The 10 Best Soulslike Games

ign.com:

Editor's note: This list was originally published in February 2021 and last updated November 16, 2023. Changes included replacing Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order with Jedi Survivor, adding in three newer releases and bumping Lords of the Fallen, Code Vein and Darksiders 3 off of the list.

The legacy of FromSoftware’s Souls series isn’t just defined by the amazing games that it’s made up of, but also the subgenre that’s been given life thanks to its very existence: The soulslike. We last updated this list back in February of 2021, and since then there have been all sorts of new and exciting additions to the genre that have shaken things up. So with that said, let’s take another look at our picks for the 10 best Soulslikes – specifically, the ones that aren’t developed by From Software themselves.

Now, defining exactly what constitutes a soulslike is a bit tricky because there’s a lot of core elements of Souls games. But for the purpose of this list, here are the key things that a game must have to be a soulslike:

Also, we’re gonna keep this list FromSoftware free. This is a list of the best soulslikes, not the best Souls games – and yes, we’re including Sekiro and Bloodborne under that banner, too. Now that we got all of that out of the way, check out the video/gallery above, or scroll down for the full list!

One of the more weirdly endearing characteristics of a great Soulslike is how the story is slowly unraveled through the world’s enemies and items. 2018’s Ashen from studio A44 and Annapurna Interactive is just the right amount of obtuse to inspire players to inch forth through its treacherous, minimalist world. Ashen is tough, unforgiving, and brilliantly stripped down to the core of what makes a Soulslike tick. Sure,