Best Dungeon Crawler Games: From Classic Grids to Modern ARPGs

"Dungeon crawler" is one of those genre terms that has evolved beyond its original meaning. In 1987 it meant grid-based first-person party exploration — Wizardry, Might and Magic, Eye of the Beholder. In 2026 it covers everything from those classics to action RPGs like Diablo to roguelikes like Hades to MMORPGs with instanced dungeons. Here's the spectrum, from true grid-based blobbers to modern interpretations.

The classic grid-based dungeon crawlers (blobbers)

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls continues the ancient franchise in its original grid format. Punishingly old-school. Not for beginners but essential for genre fans.

Legend of Grimrock and Legend of Grimrock 2 are modern takes on the classic dungeon crawler. Grid movement, real-time combat, great puzzles.

Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection bundles the first three Etrian games. Classic first-person dungeon crawling with map-drawing mechanics. You literally draw the dungeon maps yourself. Unique and charming.

Class of Heroes 1 & 2 Complete Edition revives a niche series for modern platforms. Pure old-school grid crawling.

The modern action RPG dungeon crawlers

Diablo 4 is action RPG dungeon crawling at the biggest modern scale. The games like Diablo and games like Diablo 4 posts cover this space.

Path of Exile remains the deepest ARPG experience available. The games like Path of Exile post covers its peers.

Last Epoch is Path of Exile with better onboarding. Great mid-point between D4's accessibility and PoE's depth.

Grim Dawn is the hand-crafted ARPG gem. Still getting updates.

The roguelike dungeon crawlers

Hades and Hades II blend dungeon crawling with roguelike progression and one of the best narrative structures in gaming. The games like Hades post has more.

Dead Cells is 2D Metroidvania roguelike that captures dungeon-crawler spirit in platformer form. The games like Dead Cells post has more.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is top-down roguelike dungeon crawler with twisted aesthetic and enormous content. The games like Binding of Isaac post has more.

Enter the Gungeon is bullet-hell roguelike with deep build variety. The games like Enter the Gungeon post has more.

Crypt of the NecroDancer is rhythm-based dungeon crawler. Unique and excellent.

The indie dungeon crawlers

Darkest Dungeon and Darkest Dungeon II are turn-based gothic horror dungeon crawlers with heavy psychological focus. Essential.

Dungeonmans is pure classic dungeon crawler with modern design sensibilities.

Streets of Rogue is top-down immersive sim roguelike in urban settings. Not traditional dungeon crawler but captures the spirit of "every level is a playground."

The Japanese dungeon crawlers

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth combines Persona with Etrian Odyssey mechanics. Chibi Persona characters in classic dungeon crawling.

Etrian Odyssey Nexus is the series finale that's the most polished Etrian Odyssey.

Strange Journey Redux is Shin Megami Tensei's dungeon crawler entry. Dark, demonic, excellent.

The MMO dungeon crawlers

Final Fantasy XIV is an MMO built around regular dungeon content. Some of the best-designed dungeons in any game.

Guild Wars 2 has meta-event-style dungeons as part of its content structure.

World of Warcraft remains the 800-pound gorilla of MMO dungeon design. Still active, still relevant for dungeon crawling.

The co-op dungeon crawlers

Remnant II is third-person shooter with deep dungeon-style level design. Excellent co-op.

Deep Rock Galactic is procedurally generated dwarf mining chaos. Dungeons with destructible terrain. Essential co-op experience.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is left-4-dead-style co-op with dungeon progression.

Warhammer 40K: Darktide is similar to Vermintide but in the 40k universe.

The survivors-like dungeon crawlers

The bullet heaven genre has absorbed a lot of dungeon crawler DNA recently. Run-based, loot-focused, build-variety-driven. Our own Granny's Rampage is squarely in this space.

Halls of Torment specifically nails the Diablo-aesthetic-in-survivors-format.

Vampire Survivors is the genre leader.

Brotato offers tighter runs with deeper build decisions.

The horror dungeon crawlers

Moon Hunters is procedurally generated mythology dungeon crawler.

Lunacid is retro-style first-person dungeon crawler with Bloodborne aesthetic.

Dungeon of the Endless blends roguelike dungeon crawling with tower defense.

What we make at Choost

Granny's Rampage lives in the bullet-heaven dungeon-crawler space — run-based, loot-focused, build-variety-driven. Different angle from classic grid-based dungeons but shared family tree. For more, the best roguelike games, best indie games of all time, and best metroidvania games posts have more adjacent content.

The short answer

For classic grid-based: Legend of Grimrock 1 & 2.

For pure dungeon crawling depth: Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection.

For modern ARPG dungeon crawling: Diablo 4 or Path of Exile.

For narrative roguelike dungeon crawling: Hades.

For indie gem: Darkest Dungeon.

For co-op dungeon chaos: Deep Rock Galactic.

For the survivors-like angle: Halls of Torment or Vampire Survivors.

Dungeon crawlers span a huge range of subgenres now. Pick based on the specific flavor you want — classic grid exploration, modern ARPG loot dopamine, roguelike run-based progression, or co-op chaos. The genre family is enormous and healthy.