Bits N' Pixels: List Articles

Best Roguelike Games of 2026

Nick Pasta — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:44:46 GMT

2026 has been a great year for Roguelikes.

The genre’s unique ability to randomly generate runs gives the games an everlasting gobstopper style gameplay loop that makes their value proposition quite mouthwatering.

Lets take a moment to highlight many of the amazing games in the genre up till now as well as some of the amazing demos that foreshadow things to come!

Action Roguelikes / 2015-likes

This genre to me is characterized by fast paced top-down / 2d side scrolling action prioritizing quick reflexes and good decision making when it comes to choosing new power-ups and weapons. The name of the game is learning how every enemy works to work your way down (or up) and through the bosses you face.

Hades 1 and 2

Hades

Hades 2

Binding of Isaac (Literally whatever version)

The Binding of Isaac (2011)

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Spelunky 1 and 2

Spelunky Classic 2009 (Free)

Spelunky

Spelunky 2

Enter the Gungeon 1 and 2 (Upcoming)

Enter The Gungeon 1

Enter The Gungeon 2

Rogue Legacy 1 and 2

Rogue Legacy

Rogue Legacy 2

Noita

Nuclear Throne

Risk of Rain 1, 2, and Returns

Risk of Rain

Risk of Rain 2

Risk of Rain Returns

Dead Cells

Deck Building / Combo Stacking

A genre (somewhat) inspired by the Dominions card game, this shifts the focus to smart combo building. The puzzle is to collect just the right set of cards in order to overpower the system so hard that you win by default.

Slay the Spire 1 and 2

Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire 2

Balatro

Monster Train 1 and 2

Monster Train

Monster Train 2

Clover Pit

Raccoin

Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors (Upcoming)

Vampire Crawlers

The Special Ones

I made this a special category because these roguelikes don’t quite fit in with all the others. They obviously have some similarities, but the lineage is less cut and dry.

Streets of Rogue / Streets of Rogue 2

Streets of Rogue

Streets of Rogue 2 (Upcoming)

FTL: Faster Than Light

Darkest Dungeon 1 and 2

Darkest Dungeon

Darkest Dungeon 2

Against The Storm

Realm of the Mad God (MMO)

Realm of the Mad God Exalt (Free)

Titanium Court (Upcoming)

Genuinely good luck figuring out what this one is about.

Titanium Court

Math Homework!

Now we get into the games that had me fall in love with the genre initially. These games don’t end, are turn based, and look like you’re doing math homework. This made them the perfect option for me to play during school without. Even teachers looking directly at the screen couldn’t tell what was going on.

Also it should be known that despite the math homework joke, in this day and age most of these games have actual art with the option to play on calculator mode.

Plus most of these are free!

Many of them have steam versions as well, but start with the given link. The steam versions are paid, and are usually of similar quality.

Classic Style Roguelikes / Dungeon Crawlers

The second hominid on the Roguelike evolution chart are the Dungeon Crawlers. The original rogue (Mandalore Gaming’s video linked) was a randomly generated dungeon escape game and so too do these bear the marks of their lineage.

Cogmind

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup

Brogue

Open World Sandbox Roguelikes

Caves of Qud

Cataclysm DDA

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress Website

Dwarf Fortress (Steam)

Elin

I hope you found something new to play! Have a good one!

Interested in sharing your game or sponsoring an article?

Reach out to bitsnpixelsnews@gmail.com

Got a game I missed? Reply and tell me! Reader suggestions have made it into past articles.

Upcoming City-Building and Strategy Games in 2025, 2026, and Beyond

Nick Pasta — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 14:03:43 GMT

I love 2025.

That’s a lie. However the one saving grace is that there are a ton of super cool city builders coming out both this year and the next.

Lets talk about them.

*Cinematic woosh noise* *Screen wipe*

Beyond Astra

Genre: Sci-fi, City Building, 4X Strategy

Space Civilization + Stellaris. Looks pretty cool if you ask me.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2669060/Beyond_Astra/

Ant Colony: Wild Forest

Genre: Simulation

I love ants. I love god-games. I am the lord of the ants.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1238190/Ant_Colony_Wild_Forest/

Crown of Greed

Genre: RPG, City Builder

Majesty is a super cool game where you play the town builder for an RPG society. Only issue is that it was developed in like 1956 or something. That’s why we have Crown of Greed. Guess what! It’s very good.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1697870/Crown_of_Greed/

Whiskerwood

Genre: Fantasy, Simulation

Mouse + Anno + Factorio + Timberwood. Sounds pretty mice….

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2489330/Whiskerwood/

Metropolis 1998

Genre: City Builder

A loving homage to classic SimCity games, Metropolis 1998 promises nostalgia and innovation. The demo is available now, and the full release is slated for 2025—ideal for those craving retro city management. (Thank you Chat-GPT)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2287430/Metropolis_1998/

Generation Exile

Genre: Narrative, City Builder

“Oh no! Our space colony was a bad idea,” simulator. Kinda like Civilization.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2963240/Generation_Exile/

Nova Roma

Genre: Chill, City Builder

Cute bold art style combined with economic simulation. Sounds like I could waste some time playing this game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2426530/Nova_Roma/

Fantasy World Manager

Genre: Open World, Management

I have no idea what this game is, but I can’t lie that I’m a sucker for some spreadsheets. Looks like I could get a PHD in it.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3447280/Fantasy_World_Manager/

Anno 117: Pax Romana

Genre: Economic City Builder

The Anno series returns, this time in Roman times. Known for its intricate economic systems, Anno 117: Pax Romana is set to launch November 13th at a premium price, but fans can expect quality regardless. (ChatGPT again)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3274580/Anno_117_Pax_Romana/

Super Fantasy Kingdom

Genre: Tower Defense, Roguelike, City Builder

Super Fantasy Kingdom fuses tower defense mechanics with city building and roguelike elements. A demo is currently available, making it a great way to pass the time and enjoy casual gameplay. (Google Gemini)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2289750/Super_Fantasy_Kingdom/

Town to City

Genre: Chill, City Building, Supply Chain

Town to City combines Cities Skylines style building mechanics with Anno economic management. The demo for this game has captured audiences the world over. (Me trying to sound like ChatGPT)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3115220/Town_to_City/

Sintopia

Genre: God Game, Economy Management

Inspired by Black & White, Cinetopia is about managing both the city and its people, who control themselves. With elements borrowed from Anno and a focus on both town management and economy, it’s a standout for fans of god games. A demo is available for those eager to try it out. (Now you guess)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2213700/Sintopia/

Endless Legend 2

Genre: Asymmetrical Strategy

I love this series. Not for it’s replayability, but for it’s attempt at making something interesting. It’s like Civilization but with extremely asymmetric gameplay. Each faction plays almost completely differently, and the challenge of the game is navigating a world with diverging goals. This is my most anticipated game by far.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3407390/ENDLESS_Legend_2/

Closing Thoughts

That’s all I’ve got for this article. I hope you have some new city-builders and strategy games on your Wishlist. Thank you so much for reading. Support me by subscribing for free and telling me how cute my dog is. Thanks so much.

Top Life-Sim Games - 2025

Nick Pasta — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 19:15:54 GMT

I’ve got other projects I’m working on at the moment, but I’ve been playing a lot of life simulator games.

So here’s a list in no particular order of my favorite games in the genre.

Steam Links To All Games

Hardspace Shipbreaker: Blue Collar Space Life at Its Best

"Wow! I was not expecting hardspace shipbreaker to have such great atmosphere and story, but I'm blown away. Possibly the best rendition of corpo space life so far. Fantastic! Don't sleep on this!"

Aneurism IV: An Underrated Dystopian RP Experience

"1984 Meets GTA RP. Really fun, don't be afraid to get in a server and serve the cortex."

RoadCraft

"I really like the Mud-Runner style game with a little less mud, and a little more management. It's a lot of fun planning and clearing routes for AI to do. Demo was great though its gone right now :("

Farming Simulator: Chill Farming/Management Vibes

“Chill farming game with uniquely complex AI management. Farming and Forestry mix up the chill gameplay of just farming. Grab a buddy and get to work!”

Death Stranding: Cinematic Walking Sim

"The premier walking simulator/wi-fi repair man simulator. Its amazing how much motivation the story drives you to keep playing despite it being totally insane. A great experience overall."

Dredge: Lovecraftian Fishing Sim

"I'm not sure how to say this. This game was chill, and had a fantastic atmosphere. It's continued to get support with new content. It's definitely worth picking up."

Powerwash Simulator: Satisfying Cleaning Sim

"Powerwashing simulator does exactly what it says on the tin. Its very satisfying, and has online co-op so you can play with friends. It has some room for improvement, but is great overall."

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