15 Best Dungeon Crawler Games: Danger and Darkness in 2025
There’s something about diving into the depths of a dungeon that never gets old. Whether it’s chasing loot, fighting off swarms of enemies, or just seeing how long you can survive, dungeon crawlers bring that perfect mix of challenge and reward.
Some are brutal and unforgiving, forcing you to think through every move, while others let you hack and slash your way through hordes of monsters like an unstoppable force.
From classic roguelikes to modern action-packed RPGs, this list covers the best dungeon crawler games that will test your skills, patience, and maybe even your friendships. Grab your gear, sharpen your weapons, and let’s descend into the best dungeon adventures gaming has to offer.
Top Picks: Best Dungeon Crawlers
While every dungeon crawler is a welcome addition to the modern library, some of them go above and beyond. Here’s a quick list of my absolute must-plays on this list:
- Cult of the Lamb (2022) – sacrifice heretics and restore the “true” faith.
- Darkest Dungeon (2015) – help your heroes stave off death and madness over several dungeons.
- Diablo IV (2023) – hack and slash ARPG action. Oh, and loot. Can’t forget the loot.
- Slay the Spire (2019) – roguelike deck builder dungeon dives!
- Legend of Grimrock 1 & 2 (2012/2014) – as close as you’re going to get to 80s crawlers.
But while these are the best of the best on this list, every game here is definitely worth checking out!
15 Best Dungeon Crawler Games to Play
Traditional dungeon crawlers were defined as a simple but fulfilling gameplay loop of “town -> dungeon -> sell loot for better weapons/armor -> dungeon”. But thanks to how modern games tend to incorporate elements from different genres, we’ve got a lot more choices when it comes to modern dungeon crawlers.
And whether you’re looking for a classic-style dungeon crawler, a more modern ARPG take, or even a sandbox or a typing game, there’s something on this list for everyone:
1. Cult of the Lamb
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, macOS, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox1, Xbox Series X/S | 2022 |
As the lamb, you were to be sacrificed; with your death, the One Who Waits could never be freed. They didn’t do a very good job of killing you. Now with the Red Crown upon your head, you return to wreak great vengeance and furious anger upon those who wanted you dead.
Cult of the Lamb is an amazing roguelike game where you’re in charge of restoring the cult of the One Who Waits. To do that, you’ll need to dive deep into the lands of the Old Faith, clearing roguelike dungeons and ultimately, slaying each of the gods in fast and furious combat.
No god can survive without followers, and hostages you save can be indoctrinated and join your religion. Your flock followers will reward you with devotion and resources – so long as their needs are taken care of.
Finally, once a follower has reached the end of their usefulness, you can sacrifice them in a ghastly and hilarious ritual for more power. You can just say that they were starting to blaspheme; no doubt your other disciples will believe you.
Get your copy of Cult of the Lamb >
2. Darkest Dungeon
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, OS X, Linux, Switch, PS Vita, PS4, Xbox 1, iOS | 2015 |
Red Hook Studios’ Darkest Dungeon is a masterclass in both dungeon crawlers and roguelikes, and is hands down one of the greatest strategy games I’ve ever played.
The premise is simple: your ancestor dug too deep and too greedily, and found something truly evil, so it’s up to you to set things right. To do that, you’ll need to hire various mercs and upgrade a small town to support your heroes. None of this is easy, as characters not only take physical damage, but also mental damage – which will lead them to either surpass their limits or succumb to madness.
As the game itself warns, Darkest Dungeon is a game about making the most out of bad situations. Everything can go to hell really fast while dungeon crawling, and even the best-laid plans can and will crumble, so it’s also a test of your resolve as much as of your heroes.
Score a great deal on Darkest Dungeon >
3. Diablo IV
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, PS4/5, Xbox 1, Xbox Series X/S | 2023 |
If you haven’t played any game in the Diablo franchise, it’s basically a huge tug-of-war match between heaven and hell. In every game, you play as a mortal champion, mowing down hordes of hellish foes as you fight to reclaim the world.
Diablo IV continues this trend with punchy, lightning-fast gameplay, open world progression, deep character building mechanics (thank God they brought back skill trees), and tons of gear to up your numbers. Wrap all this up with some truly gorgeous graphics, and you’ve got a pretty dang good open-world game on your hands.
Note that Diablo IV is a live-service game, meaning that there’s pressure on the devs to continuously make the game better, especially since there are a lot of worthy competitors!
4. Slay the Spire
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, Switch, Xbox 1, iOS, Android | 2019 |
Not all dungeon crawlers have to be character RPGs. In the Slay the Spire, you’ll play as one of four different classes – the warlike Ironclad, the cunning Silent, the newly-awakened Defect, or the ascetic Watcher – in a quest to climb 50 floors and slay the spire.
While this would make for a great game on its own, this game forgoes mechanics often used by dungeon crawlers. Instead, Slay the Spire uses card-based roguelike deckbuilder gameplay as its core.
But Slay the Spire is also awash in dungeon crawling staples – there’s plenty of loot and equipment to be had in the form of unlockable cards and relics that boast passive effects.
Lastly, remember that Slay the Spire is a roguelike. That means the fun never ends, and once you’ve finally decided that you’ve mastered the spire (good luck), you can breathe new life into the game via mods!
Nab your copy of Slay the Spire >
5. Legend of Grimrock 1 & 2
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, OS X, Linux, Switch, iOS | 2012 (LoG 1), 2014 (LoG 2) |
And now for a modernized take on the genre. The Legend of Grimrock series sells itself as a “dungeon crawling RPG with modern executions but old-school heart”, and yeah, that’s pretty spot on description of this epic action RPG game.
Based on 1987’s Dungeon Master, the Legend of Grimrock games are first person, grid-based, real time dungeon crawlers where you play as a party of prisoners who can earn their freedom by clearing a deadly dungeon.
Legend of Grimrock places great emphasis on the exploration and problem-solving aspects of the dungeon crawling genre; good adventurers, after all, aren’t just strong and skilled, but cunning and inventive, too.
But while Legend of Grimrock adds a modern sheen to the genre, it doesn’t shy away from their difficulty, either. Whether via enemies, traps, or just starvation, death is a constant companion throughout the dungeon, so be sure to bring your a-game!
Get Legend of Grimrock 1 and Legend of Grimrock 2 >
6. Grim Dawn
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, Xbox 1 | 2016 |
Modern ARPGs are great, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes, people long for the simplicity of loot and scoot games. If you’re one of those people, Grim Dawn is sure to please.
Grim Dawn is (not to oversell it), the apotheosis of older ARPGs. Just enough story and setting, tons of action, lots of enemies to splat, oodles of fun abilities to use, and a staggering amount of customization, whether via masteries (classes), gear, or constellations (a secondary passive skill tree). Because of this, you’re completely free to pursue whatever build you want.
And while this may sound intimidating, don’t worry – Grim Dawn is a fantastic hack-and-slash game that really wants you to succeed, offering you powerful tools such as stat and ability resets as well as item crafting to ensure that your build is always within reach. It’s this openness that puts Grim Dawn in my list of dungeon crawlers to play.
Get a great deal on Grim Dawn >
7. Hades
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, macOS, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox 1, Xbox Series X/S, iOS | 2020 |
Supergiant Games’s Hades was all the rage back in 2020, and for good reason.
In Hades, you play as Zagreus, son of the god of the underworld. But while you are Hades’ son, you’re virtually a prisoner, as nobody leaves the realm of the dead. You can certainly try, but the deadly monsters and savage bosses won’t make it easy.
Luckily, you can call upon your divine family for boons (passive boosts), as well as get an array of powerful weapons and meta upgrades to make each run easier. None of these will trivialize combat, which is incredibly fast-paced, punchy, and satisfying.
But while Hades has action and combat aplenty, it doesn’t slack in the storytelling department either. Hades pays homage to its Greek mythology roots with both throwaway lines and its overarching tale, and there’s a heartwarming tale of family and reconciliation beneath all the hacking and slashing.
Thankfully, all players can get in on Hades’ storytelling as there are accessibility options to fine-tune the game’s difficulty.
8. Enter the Gungeon
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, Linux, macOS, Switch, PS4, Xbox 1 | 2016 |
If you want an even faster-paced roguelike dungeon crawler, Enter the Gungeon might be the game for you. This puntastic top-down roguelike dungeon crawler features a cast of colorful characters diving into the titular Gungeon for legendary treasure – in this case, the Gun That Can Kill The Past.
However, the Gungeon will not give up its treasures that easily. Each of the Gungeon’s levels is filled with fearsome foes and devious traps, which will test your reflexes to the utmost as you run, gun, and dodge roll in crazy fast combat.
Thankfully, there’s a ton of equipment too, ranging from conventional guns such as AK-47s, sawed-offs, and laser rifles to things that *could* be construed as guns, such as the letter R, a camera, and a bullet that shoots guns. Yeah, you heard me.
Note that Enter the Gungeon features couch co-op, so look this one up if you’re looking for a dungeon crawler for two.
9. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, Linux, macOS, New 3DS, Wii U, Switch, PS Vita, PS4/5, Xbox 1, Xbox Series X/S | 2014 |
I’m once again asking you to play my favorite game. Y’know, the one where you play as a dead baby and fart on Satan to kill him. Or pee, or poop, or blood vomit, or whatever hilarious thing you picked up on the way down the basement.
The Binding of Isaac is infamous for its sheer audacity. There’s no line this game won’t cross; whether it comes to bodily functions to religion, everything is fair game.
But peel off the layers of irreverent humor and you’ll find a roguelike par excellence, with procedurally generated dungeons, tons of unlocks, tough enemies and bosses, and item synergies you wouldn’t even think would happen!
The Binding of Isaac isn’t just one of the greatest dungeon crawlers, it’s one of the best games, period.
Get your hands on a Steam gift cards >
10. Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, Nintendo DS/3DS (individual games) | 2023 (PC release) |
The Etrian Odyssey series is one that’s always close to my heart and is one of my picks for the best adventure games because of how “simple” it is.
Every Etrian Odyssey title has the same premise: there’s a giant tree with a dungeon, and your quest is to explore and map each and every floor. Naturally, you’ll need to fight monsters, overcome traps, and solve puzzles to progress, so you’ll need to form a guild and assemble heroes in parties of five.
What really sets Etrian Odyssey apart is just how much it adheres to the difficulty of its forefathers. This retro first-person RPG may look cute, but don’t be fooled – this game is brutal. You’ll not only need to build and outfit your guild members well to survive but also learn how to draw your own dungeon maps!
11. Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox 1 | 2021 |
Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi is another worthy addition to retro dungeon crawlers. This first person dungeon crawler takes full advantage of humanity’s propensity for exploring big nasty caves in search of rewards.
As a chief of Cassandra Co., the newly opened District 99 was supposed to be a literal Argen mine. Instead, the portal to the surface broke, trapping virtually the entire company in Yomi. It’s not all bad, though, as you and your workers (with customizable portraits, classes, and skills) have special augmentations that allow you to fight Yomians on equal footing.
Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi shines in its immersion. The ominous terror and droning soundtrack of the first area is something I’ll always remember, and the range of character customization runs the gamut from high fantasy to depressingly dystopian, with literal schoolchildren signing up to be Undernauts. You just can’t save everyone.
Get a copy of Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi >
12. Gauntlet: Slayer Edition
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, PS4 | 2014 |
While both Etrian Odyssey and Undernauts pay homage to the dungeon crawlers of yore, Arrowhead went a step further and revived 1985’s Gauntlet.
Lovingly restored and retouched for a modern audience, Gauntlet: Slayer Edition is an almost 1:1 recreation of the arcade classic. Players will once again play as Thor the Warrior, Thyra the Valkyrie, Merlin the Wizard, or Questor the Elf as they dive deep into dungeon master Morak’s maze.
There’s not much more to the story, but Gauntlet doesn’t need to tell a tale; all it needs is four friends, some controllers, and maybe some beers. This *is* Arrowhead we’re talking about after all, so of course there’s friendly fire, so beware your friends as much as your enemies!
13. Core Keeper
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, Linux, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox 1, Xbox Series X/S | 2024 |
Core Keeper is a shining example of how gaming evolves and blends together genres to create unique experiences. This game has a little bit of everything – sandbox building, farming and fishing (and cooking!), forging, and, of course, dungeon crawling.
As an explorer on a new planet, you’re quickly separated from the rest of your group thanks to your curiosity.
No matter, the underground has plenty of stuff to explore too – caverns filled with materials to build structures and tools, plants and organic materials from the native flora and fauna, and even furniture and paintings to transform your dungeon hideout into an actual home!
While Core Keeper is already plenty of fun solo, it also has co-op for up to 8 players. And even though there’s already a ton of content, you can enrich your Core Keeper experience via mods!
Get your copy of Core Keeper >
14. Stoneshard
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC (Early Access) | 2020 (Early Access) |
Picture it: a cadre of medieval mercenaries, living free and earning piles of cash and loot, and pledging allegiance to none but gold. Stoneshard will quickly remind you that merc life is much more brutal – so much so that I’d call this one of the best open-world games you can get right now.
In Stoneshard, you play as a mercenary under the command of Verren, a senior merc who’s uncovered a deadly artifact on a contract that went FUBAR.
To survive in the medieval world of Aldor, you’ll need to earn a living by taking on contracts from war-ravaged villages, far-flung hamlets, and affluent cities. Paying the bills is a core part of Stoneshard, as you’ll need gold to stave off hunger, thirst, wounds, pain, sanity, and depression. It’s that kind of immersive sim.
Stoneshard leans hard into the low fantasy medieval setting, so it should come as no surprise that this game is difficult. However, that’s part of the challenge, and wily mercs will always find a way to overcome unfair odds – or run and live to fight another day.
15. Cryptmaster
| Platforms | Release Year |
| PC, PS4/5, Xbox 1, Xbox Series X/S | 2024 |
Hear me out: a typing game that’s part puzzle game, part dungeon crawler, and with real time combat. An unlikely combination, but Cryptmaster made it work. Of all the games on this list, this one stands out by virtue of its sheer innovation.
As with most retro dungeon crawlers, you’ll plumb through dank depths in first person view with a cadre of explorers. The catch here is that you’re all zombies, and your long-suffering necromancer-slash-dungeon master is controlling you the whole time.
Words are your weapons in Cryptmaster, and you’ll not only need to type anything – yes, literally anything – to interact with the world, but also to solve puzzles and defeat foes.
While you can play the game seriously, Cryptmaster rewards creativity at every turn. You’ll get a ton more fun out of the game (and some hilarious responses) if you think out of the box!
Get a great deal on Cryptmaster >
FAQs
What is a dungeon crawler game?
A dungeon crawler is a game where you spend most of your time exploring a massive dungeon filled with enemies, traps, and loot. Typically, there’s also a hub town where you can resupply, upgrade gear, and prepare for your next run.
Why are dungeon crawlers so popular?
Dungeon crawlers are addictive because of their satisfying gameplay loop: dive into a dungeon, gather loot, return to town to gear up, and repeat. The mix of exploration, strategy, and character progression keeps players coming back for more.
What is the best dungeon crawler on Game Pass?
For top-notch dungeon crawling on Game Pass, I’d recommend The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Hades, Darkest Dungeon, Cult of the Lamb, and Grim Dawn. Each one offers unique gameplay and plenty of replay value!
