The best roguelike deckbuilders, according to hackers
3 roguelike deckbuilders were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended roguelike deckbuilders with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Addictive, fun roguelite card gameplay
People recommend Balatro as an addictive, polished roguelite card game that runs well on many systems.
Genre-starting strategy roguelite
Well-regarded strategy roguelite that started a wave of similar games and runs well on Mac and while traveling. Critics note bugs reported in the original game.
All 3 roguelike deckbuilders, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balatro | 31 | 2 | 94% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Slay the Spire | 14 | 2 | 88% | 9 | — | Approved |
| 3 | Slay the Spire 2 | 9 | 6 | 60% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same roguelike deckbuilder in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to roguelike deckbuilders that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.