Vampire Crawlers Could be 2026’s Version of Hades 2

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All signs point to 2026 being the year of Grand Theft Auto 6. If Rockstar Games releases the game as planned, it’s expected to be a huge success, winning numerous awards and generating massive sales.

But did it really? 2025 showed that smaller, independent games can become the most talked-about titles. Games like Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 really stood out. When games offer fantastic gameplay and beautiful visuals, they can easily grab people’s attention, especially now that many gamers are tired of games that constantly demand more money or rely on repetitive yearly releases.

Let’s talk about Vampire Crawlers, the exciting new ‘Turbo Wildcard’ from the game Vampire Survivors – a title I’ll refer to as just ‘Vampire Survivors’ from now on. A demo is currently available on Steam, and even this short taste of gameplay suggests the full release could be a serious contender for Game of the Year, potentially overshadowing even the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6.

Vampire Crawlers Switches Surviving for Turn-Based Dungeon Crawling


Image Via Poncle

Vampire Crawlers takes place in the same universe as Vampire Survivors, initially presenting a classic top-down perspective. However, the game quickly switches to first-person, creating a unique experience – it feels like exploring a Minecraft-style recreation of the Kanto region from the original Pokémon Red and Blue games.

You’ll quickly get used to the new way of looking at things, although mastering the gameplay will take a little more time. Unlike the fast-action style of Vampire Survivors, Vampire Crawlers is a turn-based, first-person game where you build a deck of cards. The games share a similar world and look, but how you play is completely different.

The game has changed its viewpoint, and now players move through straightforward dungeons. Enemies are placed in fixed spots, so you’ll need to physically walk up to them to start a fight – at least, that’s how it works in the demo. This style of exploration feels like classic RPGs from the early days, like Wizardry or Eye of the Beholder. However, once combat begins, it’s a completely different experience.

How Combat Works In Vampire Crawlers

In Vampire Crawlers, players need to keep an eye on four key areas of the game screen. On the bottom left, you’ll find your health, which can be increased with Armor. The bottom center shows your current hand of cards, which you’ll get a new set of each turn. The top center displays your experience points, and the blue orb in the bottom right represents your Mana.

Unlike the quick action of Vampire Survivors, Vampire Crawlers is a slower-paced, turn-based game played from a first-person perspective where you build a deck of cards.

Cards show the actions you can take each turn, like attacks, items, or special abilities. The text at the bottom explains what each card does – whether it causes damage, applies a status effect, or something else. The number in the top left corner is how much Mana the card costs. Each turn, you can play cards up to your total Mana. But don’t worry, your Mana refills every turn! For example, with 3 Mana, you could play three cards that cost 1 Mana each, or a 2-Mana card and a 1-Mana card, and so on.

Mana levels are key to creating powerful card combinations. Playing cards in increasing Mana order – starting with 0, then 1, 2, and 3 – triggers a combo that enhances their effects. As your Mana increases and you collect more cards during a playthrough, you’ll be able to pull off amazing combos, delivering multiple attacks and buffs all at once.

Each stage begins with a few basic cards, but you’ll gain more as you level up and discover items. You can improve these cards by finding gems within stages, boosting their damage or adding special effects. Similar to Vampire Survivors, weapons can also be upgraded into even more powerful versions.

Choosing the right character, called Crawlers, is key because they act like cards you add to your deck and each one has unique powers, often connected to the colors of your cards. The game’s trailer showed players using several Crawlers during a single playthrough, suggesting they’ll be a major part of the final game.

Vampire Survivors was known for being incredibly difficult because enemies constantly swarmed the player. Vampire Crawlers, being turn-based, isn’t as relentlessly challenging. A strong opening hand and clever combinations can let you quickly defeat large groups of monsters.

Improve your cards by collecting gems during levels. These gems boost damage or add special effects, and similar to Vampire Survivors, weapons can be upgraded into even more powerful versions.

Vampire Crawlers is challenging because enemies constantly chip away at your health. While you can find some healing items, they only restore a little bit of health. As you advance through levels, enemy groups get larger. You might easily defeat the first group, but the next will deal significant damage. This continues until you face bosses with very little health remaining, who can withstand your attacks and quickly defeat you.

In Vampire Crawlers, the whole game board is your enemy. You’ll need to learn how to combine moves effectively, carefully manage your defenses and power-ups alongside your attacks, and build a well-rounded deck to succeed.

The Vampire Crawler Addiction Has Begun

Vampire Crawlers quickly becomes enjoyable once you understand how it works, and it’s a really fun experience. Though it doesn’t quite create the same frantic energy as Vampire Survivors, it’s still a thrilling game filled with lots of interesting challenges to figure out.

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After completing a dungeon, you’ll return to town where you can spend the gold you’ve collected. This gold unlocks new abilities and permanent upgrades that will make you stronger with each run, even if you don’t always succeed.

That’s when I really got hooked. I was completely captivated by creating powerful card combinations, refining my deck, and the drive to become even stronger. Unfortunately, the Vampire Crawlers demo only has a few levels, and it wasn’t enough to satisfy me. I wanted to explore the entire game, build incredibly complex combos, and push the limits of what was possible.

Vampire Crawlers isn’t as intensely frantic as Vampire Survivors, but it’s still a really fun and captivating game, packed with lots of small challenges to figure out.

I haven’t felt this captivated by a game since Hades 2, which, like its incredibly popular predecessor, is completely addictive. The urge to play just one more time, hoping to improve and make future attempts smoother, is incredibly strong.

Can Vampire Crawlers reach the same heights as Hades 2? The main concern right now is its characters. While Vampire Crawlers has a lot of personality, it doesn’t seem to offer a compelling story or memorable characters – something Hades 2 did brilliantly. It’s possible the full game will be different, but currently, Vampire Crawlers appears focused purely on gameplay, and may not be as well-rounded as Hades 2.

Despite being quite different from story-driven games like The Wolf Among Us, Balatro has still become a huge success, praised by players around the world. The core gameplay and visual style are exceptional, as the Vampire Crawlers demo clearly demonstrates. If the full game maintains this high quality, it has the potential to be a major indie hit in 2026 and even compete for Game of the Year awards.

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2026-02-26 17:10