In horror roguelike deckbuilders, the cards in your hand could be the only thing standing between you and a gruesome death. Some summon grotesque creatures to fight on your behalf, others unleash deadly curses, and a few demand blood sacrifices before they’ll do anything useful. With sinister opponents, occult rituals, and monsters that seem to have crawled straight out of your worst nightmares, these games have found plenty of ways to make drawing your next card a dangerous business.
From haunted hotels and monster-infested ruins to mysterious cabins and Lovecraftian horrors, horror deckbuilders take players into worlds filled with secrets, dangerous encounters, and some rather questionable characters. Building the right deck means experimenting with strange abilities, collecting powerful cards, and figuring out how to survive whatever the game decides to throw at you. Of course, surviving isn’t always the objective, especially when you’re the one controlling the monsters.
We’ve picked out 10 horror roguelike deckbuilders worth playing, including games where you’ll battle supernatural creatures, investigate disturbing mysteries, and turn haunted buildings into death traps for unsuspecting visitors. There are also four upcoming releases worth keeping an eye on this October, giving horror fans a few more reasons to keep their decks ready.
1. Inscryption
A stranger has invited you to play cards in a cabin deep in the woods, although judging by the locked doors, unsettling decorations, and shadowy figure sitting across the table, leaving isn’t really an option. Your opponent has some unusual rules, including sacrificing woodland creatures to summon stronger cards, and losing a match can have consequences far worse than an empty hand. There are also strange objects scattered around the cabin, suggesting there’s considerably more happening here than an innocent game of cards.
Created by Daniel Mullins Games, Inscryption combines roguelike deckbuilding, escape-room puzzles, and psychological horror into an increasingly disturbing adventure. Collecting animal cards, experimenting with powerful combinations, solving puzzles around the cabin, and uncovering secrets hidden within the game itself, you’ll gradually discover that your mysterious opponent isn’t the only thing you should be worried about. There’s an enormous amount to uncover, although explaining too much would ruin some of its best surprises.
2. The Spirit Lift
The Vexington Hotel has been abandoned for years, but that hasn’t stopped a group of teenagers from deciding it’s the perfect place for a supernatural investigation. Armed with whatever equipment they can find, the unlikely ghost hunters venture inside a building where the elevators still work, the rooms are crawling with spirits, and checking out might prove considerably harder than checking in.
The Spirit Lift is a retro-inspired horror roguelike deckbuilder that sends your chosen team of investigators through a haunted hotel filled with dangerous encounters, strange discoveries, and supernatural enemies. Exploring different floors, collecting cards, upgrading equipment, and experimenting with character abilities, you’ll gradually prepare for the increasingly powerful spirits lurking throughout the building. With a changing hotel layout and plenty of secrets waiting behind closed doors, every investigation offers another opportunity to discover what happened at the Vexington, assuming your teenagers survive long enough to find out.
3. Hunter’s Moon: A Sovereign Syndicate Adventure
A mysterious plague is spreading across Victorian England, transforming ordinary animals into grotesque monsters and leaving entire communities terrified of what might emerge from the surrounding countryside. Investigating the outbreak means travelling through dangerous forests, confronting corrupted creatures, and uncovering the secrets behind a supernatural disaster that threatens to consume everything in its path.
Developed by Crimson Herring Studios, Hunter’s Moon: A Sovereign Syndicate Adventure is a steampunk fantasy roguelike deckbuilder set before the events of Sovereign Syndicate. Choosing from four playable characters, you’ll battle monstrous enemies across four chapters while collecting cards, upgrading abilities, and discovering powerful relics. Enchanted tarot cards can alter your builds, while resources gathered during expeditions allow you to improve your agents and airship between runs. With werewolves, corrupted wildlife, and an increasingly dangerous investigation, Victorian England has become a rather unpleasant place to take an evening stroll.
4. Draft of Darkness
Humanity hasn’t been having a particularly good time since a mysterious substance known as the Darkness started spreading across the world. Cities have collapsed, buildings have been abandoned, and the streets are crawling with grotesque creatures that were probably human before everything went horribly wrong. The remaining survivors are desperately searching for supplies, although venturing outside means risking infection, violent encounters, and a rather unpleasant death.
Created by Crawly Games, Draft of Darkness combines survival horror with roguelike deckbuilding, sending players through interconnected environments filled with monsters, valuable equipment, and limited resources. Scavenging ammunition, managing batteries, recruiting companions, and collecting cards tied to different weapons, you’ll gradually develop a deck capable of dealing with the horrors ahead. Decisions made throughout your journey influence the unfolding story, with multiple endings and persistent progression encouraging further expeditions into the ruins. Between the disturbing creatures and constant shortage of supplies, even finding a working flashlight can feel like a small victory.
5. Hell Deck
Heaven has apparently decided that Hell needs a thorough cleaning, and an army of angels has descended into the underworld to wipe out everything living there. Unfortunately for the invaders, the demons aren’t planning to surrender without a fight. You’re tasked with assembling an army of grotesque creatures to defend the abyss, although keeping your monstrous soldiers alive isn’t always part of the strategy.
Hell Deck, from OFFMOON Inc., combines roguelike deckbuilding with grid-based tactical defense, challenging players to construct powerful formations from creatures that can consume, sacrifice, and strengthen one another. Collecting new units, positioning them across the battlefield, and experimenting with different combinations of abilities, you’ll gradually build an army capable of holding back increasingly dangerous waves of heavenly attackers. Some monsters become stronger by devouring their allies, while others provide useful bonuses to nearby creatures, making every placement an important decision. Apparently, being eaten by your own teammates is just another occupational hazard in Hell.
6. Menace from the Deep
America in the 1920s is hiding some disturbing secrets, and a mysterious occult society has decided to investigate them. Strange creatures are appearing, forbidden rituals are being performed, and an ancient artifact known as the Heart of the Sea appears to be connected to something far more dangerous than anyone originally suspected. Unfortunately, uncovering the truth means venturing into places where humanity was probably never supposed to go.
Developed by Flat Lab, Menace from the Deep is a Lovecraftian roguelike deckbuilder combining turn-based card battles with exploration and a branching supernatural mystery. Choosing from three playable heroes, you’ll travel between dangerous locations, battle creatures inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos, and collect relics that can dramatically change your deck. Cards also influence how you travel through the world, while resources gathered during expeditions can be used to improve your headquarters. Collectible memory fragments reveal more about the occult society and its members, giving you plenty of reasons to keep investigating, even when the creatures become increasingly difficult to explain.
7. Deck of Haunts
Most haunted houses have to wait for an unsuspecting visitor before they can start causing trouble. In Deck of Haunts, you’re the house itself, and frightening people into an early grave is practically your full-time occupation. Unfortunately, humans have a habit of investigating mysterious buildings, and some of them are determined to discover what’s hiding inside your walls. Fortunately, you’ve got plenty of unpleasant surprises waiting for them.
Created by Mantis, Deck of Haunts is a horror roguelite deckbuilder that puts players in control of a living mansion, complete with supernatural abilities and a collection of rooms designed to torment intruders. Constructing dangerous layouts, summoning ghosts, manipulating visitors’ sanity, and collecting essence from terrified victims, you’ll gradually expand your powers and turn the building into an elaborate death trap. Priests, police officers, and other determined investigators will eventually attempt to reach the Heart room keeping your mansion alive, so making sure nobody gets that far is essential.
8. Exorcism Agency
Dealing with troublesome spirits is already a dangerous occupation, but the supernatural world of Exorcism Agency has turned ghost hunting into something far stranger. Rather than simply banishing every apparition you encounter, you’ll be collecting ghost girls, building teams around their abilities, and sending them into battles where the right combination of cards can make all the difference.
Exorcism Agency mixes roguelike deckbuilding with Zuma-style match-three mechanics, giving its supernatural encounters an unusual tactical twist. Collecting spirits, experimenting with different combinations, and developing powerful card strategies, you’ll face increasingly difficult encounters while expanding your collection of ghostly companions. Its combination of occult themes, colorful characters, and puzzle-inspired combat makes it a rather different prospect from the usual horror deckbuilder, especially when the creatures you’re supposed to be dealing with can end up fighting on your side.
9. Pirate’s Gambit
Captain Kidd’s mysterious ship is hiding more than a few barrels of rum and some forgotten treasure. Strange encounters, dangerous journeys, and an unsettling game of chance await anyone brave enough to step aboard, where rolling the wrong combination of dice can quickly turn a promising voyage into a disaster. Unfortunately, fortune doesn’t always favor the bold, especially when the game seems determined to make you regret your decisions.
Developed by Domestic Black Cat, Pirate’s Gambit combines roguelite deckbuilding with Yacht Dice mechanics, challenging players to construct powerful combinations from cards, dice, and useful items. Travelling through dangerous locations, from volcanic landscapes to frozen wastelands, you’ll collect new abilities, uncover hidden routes, and gradually investigate the mysteries surrounding Captain Kidd’s ship. Every encounter offers another opportunity to improve your strategy, although relying entirely on a lucky roll probably isn’t the wisest approach when supernatural horrors are involved.
10. Knock on the Coffin Lid
Waking up inside a coffin isn’t a promising start to anyone’s day, especially when you have absolutely no memory of how you died. Fortunately, a mysterious stranger has decided to bring you back to life, although his reasons for doing so aren’t entirely clear. With a kingdom on the brink of disaster and several factions fighting for control, uncovering the truth behind your death means travelling across a dangerous world where almost everyone seems to be hiding something.
Created by RedBoon, Knock on the Coffin Lid is a dark fantasy roguelike deckbuilder combining turn-based card battles, exploration, and branching storytelling. Choosing from three playable heroes, collecting equipment, building powerful decks, and making decisions that influence the fate of Midian, you’ll gradually uncover the events surrounding your mysterious resurrection. Different characters offer their own abilities and storylines, while repeated journeys reveal new routes, encounters, and possible outcomes. Apparently, dying once wasn’t enough to earn you a peaceful retirement.
More Nightmares Are on the Way
If those ten games aren’t enough to satisfy your appetite for supernatural card battles, there are several more horror deckbuilders on the horizon. In Curse of Resthaven, you’ll govern a cursed island while searching for your missing niece, sending expeditions into dangerous territory and uncovering the sinister forces threatening your settlement. Meanwhile, Graveyard Shift: A Sage’s Last Stand puts you in charge of a mortician whose latest problem involves corpses refusing to stay dead. Thankfully, those bodies can also become the cards you’ll use to defend yourself.
For anyone who thought the blood sacrifices in Inscryption weren’t gruesome enough, The Flesh Beneath sends thirteen doomed souls into a nightmarish cathedral where powerful cards can cost you pieces of your own body. And in Tiles of Grimmwoods, you’ll guide lost children through a dangerous fairy-tale forest, placing tiles to construct a route while avoiding the creatures lurking among the trees.
A Deadly Hand Worth Playing
Whether you’re sacrificing squirrels to summon terrifying creatures, exploring a haunted hotel with a group of teenagers, or turning an innocent-looking mansion into a death trap, horror roguelike deckbuilders have plenty of unusual ways to make your next run memorable.
It’s also interesting to see just how far developers are taking the genre. Dice games, tactical defense, supernatural investigations, and even controlling a living haunted house have all found their way into deckbuilding, giving players plenty of different strategies to experiment with.
Which horror roguelike deckbuilders have kept you coming back for another run? Have we missed a game that deserves a place on this list? Let us know in the comments.