Why Everyone’s Obsessed with 9 Kings: The Roguelike Kingdom Builder Taking Steam by Storm
If you’ve been browsing Steam or scrolling through gaming communities lately, chances are you’ve stumbled across 9 Kings, the fast-paced roguelike kingdom builder from Sad Socket and Hooded Horse that’s got players hooked. Launched into Early Access on May 23, 2025, this indie gem has already racked up a 92% “Very Positive” rating from over 4,600 Steam reviews and an “Overwhelmingly Positive” 95% for its demo. So, what’s driving the hype? Here’s why 9 Kings is capturing the hearts of strategy and roguelike fans alike.
A Fresh Spin on Roguelike Strategy
At its core, 9 Kings is a chaotic blend of deckbuilding, tower defense, and kingdom-building mechanics, wrapped in a pixel-art package that’s as charming as it is addictive. You start with a 3x3 grid, a handful of cards, and a simple goal: build a kingdom strong enough to fend off waves of rival kings and their armies. Each turn represents a year, where you play a card—be it a sturdy knight, a buff-granting building, or a game-changing spell—to bolster your defenses. After each turn, you face an auto-battler showdown, lobbing rocks from your castle’s mysterious void (yes, really) to tip the scales.
What sets 9 Kings apart is its unapologetic invitation to “break the game.” With thousands of possible card combinations, players are encouraged to experiment with wild, overpowered builds. Want to stack buffs on a single unit until it’s an unstoppable juggernaut? Or flood the battlefield with hordes of sentient mushrooms and fiendish imps? The game not only allows it but thrives on it. This freedom to tinker and discover absurd synergies is a big reason players keep coming back for “just one more run.”
Unique Kings, Unique Playstyles
The game’s titular nine kings (seven playable in Early Access, with two more to come) each bring distinct decks and strategies, ensuring no two runs feel the same. The King of Nothing is the beginner-friendly all-rounder, perfect for learning the ropes with tanky knights and straightforward buildings. Meanwhile, the King of Blood thrives on sacrificing units for massive payoffs, the King of Greed hoards gold for late-game dominance, and the King of Progress slaps machine guns and gatling towers into a fantasy world for a hilariously anachronistic edge.
This variety keeps the gameplay fresh. Defeating rival kings lets you loot their unique cards, allowing you to mix and match playstyles—like pairing snipers with shamans or imps with defensive towers. The result? Endless replayability as you chase the perfect combo. Players on X have praised this flexibility, with one calling it a “cute little roguelite” that’s “made to be broken with different combos.”
Fast-Paced and Accessible
One of 9 Kings’ biggest strengths is its pacing. A typical run takes about 20 minutes, making it ideal for players who want a quick yet satisfying strategy fix. There’s no fluff—no long cutscenes or dense lore—just pure, streamlined gameplay. The intuitive mechanics mean you can jump in and grasp the basics within minutes, but the depth of card synergies and grid management keeps you strategizing for hours. As one Reddit user put it, “The pace of the game is perfect! Never felt bored for a moment playing, neither did I feel overwhelmed.”
The game also caters to busy gamers with options like speeding up combat animations or disabling building effects, ensuring it doesn’t waste your time. For those who love optimization, leveling up plots by stacking duplicate cards or investing in perks between runs adds a rewarding layer of progression.
Community-Driven Development
Sad Socket’s commitment to community feedback is another reason 9 Kings is winning fans. The developers are active on Discord and Steam forums, addressing bugs and implementing player suggestions. Recent patches have tackled performance issues, balanced cards, and added features like critical hits and run-saving systems. With a planned 12-month Early Access period, the promise of new kings, modes, and content shaped by player input has the community buzzing with excitement.
Addictive and Affordable
Let’s talk value: 9 Kings is priced at just $14.99 USD, with a launch discount dropping it to $9.74 USD until June 7, 2025. For a game that’s already polished and packed with content, it’s a steal. Reviewers compare its addictive quality to Balatro, with one noting, “It’s one of those games I’ll come back to keep playing on and off to discover overpowered combos.” The free demo, which offers hours of content, has also been a hit, earning 95% positive reviews from over 2,100 players.
A Pixel-Art Powerhouse
While some initially dismissed the pixel-art visuals as “boring,” the vibrant cards and chaotic battles have won over skeptics. The art style, combined with the satisfying crunch of flinging rocks at enemy wizards, adds a layer of charm that complements the strategic depth. As Rock Paper Shotgun quipped, “9 Kings is a roguelike city builder that’s actually just an excuse to launch rocks at people.” And honestly? That’s a selling point.
The Verdict
9 Kings is a love letter to strategy fans who crave chaos, creativity, and quick sessions. Its blend of roguelike deckbuilding, tower defense, and kingdom management, paired with a dev team that listens, makes it a standout in 2025’s indie scene. Whether you’re a veteran of Slay the Spire or new to the genre, 9 Kings offers a fresh, addictive experience that’s hard to put down. Grab the demo on Steam, break the game with a ridiculous build, and see why players are crowning it a must-play.
Ready to become the King of Kings? Check out 9 Kings on Steam and join the community shaping this indie gem.