New indie roguelike Megabonk defies launch warnings, earns thousands of players

I love watching something small and creative spread to an increasingly large audience. Balatro is one of the easiest modern examples to point to, but you could likewise look at the gradual growth of Hollow Knight. Team Cherry has since ascended to the ranks of the established elite, however, and Silksong is one of several banner names on September's supremely stacked release calendar. Enter Megabonk, which injects the horde survival of Vampire Survivors into the more open maps of Risk of Rain 2. Rather than dodging out of the way of Hornet like many other smaller games, Megabonk simply strode out into the fray swinging, and so far it looks to be working.

Megabonk is described by its developer 'Vedinad' as "kind of like Vampire Survivors on steroids." Structurally, its 3D worlds give it more of a Risk of Rain 2 vibe - but smashing together two of the best roguelikes in recent years is a recipe for something delicious, especially when you drizzle it with the effortless style Megabonk brings to proceedings. A skateboarding skeleton? A monkey in shades? When your Steam store page already has me grinning before I've hit play, you know you're onto something special.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Megabonk (aside from the skateboarding skeleton, of course) is just how fast it moves. You can really get a good pace going, zipping across the environments like you're playing Tribes Ascend as you blast through the hordes. With 20 characters on offer and more than 70 unique items that offer a range of synergies, you can be sure you'll be discovering fresh builds for a long while to come.

Despite this, Megabonk's developer was told to not put it out yet. "Everyone has been warning me not to launch my game today, because it launches in the middle of other massive games," Vedinad said on the planned release date of Thursday August 18. They're not wrong; a glance at the release calendar shows Hollow Knight Silksong, Borderlands 4, Dying Light: The Beast, and Hades 2, and that's just scratching the surface. But they refused to be cowed by the pressure. "I don't care - boom! Megabonk is out right now."

A bold strategy, and one that seems to have paid off so far. The initial growth was gradual, but word of mouth quickly spread. At the time of writing, Megabonk boasts a peak concurrent Steam player count of 18,085 active users, and it's still increasing. Enough reviews have come in to earn it the coveted 'overwhelmingly positive' rating, with 96% of users giving it the thumbs up. "10/10, would bonk again," one writes. Another says, "After playing nearly 16 hours, I can say I've gotten my money's worth. The game is fun, bouncy, and when things pop off, it's very satisfying."

Megabonk is out now on Steam, with a 15% discount available through Thursday October 2. That means you'll pay just $8.49 / £7.22 for your copy, or $9.99 / £8.50 once the sale ends. Grab it here if you're ready to bonk.

Make sure you don't miss out on any of the hottest hidden gems by studying our list of the best indie games in 2025. We've also rounded up the best free Steam games if you want something that doesn't require you to break out your wallet.

Are you a satisfied Megabonker? Let us know in the PCGamesN community Discord server, where you can share your best runs and favorite builds with the team and other readers.