10 Best Roguelike Deckbuilders to Play Before Slay the Spire 2
Slay the Spire 2 hits early access on March 5. Here are the 10 best roguelike deckbuilders to sharpen your card skills before the sequel arrives.
Slay the Spire 2 enters early access on March 5 with co-op for up to four players, five playable characters, and a refreshed art style. The original invented an entire genre in 2019. The sequel is the most anticipated roguelike of the year.
But you still have a few days to wait. Here are the 10 best roguelike deckbuilders you can play right now, each one offering a unique twist on the formula that Slay the Spire pioneered.
1. Vault of the Void
Developer: Spider Nest Games | Released: 2022 | Steam Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (96%)
If you want the game closest to Slay the Spire in feel but with deeper deck control, start here. Vault of the Void gives you a fixed 20 card deck and lets you swap cards between fights. That means almost zero randomness in what you draw. Every loss feels like a puzzle you can solve with better choices.
The combat is fast and the strategy is razor sharp. You pick your starting class, build your deck with intention, and face escalating challenges that demand tight play. It is the purest distillation of what makes deckbuilder roguelikes addictive.
Play Vault of the Void on Steam
2. Balatro
Developer: LocalThunk | Released: 2024 | Steam Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (98%)
Balatro is not a poker game. It uses poker hands as a scoring framework, then lets you break every rule with Joker cards that multiply, transform, and stack in absurd ways. You are not playing against opponents. You are engineering a scoring machine that spirals into millions of points.
It won multiple Game of the Year awards in 2024 and holds a 98% positive rating on Steam from over 97,000 reviews. That makes it one of the highest rated games in Steam history. If you have not played it yet, this is the deckbuilder to start with. We wrote a full review of Balatro if you want the deep dive.
3. Monster Train 2
Developer: Shiny Shoe | Steam Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (95%)
Where Slay the Spire has you climbing a tower, Monster Train 2 has you defending one. Enemies advance up a multi-floor train, and you play cards to place units and cast spells across three levels simultaneously. It is a deckbuilder crossed with tower defense, and the combination is brilliant.
The recent Destiny of the Railforged expansion added a new Soul Survivor mode, a new clan, and tougher enemies. If you are already comfortable with Slay the Spire’s formula and want something that challenges your spatial thinking alongside your deck building, this is your next game.
4. Inscryption
Developer: Daniel Mullins Games | Publisher: Devolver Digital | Released: 2021 | Steam Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (96%)
Inscryption is what happens when a deckbuilding roguelike collides with escape room puzzles and psychological horror. You are trapped in a dimly lit cabin, playing a card game against a mysterious figure. The cards have eyes. They watch you. And the game is not what it seems.
Saying more would spoil it. Just know that the deckbuilding mechanics are genuinely excellent on their own, and everything around them elevates the experience into something you will think about for weeks. It won Game of the Year at the 2022 GDC Awards and the BAFTA Game Design award.
5. Cobalt Core
Developer: Rocket Rat Games | Publisher: Brace Yourself Games | Released: 2023 | Steam Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (96%)
Take the roguelike deckbuilder to space. Cobalt Core puts you in control of a ship that moves along a single horizontal axis. You dodge incoming missiles by shifting left or right, then line up your own cannons and fire back. Cards control movement, attacks, shields, and special abilities.
The single axis combat system sounds simple, but it creates a totally different kind of strategy. Positioning matters as much as card order. You are thinking about where your ship needs to be three turns from now, not just what cards to play this turn. It is one of the most inventive takes on the genre since Slay the Spire itself.
6. Griftlands
Developer: Klei Entertainment | Released: 2021 | Steam Reviews: Very Positive (94%)
Most deckbuilders give you one deck. Griftlands gives you two. You manage a combat deck for physical fights and a negotiation deck for verbal confrontations. Many encounters let you choose which approach to use. Talk your way past a guard, or punch through. Both paths have consequences.
From Klei Entertainment (Don’t Starve, Oxygen Not Included), Griftlands has the narrative depth and world building you would expect from the studio. Three distinct campaigns, each with unique characters, mechanics, and story arcs. If you wish Slay the Spire had more story and dialogue, this is your game.
7. Wildfrost
Developer: Deadpan Games | Publisher: Chucklefish | Released: 2023 | Steam Reviews: Very Positive (91%)
Do not let the adorable art style fool you. Wildfrost is one of the most punishing deckbuilders on this list. Cards sit in lanes and attack on timers. You need to manage positioning, timing, and synergies all at once. One misplaced card can collapse an entire run.
The counter system is the star. Every card has a countdown that ticks each turn. When it hits zero, the card activates. Managing these timers across your entire board while reacting to enemy counters creates a tempo puzzle that no other deckbuilder replicates. It demands precision and rewards mastery.
8. Across the Obelisk
Developer: Dreamsite Games | Publisher: Paradox Interactive | Released: 2022 | Steam Reviews: Very Positive
If you are excited about Slay the Spire 2’s co-op mode, Across the Obelisk has been doing co-op deckbuilding since 2022. Up to four players each control a hero with a unique deck, and you coordinate your plays to take down increasingly dangerous encounters.
The co-op works because each player’s deck complements the others. A healer can set up a damage dealer. A tank can absorb hits while a support player buffs the team. It plays like a party based RPG with deckbuilder mechanics. Two major DLC expansions have added substantial content since launch.
Play Across the Obelisk on Steam
9. Tainted Grail: Conquest
Developer: Questline | Publisher: Awaken Realms | Released: 2021 | Steam Reviews: Very Positive (89%)
Tainted Grail leans harder into RPG territory than any other game on this list. You explore a dark Arthurian world, make choices that shape the narrative, and fight through card based combat encounters. Between runs, the world itself changes and evolves.
Based on the acclaimed Tainted Grail board game by Awaken Realms, the digital version captures that same atmosphere of mystery and decay. Nine character classes each play completely differently. The persistent village system gives you long term goals beyond individual runs. If you want a deckbuilder with real narrative weight, this delivers.
Play Tainted Grail: Conquest on Steam
10. Roguebook
Developer: Abrakam Entertainment | Released: 2021 | Steam Reviews: Mostly Positive (84%)
Roguebook was co-designed by Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: The Gathering. You control two heroes simultaneously, and the order they stand in matters. The front hero takes damage first, so you swap positions mid-combat to manage health and trigger combos.
The hex map exploration between fights is a fresh addition to the genre. You use ink to reveal hidden tiles, finding treasures, upgrades, and encounters as you push through the book. It adds a layer of strategic resource management that most deckbuilders skip entirely.
What Makes Slay the Spire 2 Different
All ten games on this list owe their existence to the original Slay the Spire. But the sequel is not just more of the same. The headline addition is four player online co-op with multiplayer specific cards and team synergies. Five playable characters (three returning, two new) and a completely refreshed visual style round out the package.
Slay the Spire 2 enters early access on March 5, 2026. We have been tracking every announcement. Read our full coverage of the co-op reveal and character details.
If you want even more recommendations, check out our Best Roguelike Games to Play in 2026 for action roguelikes, bullet heavens, and tactical roguelites beyond the deckbuilder genre. And browse our curated games like Slay the Spire page for quick picks.
Written by
Florian HuetiOS dev by day, indie game dev by night. Trying to give life to GameDō Studio.
Building games and talking about the ones I can't stop playing.
