10 Bullet Heaven Games
If there’s anything bullet hells and heavens are good at, it’s excess.
Incomprehensible enemy counts. Damage numbers climbing at insane rates. Entire screens disappearing beneath explosions, lasers, summoned creatures, and projectiles that could challenge your mother…boards.
Like many of the best bullet haven and survivor-like games, success comes down to discovering a build that you enjoy and deals damage with the most carnage as possible.
One more new build combo? One more legendary drop? One more run, you say? Are lies you tell yourself as you grapple with thoughts of frames failing on you.
Vampire Survivors
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – ✅Verified, Nintendo Switch 1/2, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S); Mobile (Android,IOS)
One of the most recognized games in the genre that’s among the first to flip the formula on its head. Instead of dodging projectiles, hundreds of monsters should be lucky to avoid your path of destruction. Yes, you become the bullet, and they are all in your way.
There’s maximum potential to choose from characters, weapons, evolutions, and passive upgrades that customize your run. There’s no stopping the mayhem that’s coming. And you’re right in the middle where you belong.
With over 260,000 reviews, this gateway for bullet haven games will convince you of how truly addicting the genre can be. If you have urgent matters to tend to: stay away until you’ve had your hitbox in a row.
Death Must Die
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – Playable)
A band of misfit heroes sets out to do something completely reasonable: defeat Death itself. Descending into the Underworld, you’ll receive guidance and blessings from powerful gods who offer hints and other advantages to make you successful in this quest.
But the actual business of cutting through thousands upon thousands of Death’s minions is entirely your responsibility.
Build-crafting here is truly peak, reminding enjoyers of the godly boon system popularized by Hades. Every run feels packed with possibilities, as different elements can dramatically change how a character plays.
Whoever Death is, should be ready for ya.
Rogue: Genesia
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – Playable)
Save the world by destroying all those who wish it harm in this roguelite where every run is a fresh opportunity to grow stronger, collect upgrades, and leave a trail of defeated enemies behind you.
Things get truly cinematic as you play Rog the knight, where you battle gigantic bosses on platforms hanging over the clouds, charging through sprawlings castles, and laserbeams slicing through the trees in a very cool way.
Whichever battleground you find yourself in, make sure to have a plan as things tend to get sticky very quickly.
Its progression system is somewhat flexible, allowing you to experiment with builds that range from strange to absolute nonsense. All in good fun though.
Machik 2
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – UNSUPPORTED, Nintendo Switch 1/2, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
A second coming of a bullet haven that refuses to take itself too seriously. Now with a new skilltree, and other upgrades from the first that bring more mayhem.
This roguelike-survivor leans heavily into spellcasting and build experimentation with magical abilities, passive upgrades, and powerful synergies to survive increasingly overwhelming enemy waves.
Overpowered builds that make enemies disappear beneath a barrage of spells, headed by a chaotic, magical chicken. The key to this battlefield is apparently poultry. What the cluck indeed.
Yet Another Zombie Survivors
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – ✅Verified, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
This bloody battleground is all sorts of homage to slaying undead.
Bring the squad over, there’s a hoard of zombies to slash with a katana, incinerate with a flamethrower, and other classic weapons for mass destruction.
The team-management twist is an interesting take on a genre used to a lone fighter against a swarm of enemies. Additional heroes fight alongside you, each bringing their own skills and abilities to the battlefield.
Every inch of screen is met with explosions, gunfire, and skills to erase zombies in seconds. Which hero complements your team best? Up to you. Just make sure it’s all hands on deck. (You’re gonna need it.)
Soulstone Survivors
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – Playable, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
This title embraces excess in every possible way. Massive enemy counts, elaborate skill trees, dozens of characters, and enough visual effects to make your monitor question its life choices.
Its rune and crafting systems offer plenty of opportunities to create specialized builds. Want to set everything on fire? Summon armies? Yeet endless projectiles?
Here, boss encounters are a major element. This in turn allows you to turn your brain on for a few seconds to remember precise movements that finally deliver the kill.
Halls of Torment
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – ✅Verified, PS5, Xbox Series X/S); Mobile (Android,IOS)
The dark fantasy of Diablo in bullet haven gameplay with itemizations like the classic action RPGs.
Its progression system is satisfying, where equipment drops and character builds feed into the run long-term. New upgrades are made to feel constantly within reach, making it super easy to lose entire evenings just hacking away in this nostalgic dungeon crawler.
The halls may be filled with torment, but discovering that one build makes this self-inflicted suffering all worth this run, and the next, and the next…
Greedland
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – ✅Verified, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
Sometimes you don’t want subtle buildcrafting or complicated mechanics. Sometimes, all you need is titan mechas shooting in all directions.
This battleground blazed in neon is all about overwhelming firepower, and for most bullet haven enjoyers, that’s more than enough. This isn’t to say that hours upon hours caught up in the carnage.
More enemies is always a safe bet. Fortunately this title provides what seems like thousands, causing a light show every time.
If you can still see your character, you’re probably not causing enough destruction yet.
20 Minutes Till Dawn
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – ✅Verified, Nintendo Switch 1/2); Mobile (Android,IOS)
A doomed, dark world inspired by Lovecraftian horror makes the perfect backdrop for surviving the perilous atmosphere.
This title’s muted visuals feels distinct from the rest in the list, adding a mysterious charm that complements its mechanic where death isn’t final. In fact, each character death still allows you to carry progression so you continue to be powerful for the next run.
Through a cast of interesting characters, you discover runes, spells, tomes, and weapons that allow you to vaporize strange tentacled beasts straight from the pages of cosmic nightmares.
Brotato
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – ✅Verified, Nintendo Switch 1/2, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S); Mobile (Android,IOS)
Following Space Gladiators and Lost Potato, solo dev Blobfish brings a preference for minimalist, and um, rotund, characters in Brotato once again. This time, bullet heaven style.
Another oddly shaped protagonist wielding six weapons at the same time shouldn’t work. But here we are.
Simplicity is the key here. Runs are short, with varied builds that turn weapon combination into a fast-paced experience. Wrenches, you say? Sticks? Flamethrowers? Whichever arsenal it is, just go for it.
How many hands does a potato need to even hold all these weapons? The answer is yes.
The appeal of bullet heaven games isn’t just surviving the odds, it’s discovering that sweet spot of upgrades that turn impossible into a (bullet-based) breeze.
When you do get the hang of it, watch as your builds go from barely surviving to screen-clearing catastrophe.
Just don’t promise yourself it’ll be only for one more run.
