The 10 Best Soulslikes For Gamers on the Hunt For a Real Challenge

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Gamers love to create their own words. For every incredibly long acronym like MMORPG (that's Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, by the way), there's also a term that just makes sense. We're like mini-Shakespeares. He created "lackluster!" We created "ragequit."

One of the best additions to the gaming lexicon in recent memory? A genre called the Soulslike. It's simple to explain—a Soulslike is any title that features similar gameplay to Dark Souls, FromSoftware's dark fantasy video game. Dark Souls has had an immense influence on the medium since its 2011 debut. Over a decade later, it's best known for its punishing difficulty and medieval world-building. Since then, FromSoftware won multiple Game of the Year honors, for titles such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Elden Ring. Many studios have tried to replicate FromSoftware's success as this type of game grows in popularity, birthing the term Soulslike as a genre in and of itself. So, if you're just waiting for the Elden Ring expansion DLC, or looking to up your game, challenge yourself (and your patience!) with these amazing titles.

Dark Souls Trilogy

The Dark Souls trilogy—and Demon's Souls before it—is where Soulslike gets its name. FromSoftware's medieval fantasy role-playing games are incredibly difficult and filled with lore. Over the years, the franchise has built a dedicated fanbase online, as if it's The Lord of the Rings for the controller generation.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Taking the Soulslike from the time of knights and dragons to the age of samurai in Japan, Sekiro significantly improved FromSoftware's combat system. Sekiro also gave the player a grappling hook–which is just about everywhere in video games nowadays.

Elden Ring

My love-hate relationship with Elden Ring has long been chronicled in this magazine. It's for good reason—Elden Ring is the game that made the Soulslike a mainstream commodity. For that reason, we'll ride with it forever, ye Tarnished.

Lords of the Fallen

Lords of the Fallen was one of the first games to receive the official Soulslike descriptor, but it luckily came without negative connotations. If you heard, Yeah, It's kind of just like Dark Souls, you'd think that most people would skip it. But the gaming world did not! Turns out, more of what we like is a damn good thing.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Taking cues from Sekiro, Wo Long amped up speed and action to create one of the best combat-heavy games on this list. At the same time, Wo Long is far more approachable for newer gamers than most Soulslike titles. For starters, the game flat-out tells you what you're about to get into before you potentially die at the hands of the same boss over and over again.

Lies of P

Lies of P is the Soulslike where—and I apologize if you find this very on the nose—you play as Pinocchio. Trust me: it's cooler than you think. Give the (real) boy a steampunk vibe, apparently, and Pinocchio makes a phenomenal video-game protagonist.

Ghost of Tsushima

If Ghost of Tsushima is sitting around numbers five to seven of your need-to-play list, I highly recommend you shoot it up to the top spot. Its vision of 13th-Century Japan is truly extraordinary—and the combat is arguably even better.

Nioh 2

Developed by the same studio that made Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and Nioh, Nioh 2 turned the fantasy elements of Sekiro up to 1,000 with insane monsters and unparalleled three-player cooperative play.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Yes, reader: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is absolutely a Soulslike. And if you haven't played this galactic adventure or its sequel, Jedi Survivor, you're in for a treat. The franchise has already spawned some of the best Star Wars games we've seen in a long time.

Bloodborne

Bloordborne transported Dark Souls into one of the most Lovecraftian horror dimensions we've ever seen in a video game, with demented gothic enemies and true frights around every turn. The combat system is also much more aggressive and quick-paced, making Bloodborne a favorite among advanced Soulslike players.

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