The History of the Roguelike in 23 Games

What exactly is a “roguelike”? The term has become more and more popular as a way to describe titles that at first might not seem to have obvious common denominators: the side-scrolling shooter Enter the Gungeon, the deck-builder Slay the Spire, the space-management sim FTL are all contemporary examples. But what exactly does the term mean? 

To best answer that question, we’ll have to look all the way back to the game that gave the genre its name — 1980’s Rogue — and plot its influence throughout the past few decades. Though the genre received a formalized definition at the International Roguelike Development Conference of 2008 based on common systems and mechanics found in roguelikes (permadeath, limited resources, randomly generated environments, etc.), you’ll find that many of the games listed in this timeline share much more than that. Like the history of Rogue itself, the history of the roguelike is defined by patching, remixing, and paying homage to the past, and encompasses efforts driven by inspired individuals and entire player communities alike.

Below are a few picks from that help tell the four-decade story of the genre.