Mastermind video game architect Hidetaka Miyazaki and Developer FromSoftware introduced the Soulsborne/Soulslike genre to the industry withDemon’s Soulsin 2009. Fromsoftware continued to refine their ownSoulsborne games(Dark Souls,Bloodborne,Elden Ring, etc) over the years, cementing the genre for countless imitators. Some Soulslikes fall well short of the high bar that FromSoftware sets with their Soulsborne games, while others distinguish themselves with unique and inspired elements.
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Soulslike games aren’t rigidly defined, leading to some debate on what exactly defines the genre. For the purposes of this list, Soulslikes are recognized by their challenging combat encounters, labyrinthine level design (with unlockable shortcuts), bonfire-style checkpoints, stamina management, dodge and parry mechanics, and honestly another dozen or so features that practically beg for exceptions to prove them unimportant to the genre. If you’re looking for a game or series to satiate your thirst for punishment, redemption, and triumph over soul-tainting odds, this list will offer up the best Soulslike games out there.
Updated by Jeff Brooks on July 15, 2025: This list has been reenvisioned from the ground up to consider fantastic new releases in the genre and to hone in on exactly what makes each Soulslike stand out above the rest. Many entries have been replaced or shuffled around, with much of the content being rewritten to fit in the new ranking considerations.
10Thymesia (2022)
Thymesia might initially look heavily Bloodborne-inspired, but in practice, the combat is a lot closer to the quick parry-feel ofSekiromixed with a Demon’s Souls aesthetic (and Bloodborne fashion). On paper, this sounds pretty incredible. In practice, it offers a satisfying time, though one not likely to wow you. You play a warrior named Corvus as you navigate a plague-ridden land in search of your lost memories in order to save the kingdom.
Most of the boss fights are memorable, offering a serious challenge (and excellent character design), and the Plague Weapons feature is fantastic, offering a wide variety of charged-up special abilities that just look awesome. The combat feels good, for the most part, though it’s got its stiff edges. The exploration in the game, however, is severely lacking. Outside some narrative journal entries, there’s nothing to entice backtracking or poking into every corner of the areas you’re exploring, making the actual traversal disappointing as you run into empty dead-ends repeatedly. The game is definitely worth checking out for Souls enthusiasts, as there are some cool ideas at play here, but there are better, more polished Soulslikes to invest your time in first.
9Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (2023)
Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyis the first Soulslike on the list to be set in a real-life historical setting (though certainly not the last). Taking place in a horror-infused Three Kingdoms era China, Wo Long features some absolutely brutal combat, beautiful settings, and a wide variety of distinct weapons to collect and wield. In particular, the 5 elements system is a real stand-out, offering cool wizardry spells tied to the 5 Elemental Phases in the game (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). You’ll also fight alongside some interesting characters, offering a relatively unique experience for the often-solitary adventure of Soulslikes. Having said all of that, Wo Long has its share of issues.
There are some particularly steep difficulty spikes you’ll run into throughout your journey, really throwing off the feel of progressing and improving at quite random intervals. You’ll hit a brutal wall with the first boss,Zhang Liang, then breeze through the next few with little to no trouble before crashing into the octopus-cow nightmare fuel, Aoye. This cadence, combined with an often frustrating parry system that uses the same button as dodge (single tap to parry, double-tap to dodge) — and it’s remarkably easy to mess up an input, which can cost you the run. All of the above, combined with extremely linear level design, makes for a great (if sometimes irritating) challenge for those determined enough to see it through. The game’s highs are comfortably high, but its lows hit hard.
8Mortal Shell (2020)
Mortal Shelloffers a shorter yet still very satisfying Soulslike experience. Clearly inspired by the original Dark Souls, Mortal Shell offers a dark and desolate setting full of cryptic characters and monstrous enemies. The combat and animation aren’t as crisp as one would like, and most of the areas felt somewhat basic — if well-executed — but there are huge splashes of passion throughout the ~10 hour experience. Eternal Narthex in particular is an incredible area that really delivers on their creative vision.
Featuring a fascinating Harden ability that allows you to turn to stone to thwart attacks, as well as a unique body swapping mechanic wherein you find corpses that you inhabit — thus gaining specific attributes and abilities associated with them in life — and you come out the other side of Mortal Shell with a unique, if a bit rough around the edges, adventure. Special shout-out to the Hammer and Chisel weapon; one of my favorite dual-wielding concepts that is baked right into the world’s fascinating lore.
7Salt And Sanctuary (2016)
Our only 2D Soulslike on the list,Salt and Sanctuarytranslates the traditionally 3D Soulslike experience into a 2D platformer with remarkable success. Released in 2016, Salt and Sanctuary offers something of a fusion between a Metroidvania and a Soulslike, mixing frequent platforming, backtracking exploration, andfantastic boss fights. It can be extremely easy to get lost in, though, as there’s no map to speak of like similar 2D experiences, but thorough exploration unlocks plenty of cool new areas and boss fights.
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What stands out most as you play through Salt and Sanctuary is how closely it mimics the tone and ‘vibe’ of Dark Souls. From the dreary setting and slower combat pace to the stat screen and weapon build options, Salt and Sanctuary captured the bleak essence of Dark Souls — just flattened out to a 2D plane. The art style certainly isn’t for everyone, which can go a long way toward your enjoyment of the experience overall, but Salt and Sanctuary is worth trying out if you’re yearning to recapture that unique Dark Soulsje ne sais quoiin a 2D format.
6Code Vein (2019)
Code Veinis something of a newer iteration on the genre, often being referred to as THE anime Soulslike. The dystopian setting features a future Earth that has fallen to bloodthirsty beasts who roam the ruins of the old world. You play as a Revenant, a revived vampiric warrior, and join an organization of Revenants to investigate the Great Calamity and fight back against the Lost and their deadly Miasma. The story isn’t particularly stand-out, but Code Vein puts the narrative front and center, featuring a number of cutscenes and ambient character interactions that make for a nice change of pace from the typically cryptic stories of most Soulslikes.
Even if you aren’t that big into anime, this game offers a ton of great Soulslike gameplay. The combat is fast-paced, if a little floaty, with a ridiculous number of customization options to really hone in on your ideal combat experience. Code Vein is by far the easiest Soulslike on this list, offering a greater challenge than your typical action JRPG but a much easier time than the typical Soulslike. Exploration can be a mixed bag, leaning heavily into straightforward corridor navigation that can become pretty repetitive, but the experience is one well-worth having — especially as your introduction to the genre!
5Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)
The much anticipated sequel to 2019’sStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,Star Wars Jedi: Survivorpicks up a few years after the first game leaves off, deepening the story of Cal Kestis and friends as they continue to survive in and fight back against a galaxy overrun with Imperial forces. While the narrative isn’t quite as tightly focused as Fallen Order’s, Survivor brings every other aspect of the game to a higher quality, improving on the variety of combat options, adding exciting new abilities to wield, new enemies to defeat, and new planets to explore.
Like Code Vein, Jedi: Survivorfeelsless like the typical Soulslike due to its narrative emphasis, but everything else ticks all the usual Soulslike boxes — challenging combat, rewarding exploration, and detailed character customization options to let you flesh out your build and look. Some technical and performance hiccups aside, if you’re aStar WarsfanandSoulslike enthusiast, Survivor is your inevitable nexus point. Lightsaber combat has never felt so good.
4The Surge 2 (2019)
Like the previous entry on this list, Deck 13’sThe Surge 2takes everything good about its first game and improves upon it. The Surge 2 offers another angle on the much sought-after Sci-fi Soulslike, though with a much more gritty industrial vibe than something like Star Wars. The firstSurge gamehit the scene with some excellent ideas, like specific body part targeting for dismemberment to acquire more powerful items and armor, but it ultimately felt a bit underbaked, with many environments feeling quite repetitive and claustrophobic.
The Surge 2 expands greatly on the above, offering a more open, multi-layered urban environment in Jericho City and its surroundings. Enemy diversity still isn’t incredible, but what they lack in varied designs, they make up for with a wide selection of weapon types you fight against (and acquire through dismemberment), adding some much-needed variety to encounters. Combat itself is much sharper and quicker, offering a responsive and refined experience that plays like a dream. The game’s aesthetic is nothing like FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games, but the polish, attention to detail, and control-feel are all top-notch.
3Remnant 2 (2023)
Remnant 2yet again takes all the great ideas established in its predecessor and improves upon them — a real running theme among many of the greatest Soulslikes. Set a couple of decades after the events ofRemnant From The Ashes, Remnant 2 returns players to Ward 13 to continue the fight against the Root and threats beyond, though you’ll quickly be traveling to more exotic worlds just like in the first game. What makes Remnant 1 and 2 stand out so starkly against the other games on this list is how they prioritize gunplay. Remnant 2 is a third-person shooter with some light melee elements, rather than a primarily melee-focused game like the typical Soulslike. This design shift ripples out into every aspect of the game, from combat arena layouts to enemy behavior patterns; Remnant 2 approaches combat with that ranged focus front and center.
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Due to the dimension-hopping aspect of Remnant’s story, the settings vary wildly, from the more fantasy aesthetics of the revisited Yaesha and new Losomn worlds, to the more sci-fi environments of N’Erud, a crashed alien worldship. Weapon designs vary just as widely, ranging from WW2-inspired rifles to bizarre and twisted living weapons like Merciless and futuristic tech weapons like the Spectral Blade and Cube Gun. Factoring in seamless co-op and randomly generated levels for every world, and you’ll get a ridiculous amount of replayability from this fantastic Soulslike shooter.
2Nioh 2 (2020)
Hack and slash your way through distinct and unique environments in this gorgeously stylized 1600s Japan. The sequel to 2017’sNioh,Nioh 2takes everything established in the first game and refines it to a razor-sharp edge. If you’re a player who prefers Soulslikes to have deep combat mechanics focused on stances and weapon synergy, intense and encounters, deep item pools, and varied environments, look no further than Nioh 2.
Nioh’s smart and quick combat is complimented by how stances and weapons synergy unlock various abilities, buffs, and a living weapon skill that makes you more powerful and invulnerable for a time. The combat itself is much faster paced than many FromSoftware titles (even Sekiro pales in comparison), and the supernatural elements that color the edges of Sekiro bleed across the entire page in Nioh 2, as the game features countless fantastical enemies and creatures with which to battle. The mission-based structure and Diablo-style loot are sharp departures from the typical Soulslike experience, but the environments are varied and gorgeous, the Yokai are beautifully detailed and devastating if underestimated, and combat is flashy and combo-heavy, making for an incredible experience from start to finish.
1Lies Of P (2023)
The newest release on the list,Lies of Pcomes in hot as the best Soulslike of all time. Lies of P is a dark and twisted retelling of the Pinocchio story set in the industrial city of Krat. The streets are overrun with rampaging mechanical puppets, a mysterious disease ravages the populace, and you are awoken by a mysterious voice in the dark to beg for your help. Replace ‘mechanical puppets’ with ‘savage beasts,’ and you can see how his game can easily be described as a Steampunk Bloodborne, and it pretty strongly lives up to that comparison.
Recency bias aside, this game absolutely nails what makes Soulslikes great. The combat is engaging, the variety of weapons and customization options are fantastic, the boss fights are challenging yet rewarding, and the narrative and setting strike that perfect balance of FromSoftware ambiguity and intrigue. This is by far the highest quality Soulslike out there, offering the closest narrative and gameplay experience to FromSoftware’s own iconic Soulsborne games while still standing tall with its own identity. If you’re a fan of this genre at all, you have to check this title out.
