Summary
The auto battler genre has seen many clones, offshoots, and hybrids since the original launch of theDota 2custom game,Auto Chess. AlthoughAuto Chessmay not have been the first game to use the mechanics synonymous with auto battlers, it’s arguably responsible for inspiring the abundance of games to follow in its footsteps.
For those uninitiated, the gameplay of an auto battler is commonly divided into two phases: a shop phase, during which players craft and modify their team (often while managing their economy), and an action phase, during which the game’s combat takes place automatically. These two phases are repeatedly played out until the player either loses or wins. In the case of PvP auto battlers, the gameplay usually remains the same, but often includes an interesting twist, such asTeamfight Tacticsaugments. In the case of PvE auto battlers, however, games often include a form of progression.
Updated July 01, 2025, by Harry Ted Sprinks:The auto battler genre has continued to be expanded and iterated upon, with smaller developers consistently producing high-quality, polished titles that innovate on the genre and carry it further from its PvP origins and deeper into the world of singleplayer games. Fresh auto battler experiences like Hadean Tactics (PvE) and Mechabellum (PvP) have kept the genre alive through clever twists and designs, becoming the new standard rather than a carbon copy of what came before. Even smaller games, such as Necroking and the upcoming He Is Coming give players unique auto battler experiences, years after the genre’s popularity peaked.
17Special Mention - He Is Coming (Demo)
A Simple But Satisfying Loop With An Elegant Design
Already featuring a variety of bosses and items even in its current state as a public demo,He Is Comingis a promising indie auto battler with a minimalist art-style and an elegant design. The game tasks players with navigating a grid-based map similar to a traditional roguelike, exploring in order to discover valuable items.
Every three days, a new boss arrives and attempts to kill the player. However,He Is Comingis able to combat frustration by telegraphing which boss is on its way, allowing players to prepare themselves appropriately.
16Automon
Auto-Battling Pokemon
Using a combination of charmingpixel art graphicsand idle combat,Automondistills the mechanics of the auto battler to create a fast-paced game that focuses more on the strategic decisions of building and managing a team rather than trying to add depth to the decisions made in combat.
Automonriffs on and parodiesPokemonto fantastic effect, capturing the spirit of building a team of strange creatures and combining that with the synergy system present in most auto-battlers to create a unique, addictive blend.
Likely one of the most played auto battlers due to its position as a game mode of the popular game,League of Legends,Teamfight Tacticsfollows the suit ofAuto Chesswith its focus on strategizing over a team’s formation and building up synergies to achieve game-changing effects.
An aspect that could be attributed toTFT’ssuccess is its ability to freshen the game mode with every new season; changing augments, adding mechanics, and switching around classes and characters. WhileAuto Chessdoes this, too, it could be argued thatTFT’screativity in its updates has helped to maintain its higher player base.
14Gladiator Guild Manager
Auto Battler Action Meets Gladiator Management
This gladiator management game takes place in a fantasy setting and features a cartoon aesthetic.Gladiator Guild Managertasks players with running a team of gladiators and leveling them up to take on bigger, tougher tournaments.
Gladiator Guild Managercombines auto-battling action with management game mechanics, tasking players with managing their finances and resources outside of combat, as well as managing their team’s equipment.Gladiator Guild Managercan get a little repetitive, but it manages to be a distinctive auto-battler experience.
This inventive auto-battler combines elements of games such asSuper Auto PetsandBackpack Hero, offering a unique experience that makes the shopping section of the game even more strategic. Furthermore, the game features a crafting element that adds a layer of depth to the gameplay and encourages players to experiment to find new recipes.
Backpack Battlesis all about inventory management, trying to make room for as many items as possible in a limited amount of space. Often, the game plays like classic inventory-Tetris, but players are also able to expand their inventory and even rotate new inventory slots to make more room for themselves. Adding extra replay value is the variety of classes, each of which brings its unique strengths to the table.
12Tales & Tactics
An RPG-Style Auto Battler
Combining auto-battling gameplay with RPG elements,Tales & Tacticsstands out with its colorful NPCs and fun interactions, as well as its lack of grinding through meta-progression. Rather than having players increase their stats over time,Tales & Tacticshas players unlock new possibilities for future runs, much like in games such asThe Binding Of IsaacandSlay The Spire.
AlthoughTales & Tacticsfeatures similar gameplay to games likeThe Last Flame, which combinesTeamfight Tacticswith the roguelike genre,Tales & Tactics’skill-based meta-progression and unique charms help to distinguish it from its contemporaries.
Despot’s Gameis an auto battler rogue-like that sees players build not a squad, but an army of “puny humans,” and lead them through procedural dungeons. Throughout a run, players can transform their basic units into several different classes; wizards, cultists, ninjas, and even pretzel throwers.
The game also includes a class-combo system that works much like the synergy system in games likeTeamfight Tactics, as well as a perk system that adds an extra layer of strategy and adds to the game’s replay value.
10The Last Flame
Teamfight Tactics With A Roguelike Twist
This game plays very similarly toTeamfight Tacticsbut is designed as a single-player game.The Last Flameis structured like a modern-day roguelike, with aSlay The Spirestyle map for players to progress through, fighting various enemies and mini-bosses until they reach and defeat the boss.
The Last Flameis currently in Early Access, but it’s still receiving regular updates and, at the time of writing, maintains a “Very Positive” user rating on Steam. Although the visuals are highly reminiscent ofTeamfight Tactics, the game has a handful of unique mechanics up its sleeve that help to distinguish it from the crowd.
This game takes the strategic choices of the auto-battler genre, combines them with those ofthe tower defense genre, and mixes all of that with light micromanagement to create action-packed, chaotic gameplay that manages to remain strategic through its shops and the decisions players make within.
Mechanibotputs players in control of a character and allows them to move around the map and pick up and move their auto-battling towers, adding an extra layer of interactivity that is lacking in certain auto-battler games by turning tactical unit positioning into a challenge.
8Necroking
An Accessible But Tactical Auto Battler With Deck-Building Elements
Necrokingis a simple and easy-to-learn auto battler with a dark, rich atmosphere and crunchy pixel-art. The game’s visual style and accessible gameplay are easily among its greatest strengths, allowing players to pick up and play with relative ease.
However, it’s far from a shallow experience. In the game, players build a deck of minions and strategically place them in one of four areas in battle. These battles are broken up by tile-based exploration, and the game even features boss fights that inject some much-needed variety.
