Best Games Like Slay The Spire

Slay the Spire redefined the roguelike‑deckbuilder genre by combining persistent runs, branching paths, and card‑based combat into a compact package with high replay value. Its appeal lies in the loop of building a deck, upgrading it while ascending the spire, reacting to relics and events, and seeing how far you can climb. Slay the Spire wasn’t the first game of its kind, but it is the one that set the genre on fire, inspiring dozens of other games to replicate its mechanics and structure in their own unique ways.

If you’re looking for more games like Slay the Spire that replicate that feel–drawing cards, constructing synergies, riding the tension of a run–this list will get you started. Below are 15 excellent games that channel that deckbuilding and roguelike spirit, each with its own twist or flavor on the formula.

Balatro

• Developer: LocalThunk
• Release Date: February 20, 2024
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android

Balatro is probably one of the most popular roguelike deckbuilders since Slay the Spire. Its combination of wacky joker abilities and classic poker mechanics lit the gaming world on fire. It may seem wonky at first–playing a two pair poker hand and then using a banana and a bucket of popcorn to increase your multiplier and earn a score in the thousands of chips hardly makes much sense. But before you know it you’ll be building decks of cards with wonderful synergies that will rack up millions of chips in no time. The feeling of hitting naneif is unparalleled.

Balatro has earned several game of the year awards for 2024 and has sold over 5 million copies as of July 2025. Be prepared to get hooked on its subtle soundtrack that loops in different ways as you sink hours into this incredible game of poker.

Read our Balatro review.

Inscryption

• Developer: Daniel Mullins Games
• Release Date: October 19, 2021
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Another award-winning title, Inscryption blends deckbuilding roguelike elements with story, puzzle, and horror mechanics. While it diverges significantly from Slay the Spire in tone and structure, the heart of it–build a deck and adapt on the fly–is very much there.

If you enjoyed Slay the Spire’s system and are willing to embrace a more narrative‑driven and unusual experience, Inscryption offers something truly unique but grounded in the same deck‑loop. Inscryption won the game of the year award from the Game Developers Choice Awards, among other accolades. Its dark and creepy narrative continues to draw players years after its initial release.

Read our Inscryption review.

Dicey Dungeons

• Developer: Terry Cavanagh
• Release Date: August 13, 2019
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android

Dicey Dungeons brings a funky twist to the deckbuilding roguelike genre by integrating dice rolls into card combat. You still build a deck, collect new cards, and attempt runs, but your choices are tempered by the randomness of dice outcomes and you must adapt accordingly. It keeps the core “one more run” desire that Slay the Spire excels at, but offers a lighter, more playful tone. The cartoony visuals help establish a quirky, casino-like atmosphere that pushes you to keep playing.

While statistics dominate dice rolls in the long term, there is nothing quite as random as a roll of the bones during a standalone run. Dice mechanics are a more than welcome addition to the roguelike genre.

Read our Dicey Dungeons review.

Monster Train

• Developer: Shiny Shoe
• Release Date: May 21, 2020
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android

Monster Train takes the core loop of Slay the Spire and adds a distinctive tactical layer–instead of climbing a single spire, you defend a burning pyre aboard a train with multiple vertical battlegrounds. The extra dimension means that along with considering card synergy and relics, you’ll also need to think of positioning and multi‑floor strategy, which adds fresh complexity while still maintaining that satisfying “build deck, beat enemies, ascend” momentum.

The randomness of each run–from champion classes, card pools, and the branching route–gives you a similar rush of “how far can I go this time?” The theme is bold, the replay value high, and if you enjoyed Slay the Spire’s loop, Monster Train offers a compelling alternative with its own identity.

Griftlands

• Developer: Klei Entertainment
• Release Date: July 11, 2019
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One

Griftlands combines deckbuilding in combat with negotiation and story choices, so while it shares the Slay the Spire loop of “run, build, die, repeat,” it layers on branching narrative and consequences. In each run you’ll pick up new cards, but you’ll also decide how to approach situations–fight, talk, or manipulate–and these decisions affect the world and future runs.

If you like the wrung‑out tension of building a deck in Slay the Spire but also want stronger story and character hooks, this one gives you that. The cards matter, the relic‑type upgrades matter, and your choices matter in a way that slightly shifts the formula without losing the core deck‑building satisfaction.

Vault of the Void

• Developer: Spider Nest Games
• Release Date: October 4, 2022
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Android

Vault of the Void takes the familiar deck‑building roguelike loop and refines it to the bare essence: a fixed deck of 20 cards, the ability to swap cards between fights, and almost zero random events. The result is a much more strategic, controlled experience where the randomness that often frustrates runs in other games is almost eliminated. While it lacks some of the flamboyant variety of other titles, what it offers is pure deck‑crafting satisfaction.

Spider Nest Games want to put power back in the hands of players by rewarding them for their choices in path, card, and turn order. It’s a refreshing take on a genre that’s known to be dominated by random encounters and deck pulls.

Wildfrost

• Developer: Gaziter, Deadpan Games
• Release Date: April 12, 2023
• Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Wildfrost mixes card‑combat roguelike loops with a wintry, stylized aesthetic and a progression system that rewards experimentation. Each run, you build your deck, face waves of enemies, pick upgrades and relics, just like Slay the Spire–and you’ll find yourself striving for better synergies, cleaner decks, and higher floors.

What stands out is how approachable it is, especially for beginners, while still offering strategic depth. The visuals are crisp, the pacing good, and it hits that sweet spot of accessibility and buildcrafting that fans of Slay the Spire often enjoy.

Banners of Ruin

• Developer: Monte Bear Studio
• Release Date: July 29, 2021
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch

Banners of Ruin takes the deckbuilder from solo to a small party of characters you manage–each with their own deck and abilities. The structure still resembles a run through many battles, picking up new cards, relics and upgrades, yet the added layer of character placement and party composition gives it a twist.

The art style of anthropomorphic animals is charming, and the gameplay loop has enough heft to satisfy veteran deckbuilders. The endgame can be lacking, but not every single roguelike needs to satisfy players for hundreds of hours to be enjoyable.

SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech

• Developer: Image & Form
• Release Date: October 25, 2019
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is another one of Image & Form’s series of games set in the same universe that takes on a different genre. This entry blends turn‑based RPG adventure with deckbuilding mechanics. You command a party of heroes–each wielding cards–while navigating a story and upgrading decks as you progress through levels and battles. The run‑based permanence is weaker than in Slay the Spire, but the card synergy and upgrade mechanics are very recognisably in the same family.

Dripping with polish, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech brings all the charm of the SteamWorld universe and meshes it with responsive combat and customization that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

Nowhere Prophet

• Developer: Sharkbomb Studios
• Release Date: July 19, 2019
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4

Nowhere Prophet places you in a post‑apocalyptic world leading a band of outcasts across a dangerous land. Battles are card‑based, your deck grows and shifts each run, and the branching map and events echo the “tree of choices” in Slay the Spire. The aesthetic is darker and the map navigation more involved, but the deck‑building and roguelike run loop is very familiar.

Nowhere Profit isn’t just like Slay the Spire. It has elements from other fantastic and tactical games like Banner Saga and FTL. It’s also got some intriguing scifi storytelling that only gets better as you get deeper into each and every run.

Ring of Pain

• Developer: Simon Boxer / Twice Different
• Release Date: October 15, 2020
• Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch

Ring of Pain strips down the deckbuilder roguelike to its essentials: you explore circular dungeons, each node is a card event, you draw and play cards to navigate threats, pick up new cards, and try to persist. The map structure is more constrained than Slay the Spire’s sprawling spire, but the tension of building a deck, reacting to unknown events, and trying to survive while your options narrow is very similar.

If you enjoyed Slay the Spire’s runs and want something more compact but still deep, this one offers a fresh take with bite‑sized runs and a minimalist interface that still rewards clever decks. Fans of creepy atmospheres will also find something to latch onto in the art, writing, and gameplay. It’s oozing with some deliciously disgusting monsters.

Shogun Showdown

• Developer: Roboatino
• Release Date: September 5, 2024
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Shogun Showdown mixes card combat, run‑based progression and Japanese‑inspired aesthetics: you build your deck, face waves of samurai, monsters and terrain challenges, pick rewards, and attempt to make it through to the end of a run. It’s absolutely dripping with 2D and well-animated charm that makes each play session as gripping as the one before.

While obviously not an action game, Shogun Showdown still has a fun way of making you feel like an absolute samurai star as you tear through enemies with turn-based combat. It helps that it’s not as punishing as some of the titles it emulates, making it easy to jump in and out of without getting frustrated after a few failed sessions.

Across the Obelisk

• Developer: Dreamsite Games
• Release Date: April 8, 2021
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

Across the Obelisk offers a cooperative twist on the deckbuilder roguelike: you and up to three friends can take on runs together, each with your own deck and character, but sharing the route map and rewards. Many elements will feel familiar to Slay the Spire fans–map movement, card upgrades, relays, relics–while the co‑op feature adds another layer of strategy and social fun.

If you’ve exhausted solo runs and want to bring friends into the loop, this is one of the best games in the genre that supports co‑op and still nails the deckbuilding roguelike feel.

Tainted Grail: Conquest

• Developer: Questline
• Release Date: May 27, 2021
• Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Tainted Grail: Conquest takes the concept of deckbuilding runs and embeds it in a dark, Gloom‑punk world with story, exploration, and RPG elements. You’ll build decks of cards, upgrade them as you progress, and take on tough enemies and bosses–very much in the spirit of Slay the Spire. But the added depth of exploration, camp management and branching story beats gives it a richer narrative side.

RPG elements mix nicely with roguelike elements. Different classes grant different abilities on a variety of runs. There are also a variety of difficulty levels to offer those looking for a deeper challenge something to sink their teeth into.

Card Quest

• Developer: WinterSpring Games
• Release Date: November 7, 2017
  
• Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android

Looking for something with a more old school approach to visuals and presentation? Card Quest is an earlier, leaner deck‑builder roguelike that hits many of the same beats as Slay the Spire: you choose a class, build a deck, fight through monsters in a run, upgrade your deck, and try to survive as far as you can.

It predates many of the genre’s big hits, but it’s still rewarding for those who appreciate minimalist design and strong mechanics. The deck-building is far less randomized compared to other games in the genre as your deck is based on the gear you have.