Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon is a challenging gothic roguelike turn-based RPG about the psychological stresses of adventuring. Recruit, train, and lead a team of flawed heroes against unimaginable horrors, stress, disease, and the ever-encroaching dark. Can you keep your heroes together when all hope is lost?
What it feels like
The game's pervasive dark atmosphere, gothic aesthetics, and emphasis on psychological horror and unflinching brutality define a grim, harsh tone throughout. Slow-building anticipatory fear of encountering unimaginable horrors and the constant threat of character loss creates sustained dread. The ever-encroaching dark and mounting pressures of stress, disease, and failure create a crushing atmosphere that presses on the player.
What it's about
Decaying estates, cosmic dread, and a brooding gothic atmosphere are central to the setting and aesthetic. A decayed gothic world of cruelty, curses, and moral ruin where heroes face unimaginable horrors and psychological collapse. The core mechanic centers on stress, mental breakdown, and the psychological toll of adventuring rather than pure combat horror.
How it plays
Turn-based tactical combat is definitional to the core gameplay loop and decision-making. Recruiting, positioning, and managing a team of distinct flawed heroes against horrors is the central mechanical loop. Character death is permanent and resetting, raising the weight of decisions and losses throughout the experience.
How it looks and sounds
Ornate decaying architecture, macabre visual design, and gothic grandeur define the visual identity throughout. Hand-drawn character art and illustrated environments give the gothic world a painterly, intentional visual style. 3D characters and effects are composited into 2D side-on dungeon crawling visuals, creating the game's distinctive aesthetic.
How it's structured
Progress is structured as descent through successive dungeon chambers and levels, classic dungeon-crawl structure. Designed entirely as a single-player experience with no multiplayer component. Expeditions into the dungeon constitute discrete runs that reset on character loss, with meta-progression between attempts.
Kindred games
Shares Dungeon Crawl, Turn-Based Combat, Dark Fantasy, Dread.
Both lean into Dungeon Crawl, Dark Fantasy, Turn-Based Combat, Dread.
Shares Turn-Based Combat, Run-Based, Party Management, Dark Fantasy.
Both lean into Turn-Based Combat, Run-Based, Party Management, Dark Fantasy.
Shares Turn-Based Combat, Grim, Gothic, Dread.
Both lean into Turn-Based Combat, Single-Player, Grim, Gothic.
See all games like Darkest Dungeon →
Closest hidden gems
A lesser-known kindred — Run-Based, Turn-Based Combat, Party Management, Resource Management. 91% positive across 4,486 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Run-Based, Single-Player, Party Management, Turn-Based Combat.
A lesser-known kindred — Dark Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Resource Management, Hand-Drawn 2D. 93% positive across 4,742 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Single-Player, Dark Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Resource Management.
A lesser-known kindred — Run-Based, Permadeath, Grim, Dark Fantasy. 85% positive across 4,522 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Run-Based, Permadeath, Grim, Dark Fantasy.