10 Best Games Like Slay The Spire [Ranked]

Slay the Spire is counted as the best game among all the roguelike deck-builder games. The game was developed by MegaCrit and was released on Jan 23, 2019. The game supports the crossplay feature and can be played on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC & Mobile Devices.

The game features four playable characters the Silent, the Defect, the Ironclad, and the Watcher.

The game requires the player to climb up several floors. Each floor contains an enemy/boss that a player has to fight through a CCG (collectible card game) based combat.

Players gain access to new and more powerful cards as they progress further in the game. The player has to make a strategy, which cards to choose and which cards to avoid in order to beat the bosses and to progress further.

The game has inspired many roguelike deck-builder games, and because of this, there is no shortage of deck-builder games in the gaming market today.

In this article, we will see some of the best games like Slay the Spire. Although these games are not exactly like StS, they certainly come closer to it.

Best Games Like Slay The Spire

10) Artifact

Artifact is a digital collectible card game that is based on the universe of DOTA 2 (also developed by Valve). The designer of Artifact is the same man behind Magic: The Gathering, Richard Garfield.

The game features more than 300 cards grouped into three classes – rare, uncommon, and common which are again subdivided into four color themes – blue, black, green, and red. All the cards have different effects and players have to choose the most effective set of cards to maximize their chances of victory.

The game initially focused only on online PvP matchmaking, but later in 2020 the game was redesigned and a single-player campaign mode was added to the game. The game received positive reviews for its gameplay and drafting mechanics. The game was released with a monetization model which was criticized. The game included microtransactions that allowed players to buy powerful cards. Later, in 2021 the game was made free to play.

9) Magic: The Gathering Arena

Magic: The Gathering Arena is a digital adaptation of the board game Magic: The Gathering (considered the first collectible card game) developed by Richard Garfield. This game is a direct copy of the original board card-based game. In the game, the player can get cards through booster packs, in-game achievements, or microtransactions.

Players can use the cards to cast spells or activate special abilities and effects. But again, they have to do this judiciously because every card used drains/consumes some of the player’s mana. In this multiplayer free-to-play CCG, both the opponents attempt to drain each other’s life to zero and emerge as the victor.

If you’re looking for the best games like slay the spire, then there is no reason why you should not be trying MGT Arena.

8) Faeria

Faeria is another deck-building game like Slay the Spire. The gameplay involves battling an AI or human opponent on an empty hex board. The two avatars of the players are placed opposite to each other on the board. The board also contains four mana spells, which provide players with extra mana; provided that the player’s cards are placed adjacent to them.

The game features more than 300 different cards which according to the game description can be gained in less than 50 hours. The game does not involve any microtransactions and all the cards in the game are gained by playing. The game runs on a DLC-based business model. The game was well-received by critics who praised its art direction and gameplay. The game is often listed as one of the best deck-building games.

7) Roguebook

Roguebook is another game that is very much inspired by Slay the Spire. The game features a large map (represented in an isometric POV) that is made of hexagonal tiles upon which the player traverses. Initially, most of the tiles of the game are hidden and can only be accessed or made available for traversing using special items found on the map itself. The goal is to get out of the place by defeating all the enemies that stand in the way of exit.

The combat is turn-based, with players using cards as long as his/her mana lasts or he/she chooses to end their turn. New cards in the game can be accessed by opening the chests found on the map, by winning battles, or by purchasing from a local retailer (a raccoon-like creature) using gold.

If deck-building and strategy games are your cups of tea, then you must try Roguebook.

6) Banners of Ruin

The next entry on the list of games similar to Slay the Spire is Banners of Ruin. This is a well-known fact that the greater the diversity in the deck of cards and the opponents, the greater the fun in a deck-building game. MonteBearo seems to understand this very well and they have put a myriad of cards into the game.

The gameplay is pretty similar to the other deck-building games where a player chooses cards that have special effects and abilities all of which affect the combat differently. The game also requires the player to make strategy and choose cards wisely, since the game is turn-based each and every turn can turn the tide of the battle either way.

Banners of Ruin should definitely be on your bucket list if you really are a fan of roguelike deck-building games.

5) Tainted Grail: Conquest

For the next game, we have Tainted Grail: Conquest. The game takes place on an island, that a player can traverse using any one of the eight classes (most of the classes unlock as the player progresses in the game). The map is represented in 3-D and it kinda gives a feel of FPS-RPG games.

On the top-left corner of the screen, a radar lets the player know the path and also lets the player know the location of the enemies. The map is designed in such a way that the player cannot progress further without engaging in combat with the enemy.

Just like any other deck-building game, the game features several cards that grant the player abilities and activate special effects.

4) One Step from Eden

One of my favorite games in this genre and easily one of the best in its line. One Step from Eden provides a slight spin on the deck-building genre. What separates this game from Slay the Spire and other games similar to StS is the combat in the game takes place in real-time and is not turn-based. The game makes use of tile-based traversing on a 4-by-4 grid while engaging in a battle and the player can move his/her character one tile at a time.

The player can choose any one of the 9 playable characters available at the start of the game. All the characters have access to different spells, artifacts, and weapons. The game features single-player, co-op, and multiplayer modes of play. The combats in the game are fast-paced and usually end in under a minute.

If you haven’t tried One Step from Eden, I personally recommend you play this game. The game is rated 82/100 for PC on Metacritic.

3) Inscryption

Inscryption is a horror roguelike deck-building game. The environment in which the game takes place is something that none of the games on this list provides. It gives a sense of creepiness and a secretive feeling. The game features all the elements of a deck-building game but introduces something new including the art style and the horror that was not seen in the deck-building genre before.

Inscryption was very well received by the audience and received praise for its never-seen-before elements. The game was nominated for ‘The Game of Year’ award at the Game Awards 2021. The game has an addictive element to it and if you’re into the horror genre, you are going to love this game.

2) Monster Train

Monster Train is a really good strategy, roguelike, and deck-building game. The game takes place on a train with four floors. The player has to prevent enemy monsters from reaching the fourth floor which contains a pyre that must be protected.

The Player uses several cards to summon monsters or to activate several effects and engage in card-based combat with the AI monsters. The catch is that the player can only summon monsters using cards on the first three floors. Once the enemy monsters reach the fourth floor the player loses.

The game received critical acclaim for its mechanically diverse decks. There is no shortage of enemies and cards to tackle them which makes the game one of the best deck-building games like slay the spire. The game was even nominated for Best Strategy/Tactics Game of 2020 at the Game Awards 2020.

1) Griftlands

The final entry on this list of best games like Slay the Spire is Griftlands. This game blends the elements of RPG, roguelike, and deck-building games. The game features three different playable storylines of three different characters – Sal, Rook, and Smith. Sal is looking to seek revenge on the person who sold her into slavery, Rook is on a dangerous mission, and Smith is returning home to seek inheritance after his parents’ death.

The game only supports a single-player mode and the gameplay involves engaging in conversation trees to gain quests and card-based combats. The combat and negotiations take place in a turn-based manner using cards that grant the player special abilities that impact the events.

The game was well-received by the gaming community and it was praised for its animations, storyline, and its RPGesque gameplay.

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Conclusion

This concludes the end of our post on the Best Games like Slay the Spire. We hope you will enjoy playing these games. If you think we have missed any deserving game out of this list, make sure to comment down below. We will be back with new and exciting gaming posts soon. Till then, Happy Gaming!