The third dimension gets all the attention. Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Dark Souls , FromSoftware's catalog dominates every conversation about the Soulslike genre. But spend any time with the 2D side of this space and a clear pattern emerges: indie developers have been quietly making some of the sharpest, most unforgiving action games in the business, and the best of them can go toe-to-toe with anything FromSoftware has shipped.
A fresh ranking from Game Rant puts 10 of the finest 2D Soulslikes in order, and the results make a strong case that this corner of the genre is more consistently excellent than its 3D counterpart.
Why Nine Sols sits above everything else
The number one pick is Nine Sols, developed by RedCandleGames and released on May 29, 2024. The key here is what it borrows from: instead of taking its cues from Dark Souls like virtually every other game in this space, Nine Sols models its combat after Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. That means parries and deflections are the core mechanic, not optional flourishes. Players build up QI through successful deflections and then spend it to unleash heavy damage. It's a system that rewards patience and pattern recognition over button-mashing, and it produces some of the most satisfying combat encounters in any 2D game.
The world design and lore are equally strong. The graphics are detailed enough that individual frames read like hand-painted art. Nine Sols is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
The games that came closest
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights lands at number two, and it earns that spot through a genuinely clever combat structure. Players control Lily, a priestess who doesn't fight directly. Her spectral knight companion handles the damage, and as the game progresses, additional spirits with different abilities join the roster. The result is a combat system that keeps expanding throughout a roughly 13-hour campaign. The world of Land's End, blighted by a deadly rainfall that drives people mad, gives the whole thing a haunting atmosphere that sticks.
Blasphemous, developed by a 17-person team at The Game Kitchen and published by Team17, takes third place. Drawing heavily from Catholic symbolism and Spanish iconography, it's one of the most visually distinctive games in the genre. Players control The Penitent One across the land of Cvstodia, and the combat is precise and fast, with some of the best boss design in any 2D action game. Blasphemous 2 is also worth playing, and both are available across all major platforms.
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The ranking places Hollow Knight and Silksong at number five despite both being considered among the best games on the list. The reasoning is that both are Metroidvanias first and Soulslikes second, which pushes them down relative to games that commit harder to the FromSoftware formula.
Salt and Sanctuary and the games that defined the genre
Salt and Sanctuary, from Ska Studios, holds the fourth spot. Released in March 2016, it was one of the earliest games to seriously translate the Dark Souls experience into 2D, and it holds up. The Saltborn's journey through a hostile island filled with interconnected areas and punishing enemies remains one of the better examples of how the Soulslike structure translates to a side-scrolling format.
Grime, developed by Clover Bite and released in August 2021, sits at number six and earns its place through a mechanic that most games in this genre wouldn't attempt. Parrying doesn't just deal damage , it lets players absorb enemy traits after enough successful parries. The stamina system drains quickly and punishes poor management hard, but the combat still rewards aggression. It's a tighter, stranger experience than most of its peers.
The underrated picks worth tracking down
The bottom half of the list contains some genuinely overlooked titles. The Last Faith, released in November 2023, blends Castlevania's gothic visual style with Bloodborne's visceral, fast-paced combat. Players control Eryk through an interconnected world dripping with gothic horror atmosphere, and the combat feedback is sharp enough to feel like a premium release.
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, the fourth entry in Bombservice's long-running series, launched back in March 2016 and still holds up. Protagonist Kaho moves with crisp, responsive animation, and the boss design is fierce. The franchise started as free games on itch.io, which makes its current status as one of the genre's best-kept secrets even more impressive.
Unworthy, from Aleksandar Kuzmanovic Games Inc., takes the ninth spot. Released in May 2018 on PC and Nintendo Switch, it's among the most demanding games on this list, with mob enemies that feel as threatening as bosses in other Soulslikes. The stark, monochromatic art direction and strong soundtrack make it worth the punishment.
Rounding out the list at number ten is Vigil: The Longest Night, a 2020 release from Glass Heart Games that leans closer to Bloodborne's horror-inflected tone than anything else on this list. Lovecraftian monsters, Taiwanese cultural influences, and a world trapped in eternal night give it a distinctive atmosphere. Protagonist Leila can equip four weapon types that each support different playstyles, and the stamina-focused combat rewards players who invest time in learning the systems.
What the full list tells us about the genre
Here's the thing about 2D Soulslikes as a category: the genre's constraints seem to push developers toward more creative mechanical decisions. Grime's absorption system, Nine Sols' QI-building parry loop, Ender Lilies' spirit companion combat , these aren't ideas you'd find in a straightforward Dark Souls clone. The two-dimensional format forces designers to solve problems differently, and the results are often more interesting than their 3D counterparts.
What most players miss is how many of these games have sequels or follow-ups worth exploring. Blasphemous 2, Salt and Sacrifice, Grime 2, and Hollow Knight: Silksong (released September 2025) all extend franchises that started on this list. The 2D Soulslike pipeline is healthier than it looks from the outside.
For deeper reads on the genre and what's worth playing next, browse more guides covering the best action RPGs and Soulslikes across every platform. And if you want to see how these games hold up against the broader field, our latest reviews have you covered.
