Dead Cells

Fast 2D action roguelite with branching runs and permadeath

Motion Twin · Released Aug 6, 2018

Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive; 97% of 184K
Recent reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive; 95% of 821 in 30 days
Playing now: 2,973; right now
Steam Deck: Verified
Last update: 3 months ago; Jun 15, 2026

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 183,649 reviews are positive · 95% of 821 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.

Screenshots and trailer

Dead Cells system requirements

As published by the developer.

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+

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Full controller support
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Achievements: 121
Steam features: Workshop, Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards

Steam Deck: Verified

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

Multiplayer and co-op

Single-player

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.