Sometimes a game comes along that can redefine a genre, or be so distinctive in its mechanics that it becomes the source of an entire genre’s name. Think the punishingly brutal, third person action of Dark Souls, which spawned a genre of “soulslike” games, or the unlocking of powers allowing access to previous areas, in games such as Super Metroid or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, leading to a seemingly unstoppable deluge of “metroidvania” games. Going even further back in gaming history, the original Rogue led to the widely adopted use of the word “roguelike”.
Video game Vampire Survivors, which originally released in 2022, can be described as a roguelike game, but it’s also an auto-battling, bullet hell-esque wave shooter. Except you’re the “hell” firing all of the bullets, leading it to be dubbed a “bullet heaven” game in some quarters. It’s a phenomenally addictive game, taking satirical visual and naming cues from games such as the aforementioned Castlevania, and adding thousands of on-screen enemies at a time. Players find and add combinations of weapons and passive items to their arsenal, then power them up to become an increasingly deadly, roaming ball of death.
Of course, we’re not here to discuss the video game (it’s not a card game in any way, shape or form either), but what is of interest to us here at Card Gamer is the announcement that Vampire Survivors is being adapted into physical form, as Vampire Survivors: The Board Game.
Though we don’t have any visual elements to share (beyond the box art, which will be familiar to fans of the video game), quite a few details were revealed in the press release from the game’s publisher, Grey Fox Games. Vampire Survivors: The Board Game is set to be aco-operative game, which features mechanics based around deckbuilding.
Replicating the feel of the video game, players will need to fend off waves of enemies closing in from every direction. Again, just like the video game, players will need to put together a custom build of weapons and passives, though of course this will be done via the aforementioned method of deckbuilding!
Players will take turns playing cards from their hands to move, attack and gain experience to level up, working towards an ultimate showdown with Red Death. Excitingly, content is unlocked to enhance future runs at the end of each game.
Just like the video game, the board game seems to have a set time limit, with each game taking 45 minutes. Fan favorite characters will appear, such as Poe, and players can start the game as Antonio, Imelda, Gennaro or Pasqualina.
It all sounds like it’s tailor made for Vampire Survivors fans, as it should be, and it’s set to arrive in 2026. You can sign up for the Kickstarter pre-launch, which will notify you when the campaign is live. You can also pledge $1 to gain access to exclusive extra content during the crowdfunding campaign.
Check out our coverage of another digital-to-tabletop title, in our Slay the Spire: The Board Game review.
