PCGame

Dead Cells

Fast 2D action roguelite with branching runs and permadeath

Motion Twin · Released Aug 6, 2018

ActionAdventureIndie

Reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
97% of 168K
Recent reviews
Very Positive
94% of 859 in 30 days
Players
2,761
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Verified
Last update on Steam
4 months ago
Jun 16, 2026
Minimum PC
HD 5750
2 GB RAM · 0.5 GB disk
Full requirements

Metacritic: 89/100 (critic reviews)

What is Dead Cells?

Dead Cells is a single-player 2D action-platforming roguelite set across an ever-changing castle on a cursed island. You control an immortal failed alchemical experiment that possesses bodies, fighting enemies, platforming, and choosing branching paths through checkpoint-free runs. Death restarts the run, while unlocked paths, levels, mutations, abilities, and weapons carry forward.

For you if...

  • +you like roguelites with branching routes and persistent unlocks
  • +you enjoy combining platforming, exploration, and combat
  • +you want a demanding single-player action game

Not for you if...

  • −you want a story-driven game with character development
  • −you prefer cooperative or competitive multiplayer modes
  • −you are unwilling to restart runs after death

What players say

97% of 168,421 reviews are positive · 94% of 859 in the last 30 days

Players most often praise the fluid combat, responsive movement, weapon and build variety, and soundtrack. Common complaints describe unlock progression as grindy and later difficulties as overly punishing; some players also dislike encountering DLC-gated doors during runs.

Players over time

▲ +49% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 3,348 players on Nov 1, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 20262,761
Nov 6, 20262,366
Nov 5, 20262,376
Nov 4, 20262,728
Nov 3, 20262,824
Nov 2, 20262,619
Nov 1, 20263,348
Oct 31, 20263,345
Oct 30, 20262,675
Oct 29, 20262,518
Oct 28, 20262,537
Oct 27, 20261,993
Oct 26, 20261,969
Oct 25, 20262,792
Oct 24, 20261,951
Oct 23, 20261,485
Oct 22, 20261,402
Oct 21, 20261,345
Oct 20, 20261,424
Oct 19, 20261,371
Oct 18, 20261,978
Oct 17, 20261,766
Oct 16, 20261,403
Oct 15, 20261,452
Oct 14, 20261,493
Oct 13, 20261,565
Oct 12, 20261,606
Oct 11, 20262,070
Oct 10, 20261,670
Oct 9, 20261,715
Oct 8, 20261,614
Oct 7, 20261,901
Oct 6, 20261,924
Oct 5, 20261,925
Oct 4, 20262,033
Oct 3, 20261,919
Oct 2, 20261,811
Oct 1, 20261,758
Sep 30, 20261,477
Sep 29, 20261,611
Sep 28, 20261,628
Sep 27, 20261,983
Sep 26, 20261,985
Sep 25, 20262,215
Sep 24, 20261,803
Sep 23, 20262,973
Sep 23, 20261,632
Sep 22, 20261,670
Sep 21, 20262,483

How many players finish Dead Cells?

40% of Steam players have unlocked «The last rampart falls...», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

Dead Cells screenshot 1

Dead Cells system requirements

Minimum: HD 5750, 2 GB RAM, 0.5 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Dead Cells?

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Minimum

OS
Windows 7+
Processor
Intel i5+
Graphics
Nvidia 450 GTS / Radeon HD 5750 or better
Memory
2 GB RAM
Storage
500 MB available space
Notes
DirectX 9.1+ or OpenGL 3.2+

Recommended

OS
Windows 7+
Processor
Intel i5+
Graphics
Nvidia GTX 460 / Radeon HD 7800 or better
Memory
4 GB RAM
Storage
500 MB available space
Notes
DirectX 9.1+ or OpenGL 3.2+

Does Dead Cells have co-op or multiplayer?

No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.

Does Dead Cells run on Steam Deck?

Verified Yes, Verified by Valve: it works on Steam Deck out of the box.

  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • Shows Steam Deck controller icons
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Full controller support
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux
Achievements
121
Steam features
Workshop, Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards
Languages
Full audio: English, French, Simplified Chinese, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Portuguese - Portugal, Russian, Turkish, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese - Brazil, Spanish - Latin America, Polish.

Does Dead Cells use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 6, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

Recent updates

8 DLC available.

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