The appeal of a Soulslike is difficult to explain to someone who has never played one. But contrary to what some Souls elitists believe, this does not mean that these games are strictly for "talented" gamers and not for "casuals." In fact, patience is far more important than raw skill. Having to spend hours memorizing a boss's attack patterns is all worth it because you know that eventually you will progress and experience that immense feeling of accomplishment. This is the core of the Soulslike genre: making the player feel like they really worked hard to overcome their obstacles.
That is why this list exists. These are 20 games worth experiencing, from the titles that defined the formula to newer takes that have found their own way of doing it.
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My Top 20 Soulslike Games
1. Elden Ring
Elden Ring Roundtable Hold
If you have never played a Soulslike before, Elden Ring is where to start. Getting stuck on a boss is one of the most frustrating parts of these games, but Elden Ring gives you a way around it. Its open world means you can simply walk away, explore somewhere else, get stronger, and come back when you are ready. As a Tarnished, you explore the Lands Between, unveiling a deep story about gods and their influence on a broken world.
Elden Ring is the only game on this list that makes you so invested in exploration that you often forget you are playing a Soulslike.
2. Bloodborne
Bloodborne takes the Souls formula and pushes it into a much darker direction, making atmosphere the game's biggest strength. You play as a Hunter arriving in Yharnam, a gothic city consumed by a mysterious plague, tasked with fighting Lovecraftian monsters and uncovering the mysteries of this world. Unlike the slower, more defensive approach of the Souls games that came before it, Bloodborne's combat constantly pushes you forward. Enemies rarely give you time to breathe, turning fights into a back-and-forth dance where backing away is often more dangerous than standing your ground.
Bloodborne represents peak FromSoftware game design and will always hold its place as one of the most beloved Soulslikes ever made, despite being a PlayStation exclusive running at 30 FPS.
3. Dark Souls III
Dark Souls III is the culmination of the trilogy, bringing back familiar ideas while building on almost everything that came before it. You play as the Unkindled, drawn to Lothric as the First Flame begins to fade and the Lords of Cinder refuse to return to their thrones.
Dark Souls III rewards replaying more than almost any other entry in the genre. It is the most accessible and forgiving of the trilogy, making it an easier starting point for new players, even if playing the games in order gives many of its references more meaning.
4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was unlike anything FromSoftware had made before it, and it is still often treated as its own subgenre within Soulslikes. You play as a renegade shinobi tasked with protecting and rescuing a young boy named Kuro. The biggest difference is the combat: while parrying existed in previous games, Sekiro makes it the foundation of almost every fight, where deflecting attacks and breaking an enemy's posture is how you win.
That design makes Sekiro unsurprisingly polarizing among Soulslike fans, but it remains a must-play. Even for players who are not the biggest fans of parry-focused combat, what FromSoftware achieved here and how much this game influenced other Soulslikes that followed is impossible to ignore.
5. Dark Souls
Dark Souls is not technically the first game to use this formula, but for most players, this is where their journey into Soulslikes began. As the Chosen Undead, you travel through Lordran as the First Flame begins to fade, eventually choosing whether to rekindle it or allow the Age of Dark to begin. Its interconnected world, demanding bosses, and sense of discovery became defining features of the genre, and they still hold up despite the game's age.
There are rough edges that are impossible to ignore today, but Dark Souls remains a staple of the genre for a reason. Few games have created a world where simply figuring out how its areas connect can feel as rewarding as defeating a boss.
6. Lies of P
Lies of P promotional Art
What happens when you recreate a children's story as a Soulslike game? You get Lies of P, a game that takes the story of Pinocchio and turns it into a dark Victorian adventure. You play as P, a puppet who can think, feel, and make his own choices while exploring the city of Krat and uncovering the truth behind its collapse. While combat is clean and responsive, the game's biggest strength is its setting and narrative.
Lies of P is also a great example of how a non-FromSoftware game can stand alongside the genre's biggest names. It may borrow heavily from Bloodborne and Dark Souls, but the combination of its story, atmosphere, and combat makes it much more than a copy , and a must-play for fans of the genre.
7. Dark Souls II
Dark Souls II is often considered the black sheep of the trilogy, taking place in the kingdom of Drangleic and adopting a noticeably different art direction from its predecessors. Its story follows the same broad ideas of a fading fire and the choice of whether to inherit or abandon it, but the journey and the world feel distinctly separate from the other entries. Its combat and level design also take some very different approaches, for better and for worse.
The controls can feel clunky and the hitboxes can be questionable, but Dark Souls II is genuinely worth trying , just come prepared with patience.
8. Mortal Shell II
Despite being the newest game on this list, Mortal Shell II has already climbed surprisingly high among the best Soulslikes. You play as the Harbinger, tasked by the cosmic creature Undermethyr with recovering her corrupted eggs. The main story is fairly straightforward, but things become more interesting when the game's central mechanic comes into play: the shells.
Each shell gives you a different set of abilities, playstyles, and its own story, making experimentation a major part of the game. That system gives Mortal Shell II more variety than you might expect and encourages multiple playthroughs. It is one of the better options for players who want a Soulslike that is a little more forgiving without losing what makes the genre satisfying.
9. Demon's Souls Remake
Demon's Souls Remake brings one of the earliest Soulslikes back with a modern coat of paint. The original released in 2009 and remains a fascinating game, but its age shows through rougher gameplay, long loading times, and other dated systems. For most players today, the remake is the better way to experience it, keeping the original structure while adding quality-of-life improvements and completely rebuilt visuals.
If you want to see where the Souls formula really began, the remake is an easy recommendation.
10. Nioh 2
Nioh 2 takes the Soulslike formula and mixes it with the loot-driven RPG systems you would normally associate with games like Diablo. Its combat is much faster than FromSoftware's games, with multiple weapon stances and combos. The main structural difference, however, is the world: instead of exploring one interconnected map, the game is divided into individual missions selected from a world map.
This change in how progression works can feel very different if you are used to traditional Soulslikes, but that is exactly why it earns a recommendation. It takes the familiar formula in its own direction rather than simply trying to recreate Dark Souls.
11. Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong is a dark reinterpretation of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. You play as the Destined One, an unnamed monkey tasked with travelling across a dangerous world and uncovering the six relics associated with Sun Wukong's six senses. Right away, the game puts much more emphasis on its narrative than most traditional Soulslikes, while still offering difficult fights and demanding bosses.
The story is what keeps you playing , wanting to know what happens next makes pushing through the tougher encounters feel worthwhile. If you prefer story-driven games but still want something that tests your skills, Wukong is a great choice.
12. Stellar Blade
Stellar Blade brings the Soulslike formula into a futuristic setting, where you play as Eve, an android sent to Earth to fight the mutated creatures that have nearly wiped out humanity. While the combat borrows from Soulslikes, the game is much more flexible when it comes to difficulty, with different settings and , notably , no loss of currency or resources on death. Its combat also puts a much greater emphasis on combos, abilities, and skill trees.
Like Wukong, the story is a major part of the experience, with plenty of cinematic cutscenes pushing the narrative forward. It is a great option if you want Soulslike combat but would rather have more control over the difficulty.
13. Nine Sols
Nine Sols Screenshot
Nine Sols is the first 2D game on this list, combining Soulslike mechanics with a Metroidvania structure and platforming puzzles. Some players may classify it primarily as a Metroidvania, but the Soulslike influence is impossible to ignore. Its combat revolves around parrying, making it feel almost like a 2D Sekiro set in a science-fiction world.
Some bosses can be brutal and the learning curve is steep, but the story, visuals, and art direction all come together beautifully.
14. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order brought back the feeling of exploring the Star Wars universe in a way few games have managed. You play as Cal Kestis, one of the last surviving Jedi, travelling between planets while hiding from the Empire and trying to help rebuild the Jedi Order. At first glance it looks closer to something like Tomb Raider or Uncharted, but its combat, checkpoints, and especially its boss fights give it a clear Soulslike influence.
For Star Wars fans, this one is almost a no-brainer. Getting to travel through the galaxy as a Jedi while slowly rebuilding your abilities captures exactly what makes the universe so appealing. Multiple difficulty settings also make it much more approachable if the combat becomes too much.
15. Remnant: From the Ashes
Remnant: From the Ashes is about as close as you can get to a shooter while keeping the core ideas of a Soulslike. Instead of swords and axes, your main weapons are firearms that can be customized with different traits and weapon mods. In this game, humanity is close to extinction after an alien force known as the Root begins invading different worlds, leaving you to travel between them in search of a way to stop it.
What makes Remnant stand out is its endgame. Its Survival Mode, introduced through DLC, adds a roguelike mode where you start with almost nothing, fight through randomized worlds, collect upgrades, and lose everything when you die. It gives the game an almost endless amount of replayability and makes Remnant a great entry point for shooter fans looking to try a Soulslike.
16. Blasphemous 2
Blasphemous 2 is another 2D take on the Soulslike formula, combining difficult combat and bosses with Metroidvania exploration and platforming puzzles. As the Penitent One, you travel across a twisted land to stop a new deity from being born. Compared with its predecessor, the sequel feels much smoother, with more responsive combat and platforming that is less punishing.
Some players prefer the first game's darker and harsher approach, but the sequel keeps the identity of Blasphemous while making the experience more approachable , which makes it the recommended entry point for anyone looking to get into the series.
17. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Screenshot
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor continues Cal Kestis' story after the events of Fallen Order, bringing smoother combat, more abilities, and generally better gameplay to the series. The game also expands exploration by focusing on fewer planets than its predecessor, making the worlds themselves larger , though for some, this loses a little of the magic of constantly travelling through the galaxy.
Survivor also has the difficult task of following an incredible ending, and its own story never quite reaches the same heights. Even so, it remains a must-play for fans of both Star Wars and Soulslikes.
18. Code Vein
Code Vein earned the nickname "Anime Dark Souls" for a reason. Its anime-inspired characters and detailed character creator immediately set it apart, but underneath that style is a slower Soulslike with its own take on builds and combat.
The first Code Vein earns its place on this list rather than its sequel because, while the second game improves many of the things that made the original frustrating, turning its focused, linear structure into a more open-world experience takes away some of what made it special. The first game has slower combat and less build flexibility, but that works in its favor. If you like its anime aesthetic, it is absolutely worth playing.
19. The First Berserker: Khazan
The First Berserker: Khazan follows a general who is falsely accused of treason and left for dead, and who , after surviving , begins a brutal quest for revenge. Like Nioh, the game mixes RPG systems with fast, action-heavy combat and uses a mission-based structure rather than a traditional interconnected world. It also includes an easier difficulty option for players who might struggle with its combat.
If you prefer your Soulslikes to be more straightforward and focused rather than built around a huge interconnected world, Khazan is a great fit.
20. Another Crab's Treasure
Another Crab's Treasure might look like a parody of Dark Souls at first, but underneath the humor is a surprisingly solid Soulslike that simplifies many of the genre's more complicated systems without losing its core ideas. You play as Kril, a hermit crab who loses his shell because of unpaid ocean taxes and sets out to find a legendary treasure map so he can buy it back.
The game is quick, simple, and much more approachable than most Soulslikes, making it an easy recommendation even for players who find the genre intimidating. It knows exactly what it wants to be and never takes itself too seriously , which is a big part of what makes it so enjoyable.
Find Your Next Soulslike
Soulslikes are not for everyone, and that is completely fine. They can be frustrating, demanding, and sometimes downright brutal , but that feeling when you finally beat the boss that has been destroying you for hours is exactly why so many players keep coming back. The games on this list all take that feeling in their own direction, whether through faster combat, ranged weapons, 2D worlds, or a greater focus on story.
If you have been looking for your next Soulslike, hopefully one of these gives you a reason to pick up the controller and start dying all over again.
