Roguelike vs. Roguelite: What's the Difference?

The last decade of gaming on PC and other platforms has seen the increasing popularity of run-based games like Hades, which offer looping gameplay cycles that make use of procedural generation and reward an overarching sense of progression and mastery. These games are sometimes interchangeably referred to as either “roguelikes” or “roguelites,” but the two terms actually have mechanically distinct definitions. Although both are usually capable of conveying the general meaning or idea of a genre in offhand descriptions, understanding the specific differences can help categorize games more accurately.

The genre of “rogue” games derives its name from a classic dungeon crawler called Rogue that helped popularize some interesting and unusual ideas. The 1980 release challenged players to retrieve an amulet from the end of a dungeon, but it also featured permadeath. If a character died, the player had to start the game completely over, with none of the weapons or other upgrades they managed to collect along the way. What’s more, the dungeons were procedurally generated, meaning that every run was different, forcing players to explore a new map and adapt to new circumstances.

What Qualifies A Game As A Roguelike

Roguelikes Are Games With Permadeath & Randomly Generated Maps

Many games over the years have borrowed elements from Rogue, resulting in the roguelike genre of games. Although “roguelike” has become a bit of a catch-all term, a 2008 development conference created the Berlin Interpretation, available in full on RogueBasin, and defined roguelikes as having eight specific design tenets:

Random map generation
Permadeath
Turn-based combat
Grid-based movement
Complexity to allow multiple solutions
Non-modal, so that all actions can be performed at any time
Resource management
Hack ‘n’ slash combat

For a game to qualify as a roguelike based on the Berlin Interpretation, a game must meet all eight criteria. The main thing to remember with roguelikes is that a key element of progression comes almost entirely from experience and a bit of luck. You’re undoubtedly going to die at least once, but likely several times, before you complete the game. With each run, the experience from the previous run serves almost as a mental checkpoint, in which you’re likely to progress even further the next time with what you’ve learned.

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That being said, there’s no denying the element of luck with each run as well. Since you’re dealing with things like random map generation or rewards, each run will be entirely different, and there’s consequently the chance that you do better in one than the other based on these factors. This is especially true with the sub-genre of deckbuilding roguelikes, which combine elements of deck-builders with the random generation of roguelikes, where luck plays a much larger factor.

There’s also some debate about whether deckbuilders can truly fit the definition of roguelikes, given that they generally do not offer dungeon crawling or the same traditional combat methods. This is perhaps why they have been given their own sub-genre of deckbuilding roguelikes, since they don’t necessarily fit the definition of a roguelite either.

How A Roguelite Is Different From A Roguelike

Roguelites Allow For Some Permanent Progression

Because of the stringent rules laid out by the Berlin Interpretation, most popular roguelike games are more properly referred to as roguelites. Roguelite games utilize some, but not all, of the design elements of Rogue as the foundation for their gameplay. Permadeath and procedurally generated maps are still crucial to a roguelite’s design, but many games have added new spins to the genre.

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Hades is a fast-paced action roguelike about the son of Hades from Greek mythology, who keeps trying to escape from the underworld and its monsters.

Several roguelites have introduced a mechanic of carry-over progression to eventually make runs easier and allow players to go farther to offer a similar experience to roguelikes, but one that’s not quite as punishing. For instance, Hades contains certain resources that don’t reset on death, which are used to buy permanent upgrades for the character.

Generally speaking, saying “roguelike” in a casual conversation is more likely to invoke the idea of popular modern roguelites, as the Berlin Interpretation isn’t necessarily widely known, nor is it the be-all and end-all of the distinction. Given the close similarities of the two, it’s not worth being pedantic about in most situations. For example, there’s some debate about whether unlocking items, even if you’re forced to start over with a completely wiped slate otherwise, qualifies as a roguelike or roguelite, mainly in the instance of games like Balatro.

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For one thing, true roguelikes do offer a different and less common experience than the myriad of roguelites out there, so it helps to know exactly what you’re getting into when approaching a game deemed specifically a roguelike. Whether or not a game strictly qualifies as a roguelike or the more loosely defined roguelite, the subgenres have created a space for a wide range of games and play styles.

For every action-driven roguelite like Risk of Rain Returns, there’s a turn-based deck builder or strategic survival experience. Every element of these games is intentionally designed to offer a difficult but rewarding experience that has enough randomized generations to keep each run feeling fresh and break up the monotony of repeatedly starting over.

Best Roguelikes To Try

The Binding Of Isaac Helped Revive The Genre

In terms of what is widely accepted to be considered an authentic roguelike, these are some of the best ones to try:

The Binding of Isaac
Rift Wizard
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Tales of Maj’Eyal
Jupiter Hell

The Binding of Isaac was very popular when it came out, and it has been credited with reinvigorating interest in the roguelike genre. It is a top-down twin-stick shooter that pits players against increasingly difficult enemies in fast-paced combat. All that being said, there are still some who argue that it isn’t a true roguelike, because you can unlock new items that may appear in each round. However, there is no real permanent progression. You can’t keep any items or guarantee that what you unlock will show up in a run, and you also don’t carry over any stat increases in the next round.

Characters from Darkest Dungeon, The Binding of Isaac, and Hades

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Rift Wizard and Tales of Maj’Eyal are both turn-based games that use grid movement. These can be a little more accessible than fast-paced roguelikes, since players have more time to make decisions. However, these can also lead to more frustrating incidents of permadeath, as players will likely spend more time on a single run than they would in a game like The Binding of Isaac.

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Jupiter Hell is a turn-based shooter, but it is also fast-paced. This makes it a good middle ground, as there is still some more time to make decisions, but rounds might not last as long. Fans of the XCOM series would likely be interested in this game.

Crypt of the Necrodancer is a unique game that combines a roguelike with elements of a rhythm game. Though one of the game modes is a roguelite, allowing for permanent progression, Crypt of the Necrodancer can also be played as a true roguelike. Players will need to select the All Zones mode to play it as a roguelike.

Best Roguelites To Try

Hades Is One Of The Most Popular In The Genre

While some of these could still easily be considered a roguelike depending on your personal definition, without getting too technical, here are some of the best self-proclaimed roguelites to try:

Hades & Hades 2
Slay the Spire
FTL
Enter the Gungeon
Darkest Dungeon
Balatro
Returnal

Hades is easily one of the most popular roguelites, and for good reason. It has a beautiful art style, its combat is satisfying and has a lot of variety, and the progression system is fair but still challenging. Players won’t feel like the game is handing anything to them, but it’s still accessible enough that players won’t get as frustrated as they might with a true roguelike. The game’s Greek-mythology-inspired story is also engaging, providing players with a good incentive to stick with the game through its more challenging parts.

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That being said, its sequel, Hades 2, features all the same components and is currently available in Early Access on PC. The full game, launching as a timed exclusive on Nintendo consoles, will be available on the original Switch as well as the Switch 2 later this year. While there’s no formal release date, those who have enjoyed Hades will not want to miss this, especially considering the overall positive reviews from fans playing it in early access.

Slay the Spire is a unique take on the genre, combining elements of deck-building and turn-based combat. There is a nice variety of strategies which gives it good replayability, and combat is quick and engaging despite being turn-based. Balatro, another deckbuilding roguelite that is based primarily around poker, also features similar elements of replayability and fast-paced looping gameplay. Balatro even had the honor of accepting several awards at the 2024 Game Awards and being nominated for the overall Game of the Year award.

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Darkest Dungeon also uses turn-based combat, and combines it with some RPG elements. Players crawl through dungeons as a party of adventurers. Hero death is permanent, but players have the option to replace dead heroes with new ones. Despite being advertised as a roguelike, Returnal is a phenomenal roguelite that features the classic elements of permadeath and random map generation in a cryptic sci-fi setting. The balance of rogue elements and permanent progression aspects helps the focus remain on Returnal‘s incredible gameplay and interesting story.

Split image of Selene from the Returnal game.

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In terms of a starting point for any player, roguelites, in general, might be the best option. They offer a taste of what you can expect from a full roguelike, but ease you into the experience by allowing for some permanent progression. Starting with something like The Binding of Isaac with less forgiving gameplay elements may turn a new player off to the genre if unprepared for the unforgiving nature of these games. Since the Hades sequel, Hades 2, is in early access and doesn’t require explicit knowledge of the first game to enjoy it, this may be a great starting option to test out how you feel about the genre.

Source: RogueBasin

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