Dead Estate

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A gory roguelike shooter up the floors of a monster-filled mansion.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (95% of 6,669 reviews); 4.6 of 5 on the PlayStation Store (101 ratings)
Length: short runs; replayed many times
Players: 1
Made by: Milkbar Lads
Released: 2021

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store Nintendo eShop itch.io

What frightens You are trapped in a mansion packed with monsters drawn from horror films and fight floor by floor through cramped, blood-spattered rooms, with some threats that keep coming after you. It is gory action horror more than slow dread.
Content: gore, blood, violence, strong language, drug references.

A fast, gory roguelike shooter steeped in horror films and Halloween. You pick one of ten characters and fight your way up the floors of a mansion full of monsters, collecting weapons and items, with each run different. A separate campaign, Assignment Anya, takes after classic survival horror.

About Dead Estate

Dead Estate is a roguelike shooter by Milkbar Lads, published by 2 Left Thumbs. It came out on Steam and itch.io in October 2021, and on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch in July 2026. The maker describes it as gory, fast-paced and challenging, with a heavy emphasis on Halloween and other horror influences.

You are stuck in a monster-filled estate and have to ascend it floor by floor. The rooms are small and isometric, built for close-quarters fights, and every floor hides threats, some of them especially persistent. You choose from ten characters, each with its own style of play and four costumes, and gather from 150 weapons and 300 items, so no two runs play alike. There are alternate floors, run modifiers, looped runs and twenty challenge runs on top.

The horror is in its cast and its mess: a giant clown, ghouls, a witch who runs the shop, blood across the floors, all in bright pixel art. It is not a game of hiding in the dark. A free expansion, Assignment Anya, is a separate campaign set before the main game, in which a young actress whose film crew was attacked by the undead tries to escape the mansion alone with only a mask to hide behind, styled after classic survival horror.

It suits players who like twin-stick roguelikes such as The Binding of Isaac and want one built from horror films. The maker recommends keyboard and mouse, though controllers work.

How to play Dead Estate

Pick one of the unlocked characters and a costume, then start a run.
Move with the keyboard and aim and shoot with the mouse, clearing each room of monsters.
Collect money, weapons and items, and buy more from the shop between fights.
Climb floor by floor and survive the threats on each; when you die, start again with what you have unlocked.

Screenshots

Dead Estate screenshot: a huge grinning clown looms behind spiked walls as the player fights in a small isometric room

Dead Estate screenshot: a witch shopkeeper with a broom asks what you're buying beside a list of items and prices

Dead Estate screenshot: a dark blue checkered room splashed with blood, with a pale ghoul face in the shadows

Dead Estate screenshot: the character select screen showing Axel, a muscular man in sunglasses, and nine other character icons

Tips

Use keyboard and mouse if you can; the maker recommends it.
Do not linger on a floor, since some threats are persistent and come after you.
Try different characters, since each plays differently and suits different weapons.
Explore floors for secrets and alternate routes to unlock more.

Questions

Is Dead Estate a horror game?

It is an action roguelike built on horror films and Halloween, with gore and monsters, rather than a slow, frightening game.

What platforms is Dead Estate on?

PC (Steam and itch.io), PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. The makers have said an Xbox version is being worked on.

What is Assignment Anya?

A separate campaign inside Dead Estate, set before the main game and inspired by classic survival horror, in which an actress tries to escape the mansion alone.

Who made Dead Estate?

Milkbar Lads, published by 2 Left Thumbs.