Dicevaders Launches For Switch, Switch 2, And PC
Playstack, the publisher behind Balatro, is applying its catalog strategy to a spin-off that hands the StarVaders universe to the enemy side, where the previous game's pilots appear as late-stage bosses rather than heroes.
Key Facts
- Dicevaders released on September 30, 2026 for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC at 1,800 yen.
- Pengonauts developed Dicevaders and Playstack published it, with a 10 percent discount running for two weeks after launch.
- Dicevaders includes more than 60 unit types, 120 artifact types, and 10 commanders.
- A StarVaders release for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PS5 is planned within the year, with iOS and Android versions announced and timing undecided.
Reporting from 4 sources: 4Gamer.net, GAME Watch (Impress), Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Playstack released Dicevaders on September 30, 2026 for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. The game costs 1,800 yen and carries a 10 percent launch discount for two weeks. Developer Pengonauts built Dicevaders as a spin-off of StarVaders, the tactical roguelike that holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam. In Dicevaders, the player is an alien commander who places units on a grid and rolls dice to raise an attack score. Matching die numbers such as pairs or triples triggers combos, and items allow rerolls or cheats on bad rolls. The roster has more than 60 unit types, 120 artifact types, and 10 commanders with different synergies. Each stage ends with pilots from StarVaders defending Earth. Supported languages total 10, including Japanese, English, Korean, and Simplified Chinese.
Dicevaders ships with six difficulty levels and a True End, according to the release announcement. Each turn rolls three dice, and the attack power of units in the matching column is totaled against a target planet's defense value. The third area of every stage holds the StarVaders pilots, who carry special abilities that can block the player from using rerolls or cheat effects.
Pengonauts developer Axolotl described the project as originating in a dream about a dice-based game set in the same universe, with a prototype built in a few days. The stated design goal was a game about raising numbers through planning rather than luck. Dicevaders follows StarVaders, which released on Steam on April 30, 2025 and sits at 97 percent positive across more than 3,700 user reviews, with a Metacritic critic score of 85. A StarVaders console release for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PS5 is planned within the year, and iOS and Android versions are also announced with timing undecided.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net 「StarVaders」のスピンオフ作品「Dicevaders」本日発売。エイリアンの軍団を編成して地球を侵略するデッキ構築型ローグライク
- GAME Watch (Impress) 地球侵略はサイコロで！ 数字が爆増するローグライク・サイコロデッキ構築ゲーム「Dicevaders」本日発売！
- Denfaminicogamer 「圧倒的に好評」なデッキ構築ローグライクゲーム『StarVaders』がSwitch/Switch 2/PS5にて年内後半にリリースへ。宇宙人の侵略にロボットとカードで立ち向かう
- Game Spark エイリアン軍団を率い、地球目指して侵略！立場逆転の数字インフレ系デッキ構築型ダイス・ローグライク『Dicevaders』配信開始