We’ve played a lot of roguelikes, and we’ve also played a lot of deckbuilders. But Clutchtime from developer Bigosaur has combined the two, then added basketball into the mix. And we’ve never played that. 

And we’ll be honest, we’re impressed. The game hasn’t launched yet, but a demo is available for Steam gamers – with a full release on PC and Switch expected later this year.

We’ve had a look at Clutchtime and there’s a lot to talk about – so we thought we’d go ahead and list five reasons why this is a game that should be added to your wishlist as soon as possible.

Hoop Dreams

Clutchtime is about basketball, but it’s not just another po-faced sim or clunky arcade take on the sport. Instead it’s a roguelike deckbuilder where you play fast paced matches to outscore your opponents and win a championship.

Although deckbuilding titles can often be a  little dry and inaccessible, Clutchtime instead offers a fresh take on the genre that we think every gamer will enjoy. Each card represents a different basketball action – both defensive and offensive – such as Shot, Assist, Rebound, and Block.

Then with each card an action or a trope from real basketball games is represented, but then there are also coach cards. These can help you make Timeouts and substitute players. 

Although it may not look like it, this is as accurate a depiction of basketball as you’ll get when only cards are involved.

End to End

There’s been a real effort to make sure the gameplay is an accurate representation of the helter skelter nature of basketball matches. 

This includes the game’s stacking system – which allows you to stack powers during matches. Unlike other roguelike deckbuilders, powers can be removed from the stack by the opponent and yourself by certain cards being played – such as Pump Fake and Full Court Pass.

As a result you can lose and re-establish powers in an instant, with this helping to recreate the end to end and unpredictable nature of only the very best basketball contests.

That’s without mentioning other elements too. There are certain cards to help you take advantage of being at home, temporary card pick ups allowing you to experiment, and the need for time management with games split into quarters. Basically there’s a lot going on, but none of it feels superfluous – it’s all in service of making this feel like basketball.

Look and Feel

So the gameplay is perfectly tuned to feel like basketball, but we’re also impressed at how good Clutchtime looks and sounds. Visuals are crisp and clear, meaning you can make decisions quickly and decisively. There’s none of the cluttered UI issues that plague many a deckbuilder present here.

Then there’s the audio. Developer Bigosaur actually went to live basketball matches to record audio, and have implemented it into the game. And it just adds so much more to the experience. There’s crowd noise during decisive actions on the game such as blocks and dunks for example.

Multiplayer Madness

The solo modes (Tournaments and Full season) offer more than enough content, but Clutchtime will also boast Multiplayer PvP that can support up to 16 players. You can face off against other players when you meet during the season, as well as in the playoffs. 

There’s a custom game option that will let you play a competition with a handful of friends too. 

You Can Try It Now

Best of all, there’s a demo available of the game right now on Steam. So you don’t have to take our word for it – you can check it out for yourself.

We’re sure you’ll be won over pretty quickly by what we think might become one of the sleeper hits of 2025 when it launches on Switch and Steam. You can also find the developer’s website here.