Roguelikescome in all shapes and forms, spanning genres from card games to town management—even sports and twin-stick shooters. But when you’re in the mood to slice and dice pixels over and over, Hack & Slash Roguelikes are where it’s at.
Action roguelikes excel at providing players with a visceral feeling in every delivered hit.
10 Best 3D Roguelikes You Need To Play
Risk of Rain 2 isn’t the only one, I’ll have you know.
There’s something deeply cathartic about a combat system built on constant repetition and steady improvement—a glorious satisfaction that comes from gradually becoming capable of pulling off increasingly wild and impressive stunts.
Whether side-scrolling or isometric, anything goes as long as the gameplay lets you dispatch dozens of enemies with blades, other melee weapons, or even witchcraft. In this list, we’ll explore 8 roguelikes that excel at achieving that thrilling experience.
8Astral Ascent
Flashy is an Understatement
Astral Ascent
If the first thing you look for in an action roguelike is how many effects fill the screen at any given time, you certainly won’t be disappointed by Astral Ascent.
This 2D platformer-action roguelike isn’t shy about handing out screen-filling abilities to both players and enemies, rangingfrom devastating death rays to lightning-fast movements.
Its pixel-art style is clean and well-crafted, allowing you to easily keep track of everything unfolding on-screen, even during the most frantic battles.
Combat remains fast, fluid, and well-balanced, yet there’s still plenty ofspace for players to experimentand create flashy combinations of upgrades.
7Ember Knights
Slash with Friends
Ember Knights
Hacking and slashing are great, but they’re even better with friends—and that’s exactly where Ember Knights excels.
This isometric action roguelike lets you team up with up to three other players as you slice your way through vibrant worlds filled with hordes of enemies and massive bosses. Combat is fast, engaging, andpacked with synergistic upgrade paths, encouraging teamwork and build creativity.
Complementing the lively combat is a vibrant pixel art style with a cartoonish charm. Given its co-op focus, the visuals might remind you of Castle Crashers—and I mean that as the sincerest compliment.
While Ember Knights is still enjoyable when played solo,playing with friends turns it into an endlessly replayable joy.
6Children of Morta
Family Matters
Children of Morta
Nowadays, plenty of roguelikes have proven that the genre can offer a compelling narrative, andChildren of Mortawas among the first to fully demonstrate this.
The game follows the story of a family of wardens tasked with containing the overwhelming darkness brewing inside the mountain they protect. The narrative revolves around this family, delivering moments filled with familial warmth and emotional depth. However, that doesn’t mean the action takes a back seat.
Instead of playing a single character,you’ll select from among all the family members, each offering a distinct combat style. Whichever character you pick, you’ll battle through hordes of monsters in caves, dungeons, and even more sinister places, inchingcloser to the story’s conclusionwith each run.
Children of Morta presents a viewpoint rarely seen in action roguelikes, blending heartfelt storytelling with thrilling gameplay.
The Curse Burns So Good
Curse of the Dead Gods
If you’re looking for a roguelike where each victory feels genuinely earned and power always comes at a price, Curse of the Dead Gods is perfect for you.
Dark dungeons, brutal combat, and tantalizing risk-reward mechanics form the core of this isometric action roguelike, as you battle hordes of enemies and dodge deadly traps in pitch-black darkness.
Curse of the Dead Gods Might Become My New Roguelike Obsession
Taking the best elements of Diablo, Dark Souls, and more, Curse of the Dead Gods has a lot of potential for roguelike lovers.
To survive, you’ll collect powerful boons from the dead gods—but at the cost of increasing your corruption.Each new power and treasure will tempt you, yet also exact a price, constantly daring you to gamble with fate.
Curse of the Dead Gods' corruption mechanic masterfully balances risk and reward. Combine that with dynamic combat built around timely dodges, split-second decisions, and a distinctive art style, and you’ve got an addictive roguelike experience in your hands.
4Skul: The Hero Slayer
Don’t Lose Your Head
Skul: The Hero Slayer
Are you tired of always playing as the goody-two-shoes savior of the realm? Do you think these so-called “heroes” deserve to be taken down a notch or two? Then Skul: The Hero Slayer is the game for you.
In this charming pixel-art action platformer, you play as a tiny skeleton—the titular Skul—on a quest to save his Demon King, who’s been captured by the imperial army. A daunting task, sure, but this little skeleton is far mightier than he appears.
Skul’s unique power isswapping, well, skulls.Each skull grants a distinct moveset, abilities, and synergies. He can carry two skulls at once and swap between them freely, allowing for numerous creative combos. As you progress, you’ll unlock new skulls, fresh abilities, and even more exciting strategies.
With fluid combat, stunning visuals, and a healthy dose of humor, Skul offers a quite unique twist on hack-and-slash roguelike action.
3Mortal Sin
Untethered Brutality
Mortal Sin
Mortal Sin seems designed exclusively to make players repeatedly say, “Damn, that’s metal!"—and it’s absolutely glorious.
This first-person melee roguelike does not shy away from violence, which is only accentuated by its deliberately low-detail and dreamlike aesthetic.
Players are encouraged to unleash chaos against endless hordes of enemies using massive swords, powerful magic, and much, much more.The first-person perspective makes each brutal encounter feel incredibly intense.
But it’s not just mindless button-mashing. Combat requires a careful dance of strikes, dodges, and targeted dismemberment to avoid being overwhelmed. Mortal Sin rewards boldness, precision, and adaptability, turning each run into an adrenaline-filled rush through its procedurally generated nightmares.
Although the game is technically still in Early Access, a full release is expected within the year—and frankly, it’s already too good not to recommend.
Supergiant Games, You Did It Again!
While roguelikes have steadily grown in popularity among indie niches,Hadesis one of those standout titles that put the genre on the radar of mainstream audiences.
Supergiant Games managed to craft a compelling narrative experience without sacrificing the fast-paced intensity of anaction-packed hack-and-slash roguelike, all beautifully immersed in the captivating setting of ancient Greek mythology.
Combat in Hades emphasizes constant movement, precise dodging, and making the most of powerful boonsfrom the gods.
Even if it’s not as mechanically extensive as some of the other entries in this list, it remains extremely rewarding—especially since each encounter enriches the narrative as much as the story enriches the action.
Hades is widely regarded as one of the best roguelikes ever made. What could possibly top it?
When the Action is All You Need
Dead Cells
In the context of hack-and-slash roguelikes,Dead Cellsis everything a gamer could ever ask for.
Its combat is blazing fast, complemented by a massive arsenal of weapons, powers, and tools that providenearly infinite replayability.
Diverse challenges, varied biomes, and countless unlockables foster that addictive “just one more run” mentality, making the game incredibly hard to put down.
Combat in Dead Cells is as intense as it is fluid, combining responsive hack-and-slash mechanics seamlessly with rewarding Metroidvania-style exploration.
Though levels are procedurally generated with each run, they still hold numerous hidden secrets that make exploration genuinely satisfying—not to mention the game’s stunning visual style and brutal boss battles.
Even with more and more roguelikes hitting the market, if you’re after relentless hack-and-slash action, Dead Cells remains your top choice.
