letting the game play itself comes with its own benefits, as you can move your character, earn XP, and plan your build for the run as you play.

This makes the gameplay looping in Vampire Survivors unique, with detailed items and modifiers allowing for hours of combos and variations of runs to support the game’s roguelike roots.

The game is also available on Game Pass, which means that a fan of quality roguelikes like Vampire Survivors could be one of the reasons why Xbox users should have Xbox Game Pass.

Enjoy a variety of gaming genres on Xbox

Now you know some of the best roguelike games Xbox has to offer. You can start enjoying the genre and all the variations that come with each game, whether it’s the weapon-oriented Enter the Gungeon or the Greek mythology-based Hades.

Roguelikes aside, Xbox offers a variety of great games tied to the medium’s major genres, whether they’re co-op games or first-person shooters. So be sure to check out all the other hits Xbox has to offer from different game genres.