Every now and then, a game comes along that completely resets your expectations. For me, Vampire Survivors wasn’t just a surprise. It quickly became one of my favourite games of the last few years. I’ve spent more time with it than most full-price titles, and I keep coming back.
At a glance, it doesn’t look like much. A retro-styled auto-battler where your only real input is moving around a flat 2D map. But beneath the surface is one of the most satisfying and dangerously addictive gameplay loops I’ve ever experienced. It’s the kind of game where five minutes easily turns into an hour. And at a price this low, it almost feels like stealing.
What Is Vampire Survivors?
Vampire Survivors throws you into an endless horde of enemies and simply asks you to survive. You start with one weapon that fires automatically. You level up by collecting XP gems. With each level, you pick from a random selection of new weapons or passives. Before long, the screen is filled with projectiles, explosions, spinning axes, and bouncing fireballs. You’re not just surviving. You’re clearing waves by the hundred and watching numbers tick up faster than your brain can track.
What makes it so effective is the way it constantly rewards you. There’s always something unlocking. A new character. A new map. A passive bonus. A weapon evolution. Even a failed run usually gives you enough gold to improve your next one. You’re never wasting time. Everything you do feeds into something else. It’s designed to keep you hooked, and it works.
Simplicity Hiding Depth
On the surface, it might seem like there’s not much to it. Just movement and random upgrades. But there’s a surprising amount of depth. Certain weapons can only evolve if paired with specific passives. Some combinations are wildly overpowered. Others are just weird and fun to mess with. The best runs come from experimenting, making risky picks, and seeing what happens when you stack effects that clearly weren’t meant to go together.
The game also knows exactly when to introduce new systems. Early on, you’re unlocking basic characters and weapons. Then it starts drip-feeding relics, arcana, and new modes. These aren’t just cosmetic changes. They fundamentally change how you approach runs. Some arcana completely shift your playstyle. Others feel broken in the best possible way. You’ll find yourself chasing specific unlocks just to test how they change your next attempt.
Unlocks and Progression
The unlock structure is brilliantly handled. Almost everything in the game is tied to in-game challenges. Kill a certain number of enemies. Survive for a set amount of time. Reach level 100. Nothing feels grindy or hidden behind fluff. You always have goals, and those goals push you to try new weapons, characters, and strategies. There’s a constant feeling of progression even if you’re failing runs. And if you’re the kind of player who likes chasing achievements, this game has more than enough to keep you busy.
Updates and Ongoing Support
Since launch, the game has seen a huge amount of content added. New characters, stages, modes, weapons, even co-op. Most of it has been free. When paid DLC has been added, it’s been priced extremely reasonably and worth every penny. The developer has done a brilliant job of keeping the game alive while never making it feel like they’re cashing in.
That said, not every update has been a hit. A few additions have felt thin or gimmicky. Some of the recent content doesn’t have the same lasting appeal as the earlier unlocks. There have been new characters or weapons that are fun to try once, then immediately forgettable. But when you look at the game as a whole, these are minor dips in what’s been a very steady stream of quality support.
Why It Keeps You Coming Back
What really matters is that the core loop hasn’t lost its magic. The act of loading into a stage, grabbing a few XP gems, and slowly turning into a screen-clearing monster is still as satisfying now as it was on day one. If anything, the added content just gives you more reasons to keep doing it.
There’s also a surprising amount of personality here. Despite the simple art style, the game manages to be funny, weird, and even a bit mysterious. Hidden characters. Odd unlock conditions. Stages that throw in unexpected mechanics. It always feels like there’s something else just under the surface. You’ll constantly hear yourself saying, “Just one more run,” and then realise it’s 2 AM.
Value and Replayability
From a value perspective, it’s almost unmatched. This is a game that costs a fraction of what most indies charge and still offers dozens of hours of play. And unlike many roguelikes, it doesn’t make you grind to enjoy it. You’re powerful early, and you just keep getting more broken. It’s a power fantasy that respects your time, and it does it without asking for more money every few hours.
There are games that are good. There are games that are worth the price. Then there’s Vampire Survivors, which manages to be both, while also feeling like you’re getting away with something. If this game launched today at triple the price, it would still be an easy recommendation. That it doesn’t just makes it one of the best deals in gaming.
Who Should Play This?
If you like roguelikes, bullet hells, action games, or even just games that don’t waste your time, this should be in your library. If you like experimenting with builds, chasing high scores, or trying to break systems in creative ways, this is even more of a must-play. And if you’re just looking for a game you can pick up and play for ten minutes that might accidentally become ten hours, this is absolutely the one.
Vampire Survivors is one of the rare games that gets better the more you play. Even when you think you’re done, the developers drop new content and you’re pulled straight back in. And unlike so many games that drip-feed cosmetics or battle passes, it never feels exploitative. It’s just a game that loves being a game. And I love it for that.
GFN Performance
Played on GeForce NOW. Performance is normal. When you reach the late game and the screen becomes pixelated, messy, and impossible to see anything, that’s not a cloud issue. That’s just Vampire Survivors doing what it does. It happens no matter where you play.
Final Verdict
Verdict: Buy. This is the definition of good value.
It’s fun, replayable, packed with content, and costs less than a meal deal. Even with a few missteps in later updates, it remains one of the most rewarding and enjoyable indie games in recent memory. You should play it. Then play it again. Then buy the DLCs and keep going. You’ll thank yourself later. How we do reviews.
You can check out the Vampire Survivors game hub for more updates and related content.
