Slots & Daggers: Why has this slot machine roguelike taken Steam by storm?

Steam Next Fest places a whole host of upcoming games into the spotlight, all representing different genres and bringing innovative ideas to the table. Slots & Daggers has quickly climbed the charts for its unique take on the fantasy RPG genre by blending it with a slot machine. Due to the success of CloverPit and Balatro, it’s no surprise that another roguelite with gambling mechanics is at the top of many players’ wishlists.

In Slots & Daggers, you fight monsters using your chosen symbols, and whatever the machine rolls dictates the actions you’ll perform against your enemy. Whether you deal critical damage and quickly break through enemy health, or roll not enough defense, is all determined by how lucky you get. If you’re looking for the latest Slots & Daggers news, we’ve got all the details on what you can expect from the game and when it will be released.

What is Slots & Daggers?

Slots & Daggers is an indie roguelike that implements turn-based combat on a slot machine. You select the symbols you want to use before entering a battle against an enemy, with each symbol wielding a different ability. The game starts with a rusty dagger that does 15 critical damage, the coin symbol, which lets you earn coins to buy more symbols and upgrade them, and a wooden shield that awards 20 shield when you gett it.

The Slots and Daggers gameplay loop is simple. The symbols will spin and you will manually stop them one by one. If you get a critical hit that involves matching three of the same symbol, its effects will be multiplied by three.

In the Slots and Daggers demo, the interface is easy to navigate. On the machine, you can see your health and shield, and the enemy’s health and shield, all while the coins you earn are spat out of the left side and chips disperse out of the bottom. Chips are used to buy gameplay modifiers, which can enhance your gameplay and give you the upper hand against the opponent, and turn the luck in your favor.

Slots and Daggers features pixel art and retro visuals, setting the scene of the fantasy world from which the enemies you will face come. Expect to fight against Mothgul (an oversized moth with a spear), a Hammer Goblin, and The Cleaver, among various other strange creatures. As you clear a level, the next enemy will only get stronger, so you must keep upgrading your gear as you progress.

When is Slots & Daggers coming out?

In a Slots & Daggers announcement, it was revealed that the full game will be released on October 24, 2025. In the meantime, you can play a demo on Steam to get a taste of what’s to come. You can test your luck on the machine and fight against a variety of enemies, while using some of the symbols and gameplay modifiers that will be on offer.

Of course, the full game will have more content, expected to have four to eight hours of playtime. Additionally, there will be an endless mode to test how far you can go before the machine or enemies catch up to you.

Who’s developing Slots & Daggers?

The Slots & Daggers developer is Friedemann, also known for Summerhouse, a relaxing single-player sandbox game, and Pizza Possum, an arcade game where you play as a mischievous possum. Slots & Daggers is a stark contrast from Friedemann’s past projects, bringing fantasy RPG elements to life on a slot machine.

How does Slots & Daggers compare to CloverPit and Balatro?

Slots & Daggers gambling mechanics are just like those of CloverPit and Balatro, as luck plays a role in each playthrough. Also, all three titles are roguelikes, therefore sharing similar mechanics, especially when it comes to item usage. However, the main difference with CloverPit is that CloverPit is about using a slot machine to earn coins to aid your escape from your captor. As for Balatro, Poker-inspired mechanics are used to beat boss blinds that increase in difficulty. In Slots & Daggers, you are fighting mythical creatures in a strange fantasy world with the symbol combinations you get on your slot machine.

How long is the Slots & Daggers demo?

Although there’s a solid amount of content on offer, the Slots & Daggers demo can be beaten in less than an hour. With that said, you can replay it as much as you’d like, testing out different symbol combinations and seeing if you can roll the credits using different builds. Even the addictive nature of the game and satisfying sounds from tinkering away at the slot machine is enough to warrant a second playthrough.

The demo will remain available until the full version of Slots & Daggers hits the Steam storefront on October 24, 2025.