Since Balatro became a breakout hit, a flood of roguelikes have tried to emulate its formula with mixed results. Dice A Million is the nearest thing yet to recapturing that spark — I kept coming back to it during Steam Next Fest. Swapping playing cards for dice is a smart, elegant pivot: it’s a fresh angle that stays approachable, and the familiarity of dice mechanics often feels even more intuitive than poker-based scoring.
If you missed Balatro, the subgenre is primarily about chasing high scores — and Dice A Million, from developer countlessnights, follows that same ethos. Each run gives you a set number of rolls or hands to hit increasingly demanding point targets. Between stages you augment your collection of dice and items, aiming to assemble combos that can dramatically boost your score. Instead of poker hands, Dice A Million revolves around dice with unique faces and abilities. That core system makes runs highly replayable; it’s worth trying yourself during Steam Next Fest.
Roll up, roll up
You might ask, “What’s so special about dice?” The answer is variety. Early on you start with small packs — d3s and d4s (which display values 1–3 and 1–4) — so initial scores stay modest. As you progress you unlock classic d6s, and stranger options like d7s and d10s that RPG players will recognise. The game also includes delightfully odd pieces: a literal coin, an explosive piñata, and even a matryoshka-style die.
As with Balatro, a shop appears between rounds where you can buy new dice, score-boosting stamps, and rings — accessories that attach to digits in your hand and grant extra effects when those dice are rolled. You can also gamble currency to improve upcoming rewards if you pass a risk check. Each board culminates in a tougher challenge that may include mechanics such as debuffing previously used dice or hiding your hand entirely.
I’ve found the core loop delightfully addictive, and I keep wanting to run “just one more” — though it’s early days, and I do sometimes fall back on simple strategies that can snowball thanks to carry-over scoring. Still, the variety of dice and combinations makes it worth a go: you never know what a new run will throw up. Dice A Million launches on PC in January 2026.
Source: gamesradar.com
