Features
An autobattler takes the controls away on purpose: if you lose, the build was wrong, and there is nobody else to blame.
In a normal deckbuilder a good player rescues a mediocre deck through sequencing. That is the skill, and it is also the excuse — a bad run can always be blamed on a misplay. Autobattlers delete the play phase entirely, which sounds like removing the game and is actually the opposite. Every decision moves upstream into the build, and the build gets judged in public, fifteen seconds later.
The games, and what they cost
| Game | Developer | Released | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grail | Sokpop Collective | 1 September 2026 | $7.99 |
| Super Auto Pets | Team Wood Games | 24 September 2021 | Free to play |
| Backpack Battles | PlayWithFurcifer (IndieArk) | 13 June 2025 | $14.99 |
| Mechabellum | Game River (Dreamhaven) | 26 September 2024 | $14.99 |
| The Bazaar | Tempo | 13 August 2025 | $19.99 |
| Ballionaire | newobject (Raw Fury) | 10 December 2024 | $12.34 |
Super Auto Pets is still the entry point, five years on
Free, cross-platform, and simple enough to explain in one sentence: build a team of pets, they fight another player’s team without you. It is the game that made the genre legible to people who had never played one, and its Steam page lists in-app purchases as the trade for that price.
Grail is the newest and the most stripped-down
Sokpop’s September 2026 entry runs 15 to 45 minutes, has 250-plus cards and 100-plus traits, and unlocks everything through play. Between fights you upgrade, enchant and sticker cards; during fights you watch. At $7.99 it is the cheapest paid way into the genre, and it scored 7.45 from 194 reviews in its first week on Steam.
Backpack Battles moved the decisions into space
The twist is inventory geometry: items have shapes, the backpack has a grid, and adjacency creates crafting and synergy. Turning a build into a packing problem is the single cleverest idea in the genre, because it makes an optimal build something you can see at a glance rather than compute.
Mechabellum is the one for people who want scale
Drafted mech armies, unit customisation, formations, and 1v1, 2v2, free-for-all and Survival modes. Its own store copy calls it “all strategy, no clickfest”, which is the genre’s thesis stated plainly. Published by Dreamhaven.
The Bazaar is the most expensive and the most multiplayer-shaped
Hero picks, combo discovery and a shifting marketplace, at $19.99. It is the entry most dependent on other people being in it, which is worth weighing against the price.
Ballionaire is the argument that the genre is bigger than cards
newobject calls it an “autobonker”: a physics roguelike where you build a board and the ball plays it. Same principle, no cards, and Steam Workshop support. If you like the watching part more than the card part, start here.
What autobattlers are not good for
- No moment-to-moment expression. If what you enjoy about a game is executing well under pressure, there is nothing here for you. The genre deliberately removes the thing you are good at.
- Bad runs are boring, not tense. When a build is wrong you find out by watching it fail slowly. Some players find that clarifying and some find it insulting.
- Two of these depend on a population. The Bazaar and Super Auto Pets match you against other players. A quiet ladder is a worse game, regardless of design.
The adjacent shelf
If the appeal is the deckbuilding rather than the automation, Dreamcards at $9.99 is a conventional roguelike deckbuilder, A game about cards is the minimalist take, and Dice Hoarder swaps cards for dice entirely. Our new roguelike games list covers the wider run-based shelf.
Frequently asked questions
What is an autobattler?
A strategy game where you assemble a team, deck or board and then watch the fight resolve automatically. All the decisions happen before combat, not during it.
What is the best free autobattler?
Super Auto Pets, released in 2021 and still free to play with in-app purchases listed on Steam.
What is the cheapest paid autobattler?
Grail by Sokpop Collective at 7.99 dollars, released 1 September 2026.
Is Backpack Battles an autobattler?
Yes. You buy and craft items and arrange them in a backpack grid, then the fight plays out automatically against another player’s build.
Are autobattlers roguelikes?
Most are roguelike-adjacent: runs are randomised and end in failure, but the moment-to-moment play is replaced by build decisions between automatic fights.
Do autobattlers need other players?
Some do. The Bazaar and Super Auto Pets are built around matching against other players. Grail has PvP but also monster fights, and Ballionaire and Mechabellum can be played without a live ladder.
Sources and citation
- Grail on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3597200/ - Super Auto Pets on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714040/ - Backpack Battles on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2427700/ - Mechabellum on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/669330/ - The Bazaar on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1617400/ - Ballionaire on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2667120/
Recommended
- New Roguelike Games On Steam
- Best Action Roguelikes On Steam
- Peggle Roguelikes And Pachinko Roguelites
- Grail
- Dreamcards
- Dice Hoarder
- A game about cards
- Best Indie Trading Games On Steam
- Best Cheap Indie Games Under $10
- Games Like Vampire Survivors
New on the Steam 250 seven-day chart
Added the week of 9 September 2026, verified against the Steam 250 seven-day chart and Steam store data.
- Orc Incremental — an incremental auto battler where you draft units and set formations (.79)
New reads this week
Published 16 September 2026 on IndieForGames.
