Rogue Reigns wants to reinvent the roguelike deckbuilder, and don’t we just need that right now

The roguelike deckbuilder genre is getting another challenger later this year, but Rogue Reigns looks like it may actually have a few tricks up its sleeve rather than simply trying to become a darker Slay the Spire. I don’t want to suggest the deckbuilder genre is stagnating… but it is. Can this new challenger change that?

Revealed recently at Gamescom Latam (did I mention I was there to see it) by Brazilian indie developer Venn Studios, Rogue Reigns is a dark fantasy roguelike deckbuilder launching in September 2026 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and even mobile devices.

At first glance, it certainly looks the part. Grim kingdoms, creepy monsters, moody narration and enough muted colour palettes to satisfy anybody who still listens to dungeon synth on purpose. But the more interesting part is the game’s central mechanic, which shifts away from the standard “one hero, one deck” setup most deckbuilders rely on.

Instead, Rogue Reigns puts players in control of a three-character party, with each hero carrying their own deck, abilities, and combat role. The catch is that rewards are limited after battles, meaning you can’t level everybody equally. Buff up your wizard too much, and your tank may become dead weight. Ignore one character for too long and, according to the developers, “the stalker catches up, someone falls.” Which all sounds delightfully stressful.

Venn Studios says players will be able to build teams using classes including Warriors, Rogues, Wizards, Paladins and Warlocks, with over 10 party compositions available at launch. The studio is aiming for the kind of replayability loop deckbuilder fans obsess over, where one absurdly overpowered synergy can suddenly turn a doomed run into a victory lap.

Visually, the game is also trying to stand apart from the crowd. While many roguelike deckbuilders lean into their static 2D art, Rogue Reigns mixes hand-drawn characters with procedurally generated 3D environments powered by the studio’s own “Wildcard” engine. Whether that translates into something genuinely fresh or just “slightly shinier card battles” remains to be seen, but at least it looks different, and from my hands-on in Sao Paulo, it seems to work a treat.

At the super busy Abragames stand a couple of weeks back, I was taken through the game by one of the devs who was explaining how the team at Venn had worked on the bespoke engine because there was nothing else really out there that allowed them to get the look and feel they were going for.

What was refreshing was the keenness to listen to feedback from the likes of me and fellow long-standing industry gurus (cough) and seem to actively want to improve areas of the game that were highlighted. The guys genuinely seemed to want to hear our ideas, and well, that doesn’t generally happen, so kudos.

Besides the engine, another thing Venn Studios has going for it is a built-in audience. Before making games, the team spent years building a YouTube following focused entirely on deckbuilder analysis and design discussion, growing the channel to more than 108,000 subscribers. That community has apparently helped shape Rogue Reigns through ongoing playtests and feedback sessions.

We may be fast approaching a period of humanity where deckbuilder fatigue is real but hopefully it won’t arrive until we get to enjoy Rogue Reigns in all its glory.

Rogue Reigns can be wishlisted on Steam right now and will launch in September. You can also request access to the upcoming playtest.

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