Roguelikes: permadeath, procedural generation and all that
A roguelike is a genre of role-playing video games characterized by certain gameplay elements and mechanics. These games are inspired by the 1980 game "Rogue" which is where the genre gets its name. The defining features of roguelikes include:
Procedural generation: levels, maps, and other game elements are created algorithmically rather than being pre-designed.
Permadeath: when your character dies, you typically lose all progress and must start the game from the beginning. There are no checkpoints or save points to reload from.
Random loot: items, weapons, and equipment found in the game world are often randomly generated.
Roguelikes come in various settings and themes, ranging from traditional fantasy settings to sci-fi, horror, and more. The genre has seen significant evolution over the years, leading to sub-genres like "roguelite" and "roguelike-like" which may have some of the core features of roguelikes but with more forgiving gameplay mechanics or progression systems.
Most popular roguelike games
rpgWindows XP/98/95
rpgDOS
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AlphaMan
DOS19953.7/5
Amulet of Yendor
DOS19853.6/5 Keypunch Software
Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM) v1.1
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1996freeware3.9/5
Angband
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1992freeware4/5
Beneath Apple Manor
DOS1983freeware4.2/5
Beneath Apple Manor is a pioneering game in the roguelike genre, originally developed and released in 1978 by Don Worth for the Apple II and later re-released for DOS as a "Special Edition". It's one of the earliest known role-playing video games (RPGs) with procedurally generated dungeons.In Beneath Apple Manor, players take on the role of an adve...
Castle of the Winds
Windows 3.x1993freeware4.2/5 SaadaSoft
Castle of the Winds is a fantasy roguelike role-playing game developed by SaadaSoft in the early 1990s. It was designed for Windows 3.x and is notable for being one of the earliest graphical RPGs for that platform. The game features a top-down perspective and incorporates elements of dungeon crawling, exploration, and character development.The game...
Decker
Windows 10/112002freeware3.6/5
DND
DOS19844.1/5
Doom: The Roguelike
DOS2005freeware3.3/5
Dungeon Crawl
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1997freeware4/5
Dungeon Crawl (also known as Linley's Dungeon Crawl from the name of the original programmer: Linley Henzell) is a classic roguelike: an RPG with permadeath, procedural generation and high replayability. Dungeon Crawl was released on 1997 but it's not maintained anymore. The spiritual successr of Crawl is DCCS (Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup).
Elona
Windows XP/98/952007freeware4.3/5
Elona (short for Eternal League of Nefia) is a free roguelike RPG developed by Japanese indie developer named Noa in 2007. Its gameplay combines elements of open-world exploration, dungeon crawling, and life simulation. It has complex gameplay mechanics, and high replayability. Elona offers a sandbox world where players can pursue various role...
Evets
DOS1988freeware3.5/5 SAck Enterprizes
Hack
DOS1984freeware3.8/5
Incursion
Windows 10/11LinuxMac OS2007freeware3.8/5
IVAN (Iter Vehemens ad Necem)
DOSWindows 10/11LinuxMac OS2001freeware3.3/5
Larn
DOS1986freeware3.9/5
Moraff's Revenge
DOS19883.5/5 Moraffware
Moria
DOS1992freeware3.9/5
NetHack
DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OSLinux1987freeware3.7/5
NetHack is an open-source roguelike game that's been around since the early 1980s. It's a single-player dungeon exploration game where you navigate your character through a randomly generated dungeon filled with monsters, traps, treasures, and various items. The goal is to retrieve the Amulet of Yendor, located deep within the dungeon's lowest leve...
NetHack - Falcon's Eye
Windows XP/98/952001freeware3.8/5
Omega
DOSLinux1988freeware3.8/5
Oubliette
DOS19833.3/5
Quest for the Unicorn
DOSWindows XP/98/95Linux1990freeware2.5/5
Ragnarok
DOS1993freeware4/5 Gray Design Associates
Reaping The Dungeon
DOS19934/5 Frontline Software
Rogue
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinuxMac OS19844.1/5 Artificial Intelligence Design
Rogue is one of the first RPGs in the history of video gaming. It's a text-based dungeon crawler in which you have to fight your way in the dungeon to recover the Amulet of Yendor. Rogue became popular around 1980 on mainframes and later ported to various platforms, including DOS in 1984. Rogue is simply the father of all the roguelike games that c...
Slash'Em
Windows XP/98/95Linux1997freeware4.1/5
TomeNET
Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS2001freeware4.4/5
TomeNET (Troubles of Middle Earth, Net) is an online, multiplayer rogue-like game set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth. It’s a persistent-world game inspired by Angband, a single-player dungeon-crawler based on Tolkien lore. You can play as familiar fantasy races like Elves, Dwarves, Humans, or Hobbits, as well as more obscu...
UnReal World v. 3.20
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1992freeware4.1/5
Warp Rogue
Windows 10/11Linux2004freeware3.9/5
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