There’s no denying that the best games like Dark Souls are the ones made by From Software. After all, it is the one that started the subgenre of RPGs designed to kick your ass constantly until the triumphant moment where everything clicks into place and victory is yours. Other developers have tried to repeat the magic to varying levels of success, and these days, there are a whole bunch of them that rival From Software’s efforts.
To celebrate these grueling games, we’ve put together a list of the very greatest–from the ones with the best RPG and combat mechanics, to the ones with memorable bosses you’ll be telling stories about how you overcame the odds for years to come. If you dare take on these challenges, you’d best bring your A-game.
Nioh 2
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Developer: Team Ninja
Release date: March 13, 2020
Team Ninja was one of the first developers to make progress in not only replicating what made the Souls games special, but also putting its own spin on the combat. We’re recommending the sequel over the first game, as while the story is somewhat linked in places, it isn’t required to play through. However, no matter which one you decide to start with, the fast pace and stance-based combat allow for on-the-fly strategic thinking, giving it a bit of an edge over the competition.
Nioh 2 adds more weapon types, a host of new skills, and even more Yokai-based foes to beat to a pulp. Enemies are incredibly diverse, from spirit-infused warriors to various monsters known as Yokai, who in this game use red flowers to buff their stats. If that’s enough to convince you, one of the skills turns you into one of the round cats, called a Scampuss, which you meet in various levels. While in this transformation, you can roll around impaling anything you bump into with spikes, which is as funny as it is practical.
The First Berserker: Khazan
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5
Developer: Neople
Release date: March 27, 2025
For those looking for intense multi-stage boss fights without needing to worry a great deal about the levels themselves, The First Berserker: Khazan has you covered. As a former general betrayed by the king whom he served for years and left for dead, a spirit from the underworld possesses your corpse and gives you life in exchange for embracing its powers fully to do its bidding.
Admittedly, the levels in The First Berserker: Khazan are a cakewalk, but you at least have several hidden pot spirits to find in every one. As soon as you invest in upgrading one of the three different weapon skill types, as well as the general upgrade tree, Khazan becomes so powerful that only the bosses prove to be a proper challenge. Thankfully, these are some of the most memorable fights in recent years, including a lizard that cuts its arm off to fuse with an ancient dragon relic and chaos-infused foes that unleash their dark powers partway through the fight. To still make it on this list on the merit of its boss encounters and combat system alone makes The First Berserker: Khazan a bit of an anomaly, but it thoroughly deserves your time.
Black Myth: Wukong
- Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5
- Developer: Game Science
- Release date: August 20, 2024
After many years in development, Black Myth: Wukong finally became a real game that you can play, and it rarely disappoints. Taking inspiration from the Journey to the West tale, you are a monkey who may or may not be the reincarnation of the legendary Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. Split over six chapters, each one acts like a standalone story, with the last culminating in a satisfying final encounter.
Of all the souls-likes in this collection, this may have the flashiest combat as the mute monkey wields a staff that can morph into different lengths. He can also use magic abilities, including ones that briefly freeze the opponent or ones that allow him to transform into one of the enemies for a short time. It’s a little less precise with its combat compared to other souls-likes, but the way it brings everything together with its beautiful environments and ambitious boss fights makes it one of the must-plays of the entire subgenre.
Hollow Knight
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, macOS
- Developer: Team Cherry
- Release date: February 24, 2017
Hollow Knight fuses the 2D metroidvania games with souls-like combat and similar consequences for perishing in a fight or falling into a pit. As a bug armed only with a nail, your job is to explore the dark world below, filled with a haunting, yet mesmerizing art style. Enemies are mostly creepy crawlies like yourself, but there’s something oddly feral in their eyes as you slice your way through to find the many secrets hidden within this subterranean world.
Along the way, you’ll unlock charms that you can equip on the fly, a little like the badges in RPGs such as Paper Mario. Its gorgeous-looking art style is inviting, and some of the boss battles will test even the most nimble of reflexes. You will die repeatedly, perhaps more so than any souls-like on this list, but the payoff is well worth the effort. With the long-awaited sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong finally releasing, it may be worth picking up the first game in the meantime so you can enjoy the follow-up with the rest of us.
Lies of P
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, macOS
- Developer: Neowiz and Round8 Studio
- Release date: September 18, 2023
Loosely based on Carlo Collodi’s seminal novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, Lies of P takes the story about a puppet brought to life and sets it in a bleak world filled with murderous marionettes brandishing broken pipes and other makeshift weapons to bash you to death with. You can also equip different arm attachments to perform moves, such as shocking them with an electric pulse, and combine parts you find in Krat’s various buildings and regions to create vastly unique weapons.
Of all the From-made games, this is the closest to Bloodborne, and that’s mostly due to its industrial setting. It uses well-designed shortcuts to piece together the labyrinthine regions in Krat, while its more aggressive combat rewards players who attack enemies by restoring grey health accumulated by blocking blows. Lies of P also has a substantial DLC prequel, Overture, which builds on the twisted world from the main game by transporting you to the past to show you how Krat became the dystopian city it is.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Developer: Respawn Entertainment
- Release date: March 3, 2023
From the creators of the Nioh series, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty shifts the focus to ancient China and specifically the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story. Thrust into war when your village was burned to the ground, your player character takes up arms to join the fight against the Yellow Turbans, in the first step on the journey to seek revenge on the one who murdered your loved ones. Fans of the Dynasty Warriors games will instantly recognize the cast, from Lui Bei and his two sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, to the formidable general Cao Cao, each with their Chinese mythology beast familiar protecting them.
With poise-based combat similar to Sekiro, duels often come down to who can make the enemy flinch first. You’ll fight alongside a featured companion against both human soldiers, animals, and mythical beasts in checkpointed levels with a satisfying amount of stylish moves available. The allies will also join you in boss fights, though their survival depends on how well you can deflect attacks and reduce the boss’s morale. Wo Long certainly has enough flair to carry it throughout its 20+ hour adventure. Just be prepared for the Lu Bu fight. It’s quite the doozy!
Blasphemous
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, macOS, Android, iOS
- Developer: The Game Kitchen
- Release date: September 10, 2019
Blasphemous is another 2D metroidvania, but its more pixelated style stands out from the rest. With demons roaming the land, it’s up to you, the Penitent One, to deal brutal, righteous justice. Parries are key to excising the monsters from the mortal plane, with ultra-violent finishers to cave in their skulls. After all, a good smiting of evil must include savagely ripping out their intestines, allegedly.
This does lean more towards the metroidvania tropes than the souls-like ones, so backtracking with new abilities is a frequent occurrence if you want to unlock secrets. That said, it’s also silly in the most gruesome way, with one early boss fight ending when the Penitent One scoops up the fallen foe’s blood in his phallic-shaped helmet, before exfoliating himself when he plonks it on his head. This is not one for the faint of heart, and neither is the sequel if you can stomach it.
Another Crab’s Treasure
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
- Developer: Aggro Crab
- Release date: April 25, 2024
What if, instead of a gloomy world full of nasty monsters or historically inspired romps, you play a lighthearted souls-like where you are a hermit crab trying to reclaim his home from a loan shark? Another Crab’s Treasure is just that, and with the added wrinkle of platforming and puzzles, it’s a far more palatable prospect if you still want the challenge but without the grim setting.
For the most part, Krill’s adventure only really flounders when it comes to some inexplicably brutal bosses and nuances with its skill system, but this underwater expedition is generally more about the entertaining levels that most resemble From Software’s Sekiro in terms of your mobility, since Krill wields a grappling hook. But it’s the swapping between shells that makes this nautical game feel fresh, as each one has different weights, properties, and gimmicks that you can use to get one up over the competition. It’s a refreshing change compared to the rest of the pool and is worth taking a dip.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Developer: Respawn Entertainment
- Release date: November 15, 2019
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gave the players what they were craving: a single-player experience where you wield a lightsaber like a badass. It follows the story of Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan who somehow managed to survive Darth Vader’s Great Jedi Purge by hiding until his Force powers suddenly awakened. Now pursued by Inquisitors sent by the Empire, Cal must use his skills with various lightsabers, as well as his Force powers, to deflect incoming blaster fire and block incoming attacks. This is also one of the more beginner-friendly games on the list, as the parry window is fairly generous, but you still need decent reflexes when it comes to dodging.
However, even with all the trimmings of the popular souls-like games, it’s the sprinkling of Star Wars flavorings that makes it worth playing. From intense duels to the death against the Inquisitors, to fighting for your survival against alien monstrosities and even an AT-ST, it masterfully blends the souls-like gameplay with the popular sci-fi series to create something special. If you like what you play here, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor continues Cal’s story and refines the combat even further with new Force abilities and surprising twists along the way.
Salt and Sanctuary
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, macOS, PlayStation Vita
- Developer: Ska Studios
- Release date: March 15, 2016
One of the first truly successful souls-likes not made by From Software, Salt and Sanctuary has stood the test of time. As a sailor who washes up on an island after a fateful encounter with a sea beast, you wake up intending to find a princess and escape back to civilization. It’s an immensely gloomy game, with liberal use of fog to mask threats in outdoor areas, while indoor areas strategically place candles to light up some rooms, and the absence of them obscures threats waiting to ambush you.
Its combat is the closest in 2D to Dark Souls, thanks to dodge rolling and your slow yet powerful attacks. The skill tree is a bit daunting at first, due to being similar to that of games like Final Fantasy X or Path of Exile, but once you’ve got a few levels in, you should get a good grip of where to progress next. We highly recommend consulting a guide if you get lost, as the game offers no assistance in navigating its sprawling regions. Salt and Sanctuary has mostly aged like fine wine, and even though the sequel, Salt and Sacrifice, was disappointing for many, there’s a lot to enjoy in playing this nearly decade-old adventure.
Ashen
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
- Developer: A44
- Release date: December 7, 2018
Ashen is what happens when Dark Souls tries to mimic the art styles of Runescape or Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery. It’s the minimalist character designs that do a lot to keep it appealing throughout. As your main character seeks a new home in a world devoid of sunlight, you must master the stamina-focused combat mechanics to defeat the shadows lurking within. You can team up with those you meet along the way, be it AI-controlled companions or other players seeking a way through the wilderness. Of course, you also have the choice to ignore them completely and carve a path on your own.
Instead of meticulously designed levels with set paths, its areas are a little more sprawling, hiding threats underground. It may only have a literal handful of boss encounters in the base game and an additional one in its DLC, but Ashen places far more emphasis on exploring open areas and dank catacombs filled with traps and ambushes. It may not be the longest game on the list, but it’s memorable for all the right reasons.
Remnant: From The Ashes
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
- Developer: Gunfire Games
- Release date: August 20, 2019
How about a souls-like game with guns? Remnant: From The Ashes is fully playable with a team of explorers as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world filled with monsters, known as the Root, to blast with your arsenal of firearms. Its progression heavily borrows its loot system from Destiny and The Division, meaning that it can be randomly easy or hard, depending on what drops. Its dynamic campaign structure and randomized progression system make the shooter game much more replayable than many similarly gun-heavy experiences.
Remnant: From The Ashes is a little more forgiving than other souls-likes, as there’s no material consequence for dying. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t hold back in kicking your ass. Even though you can play the campaign on your own, it can be tough to survive without a friend or two covering your back, so make sure you have a trustworthy buddy keeping these fiends at bay. Of course, the sequel, Remnant II, is also available if you enjoy blasting your way through this adventure; however, playing the first is best to ease you in.
