New Roguelike Steam Game with 99% Positive Reviews Is Free to Play
Steam has a new roguelike game called Clockwork Cleanup, featuring creative grid-based combat, a wave of positive reviews, and a completely free price tag. While Steam hosts hundreds, if not thousands, of new roguelike games each year, a handful of indie titles like Clockwork Cleanup truly stand out. Not only are they free to play, but they also bring something new to the table, offering an innovative gameplay twist that fans of the genre will likely appreciate.
In the past few years, many of the games that blew up on Steam have been roguelikes, with the recent success of Megabonk serving as a clear example. However, Megabonk is far from the only roguelike to build a massive following in 2025. There are several others, including Hades 2 and Ball x Pit, both of which captured the attention of thousands of players shortly after release. Taken together, these trends make it clear that the roguelike genre has become one of the most popular categories on Steam, with thousands of fans eager to try something new within the genre. The good news is that Steam currently has a new hidden gem that many roguelike fans are likely to enjoy.
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Clockwork Cleanup Is a Free-to-Play Roguelike with Very Positive Reviews
PC users can currently download and play Clockwork Cleanup on Steam for free, with no strings attached. The puzzle-based roguelike was released on December 8 and has already earned a Very Positive average user review score, with 99% of reviews marked as positive at the time of writing. What sets Clockwork Cleanup apart is its creative tile-based combat system, which challenges players to build strategic grids. These grids then empower the protagonist, MAC, helping it fend off waves of attacking Goo creatures.
Clockwork Cleanup Gameplay Features
- 22 enemy types
- Five waves of enemies in each run
- Grid-based combat with 17 modifiers
- Unique boss fights
- Customizable tiles
- Fuse mechanics for creating new modules
- Special tiles and rotating gimmicks
Clockwork Cleanup Puts a Creative Spin on the Roguelike Formula
In Clockwork Cleanup, players must connect each of their modules to an elemental power source to empower the main character. The more modules they manage to fit into the grid, the stronger MAC becomes. This setup encourages a Tetris-like approach, requiring players to place, rotate, and link modules as efficiently as possible. Like most other 2D roguelikes, Clockwork Cleanup also features power-ups and buffs that players collect after each successful run. And combining and experimenting with these upgrades alongside the grid system is essential for taking down tougher, higher-level enemies.
Another creative feature in Clockwork Cleanup is its fusion mechanic, which allows players to merge two modules into a new item. Fused modules usually come with stronger stats and take up more tiles on the grid, adding extra weight to the decision of which items to combine. Fans of pixel-art games who enjoy a degree of customization are also in for a treat, as Clockwork Cleanup lets players change the appearance of their grid and tailor it to their liking.
Fans seem to enjoy the fact that Clockwork Cleanup has no microtransactions, and many also praise its gameplay for being easy to grasp without feeling simplistic. One fan wrote, “It’s surprisingly good, strategic, and it’s free. Just play it. It’s definitely worth it.” Another noted, “The combination of roguelite and auto-battler game mechanics centered around organizing pipelines is genuinely original.” Players have also highlighted the pixel-art visuals, the music, and the overall cozy vibe as standout aspects of Clockwork Cleanup.
Fans of Clockwork Cleanup‘s puzzle-oriented strategic gameplay may also enjoy Into the Breach on Steam. While not free-to-play, it shares the same “roguelike with innovative mechanics” appeal, and its recent reviews show an Overwhelmingly Positive average score. Another great option for genre enthusiasts is Wildfrost, which combines roguelike mechanics with deck-building and trading card systems.