Upcoming Roguelikes for 2022 and beyond

Traditional Roguelikes are some of my most favorite games. I have spent hundreds of hours in games like Caves of Qud, Brogue, Elona+, and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, to name a few. These games are challenging, incredibly deep, and have high replayability. Sadly this is often a niche genre but one that is so rewarding if you give it a chance. This was a tough list to put together as there aren’t too many games in this genre as of late but I think I found some great upcoming games.

Terra Randoma – Deniz Kutlukan, Özgür Ergüney

Terra Randoma is the only one on this list that is currently available to purchase, and I recommend you do! This gem is planning to launch its 1.0 next year and it is one you do not want to miss out on. The devs have made an incredibly deep, challenging, and interesting game here. I’ve sunk many hours into it throughout its early access and it’s one of my favorite modern roguelikes. A fully procedural world, quests, dungeons, and NPCs make for a large amount of replayability. Active devs that listen to their players and an open mind to make the best game they can have shaped Terra Randoma throughout early access and I can’t wait to see what comes with their launch. Grab the game on Steam.

Soulash – Artur Smiarowski

Soulash is a murder hobo’s wet dream. You play a god that has broken free of their prison and is determined to make the world pay for their wrongdoing. Everyone can be killed. The days of being the hero are gone in the world of Soulash. With over 100 abilities and combat that can be affected by the weather, there is a lot of strategies to put into your playthroughs. Soulash is set to release in 2022. You can play the demo and wishlist the game on Steam.

Undergrave – Wired Dreams Studio

Undergrave looks like it may be a perfect coffee break roguelike (a roguelike that can be played in 15-20 minute runs). Its levels play out on a small map with a handful of enemies and obstacles. What is unique here is you only have three abilities, dash, jump, and throw. The crux of this all is each move consumes stamina and that can only recover with turns. Undergrave is aiming to release Q1 of 2022 and can be wishlisted on Steam.

Age of Transcendence – Byte Arcane

Age of Transcendence is still very early in the development process but it is far too beautiful to not include on this list. It is a fantasy roguelike RPG in a fully procedurally generated world. It has absolutely beautiful 16-bit graphics that immediately captured me (I like colors!) There is a pre-alpha version over on Itch.io currently if you’d like to take a look at it. Otherwise, follow the dev on Twitter and check out their Website too.

Escape the Mad Empire – XperimentalZ Games

While not 100% a roguelike, Escape the Mad Empire is heavily inspired by the genre and fits in here better than in the roguelite article. The game blends party tactics with real-time combat with actions on pause, town management, and dungeon crawling. It has a beautiful pixel-art presentation that instantly drew me in. There is a lot going on here but I think if it can be pulled off there will be a great game to play. Escape the Mad Empire is set to release into early access in 2022-2023. Wishlist on Steam.

Hopefully, a few games here piqued your interest. Let me know if you see something you like or if you know of any other Traditional Roguelikes heading our way!