In the game vampire survivors, the player controls a character that automatically attacks while fighting against waves of monsters. The goal is to stay alive as long as possible and unlock new characters, weapons, and relics for future games. Despite the fact that vampires appear on the game’s name and cover, none of the monsters you face are vampires.
The player chooses from a number of characters with different starting weapons and bonuses and then controls them on an endless stage with a repeating layout that is generated automatically. The player’s weapons automatically attack, and the goal is to stay alive as long as possible against waves of monsters that hurt the player when they touch them. By killing monsters and exploring the stage, the player can get experience gems, which are used to level up, “floor chicken,” which heals the player, and other useful items. Each level gives the player a choice of three or four weapons and passive power-ups. Once the player has collected six weapons and six power-ups and fully upgraded them all, any more levels will only give them gold coins or floor chicken. You can also upgrade weapons and power-ups by opening chests. These chests are dropped by the most powerful monsters and can have anywhere from one to five random items. Most weapons have an “ultimate” form that can be unlocked by opening a chest after they have been fully upgraded and certain other conditions have been met.
Vampire survivors’ sessions last 15 or 30 minutes, depending on which stage is chosen. At the end of the time limit, all the enemies on the stage will be gone, and a very strong enemy named Death will appear. Following that, a new Death will appear every minute, ensuring that the player will eventually die. When the time limit for a stage is reached or passed, the session is considered successful, and extra gold coins are given. While you’re not playing, you can save up gold coins to buy new characters and permanent power-ups. The player can also unlock new stages, weapons, and characters by completing challenges.