After a new dungeon crawler gameplay experience for 2021? As we have listed down a few games that we think you should keep tabs on, you’re in luck. We have some great dungeon-crawling video games in this list that are either out now, in early access, or anticipated by fans hoping to see the title make some launch within the 2021 calendar year. We don’t have these games ranked in any particular order as most of these titles have yet to make it out into the market. With all that said, here are a few new dungeon crawlers to get excited about in 2021.
Disclaimer Update: The Unliving, Fight Knight, Spark in the Dark, Corepunk, Last Epoch, Project TL, There Is No Light, Path of Exile 2 have been removed due to delays.
#10 Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/S
Release Date : June 22, 2021
Genre: Action role-playing
Fans of the Dungeons & Dragons IP has a new game called Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, a third-person action RPG set as a spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate series. This title will put players into the Icewind Dale region, where you’ll get four playable characters, Drizzt Do’Urden, Catti-brie, Bruenor Battlehammer, and Wulfgar. Here you’ll battle against all sorts of dark and sinister monsters in search of new gear or unlocking abilities to tweak your character further. If you’re playing this game as a single-player experience, you’ll get the ability to swap around the different characters. Meanwhile, the online game mode component will allow players to work through the game with up to four players.
#9 Curse of the Dead Gods
Platform: PC, PS4, NS, XBO
Release Date: February 23, 2021
Genre: Roguelike
In Curse of the Dead Gods, players stumble upon a mysterious temple. Inside, an infinite labyrinth awaits with vile enemies that lurk around each corner. With everything out to see your demise, players will have to explore and clear out rooms carefully. Meanwhile, the deeper you dive into this temple, the more you’ll uncover valuable goods. You’ll stumble upon riches and unique powers. Of course, the only thing stopping you is the never-ending random monsters and deadly traps. This game launched early, and so far, the reception has been rather positive. If you’re after a new roguelike dungeons crawler, then you might be pleasantly surprised with this game.
#8 Dwerve: Prologue
Platform: PC
Release Date: September 3, 2021
Genre: Dungeon Crawler
Dwerve: Prologue is just a small taste of what we’ll be getting in 2022 with the full Dwerve game. This is exactly what the title suggests, a prologue. In this game, we’re taking the role of a young dwarf seeking adventure. Venturing into the ruins for lost technologies and ancient goods, a swarm of monsters flood the area under the control of Witch Queen Vandra. Players will be exploring the area and setting the area up with special turrets, much like a tower-defense game. Here you’ll need to think carefully about where turrets and traps should be placed within the map. Again, this is just a small game to help throw out some lore and backstory for when the full game launches. Best of all, it’s free, so you can enjoy the game right now while we wait for the full Dwerve release to hit the marketplace sometime in 2022.
#7 Dreamscaper
Platform: PC, NS
Release Date: August 5, 2021
Genre: Roguelike
In Dreamscaper, players are taking the role of a young woman named Cassidy. Living a typical life, during your waking hours, you’ll live Cassidy’s life where you’ll interact with friends and unlock new powers for when you fall asleep. It’s when you’re asleep that players are confronted with horrible nightmares. It’s an ever-changing world where new foes pop up for Cassidy to fight. Of course, with the powers you unlock during the day, you’ll be able to unleash some brutal attacks against the slew of monsters. As you plunge deeper into Cassidy’s subconscious, you’ll get a bit more insight into Cassidy’s memories. If you’re after something like Hades, then this is a solid pick-up. You’ll get a solid story mixed with a thrilling top-down dungeon crawler experience.
#6 Demeo
Platform: Oculus Quest, PC
Release Date : May 6, 2021
Genre: RPG, VR
Deemo is a game that players can pick up and play right now, but this is a VR title, so you’ll need to ensure that you have the compatible headset and hardware to run the game. Players can expect more of a traditional style of board game experience. You’ll get to overlook the world your character models are within while rolling a dice, selecting various cards to use attacks, and best of all, you’ll be able to go through this game with a group of friends. With the coronavirus health pandemic pretty much stopping the ability to connect with friends locally, having this option to gather around and play a classic tabletop RPG adventure virtually is a great alternative. As mentioned, this video game is already available. You can dive into it with an assortment of headsets such as the Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality.
#5 Arboria
Platform: PC
Release Date: September 9, 2021
Genre: Dungeon Crawler
Arboria exited out of early access this year. In this fantasy, game players are a warrior for the Yotun clan. It’s your destiny to be the chosen one set to save the tribe from extinction. With the life source of your clan overtaken by a disease, you’ll need to venture into the depths of the dungeon and uncover a way to stop this virus. The game is often described as a Souls-like experience with plenty of brutal enemies to face off against. However, you’re a living weapon with different symbiotic weapons to unlock and upgrade. You’ll have to carefully fight off the enemies and venture forward to continue making upgrades. Although, with each death comes a new warrior in your place. Depending on your progress, some of the stats will affect the next successor. Likewise, the levels are procedurally generated, so you’ll constantly find new areas to explore.
#4 Gloomhaven
Platform: PC
Release Date: October 20, 2021
Genre: Tabletop
Gloomhaven is a tabletop game, but there’s a digital release that just launched on the PC. This is a different take on the strategy board game where players are following a group of mercenaries. Seeking fortune and fame, the world of Gloomhaven is full of dark and deadly creatures. Whether you venture into the caves, forests, or dungeons, you can be sure that there’s plenty of enemies between you and your rewards. Players will find that this game offers four-player cooperative gameplay with over fifteen characters to pick from, each sporting their own unique abilities. Being a digital version of a tabletop game, there is quite a bit of management between characters, such as adjusting abilities, perks, gear, and enhancements. With that said, you can go through this game as a single-player experience.
#3 Returnal
Platform: PS5
Release Date: April 30, 2021
Genre: Roguelike
Returnal is the latest game from developers Housemarque, and it’s exclusive to the PlayStation 5. In the game, players are taking the role of an Astra scout roaming the different planets when she finds herself stuck in a time loop. To escape, players will have to explore the lands and battle off a swarm of enemies. This game is often compared to a bullet hell as you’ll constantly find enemies firing off all sorts of projectiles. As a result, not only are you having to gather your high-tech weapons to fight back, but you’ll also have to rush around the map to avoid taking hits constantly. However, if you die, then the world changes up, so you constantly have to explore around.
#2 Darkest Dungeon 2
Platform: PC
Release Date: October 26, 2021
Genre: RPG
You might be familiar with the 2016 release of Darkest Dungeon. In this game, players manage heroes as they go through an adventure with a slew of monsters awaiting ahead. While most games have you working different stays of your party, here, you’ll need to keep track of each character’s fear and paranoia level. This was a big hit with fans, and now we can get ready to try out the sequel this year through early access on the Epic Games Store. The game will once again have players managing a group of heroes as they venture through different areas battling evil. However, the main goal here is to stop an apocalypse from happening. Players can expect the same style of gameplay mechanics to carry over but with new enemies and characters to take control of.
#1 The Binding of Isaac: Repentance
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, NS, X/S
Release Date: March 31, 2021
Genre: Roguelike
The Binding of Isaac is several years old now, but that doesn’t stop the developers from pushing out new DLC. Fans have really enjoyed this game, and this year we received the Repentance DLC. Keeping the same overall gameplay mechanics, Repentance is more of an ultimate edition of the base game. With this addition, players are given a slew of content to go through. There’s a new alternative path featuring new chapters, bosses, and a unique ending. Players will also find over a hundred new enemies, two new playable characters, five challenges, over 5,000 new room designs, along with over a hundred new items and achievements. If you enjoy this game, then this is one DLC not to pass up on, and likewise, if you’re brand new to the game, this is DLC to pick up as well as the base game.
