FromSoftware probably didn't expect to create a whole new genre of videogame when Miyazaki took on the mantle of reviving a "lost breed of action game," but that's exactly what happened. While Demon's Souls is technically the first Souls game, the release of its spiritual successor really lit a fire under fans. FromSoftware's Dark Souls is a landmark game in many respects, but soulslike games are inarguably its greatest legacy.
While efforts have been made to diversify soulslikes in recent years, patience in the face of adversity remains the focal point. If you can master punishing stamina-based combat, risk-reward currency systems, and challenging bosses, you'll be suitably rewarded with progression through rich worlds steeped in lore. Whether you're a newcomer who's not sure where to start or an RPG veteran looking for a new challenge, we've tried and tested every soulslike game out there to bring you our top picks.
Here are the best soulslikes on PC:
1. Elden Ring
What better way to kick off a list of the best soulslikes than with the most definitive soulslike ever made? After a solid decade of developers trying to capture the same lightning FromSoftware conjured and bottled for itself, the studio went ahead and did it again. Elden Ring is a masterpiece that takes the defining principles of the Souls series and pushes them to the limit within a staggering open world.
If you somehow still haven't played FromSoftware's magnum opus, it's the best way to experience a soulslike for the first time. Where the linearity of Dark Souls demands that you throw yourself at a boss until you beat it, Elden Ring grants you the freedom to hop onto your trusty steed, Torrent, and scour the horizon for a new challenge - this time, with hopefully more luck. However, there's more to it than Elden Ring bosses. Intricate lore, diverse character builds, and secrets upon secrets encourage multiple playthroughs. Don't get us started on invisible floors.
From the massive elevator that descends into the subterranean yet star-speckled Siofra River to the sprawling vista of Liurnia of the Lakes right after Stormwind Castle, it's easy to lose time in exploration alone. That's to say nothing of the questlines you can become entangled in as you go. Recover a sewing needle for a demi-human tailor, help a blind girl see the light with a collection of oozing eyeballs, and answer an invitation to a manor inhabited by assassins and blasphemers. To quote Jordan Forward's Elden Ring review, it "makes a mockery of words like 'epic' and 'awesome.'"
2. Nioh 2
Nioh falls on the "masocore" side of the soulslike genre, and its fast-paced combat positions it nearer to an action-soulslike than the heavier cadence of Dark Souls. That might not appeal to everyone, but Team Ninja's capacity to break from tradition elevates Nioh into one of the best soulslikes, outside of FromSoftware. Its complex combat system boasts astonishing depth beyond the usual weapon and build variety, incorporating stance-switching and burst counters that emphasize skill over equipment.
Nioh 2 transports players to an alt-historical version of Japan during the late Sengoku period. Yokai have sprung up across the land, wreaking havoc in their wake. Our protagonist, Hidechiyo, is a half-yokai who embarks on an epic journey to harness their Yokai powers and serve the great Oda Nobunaga. That's a lot to wrap your head around, but good news: Nioh 2 is technically a prequel. The barrier to entry has never been lower.
We recommend the Complete Edition for instant access to Nioh 2's DLC, which takes you to the Heian period of Japan to navigate the conflict between the Genji and Heike clans, including a showdown against Otakemaru, the demon god. Given that we're on the cusp of the Nioh 3 release date, there's no better time to sink your sword into some demons.
3. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is another soulslike that takes Chinese history and culture as its main inspiration. This time, we assume the role of the eponymous Wuchang for a journey across the plague-stricken ancient Shu region to find her sister. All the trappings of FromSoftware's interconnected level design are here, with some welcome changes to the established formula.
Nat Smith's Wuchang: Fallen Feathers review concludes that it "exceeds all expectations" as a soulslike that's "not content to settle for a pale imitation of FromSoftware." Combat sidelines the stamina bar in favor of a magic system that is as integral as melee weapons, and you have free rein to respec whenever the mood strikes. However, Wuchang's crown jewel is the Inner Demon, a clone phantom that menaces players who die too often. In Dark Souls, this would be levied as a punishment. In Wuchang, it's an opportunity to cleanse your madness and steal back lost currency.
Admittedly, Wuchang is not without its problems. Myriad performance issues have made its bid for critical acclaim an uphill battle, and a censorship patch ruffled a few feathers. However, a string of emergency post-launch patches has already provided some remediation, and we expect Leenzee to continue to address community feedback for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, the best Wuchang Fallen Feathers settings can mitigate the more egregious performance problems.
4. Dark Souls Remastered
It would be a crime to omit Dark Souls from a list of the best soulslike games for the exact reason that it's technically not a soulslike. Dark Souls is not 'like' Souls, it is Souls. From your first tentative steps beyond your cell in the Asylum Demon as the Chosen Undead, FromSoftware's seminal soulslike is a well of unforgettable moments that are integral to videogame canon.
"Compared to its successors, it feels slow and dense," Richard-Scott Jones says in his Dark Souls Remastered review. "It is exactly what series purists will want to hear." He's correct. While the consensus is that Dark Souls 3 is the best in the trilogy, there's something to be said for going right back to the roots and immersing yourself in the singular world of the original, before the iteration and polish and prestige that followed.
Dark Souls Remastered is by far the best way to experience it for the first time, especially on PC. Not only is it impossible to find the original port on most storefronts, but veteran fans will remember well the performance woes that could only be remedied by the hallowed DSFix mod. Dark Souls Remastered remedies all of that alongside visual and framerate upgrades and throws in the Artorias of the Abyss DLC for good measure. Don't you dare go Hollow!
5. Black Myth Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong straddles the razor-thin line between soulslike and action game, so its inclusion on this list is somewhat controversial. However, there's no doubt that this stellar adaptation of Journey to the West employs everything we love in a good soulslike - and quietly omits everything we don't.
As a lowly monkey man following in the footsteps of the mythical Sun Wukong, you must overcome the odds with your wits, a heavy-duty build, and a pinch of magic. Wukong bosses are an adrenaline-laced spectacle pulled straight from Chinese folklore and are unwilling to go down easily. In her Black Myth: Wukong review, Nat Smith calls it a "GOTY contender of epic proportions" that "looks to iterate upon FromSoftware's legacy rather than use it as a crutch."
While other soulslikes prioritize parrying, Wukong's combat leans into the Destined One's simian nature with perfect dodges. Its stance system is a distant cousin to Nioh's, letting you wield his trusty staff for distance, speed, and even verticality. It might have seemed too good to be true at the time, but this debut action RPG from Game Science has risen from obscurity to become one of the best PC games in recent years. It's even getting a sequel.
6. Lies of P
While Bloodborne isn't on PC (yet - we pray to the Great Ones every evening for a 4K remaster), Lies of P is a highly worthy substitute. The 'P' in Lies of P stands for, of all things, Pinocchio. Yes, developers Neowitz Games and Round8 Studio went ahead and made a soulslike that stars Geppetto's puppet, but this is a far cry from the Walt Disney musical. Lies of P takes the same cues from the Victorian Gothic as Bloodborne, but fuses with the ornate trappings of the Belle Époque.
The steampunk city of Krat is on the brink of total collapse due to the mysterious frenzy that's swept its puppet servant class. Apparently immune, our young Pinocchio embarks on a quest to reunite with Geppetto, avoid telling too many lies, and, hopefully, become a real boy. In her Lies of P review, Lauren Bergin deems it a "clockwork adventure" that has more to offer than just 'Bloodborne at home.' Combat is a fast and brutal affair, with weapon variety that spans from elegant rapiers to colossal hammers.
Even in such an intricate setting, the Lies of P bosses still manage to steal the show. Whether you're going up against the hulking Parade Master or the colossal Puppet of the Future, each one is memorable as the last. Still, where Lies of P truly shines is within its narrative. For a genre that typically favors lore over plot, Lies of P offers one of the better soulslike stories in recent years. No one asked for a Bloodborne-esque Pinocchio story, but Lies of P is a fairy tale well worth seeing through, complete with multiple endings.
7. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Only one more FromSoftware game, we promise. Where Dark Souls birthed the genre and Elden Ring magnified it into an open world, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an action-oriented soulslike that predates Wukong. Sure, there are bosses and bonfires and interconnected areas galore, but its pared-back buildcraft and named protagonist set it apart from what came before.
Instead of the classic dodge roll, Sekiro incorporates posture gauges that you can whittle down via a flurry of successful deflections to inflict a powerful deathblow. Throw in the myriad tools attached to Sekiro's prosthetic arm - a grappling hook, an umbrella shield, and a literal flamethrower - and you've got a soulslike that plays quite a bit differently than the rest of FromSoftware's oeuvre.
What remains the same? Other than Sekiro sometimes being able to revive after defeat, you still collect 'souls' in the form of skill points that you can spend in certain skill trees and even lose progress toward the next skill point upon death. You also explore a vast world filled with awesome foes in an equal parts mythologically and historically inspired Japan. In the words of Richard Scott-Jones in his Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review: "It has been a privilege to play Sekiro."
8. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Another soulslike from Team Ninja, few games match Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty in terms of tight, fast-paced combat. This loose adaptation of the Three Kingdoms takes us to a dark fantasy version of Han Dynasty China during the throes of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Amid the human conflict, demons pulled straight from the pages of Chinese mythology stalk the land, and a lone militia soldier rises from obscurity to fight back against the threat.
Wo Long ditches the soulslike conceit of a large interconnected world in favor of separate, story-driven missions that can be replayed for better loot, making it a great choice for those who like to swing swords with big numbers attached to them. It's also got a great feeling of progression - returning to earlier levels to clear out difficult enemies or find a hidden item shows just how powerful you've become.
Power fantasy aside, Wo Long follows many staples of the genre. Failure is key to progression, and Genuine Qi serves as its version of 'soul' currency. Dave Irwin's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty review deems it a "worthy new entrant to the soulslike genre" that can ease newcomers into the soulslike mindset and offers something a little different for die-hard fans. Don't forget to pick up the tough-as-nails DLC packs if you're looking for a real challenge.
9. Thymesia
Modern soulslikes often test the boundaries with new mechanics and aesthetics that push their definition to the limit. A few even make an appearance on this list, offering cold comfort to soulslike fans looking for a classic experience. Thymesia goes right back to basics with a dark fantasy aesthetic pulled straight out of FromSoftware's best, including a Victorian Gothic setting that gives Bloodborne a run for its money.
We arrive in the Kingdom of Hermes in the wake of a calamitous alchemical plague that has reduced its subjects to monsters. The cure to this chaos lies hidden in the lost memories of shapeshifting plague doctor Corvus, who can harness the plague for his own ends. Alongside your trusty saber, you can wield a whole Gothic armory's worth of scythes, claws, and even a strange miasma that turns you to mist when you dodge.
Thymesia is a short, sweet, but no less brutal soulslike that demands careful execution of complex attack combos, well-timed parries, and a strong constitution to beat its procession of intimidating bosses. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but hey, it's not like the wheel needs it.
10. Nine Sols
If you're stuck between Hollow Knight and Sekiro, Nine Sols is the perfect compromise. This 2D action-platformer takes the Metroidvania framework of interconnected maps laden with secrets and marries it with deflection-driven combat against an array of ferocious bosses.
The "Taopunk" setting of New Kunlun is a bright spot in the slew of grimdark fantasy soulslikes, but don't let it lull you into a false sense of security. Developer Red Candle Games cut its teeth on horror games, and that heritage is on full display with flashes of gore and brutal violence that leave a ruby-red smear across its colorful, hand-drawn environments.
Nine Sols is a brutal soulslike fueled by revenge, and its story is worth seeing through to the end. Tim Linward's Nine Sols interview with producer and creative director Shihwei (Vincent) Yang about Red Candle delves into the myriad themes and philosophies that underpin its combat and world design.
11. Remnant 2
Want a little bit more shooting in your soulslike? While plenty include bows and other ranged weaponry for flavor, Remnant 2 is a full-fledged third-person shooter. It's also a massive improvement upon Remnant: From the Ashes in just about every way: smoother combat and better bosses, deeper buildcraft, and even more distinct worlds to explore.
Remnant 2 might not have the same staggering difficulty as other soulslikes - and whether you see that as a positive or negative is up to you - but its unique approach makes it a must-play. Nat Smith's Remnant 2 review praises its "Matryoshka level design" that "invites you to become caught up in the wonder of the unknown, of the endless possibilities that exist between worlds."
Soulslikes are typically a lonely affair, but Remnant 2 bucks this trend, too. Its co-op mode is decidedly moreish, and with the sheer variety of Remnant 2 classes on offer, there's a ton of replayability even before you factor in procedural generation and DLC content. Oh, and did we mention there's a dog?
12. Another Crab's Treasure
Aggro Crab scuttled into our hearts and took the indie seas by storm with Another Crab's Treasure, an underwater soulslike that's a bit like if someone stuck Dark Souls, Finding Nemo, and SpongeBob SquarePants in a blender. Kril the hermit crab has been rudely ejected from his beloved mollusc shell. Tin cans and plastic cups offer scant protection as he navigates the many dangers at the bottom of the ocean, where man-made trash becomes, well, treasure.
If the cartoon aesthetic hasn't tipped you off, this colorful crab soulslike is the perfect way to introduce new players to the genre with minimal frustration. Explore garbage-filled coral reefs, collect curious doodads to upgrade your stats, and make friends (or, more often than not, enemies) with undersea denizens. No surprise it surpassed Aggro Crab's "wildest dreams."
But not so fast, soulslike veterans - there's plenty here for you, too. Not only is Another Crab's Treasure a bright spot in an otherwise dreary landscape of dark fantasy, but its comedic flair is more than enough to sustain you to the end. Another Crab's Treasure is the only soulslike around that pits you against a giant crab wielding a tea strainer like a flail and delivers its environmentalist message without pretension.
13. Blasphemous 2
Soulslikes owe a lot to Metroidvanias, and Blasphemous 2 dances on the head of the pin that separates both. Its rich tableau of 2D pixels takes the nightmarish fantasy atmosphere of the original FromSoftware games and transposes it upon Catholic horror pulled straight out of an Andalusian nightmare. The religious iconography is about as overt as you can get, with more rosaries and flagellants than you could shake a crozier at.
Nat Smith's Blasphemous 2 review calls Cvstodia "a land like no other" that's been "polished to a high standard." While the first Blasphemous focused primarily on combat, the sequel puts much more emphasis on puzzles this time around, facilitated by new weapons that make for a far less repetitive experience.
Blasphemous 2's Metroidvania roots are undeniably on display, but it takes a generous helping from the soulslike pot of genre conventions. That includes a limited-use healing item that refills at the cost of all enemies respawning, challenging bosses that gatekeep the adventure, and sparse storytelling that takes a little bit of player effort to work out. Rise, Penitent One. It's time to kill God.
Upcoming soulslike games
Soulslikes are getting more popular year on year, so you'd best believe there's plenty of upcoming PC games to mark on your calendar for 2026. Naturally, Nioh 3 is at the top of our wishlist, taking us to the Bakumatsu era to follow a young warrior's endeavour to conquer the Crucible and restore his rightful place as shogun. Want a souslike with a bit more teeth? Code Vein 2 is the bold and bloody sequel to Bandai Namco's vampy soulslike, and it's already making its mark with a partner system and time travel. Finally, Lords of the Fallen 2 proves that CI Games can lean even harder into its heavy metal roots.
Our definitive list of the best soulslike games demands you face some of the most difficult bosses in videogames. Whether you've slain Artorias in Dark Souls or bested Erlang in Black Myth: Wukong, come and crow about your achievements in our community Discord. What's next? Now that soulslike games have gone mainstream, we expect plenty more where these came from, but in the meantime, our list of the best PC games can give you a brief reprieve from the challenge.