Skip to main content
Cave Crawlers Game Cover

About Cave Crawlers

Cave Crawlers is a single player and multiplayer role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Heroic Pyxel LLC and was released on July 10, 2023. It received very positive reviews from players.

In Cave Crawlers you and your friends play as Dwarves searching for glory, power, and loot in the form of armor, weapons, potions, and items hidden underground from the world above. Your player has a fun, complex talent and stat system that you will use to fight powerful bosses and enemies. You'll find all kinds of mysteries along your journey, exploring different biomes, mobs, and items along the…

Skip Games Like Cave Crawlers

Games Like Cave Crawlers

Looking for games like Cave Crawlers? Here are top role playing recommendations with a fantasy focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with Barony, Vagante or Below the Stone.

Barony Image
Games like Barony
Vagante Image
Games like Vagante
Below the Stone Image
Games like Below the Stone
Delver Image
Games like Delver
Ember Knights Image
Games like Ember Knights
Demeo Image
Games like Demeo
Roguelands Image
Games like Roguelands
LORT Image
Games like LORT
Deadzone: Rogue Image
Games like Deadzone: Rogue
Necropolis Image
Games like Necropolis
Skip User Reviews

Reviews

94%Audience ScoreBased on 2,651 reviews
gameplay59 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions

  • Extremely fun and addictive roguelike dungeon crawler with a large skill tree and multiple weapon types offering varied builds.
  • Outstanding multiplayer experience supporting up to 10 players, making co-op sessions chaotic, hilarious, and highly replayable.
  • Excellent voice acting and sound design that adds charm and humor, greatly enhancing the atmosphere and immersion.
  • Limited content and map variety leading to repetitiveness and predictable level design after extended playtime.
  • Punishing permadeath system combined with limited revive options can be frustrating, especially in solo play or after teammate deaths.
  • Technical issues including unstable online connectivity, occasional bugs, and problematic controller support affect gameplay experience.
  • gameplay

    137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 51% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    The gameplay of the game is generally praised for being fun, challenging, and well-balanced, with intuitive mechanics, a deep skill tree, and a satisfying roguelike progression. It offers an addictive loop suitable for solo or cooperative play, though some find it simplistic or repetitive over time, and certain mechanics like torch management and boss fights can be frustrating. Overall, the game combines solid combat, strategic exploration, and multiplayer camaraderie, with room for improvement in content variety, latency, and quality-of-life features.

    • “"Cave Crawlers" is a brilliant entry in the roguelike-lite genre, combining fast-paced gameplay, strategic exploration, and randomized elements with enough depth to keep you hooked for hours.”
    • “The game’s mechanics are tight and responsive, ensuring that every decision matters. The procedurally generated cave systems and diverse combat options keep the gameplay fresh, while the permanent upgrades and forgiving mechanics make it accessible without compromising on the roguelike essence.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are both intuitive and challenging, striking the perfect balance for both casual and hardcore gamers.”
    • “Honestly, this game just seems like a very watered down Barony, with much more simplistic mechanics.”
    • “You can't join friends with a new character because the "seed is different." Extremely basic gameplay with the same maps over and over.”
    • “Overall, the game is pretty fun, but a lot of mechanics with bosses are annoying or never happen, and anyone dying at all on your team feels like you have to toss the run away unless you want them to wait for you to kill a boss every 10 floors.”
  • graphics

    47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    32% positive mentions, 62% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    The game's graphics receive mixed reviews, praised for their unique, charming, and simple art style that complements the gameplay and atmosphere, but criticized for inconsistent visuals, poor UI design, and sometimes outdated or basic aesthetics. While some users find the visuals captivating and fitting the game's theme, others find them distracting or unpleasant. Overall, the graphics are generally seen as functional and fitting for the experience, emphasizing that gameplay remains the primary appeal.

    • “The visuals are nothing short of breathtaking, each frame a masterpiece that transcends the boundaries between reality and fantasy.”
    • “One of the standout features of Cave Crawlers is its stunning visuals.”
    • “The graphics are nice and the weapon designs and skill tree are actually pretty interesting, great game to spend time with friends.”
    • “The art style is all over the place: the UI has default assets and looks horrible, the enemies are voxel art, the environment is low poly textureless, the items are pixel art.”
    • “If the graphics weren't the worst thing I've ever seen since the 90's, I would play this game all the time, but it makes me want to puke all over everyone and everything.”
    • “- While the art style is okay, the UI is hideous and screams 'graphic is my passion'.”
  • humor

    47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's humor is widely praised for its absurd, silly voice lines and funny dwarf-themed voice acting, especially when played with friends, creating chaotic and hilarious multiplayer experiences. While some audio quality is deliberately bad, this adds to the charm and comedic effect. Overall, the humor enhances the fun, making the gameplay entertaining and memorable.

    • “Bring a friend and there's a good chance you'll both end up dying—not because the fight is fair, but because you're laughing too hard at how absurd everything becomes.”
    • “A charming indie title that’s simple to pick up, hilarious in the right moments, and an absolute blast with friends.”
    • “This game made me laugh for like an hour straight my tummy hurt; gather a group of friends and play this it's literally so funny lol”
  • replayability

    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    58% positive mentions, 30% neutral mentions, 12% negative mentions

    Replayability in the game is generally praised for its roguelike elements, diverse skill trees, customizable builds, and varied runs that offer new experiences each time. While some users feel the current simplicity and limited procedural generation restrict replay value, many appreciate the challenging, fun gameplay that remains engaging through unlockables and evolving strategies. Overall, replayability is viewed as a strong aspect that could be enhanced with more randomized content.

    • “It was a new experience in every run, playing with different weapons, equipment, talents, skills, and more while encountering various rooms allowing for more exploration, looting, or tasks, giving the game huge replayability.”
    • “As someone who has put many hours into this game, I can testify that it has near endless replayability with customizable difficulty to keep the game challenging at any skill level.”
    • “Replayability is one of the strongest aspects of this game; unlocking something different each run is an experience I have never encountered in any other game.”
    • “Good game, not very replayable as of right now.”
    • “Having said that, it's mechanically not very deep, and kinda lacks replayability.”
    • “However, the current simplicity really limits the replay value, which is a problem.”
  • music

    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    57% positive mentions, 29% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions

    The music is widely praised for its atmospheric, haunting, and tension-building qualities that greatly enhance the gameplay experience. Many users highlight the soundtrack's quality, including voice lines and sound design, as a standout feature that complements the art style and intensifies combat and exploration. Although a few mention a lack of music in certain parts, the overall consensus is that the music is exceptional and adds significant immersion and enjoyment.

    • “Everything about the game, from the mobs, the caves, and the soundtrack is all masterfully crafted and breathtaking.”
    • “The echoing footsteps, the distant rumble of cave collapses, and the intense battle music all work together to create a sense of tension and excitement that kept me fully engaged.”
    • “The captivating visuals and immersive soundtrack work together to create an attention-grabbing atmosphere.”
    • “There is a lack of music.”
    • “The game itself is good despite being in early access, but my friend and I were killed a couple of times due to the lack of an indicator that shows you were hit or the soundtrack.”
    • “The voice lines, music, sounds, combat, and team fights build-up are really frustrating.”
  • story

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    16% positive mentions, 68% neutral mentions, 16% negative mentions

    The game's story is a mixed experience, with some players finding little narrative depth and calling it minimal or confusing, while others praise its emotional voice acting, character development, and compelling themes of love, loss, and fear, highlighting a heartfelt and immersive storytelling approach.

    • “If you are thinking about jumping into a life-changing story, with deep plot-lines and high action combat, you have found the game.”
    • “The voice actor’s performance didn’t just play a role in the game—it made me feel like I was stepping into the shoes of someone else, someone with depth, with backstory, and with genuine emotion.”
    • “The mystery behind why our heroes are in the caves is deeply compelling, as well as the large number of strange biomes really drives our plot forward.”
    • “No story for those who want that.”
    • “The quest system seems somewhat random based on what you completed before, and many quests send you back to the first cave.”
    • “No story, just a cave.”
  • emotional

    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Players find the game deeply emotional, citing strong character development, impactful voice acting, and intense personal investment in their dwarves. The emotional highs and losses—such as permanent character death and legendary achievements—create a poignant, immersive experience that often leaves a lasting impression. Many describe the journey as more than just gameplay, highlighting its powerful, sometimes overwhelming emotional resonance.

    • “From the very first lines spoken, I was struck by something I didn’t expect: the sheer emotional depth behind every character.”
    • “The voice actor’s performance didn’t just play a role in the game—it made me feel like I was stepping into the shoes of someone else, someone with depth, backstory, and genuine emotion.”
    • “In Cave Crawlers, the characters evolve over time, and with each new moment, I found myself more emotionally invested in their development.”
  • grinding

    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 67% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is noted as significant and sometimes tedious, particularly reaching level 30 for prestige and early progression, often requiring multiple lives to advance. While some players appreciate the challenging grind and rewarding progression system, others find it unnecessarily repetitive and annoying after initial excitement wanes.

    • “It's a bit grindy to get to level 30 for prestige.”
    • “Very annoying and grindy for no reason at all.”
    • “It started off as really hooking and fun although decayed quickly and became tedious and boring.”
  • atmosphere

    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    67% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game boasts a rich, immersive atmosphere characterized by dark, atmospheric visuals and a haunting soundtrack that intensifies tension. Its sound design and polished presentation enhance the overall experience, creating a captivating and addictive environment that complements challenging, well-crafted gameplay.

    • “For a roguelike-lite, 'Cave Crawlers' excels in creating a rich, immersive atmosphere.”
    • “The dark, atmospheric art style is complemented by a haunting soundtrack that ramps up the tension.”
    • “The sound design deserves special mention, as it contributes significantly to the immersive atmosphere of the game.”
  • stability

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    38% positive mentions, -26% neutral mentions, 88% negative mentions

    The game is praised for its core experience but frequently criticized for numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, including key-related and internet connectivity issues causing freezes. However, some players report stable performance on their systems and appreciate the developer's engagement and community. Overall, stability is a notable concern that impacts player enjoyment.

    • “It seems to be a really good game; runs great flat out on my rig, so no complaints here.”
    • “It's definitely a grinding game, even on easy mode; it's pretty hard to get started, but I like that about it.”
    • “I would definitely recommend it to friends.”
    • “Game is extremely buggy and messes up all the time.”
    • “I found out that when your internet cuts out for more than 1-2 seconds, the game completely freezes without attempting to reconnect.”
    • “I've almost beat final boss on hard mode but I keep running into glitches.”
  • optimization

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    13% positive mentions, 49% neutral mentions, 38% negative mentions

    The game generally runs smoothly on modest hardware, but some performance issues, especially during multiplayer sessions in certain areas like the catacombs, have been reported. Further optimization, particularly for multiplayer, could enhance the experience and improve overall performance.

    • “+ runs smoothly on modest hardware”
    • “For the moment, the only downside is the length (we haven't got past the third boss but it seems to be the last one) and some small performance issues in the catacombs (playing with at most 4 people, at least 1 had issues nearly every time. Everyone in the group experienced it; I host and my computer isn't great if it matters).”
    • “While a welcome addition, some optimizations could improve the experience.”
    • “With multiplayer optimizations and the addition of achievements, this game could stand out even more.”
  • monetization

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 28% neutral mentions, 29% negative mentions

    Monetization in the game is primarily cosmetic, with one exception involving dwarf slots, and is generally considered unobtrusive and well-integrated with strategic upgrade options. However, some users feel the overall quality is low and question the value of certain monetization efforts like battlepasses, especially given the current lack of public multiplayer lobbies.

    • “All of the in-game purchases are cosmetic except one: dwarf slots.”
    • “There's no particularly obtrusive in-game purchases and so many detailed strategic options for upgrades.”
    • “The character progression is awesome, and I love how monetization is done.”
Skip Game Offers

Buy Cave Crawlers

Play Times

9h Median play time
2462h Average play time
5-10h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Cave Crawlers is a role playing game with fantasy theme. Common tags for Cave Crawlers include first-person, indie, pixel graphics, early access, action roguelike and others.

Cave Crawlers is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 2462 hours playing Cave Crawlers.

Cave Crawlers was released on July 10, 2023.

Cave Crawlers was developed by Heroic Pyxel LLC.

Cave Crawlers has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked Cave Crawlers for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Cave Crawlers is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Barony, Vagante, Below the Stone, Delver, Ember Knights and others.