Roguelites are among the most popular games on Steam, and for good reason. Each run feels different, yet you still make overall progress. However, it’s also a fairly saturated genre, making it harder for developers to stand out amid a sea of endless card battlers and dungeon crawlers.
With Steam Next Fest February 2025 underway, we set out to find the best roguelites from promising developers that deserve to be on your wishlist.
The King is Watching
- Steam Demo
- Developer: Hypnobuild
This is a very clever rogue-lite that uniquely combines tower defense, base management, and roguelike elements. Players can set up buildings that provide different resources or train armies to defend their walls, but these tiles are only active when the King’s watchful gaze is upon them.
This means that players are forced to prioritize different tiles based on the events of the run, and the game continuously throws random curveballs to keep things interesting.
Lost in Random: The Eternal Die
- Steam Demo
- Developer: Stormteller Games
Lost in Random was an overlooked action-adventure title that is being spun off into a rogue-lite action game by Stormteller Games. Don’t worry, this isn’t another Hades clone, but a neat game that brings plenty of fresh ideas to the table.
The combat is satisfying, your die acts as a cast which does random damage based on the roll, and there are tons of fun modifiers to keep things fresh. You also get more bonuses with this tic-tac-toe grid mechanic where lining up relics in a certain way will result in more effective damage output or utility.
It’s polished, looks and sounds great and we’re excited to try out the full release later this year.
Aethermancer
- Steam Demo
- Developer: moi rai games
Do you enjoy monster-taming games but feel those are simply too long and require a lot of work? Well, the developers at Monster Sanctuary might have made the game just for you. Aethermancer takes the best parts of monster-taming and turn-based battles and turns it into a roguelite.
Find monsters, level them up for random traits, grow your party, and take on stronger foes. The pixel art animation is gorgeous and there is plenty of variety when it comes to monsters you can tame. My only concern is that the overworld navigation feels a bit unneeded and I hope that is addressed.
He is Coming
- Steam Demo
- Developer: Chronocle
He is Coming is a highly addictive dungeon-crawling RPG roguelite featuring an auto-battle system, a day and night cycle, and tons of monsters to fight. Players collect weapons, artifacts, and trinkets during the day to craft a build versatile enough to handle the foes that emerge at night.
During combat, the abilities of your equipment trigger, which can lead to some really fun synergies. While it requires minimal mechanical skill, moment-to-moment decision-making plays a crucial role in shaping an effective build. I’m in love with the art style, and this game can practically run on a toaster. Perfect game for the Steam Deck that you can play at a low wattage.
Desktop Survivors 98
- Steam Demo
- Developer: Brandon Hesslau
It’s Vampire Survivors but plays on your desktop. What more do you want? Also, I’m sorry for the harm this will most certainly have on your productivity.
These are our picks for some of the best roguelite titles featured in the Steam Next Fest February 2025. Share your favorite ones so far in the comments below.
If roguelites aren’t your jam, why not take a look at some neat first-person shooters or relaxing cozy adventures.
Published: Feb 26, 2025 04:44 pm