The Best Perma-death Games

Update 8 January 2024: Alien Slayer added at rank #21.

Here are our 10 Best Perma-death Games:

Play Video: Hell is Others

PC Windows

Dive into the chilling world of 'Hell is Others', where you navigate the eerie Century City, fight off terrifying foes, and keep your blood-thirsty bonsai tree healthy. With the clock ticking, your choices decide your fate. Will you survive the spectral town and uncover its secrets?

• Unique multiplayer experience
• Adrenaline-pumping gameplay
• Solid and polished design
• Interesting customization options
• Helpful game tips and strategies

• Limited exploration time
• Small inventory size

• top-down
• gun
• philosophical
• perma-death
• twin-stick
• survival-horror
• shooter
• loot
• shoot-em-up
• pve
• thriller
• customization
• dystopian
• fast-paced
• stealth

Good match + 7 Bad match - 9

Play Video: The Witch's House

PC Windows

A young girl, Viola, is drawn inexorably to a mysterious manor that seems to change behind her back. It is a place of pain, turmoil and death. Plumb its detestable depths and abominable history. Untangle riddles that bar your perilous path. And flee the hellish halls of The Witch’s House.

• horror
• 2d
• rpgmaker
• perma-death
• rhythm
• survival-horror
• atmospheric
• pixel
• rpg
• puzzle
• platform

Good match + 7 Bad match - 5

IOS iPhone Android PC Windows

Join our community on a fantastic journey across a vast, unique world. Discover new technologies, build infrastructure and brave new frontiers. All that with no fees or in-game purchases. Please note: This is a slow-paced game limited by Action Points that regenerate very slowly in real time!

• perma-death
• mmo
• pve
• character
• multiplayer
• sandbox
• rpg
• choices
• customization
• exploration
• cartoony
• 2d
• open-world
• turn-based
• crafting

Good match + 3 Bad match

Play Video: Rift Wizard

PC Windows

Rift Wizard is a tough as nails fantasy roguelike featuring challenging turn based combat and deep open ended character building. Craft your spellbook from over 100 unique spells and abilities and fight your way through a series of procedurally generated challenges to defeat your nemesis.

• rogue-like
• character
• perma-death
• turn-based
• magic
• dungeon-crawler
• customization
• traditional
• procedural
• 2d
• minimalist
• fantasy
• top-down
• rouge
• pixel

Good match + 1 Bad match - 2

PC Windows ps2 xbox Xbox 360 Playstation 3 Xbox Series X Playstation 4 Playstation 5 Xbox One Nintendo Switch

Rick Henderson is an endless horizontal-scrolling shoot 'em up with infinite replayability, a true homage to 16-bit shooters wrapped in graphics we all loved. Twitch your fingers through five enemy factions and their bosses, upgrade your ship and try to survive through unpredictable space events.

• perma-death
• scroller
• shoot-em-up
• arcade
• procedural
• choices
• space
• boss
• shooter
• 2d
• artillery
• pixel
• retro
• multiball
• sniper

Good match + 1 Bad match - 3

Play Video: We who are about to Die

early access PC Windows

Fight & strategize your way through spectacles and arenas -- rise from lowly slave to Grand Champion and earn your freedom. Or... die trying. This Gladiator RPG Roguelite features in-depth career management and a unique physics simulated combat system. To those who are about to die, I salute you!

• rogue-like
• physics
• character
• perma-death
• hack-and-slash
• customization
• swordplay
• historical
• medieval
• rpg
• rome
• pve
• gore
• replay-value
• arena

Good match + 3 Bad match

Play Video: Baldi's Basics Plus

early access Linux Mac OS PC Windows

Baldi's Basics Plus is like the original game, but PLUS! The same cruddy edutainment horror type parody theme is back, but with hugely expanded gameplay features, including procedurally generated levels, field trip minigames, crazy random events, PLUS more characters, more items, and more chaos!

• parody
• rogue-like
• procedural
• horror
• perma-death
• stealth
• 1990s
• satire
• 3d
• surreal
• first-person
• survival-horror
• retro
• funny
• exploration

Good match + 1 Bad match - 1

Play Video: ELDERBORN

PC Windows

ELDERBORN - a Metal AF* Slasher with brutal FPP melee combat and souls-like/RPG character progression. In the times of legend, barbarian tribes need a new dark messiah. Be that merciless slayer. Uncover ancient secrets in the city of doom. Forge your own destiny! *Action Fantasy.

• dark
• souls
• swordplay
• perma-death
• fantasy
• pve
• comic
• hack-and-slash
• dungeon-crawler
• fight
• 3d
• sci-fi
• book
• first-person
• atmospheric

Good match + 14 Bad match - 18

early access PC Windows

This is the fantasy of a two-dimensional traverser in a different world. You can take a leisurely and strategically deep adventure. You can also collect beautiful girls without hurting your wallet, and form your own harem... ahem, mercenary group.

• rogue-like-deckbuilder
• rogue-like
• japanese
• rpg
• perma-death
• battler
• card
• jrpg
• turn-based
• strategy
• exploration
• cartoony
• tactical

Good match + 1 Bad match

Play Video: It Steals

PC Windows

AROUND EVERY CORNER. Face against stealthy antagonists that will take advantage of your expectations.

• horror
• perma-death
• first-person
• survival-horror
• psychological
• fps
• 3d
• pixel
• stealth
• arcade
• demons
• shooter

Good match + 9 Bad match - 19

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