New Survival Crafting Game on Steam is What Happens if Project Zomboid’s Zombies Spawned in Terraria

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It’s no secret that survival crafting games borrow a lot from each other – with so many new ones coming out, it’s hard not to see the similarities. But that’s actually a good thing, because people clearly enjoy the genre! The latest addition is Rogue Night, an open-world survival game with roguelite elements. Imagine Project Zomboid‘s zombies appearing in the world of Terraria – that gives you a good idea of what to expect. With its 2D pixel art, side-scrolling gameplay, and challenging survival mechanics (you even use body parts as currency!), this upcoming Steam game blends genres in a unique way. If it all comes together, Rogue Night could be the next big hit in the survival crafting world.

What makes Rogue Night stand out is how it blends the open-ended creativity of crafting and sandbox games with the challenging, replayable structure of a roguelite. You’ll explore, craft, and build as you normally would in this type of game, but with the constant threat of things going wrong. Thankfully, even when a playthrough fails, you still make progress, either by collecting new resources or learning from your mistakes. It’s a familiar, pixelated world, but with a surprisingly harsh edge. You can experience it for yourself when Rogue Night releases on Steam on April 17, 2026.

Rogue Night Puts Project Zomboid’s Zombie Survival Gameplay in a Terraria-Like 2D Pixel Sandbox

It’s tempting to describe Rogue Night as a mix of Terraria and Project Zomboid, but it’s more nuanced than that. The game combines the challenging survival elements of Project Zomboid – constant zombie threats and scarce resources – with the 2D sandbox world of Terraria. Like Terraria, Rogue Night focuses on exploration, crafting, building, and offers players a lot of freedom to create and customize. In fact, it allows for much more creative expression than Project Zomboid.

Collect materials to create and strengthen your base, find and help survivors who will aid you, and carefully manage everything to survive the constant attacks of the undead.

Similar to Terraria, Rogue Night empowers players to build anything they can imagine, offering a creative approach to survival. While Project Zomboid focuses on adapting and surviving within pre-existing locations, Rogue Night lets you construct bases and defenses from the ground up, giving you much more freedom. However, it also captures the intense, constant danger found in Project Zomboid‘s zombie-filled world. The game’s description highlights a “relentless undead threat,” meaning your base isn’t just for showing off – it’s essential for staying alive.

Survival, Crafting, and Roguelite Gameplay in a Medieval Fantasy Zombie-Infested World

Fight waves of undead creatures and collect their heads to unlock lasting improvements that carry over between each playthrough.

What makes Rogue Night different from games like Project Zomboid and Terraria is its roguelite structure. Like many games in that genre, Rogue Night focuses on repeated attempts to survive in the open world, alongside the usual base-building and crafting. Players venture out, try to last as long as possible, and expect to eventually die. But unlike traditional roguelike games, Rogue Night lets you carry progress between runs. Even if you fail, you can unlock lasting improvements, new skills, or even new characters to help you on your next attempt.

Rogue Night’s Features at a Glance

  • ROGUELITE SURVIVAL ACTION with persistent meta-progression between runs.
  • SINGLE-PLAYER EXPERIENCE with sandbox, crafting, action, and RPG systems.
  • OPEN-WORLD 2D EXPLORATION featuring varied biomes, dungeons, puzzles, traps, and enemies.
  • RESOURCE GATHERING AND CRAFTING for tools, weapons, and structures.
  • BASE BUILDING AND DEFENSE focused on surviving undead attacks.
  • SURVIVAL MANAGEMENT driven by limited resources and constant pressure from zombies.
  • COMBAT AGAINST HORDES OF ZOMBIES, central to progression.
  • ZOMBIE HEAD CURRENCY used for permanent upgrades between runs.
  • WEAPON LEVELING SYSTEM that unlocks increased power and new abilities.
  • MULTIPLE PLAYABLE CLASSES with distinct playstyles.
  • 15 EHCHANTED RINGS AND 35+ UPGRADES for deep build customization.
  • RESCUABLE NPC SURVIVORS who support base growth and functionality.
  • QUESTS AND OVERARCHING NARRATIVE, including a confrontation with Necrosarian the Vile.
  • 2D PIXEL ART FANTASY ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE visual style.

Okay, so Rogue Night definitely reminds me of games like Terraria and Project Zomboid with its survival and crafting, but what really sets it apart is how much it embraces that medieval fantasy vibe. You see zombies in a lot of games, but usually after the world’s already ended. In this one, they’re wandering around a proper fantasy world, complete with dungeons, traps, and puzzles – honestly, it feels a bit like a Legend of Zelda game at times! Exploring is seriously dangerous, but that’s where the fun is. You find awesome stuff – new weapons, enchanted rings, blueprints, tools, and gold – but it’s all hidden away in places that make you take a deep breath before going in. That risk versus reward is perfect for a roguelite, and it keeps me coming back for more.

Journey through a vast world and brave dangerous dungeons filled with monsters, tricky puzzles, and hidden traps. Discover powerful weapons, rare rings, valuable blueprints, useful tools, and plenty of gold along the way.

In Rogue Night, the gear you discover during each run directly impacts your combat style, while unlocking blueprints expands your building options. The resources you gather help you prepare for future battles against the undead. The game encourages you to venture out into the world – exploration is key to making progress in your base. Like other roguelites, these runs involve a risk-reward trade-off: play it safe, or take a chance for potentially game-changing loot, even if it means risking death. This blend of dungeon crawling, collecting powerful items, and the constant pressure to survive, all set within a medieval fantasy world, makes Rogue Night a unique and compelling addition to the genre.

Whether the game truly stands out remains to be seen when it officially releases on Steam in April. However, players can already experience the core gameplay – including exploration, survival, building, combat, and character progression – through the free Rogue Night demo. This demo offers a great preview of what Rogue Night will offer when it launches on April 17, 2026, and early impressions suggest it’s a promising game.

Rogue Night launches on Steam on April 17, 2026.

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2026-01-27 18:43