Dungeon crawler games
A branch of role-playing where you push forward by clearing dungeons layer by layer, focused on loot and party management.
What is the dungeon crawler genre?
Dungeon crawling is exactly what it sounds like: You enter a dungeon, move room by room, clear out the monsters and collect the treasure. The genre turns the simplest form of a classic tabletop role-playing session into a game. In most of them you manage not a single hero but a party of different classes, and the party's makeup is the key to survival.
Resource management is the genre's second pillar: Meters like torches, potions, food and morale decide how long you can stay in the dungeon. Going deeper means better loot, but it also raises the risk of never coming back. Deciding when to stop and get out matters as much as fighting.
What defines it?
The deeper the dungeon, the bigger both the reward and the risk.
Balancing different classes together is a condition for survival.
Light, potions and food decide how long you can stay in the dungeon.
The items you collect make the party stronger for the next descent.
Landmark games
Well-known examples often used to explain the genre. For the list on our site, see the games section below.
At a glance
Dungeon crawler games (2)
Frequently asked questions
Is a dungeon crawler the same as a roguelike?
Not the same, but related. The roguelike grew out of dungeon crawling and made random generation and permanent death mandatory. Some dungeon crawlers use hand-designed dungeons and a normal save system instead.
Can you play alone?
Yes. In many games a single player controls the whole party. In online examples the party is made up of real players, and communication becomes decisive.