[PREVIEW] Is Grind Survivors the Next Great Roguelite?

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These days, it’s hard to get invested in the survivor-like and roguelite genres. The market is saturated with games that often feel repetitive and fail to grab your attention. But at Gamescom, I discovered Grind Survivors, a new entry from Ukrainian developer Pushka Studios and publisher Assemble Entertainment that stands out from the crowd.

Revealed first at gamescom’s Awesome Indies showcase, and was also playable at the booth during the event, the game takes the familiar formula of endless enemy waves and combines it with a deep, loot-driven looter-shooter progression system. While it’s not set to fully launch until 2026, a Steam playtest is currently live, giving you a chance to experience its chaotic, high-stakes combat and crafting.

Every enemy you defeat has the potential to drop a new, procedurally generated weapon

What immediately stood out was the simple yet effective graphics. Nothing is too flashy or distracting, and the details are there to capture the essence of games like Vampire Survivors. Your goal is to survive a bullet-hell of projectiles and enemies within a time limit, progressing through levels by tackling different difficulties and unlocking new equipment.

This is where Grind Survivors sets itself apart. Every enemy you defeat has the potential to drop a new, procedurally generated weapon. These weapons come with randomized stats, traits, and origins, meaning no two runs are the same. The weapons are a lot of fun, including dual SMGs, a revolver, and a shotgun. Each one has a different firing pattern and a unique special attack or power.

Between runs, you can visit The Forge, a crafting hub that allows you to customize your arsenal. Here, you can fuse weapons together to create more powerful ones, reroll stats to chase a perfect build, or risk it all with high-stakes upgrades that could either lead to a weapon of legendary power or obliterate it entirely. The procedural nature of the weapons and the wide variety of upgrades you can find during a run mean that every playthrough will lead to a new and unique character build. In general, the game encourages you to experiment with different synergies and upgrade combinations to find the most effective way to eliminate the hordes.

Not perfect, but it’s getting there

You also have a progression skill tree to upgrade your basic stats like damage and collecting range, which provides a satisfying way to track your power. The gameplay itself is quite fun, filled with mini-bosses, larger bosses, and enemies that evolve as you play. A key goal is to travel from one side of the map to the other, unlocking additional stat bonuses from gates along the way. While this looter progression system isn’t new to the genre, it make it feel addictive.

My biggest complaint is that the bosses are quite underwhelming. They don’t offer a proper challenge, and the audio cues are minimal, leaving the sound design feeling a bit empty. It’s also difficult to tell when you’ve been hit and are losing health. Aside from those issues, I believe the current playtest is a great introduction to the game.

If you’re a fan of roguelite games that put a fresh spin on the Vampire Survivors formula, I can definitely recommend giving this one a try.