Few rogue games have changed the genre quite like Slay the Spire. Mega Crit didn’t just make one of the best deckbuilding roguelikes ever created; it redefined what a card game could be. Years later, practically every new deckbuilder is still chasing the standard it set.
The problem is that once you’ve conquered the Spire dozens (or hundreds) of times, finding another game that delivers that same feeling isn’t easy. There’s plenty of great deckbuilding roguelikes out there, but the best recommendations aren’t always the ones that look the most similar. Sometimes it’s the satisfying build crafting, the impossible decisions, or that constant feeling that every card reward could completely change your run, that keeps players coming back.
So, if you’re looking for a game that will fill the hole Slay the Spire left behind, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 current alternatives. Now we haven’t included Slay the Spire 2. If you’ve loved the original, that’s the obvious next stop. Instead, we’ve focused on ten other rogue games that capture many of the same strengths while still offering something new.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of every brilliant deckbuilder you should play, but if you’re looking for games that come closest to scratching that Slay the Spire itch, we think these are some of the very best places to start.
1. Monster Train 2
If what kept pulling you back to Slay the Spire was the endless build variety, Monster Train 2 deserves to be the first game on your list. Like Slay the Spire, every run revolves around making difficult decisions with imperfect information, gradually transforming a modest deck into something capable of completely breaking the game by the final battles. Half the fun comes from discovering card combinations you never expected to work quite so well.
Where Monster Train 2 sets itself apart is its battlefield. Instead of fighting across a single lane, you’re defending a moving train spread across multiple floors, forcing you to think just as carefully about unit placement as the cards in your hand. The addition of clan combinations, room upgrades, and equipment, also gives every run another strategic challenge, making your deck feel like just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
It scratches the same deckbuilding itch as Slay the Spire, but it asks you to solve every battle in a completely different way. If you love crafting ridiculous synergies and watching an overpowered build finally come together, Monster Train 2 is a good recommendation.
2. Griftlands
Slay the Spire proved that cards could tell compelling stories without slowing the action down. Griftlands takes that idea and pushes it even further. Every choice still revolves around building stronger decks and adapting your strategy from one encounter to the next, but now every fight, conversation, and decision becomes part of a much larger adventure, where your actions have lasting consequences.
The biggest difference is that Griftlands gives you two decks to master instead of one. One handles combat, while the other governs negotiations, allowing you to talk your way out of situations just as often as you fight through them. Add memorable characters, branching quests, and choices that genuinely shape each playthrough, and it feels far more like an RPG than a traditional deckbuilder.
It doesn’t chase the same relentless climb that makes Slay the Spire so addictive, but it offers something equally rewarding in return. If you’ve ever wished your favorite deckbuilder had more characters to meet, more decisions to make, and a world that reacted to your choices, Griftlands is one of the best games to add to your list. It even has a dedicated Reddit community of fans you can join.
3. Roguebook
Roguebook is one of the closest games to Slay the Spire you’ll find without simply copying it. Every run revolves around building powerful card combinations, collecting relics, and making difficult decisions about which rewards are worth taking. It captures that same feeling of gradually turning an average deck into something capable of completely taking over a run.
The biggest difference is how you explore the world. Instead of following a fixed route between encounters, you’ll reveal the map yourself using magical ink, uncovering hidden battles, treasures, merchants, and secrets as you go. Combat also revolves around two heroes fighting together rather than one, creating combinations and strategies that feel very different from anything Slay the Spire offers.
It doesn’t have the same simplicity that makes Slay the Spire so easy to pick up, but that’s part of its charm. If you love planning powerful builds and discovering new synergies every time you play, Roguebook is an easy recommendation.
4. Cobalt Core
Cobalt Core proves that you don’t need fantasy monsters or towering castles to make a great deckbuilding roguelike. It shares the same careful decision-making that makes Slay the Spire so addictive, rewarding players who can build powerful card combinations while adapting to whatever each run throws at them.
Where the two games really separate is during combat. Instead of standing toe-to-toe with enemies, you’re piloting a spaceship across the battlefield, dodging incoming attacks while lining up your own. Positioning becomes just as important as the cards in your hand, creating battles that feel fresh without losing the strategic depth that Slay the Spire fans are looking for.
It has a lighter tone and a much more playful cast of characters, but beneath that is one of the smartest deckbuilders in the genre. If you’re looking for another game where every card choice feels important, Cobalt Core deserves a place on your wishlist.
5. Wildfrost
If Slay the Spire kept you hooked because every run felt completely different depending on the cards you found, Wildfrost delivers that same feeling from the moment you leave Snowdwell. Before every expedition, you’ll choose a leader with randomized stats and abilities, then gradually build a deck by recruiting companions, collecting elemental items, and equipping powerful Charms that can completely change how your cards behave.
The similarities to Slay the Spire are hard to miss. Every reward shapes the direction of your build, every battle asks you to think a few turns ahead, and discovering an unexpected combination is often the difference between victory and defeat. Where Wildfrost really stands apart is its countdown combat system. Every ally and enemy attacks on a timer, turning battles into carefully planned puzzles where positioning your companions and controlling the order of attacks becomes just as important as the cards in your deck.
It doesn’t play quite like any other deckbuilder, but that’s exactly what makes it so memorable. If your favorite moments in Slay the Spire came from discovering a build you never saw coming, Wildfrost delivers that feeling over and over again.
6. Across the Obelisk
Across the Obelisk takes Slay the Spire’s deckbuilding and turns it into a full-scale RPG adventure. Instead of climbing with a single character, you’ll build a party of four heroes chosen from 16 different characters across four classes, each with their own deck, equipment, and role in combat. Whether you’re playing alone or teaming up with up to three friends online, every run is about creating a party capable of surviving whatever Senenthia throws at you.
Like Slay the Spire, every decision matters. You’ll constantly improve your decks with more than 500 cards and over 300 items, choose between branching routes, visit merchants, tackle random events, and discover powerful combinations that can completely change the way your party plays. The biggest difference is its emphasis on teamwork. Building a powerful tank means very little if your healer or damage dealers can’t support them, making party composition just as important as the cards you draft.
It doesn’t have Slay the Spire’s simplicity, but it offers far more freedom in how you approach every run. If you’ve ever wondered what Mega Crit’s deckbuilding would look like with a full adventuring party, Across the Obelisk is one of the closest answers you’ll find.
7. Ring of Pain
If Slay the Spire was the game that made you fall in love with carefully planning every move, Ring of Pain takes that same mindset and drops you into one of the most unusual dungeon crawlers you’ll ever play. Instead of moving through branching maps, every floor is presented as a circle of cards surrounding your character. Enemies, equipment, treasure, and escape routes are always visible, leaving every step entirely up to you. Do you slip past the creature blocking your path, fight it for the powerful helmet it’s guarding, or abandon the loot altogether before something even worse appears?
That constant decision-making is what makes it such a great follow-up to Slay the Spire. You’re never simply reacting to whatever the game throws at you. Every creature telegraphs its next action, positioning determines whether you’ll be trapped or escape unharmed, and every new piece of equipment can completely reshape your build. With more than 300 items to discover, from evasive poison-focused setups to explosive fire builds and heavily armored juggernauts, experimenting with different combinations becomes just as addictive as discovering new card synergies in Slay the Spire. Hidden side dungeons, mysterious NPCs, cryptic rhyming lore, and multiple endings give every run another reason to push a little deeper into the darkness.
It isn’t trying to copy Slay the Spire’s formula. Instead, it delivers that same satisfying feeling of solving difficult problems one smart decision at a time, wrapped inside one of the most original roguelikes of the past decade.
8. Vault of the Void
If one of the only frustrations you ever had with Slay the Spire was getting stuck with a deck that stopped working halfway through a run, Vault of the Void solves that problem in a brilliant way. Instead of locking your decisions in forever, it encourages you to constantly rebuild your deck as you climb. Before every battle you can swap cards in and out, inspect the enemies waiting ahead, and completely rethink your strategy, making every encounter feel more like solving a puzzle than hoping you’ve drafted the right cards.
The similarities to Slay the Spire are obvious. You’ll still discover hundreds of cards, stack powerful artifacts, and chase ridiculous combinations that grow stronger the longer your run survives. The difference is how much control you’re given. Four completely different classes, over 440 cards, more than 320 Artifacts, and customizable Void Stones let you reshape both your deck and individual cards throughout a run. Even bad hands can be turned into an advantage by purging unwanted cards for extra energy, while the game’s Threat system clearly shows exactly how much damage you’ll take, removing the guesswork and rewarding careful planning instead. It’s a deckbuilder that wants every victory to come from smart decisions rather than lucky draws.
It doesn’t simply build on Slay the Spire’s ideas, it rethinks many of them. If you enjoy experimenting with new strategies and squeezing every bit of value out of your deck, Vault of the Void is one of the deepest roguelike deckbuilders you’ll find.
9. Chrono Ark
Escaping the Twisted World isn’t something you’ll do alone in Chrono Ark. Every expedition begins by assembling a team of Investigators, each with their own deck of skills, before venturing into a world caught in an endless cycle where every defeat sends you back to the beginning. Recruiting new allies, unlocking stronger abilities, and discovering how different characters work together becomes just as important as the cards you collect along the way.
The similarities to Slay the Spire are easy to see. Every reward influences the direction of your build, every battle rewards careful planning, and discovering an unexpected synergy can quickly turn a struggling run into a winning one. Where Chrono Ark sets itself apart is its party-based RPG structure. Instead of refining a single deck, you’re balancing four characters at once, combining their skills and deciding how each member fits into your strategy.
It offers a much larger adventure than Slay the Spire, but the satisfaction of building powerful synergies is every bit as rewarding. If experimenting with different builds was your favorite part of Slay the Spire, Chrono Ark is well worth your time.
10. Balatro
At first, Balatro looks like a simple game of poker, but it doesn’t take long before that illusion disappears. Every run begins with an ordinary deck of playing cards, but as you collect Jokers, Tarot cards, Planet cards, and Spectral cards, familiar hands evolve into wildly different scoring engines capable of producing millions of chips from combinations that shouldn’t work.
The similarities to Slay the Spire are hard to miss. Every reward shapes your build, every shop presents another meaningful decision, and discovering an unexpected combination is often what carries you through the toughest rounds. Where Balatro stands apart is that it replaces combat entirely with score chasing, constantly encouraging you to bend the rules of poker in new and increasingly creative ways.
It doesn’t play like a traditional deckbuilder, but it captures exactly the same satisfaction of discovering a build that suddenly clicks into place. If putting together ridiculous card combinations was your favorite part of Slay the Spire, Balatro is an easy recommendation.
Where Will You Go After the Spire?
Slay the Spire remains one of the defining roguelike deckbuilders for a reason, but it certainly isn’t the only game capable of scratching that same itch. Whether you’re looking for another endlessly replayable card battler, a deeper RPG experience, or something that completely reimagines what a deckbuilder can be, each of these games offers its own take on the formula while capturing the same thrill of experimenting, adapting, and stumbling across a build you never saw coming.
If you’ve finally climbed the Spire enough times, these are the rogue games that deserve a place in your library next.