New basketball roguelike Clutchtime is a slick, sporty spin on Slay the Spire

In a world where every new deckbuilder is submitted to the ritual test of 'Is this a Balatro or a Slay the Spire,' Clutchtime manages to dribble eloquently between both to score a surprisingly satisfying slam dunk. Much like the genre's twin champions, the simple, clean presentation of this basketball roguelike belies an immensely compelling hook that had my 'one more game' neurons tingling in no time. With a Steam sale discount for launch and a free demo if you'd like to try it first, developer Bigosaur's latest is one to watch.

Much like in real basketball, winning a match in Clutchtime is simple: Outscore your opponent by the time the clock runs out. Your deck defines the moves you can use, while the cards running along the top of the screen show what your opponent is planning to do next. While most of the best roguelikes deal in damage and healing, here you'll be scoring points and looking to steal the ball from your foe. Stamina acts much the way energy does in Slay the Spire, with a limited amount available each turn to play your chosen moves.

Being able to see your opponent's run of actions gives your turns a bit more of a puzzle-solving element, akin to the likes of Into the Breach. While you can simply look to outscore the other team, you'll be well-served by setting up blocks for their attempts to sink three pointers. I was initially a little skeptical about how well the fundamentals of basketball would translate into a card game, but it almost immediately made perfect sense once I began.

Matches are broken up into four quarters, and the clock jumps forward with each turn or when using certain cards. There's one extra feature at work; certain plays can ramp up the crowd energy, which applies additional card draw and stamina to the home-team player if the fans get rowdy enough. Bigosaur has done a great job of implementing the now-standard 'keyword explanations on hover' feature, meaning that you'll easily be able to keep track of what effects do.

Win a match, and you'll be able to take new cards to slot into your deck. Clutchtime offers both elimination tournaments for that more traditional roguelike feel, or a classic-style regular season mode where progress continues whether you win or lose, but where you'll need to perform well enough to make the cut for the end-of-year playoffs. You can even manually customize the names to put yourself in among the big guns.

Clutchtime is out now on Steam, with a 20% launch discount available through Thursday July 31 meaning you'll pay $15.99 / £12.79. There's also a free demo you can download via the store page if you want to try before you buy.

On the hunt for some more traditional action? We've lined up the best sports games on PC right now. Or, if you love the thrill of discovering a hidden gem, take a look through our pick of the best indie games in 2025.

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