Pixel Sundays: The evolution of Risk of Rain – From student project to roguelike giant
The Risk of Rain series began in 2013 as a small university project and has now grown into one of the most important roguelike games. The game is packed with action, escalating all the way to chaos thanks to a global difficulty timer that constantly increases. Every run is different and creates new, crazy builds again and again.
Summary
- The Beginnings: Risk of Rain
- The Big Leap Into 3D: Risk of Rain 2
- The Risk of Rain 2 DLCs: New Survivors, More Endgame and Meta Shift
- The Survivors: Power Fantasies, Roles and Identity
- The Heart of the Series: Items, Scaling and Roguelike Chaos
- The Community and the Cult Factor
- The Future of the Risk of Rain Series
- Conclusion: Why Risk of Rain Remains One of the Strongest Roguelike Franchises
Recently, another DLC for Risk of Rain 2 released and it may very well be the best one so far. That makes this week the perfect time to talk about the entire franchise in our Pixel Sundays article. We look at the beginnings, the sequel, the DLCs and much more.
The Beginnings: Risk of Rain
It all began as a university project by two students, Paul Morse and Duncan Drummond. Their original vision was to pack as much chaos as possible into a roguelike without making it unfair. To finance Risk of Rain, the two launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 with a small goal that was surpassed within just a few days.
Even back then, community support was immense. A dedicated fanbase formed early, excited for the game even before release. The focus was on a minimalistic pixel look to avoid technical limitations, placing more emphasis on gameplay. The game quickly became a surprise indie hit after releasing on Steam on November 8, 2013.
The gameplay is a side-scrolling platformer with roguelike mechanics such as permadeath, random items and a level loop. The core mechanic is activating a teleporter in each level and surviving a countdown phase. Once completed, you move to the next level. Meanwhile, the difficulty continues to rise, so every moment counts.
There are over 100 items that stack and combine, which can lead to both positive and negative effects. The longer you stay in a level, the more you can loot to prepare for later. But at the same time, it’s important not to be overtaken by the timer and overwhelmed by too many enemies. Risk of Rain offers multiple characters you unlock over time. Each class provides different playstyles, creating variety and high replay value.
In 2023, a remastered version called Risk of Rain Returns was released. This version makes the game better than ever before, offering new iconic loot, new characters, an improved multiplayer and much more.
The Big Leap Into 3D: Risk of Rain 2
The sequel to the 2013 original, Risk of Rain 2, released in 2019 and shifted from a 2D pixel roguelike to a full 3D third-person shooter roguelike. According to developer Hopoo Games, this change was necessary because 2D did not provide enough visual space to display all items properly. It also opened up a completely new layer of gameplay. Even though the game looked entirely different, the core of the series stayed intact. You collect items, fight waves of enemies, use the teleporter loop and the difficulty escalates over time.
Risk of Rain 2 has a stronger co-op focus and supports online co-op with up to four players. This co-op aspect was heavily emphasized. During Early Access there was even a promotion where buying the game gave you a second copy to gift to a friend. There was also a roadmap and updates that involved the community directly.
As in the original, you can stack items to increase their effects. There is no limit on duplicates, allowing for extreme builds. Effects like chain lightning and AoE abilities were adapted to the new 3D mechanics and expanded through new items, mechanics and survivors. The combination of items, greater mobility and 3D environments leads to explosive runs where builds can completely break the game.
The game entered Early Access on March 27, 2019 and was continually supported for years with free and paid DLCs, which we will discuss shortly. In 2022, the IP was acquired by Gearbox Software. Even today, the game still receives updates, leading to strong community engagement. After Early Access, the game also released on PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
The Risk of Rain 2 DLCs: New Survivors, More Endgame and Meta Shift
Since the IP was acquired by Gearbox Software in 2022, three major paid DLCs have been released. The first major expansion launched on March 1 for PC. This first DLC is “Survivors of the Void“. In this DLC, a Void invasion strikes the planet Petrichor V. It introduces two new survivors: the Railgunner, a long-range sniper, and the Void Fiend, who can transform through Void Corruption. A key mechanic in Survivors of the Void is corrupted items, which alter or twist the usual effects. The DLC also adds new stages, bosses and endings.
Between 2023 and 2024 two expansions were released. First, Seekers of the Storm as a paid DLC, which included new content such as maps, items and survivors. This DLC adds more replay value through new endgame variants. During this time, even more free updates were released, adding additional gameplay mechanics, items and combinations.
On November 18, 2025 the biggest DLC so far was released: Risk of Rain 2: Alloyed Collective. The DLC introduces two new survivors, Operator and Drifter.
- Operator: She is available immediately and specializes in drone control. Operator uses drones as tactical offense, defensive helpers or support tools.
- Drifter: Must still be unlocked by playing and is based on an old survivor concept from the predecessor, but was completely reworked. His abilities allow flexible and aggressive playstyles.
There are also 7 new stages, 18 new items, 7 new drones and new drone mechanics, which you can even control after death. For the endgame you get two new teleporter bosses, a new final boss and new systems such as item combining, drone shops and more. Drones have quickly become very strong and are now a major part of the meta.
The Survivors: Power Fantasies, Roles and Identity
In Risk of Rain 2, including the DLCs, you can choose from a total of 19 characters. Each one plays very differently, allowing everyone to pick their preferred style, whether tank, ranged, strategist, berserker, solo or team-oriented. Depending on the character you choose, you want different items and you will aim for different synergies.
For a small example, take the Engineer, who can place turrets that fight for him. Naturally, the Engineer wants items that boost the turrets or create automatic damage. Your survivor already defines the build path early on. When playing in co-op, you should aim for a balanced selection of characters. New DLC survivors shift the meta every time, for example the new drones of Operator are currently very strong.
The Heart of the Series: Items, Scaling and Roguelike Chaos
The most important aspect of the series are the various items, which come in different rarities: Common (white), Uncommon (green), Legendary (red), Boss (yellow), Lunar (blue), Void (purple). Builds are created by stacking the same item multiple times, causing effects to add or multiply. There are also some skills that activate only with a certain probability, for example on-hit effects like chain lightning, missiles or bleed damage.
Boss items and legendaries, which are rare drops, heavily define your build, while void items can modify existing items. The longer you stay in a run, the harder surviving becomes, but the loot also gets better. Many items scale exponentially, letting the chaos truly unfold.
The Community and the Cult Factor
The Risk of Rain 2 community has a very active modding scene. There are guides on creating your own mods and many custom survivors, items and stages. In general, the community is very active and provides mod kits for aspiring modders. The soundtrack of the series was composed by Chris Christodoulou and is highly praised. It blends electronic elements with ambient and rock influences in a style that contributes greatly to the atmosphere.
The Future of the Risk of Rain Series
Whether a true Risk of Rain 3 will ever appear is unknown, as nothing has been announced or planned yet. It is more likely that additional DLCs for Risk of Rain 2 will continue to be released, especially since the latest DLC has been very successful. There are also ongoing hints that a mobile spin-off might happen.
Conclusion: Why Risk of Rain Remains One of the Strongest Roguelike Franchises
The Risk of Rain series shows impressively how a small university project can evolve into one of the most influential roguelike franchises. From pixelated 2D chaos to an explosive 3D third-person shooter, the series has continuously evolved without losing its core identity of escalation, item synergies and strong replayability. Risk of Rain 2 elevates these strengths with co-op focus, extreme builds and steady content updates, proving through its DLCs how alive the game still is.
The new Alloyed Collective DLC especially shows how much potential the series still has, with fresh survivors, new stages, expanded drone systems and a significantly modernized endgame. Combined with a passionate community, an iconic soundtrack and an active modding scene, Risk of Rain remains a standout title in the roguelike genre. Whether a third entry will come is unclear, but the franchise is showing more than ever that it is far from the end of its journey.
Hey, I’m Kilian, but online you’ll probably know me as “Tux1243.” I've been part of the team for almost two years now, always trying to keep you in the loop with the latest and coolest gaming news. I also have a huge passion for doing deep dives and detailed analyses of entire game series and franchises. I love getting to the bottom of things and exploring the little details and backstories that make game worlds so fascinating.
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Risk of Rain is an intense and addictive roguelike. Each playthrough feels unique thanks to the real-time difficulty progression and variety of items. Its minimalist pixel art style and melancholic atmosphere make it a challenging but highly rewarding experience. An indie classic that continues to shine.
I always like reading the blog and seeing what game is being talked about. I played risk of rain a few years ago and have not picked it back up.
Looks amazing, no wonder so many good reviews. Discord: Andystyl
Didn't knew all that parkour for a particular game which becomes a true classic!
Really interesting article! Risk of Rain still surprises with style, pace and depth. Excellent overview of the evolution of the series and why it is so loved by the community :)