Some of the bestindie gamesalso happen to be roguelikes, and that’s no coincidence. The genre has taken the indie scene by storm as of late, with numerous excellent titles falling under its rather vague and all-encompassing banner seemingly every day. It can be hard then to stand out among such a vast crowd, yet, every so often, a game manages to do something just a little bit different, or, in a rare case, quite a lot different, to impress those who’ve sunk hundreds, if not thousands of hours into the genre and its sea of accompanying games.
2025 has already played host to some of thebest roguelikes ever made, including one released in late May. Since its release, roguelike fans have not stopped talking about it, with many heralding it as the best game in the genre in quite some time.It currently sits with several thousand reviews on Steam, 92% of which are positive, giving it the well-deserved “Very Positive” accolade. Fortunately, for those who play nothing but the best, the game’s path through its Early Access phase will surely see it hit the sought-after “Overwhelmingly Positive” tag soon.
9 Kings Is Shaping Up To Be 2025’s Best Roguelike
It Is Sitting On A “Very Positive” Score On Steam
9 Kingslaunched into Early Access on Steam on July 04, 2025, and since then has been garnering critical acclaim from both fans and journalists alike. Of course, a roguelike releasing in 2025 probably doesn’t seem particularly special to most people, even fans of the genre, as it has become so overcrowded, but as alluded to,9 Kingsis different. That’s because it’s not really a roguelike, at least exclusively.It’s a kingdom-builder, a deckbuilder, and an autobattler, giving it more than enough variety to satiate roguelike fansand those who are predisposed to dislike the genre.
9 Kingsis quickly becoming one of thebest roguelike deckbuildersavailable, in large part because of how it blends strategy into the card-collecting mechanics. As the game’s name suggests,you’ll go up against the other titular kings, battling those whose cards you wish to incorporate into your deckand thus make your kingdom and its ever-growing army even more powerful. You can then avoid battling those whose cards don’t synergize well with yours, allowing you to more or less pick and choose the direction of your deck. So long as you beat your opponent, of course.
9 Kingshas such an energetic and engrossing gameplay loop, the kind that makes you sink hundreds of hours into it, like the verybest indie gamesavailable. As hyperbolic as it sounds,9 Kingshas very much become my newBalatro-esque obsession, and I can see it dominating my time across 2025. It helps, too, for those who are a little on the fence that it has a completely free demo onSteam, ensuring you’re able to try before you buy. It is also in Early Access, which, naturally, means we’ll be seeing a lot more content in the future.
9 Kings Has Big Plans For Its Future Content
It Is In Early Access For Now
9 Kingshas fairly big plans for its future throughout its intended year-long stint in Early Access. Right now, seven of the titular nine kings have been made available, with the developer intending on adding the rest throughout the Early Access period.Developer Sad Socket has also teased additional gameplay modes, perks, and more coming to the game, so fans and newcomers alike can look forward to all of that. Currently, the game costs $14.99, but according to the game’s Steam store page, the price may increase when more content is added.
Early Access has become a negative term, especially with so many projectsreleased in a broken stateor left abandoned. However,9 Kingsalready has a huge community of fans behind it, with it garnering nearly 7,000 positive reviews in just its first few weeks on Steam. It hit an all-time peak player count of 13,905, according toSteam Charts, which is mighty impressive for an indie title and far surpasses several triple-A games likeRise of the RoninandSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, and just narrowly misses the likes ofAvowedandFinal Fantasy 16.
9 Kingsis not another Early Access disaster and is worth checking out if you’re a fan of roguelikes, deckbuilders, or kingdom builders. It shouldn’t be slept on in 2025 as it has the potential to become the next big indie game. Who knows, it may even get a nod at the Game Awards. Regardless,9 Kingsis a great game that will get better over time, and those who find it even remotely interesting should check out its demo and then pick it up if they want to delve deeper into its myriad of complex systems and enjoyable gameplay.
