Best Dungeon Crawler Games 2023

There’s nothing quite like exploring dark and dreary environments teeming with powerful enemies and rewards in the best dungeon crawler games.

This kind of gameplay loop never goes out of style, as evident by the ongoing popularity of dungeon-crawling RPGs and roguelikes.

In this list, we’ll highlight the best dungeon crawler games on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

By the end, you’ll have a ton of new titles on your radar to check out!

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Our first recommendation for the best dungeon crawler games is Arboria, a third-person action RPG with Soulslike combat.

In it, you take on the role of a Yotun warrior as they explore creepy procedurally-generated dungeons using a variety of tools, weapons, and mutations.

To save your tribe from extinction, you’ll have to heal the Father Tree by traveling to ever-changing dungeons and defeating a host of bizarre monsters.

Arboria features a multitude of upgrades that let you customize and evolve your warriors along with dynamic real-time combat that changes with each weapon.

While the best dungeon crawler games are typically set in dark, fantasy worlds, Neon Abyss bucks that trend with a bright and colorful cyberpunk aesthetic.

This roguelite action-platformer sees you running and gunning through randomized dungeons as part of an elite task force assembled by Hades himself.

As you progress through levels, you’ll receive random drops that grant passive effects that can be infinitely stacked to trigger powerful effects.

Over time, new rooms, items, bosses, rules, and endings are introduced, making each run feel entirely distinct.

Death’s Door is one of the best indie dungeon crawler games to come out of 2021 and is often praised for its Soulslike combat and Zelda-style puzzles.

In it, you play as a humble crow working for an authoritative afterlife company that goes after incompliant souls by any means necessary.

Gameplay focuses on hack and slash combat, with the Crow able to chain together different abilities and equip various weapons.

The game is presented in a third-person, isometric perspective that offers a clear view of the battlefield and sprawling dungeon environments at all times.

Noita is a 2D action roguelike where every on-screen pixel is physically simulated, resulting in dynamic interactions with both environments and enemies.

In it, you play as a magic-wielding witch with the power to burn, explode or melt anything that crosses their path.

This is done by crafting and casting new spells while exploring procedurally generated dungeons ranging from dark coal mines to freezing-cold wastelands.

Progressing further opens up new kinds of environments and reveals more secrets about the game’s world.

Dreamscaper is a 3D action roguelike with permanent upgrades and run-based mechanics that play out similarly to most dungeon-crawling RPGs.

In it, you take on the role of a woman named Cassidy as she delves deep into her subconscious, manifested as a physical, ever-changing world.

However, Cassidy isn’t alone as her greatest fears and nightmares come to life in the form of increasingly powerful foes that stand in the way of her salvation.

Each run sees you wielding various weapons, artifacts, and lucid powers that let you manipulate elements, warp physical spaces, and even control time itself.

Next up is Last Epoch, an action RPG with hack and slash combat that’s currently available in Steam Early Access.

In it, you embark on a mission to save the universe from an all-consuming void by traveling through time and battling ancient gods and monsters.

Last Epoch’s world is filled with several factions vying for control, environments teeming secrets, and randomized loot drops.

Players start with a base class before moving on to one of three Master class specializations that offer new skills tailored for different playstyles.

Chronicon is a pixel-based action RPG that centers on a strange device used to explore the memories of fallen heroes and relive their greatest exploits.

Dungeons and other environments are procedurally generated with each run and the crafting system allows you to enchant your equipment with Runes.

The game offers virtually infinite character progression via Master ranks and features four unique classes and five fantasy-driven storylines.

When it comes to endgame content, Chronicon boasts randomized dungeons, bosses, and additional crafting mechanics.

Based on the tabletop game of the same name, Gloomhaven is a tactical RPG that combines strategic gameplay with a hefty amount of dungeon crawling.

The game takes place in a fantasy world overrun with bandits, demons, zombies, and more, which have caused people to retreat to the safety of their homes.

Enter in you, the Guildmaster and one tasked with reconnecting the world, reopening trade routes, and exterminating monsters.

There’s a wide selection of recruitable mercenaries with unique abilities, upgrades, and perks you can unlock by purchasing new gear for your party.

Minecraft Dungeons does a great job at paying homage to the classic dungeon crawler RPGs like Diablo and Torchlight.

In it, you’re tasked with defeating the nefarious Arch-Illager after he begins corrupting the Minecraft world and spawning evil mobs of enemies.

The game offers hundreds of artifacts, gear, and enchantments that can be combined to perform devastating attacks as well as buff and heal allies.

Minecraft Dungeons can be played via local and online co-op with up to four players and features multiple difficulty options with scaling rewards.

Fans of the best dungeon crawler games enjoy spell-casting through Wizard of Legend, an action-packed indie roguelite with fast-paced combat.

You are a wizard with magic powers, participating in a series of challenging magic tests where players try to conquer powerful wizards.

These increasingly difficult battles will put your skills to the ultimate test and demand precise dodging as mobs of enemies bombard you with attacks.

Each death brings you back to the start of the map, retaining some of the spells you picked up during your previous run.

Blending both roguelike elements and hack-and-slack combat, Children of Morta is a 2D action RPG dungeon crawler.

The story chronicles the adventures of a heroic family fighting an evil power called the Corruption, with players able to pick from any one of the Bergson clan.

This functions as a pseudo-class system in which each family member has their own repertoire of abilities tailored for crowd control, long-range, melee, etc.

Despite its charming pixel art presentation, Children of Morta is quite difficult and will see you dying often, though characters will continue to level up.

Hades is a critically-acclaimed roguelike dungeon crawler with hack and slash combat.

In it, you play as the son of Hades on a mission to escape an ever-shifting underworld guarded by gods blocking your path to Mt. Olympus.

While roguelikes aren’t known for their storytelling, Hades bucks this trend by having the world and dialogue evolve the further you progress.

To this point, character progression is different than games like Diablo while scratching a similar itch in terms of fun.

Anyone who enjoys bullet hell shooters with dungeon crawling exploration should check out Enter the Gungeon.

Modeled after classic twin-stick shooters with a rogue-lite twist, it sees you exploring The Gungeon, a sprawling labyrinth brimming with enemies, traps, and loot.

Each character introduces a unique ability to spice things up, ranging from lock-picking to reduced reload times to an extended dodge roll.

This is further complemented by an arsenal of bizarre weaponry that includes handguns with bouncing bullets and target-seeking beehives.

If you enjoy games like Hades, then Dead Cells is a similar game with 2D graphics that focuses on combat, exploration, and dungeon-crawling.

Each run has you gathering materials to craft better gear while hunting down larger-than-life bosses and minions across sprawling pixel art environments.

Every death sees you booted back to the start with a fraction of your resources, creating that familiar “one more run” feeling associated with roguelikes.

Keep in mind, it’s an extremely unforgiving game with challenging enemies that take a lot of practice and good reflexes to overcome.

Slay the Spire is a 2D card-strategy roguelike in which players pick from one of several playable characters with unique starting conditions that affect their run.

The goal is to ascend a series of levels within a spire while encountering numerous enemies and rewards depending on the path taken.

Along the way, you’ll rest up at campfires, buy and sell cards at shops, obtain new gear from chests, and explore choice-based encounters.

If you enjoy dungeon crawlers with deck-building elements, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy Slay the Spire too.

Any gamer on a tight budget will appreciate Path of Exile’s no-frills approach to Diablo-like dungeon crawling.

In it, you take on the role of an Exile forced to survive on a dark continent before setting off to exact revenge against those who wronged you.

Path of Exile features a robust character customizer that lets you combine class abilities using tradable gems and a massive selection of passive skills.

The game has a pretty big following that provides a significant boon to its player-driven economy at the expense of being online-only.

Another isometric hack n’ slash game that continues to dominate the dungeon crawler space, Diablo III is a solid recommendation for RPG fans.

Originally released in 2012, it sees you setting off on an epic quest to defeat the Lord of Terror himself, Diablo.

Along the way, you and up to three other friends can team up and battle droves of enemies and bosses while increasing your power through loot drops.

It’s easily one of the most accessible games on this list and offers a simple gameplay loop whose difficulty can be raised or lowered accordingly.

Grim Dawn is another beloved action RPG that casts you as a resistance fighter caught in a war between two supernatural forces vying for control over humanity.

Like Diablo, gameplay centers on crawling your way through dark dungeons, caverns, forests, and wastelands inhabited by supernatural enemies and loot.

Players are rewarded for their curiosity with hidden chests and narrative bits of lore that help flesh out the game’s dark fantasy steampunk setting.

It’s exceptionally tough in terms of raw difficulty and grind, but does an excellent job of rewarding you for putting in the work and overcoming challenges.