The souls-like is a genre that has become one of, if not the most, popular genre in all of gaming today.
For this, we have FromSoftware to thank, with their iconic Dark Souls franchise (preceded by Demon's Souls) marking the true starting point. Since that fateful day in 2011, however, many companies have gone on to emulate the formula and have done a commendable job doing so.
Unfortunately it's a tough genre to get into due to the intense difficulty it can have, but luckily not every game in the genre is brutally challenging and there are some that can get you integrated with it more smoothly. So let's check out some souls-likes not for the veterans, but for beginners.
10 Rise of the Ronin
The Old East
Rise of the Ronin
- Released
- March 22, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Adventure, Open-World
- Metascore
- 76
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
Rise of the Ronin is the hidden gem of 2024 that grows on you the more and more you play it. For beginners in the souls-like world, Rise of the Ronin offers a set of customizeable difficulty options.
Those wanting a challenge can jack up the difficulty to Twilight and enjoy the chaos, but the easy mode makes things manageable for those who just want to experience the story.
Any of the main missions can also be jumped in with a partner or two to make them far easier, even without the difficulty change.
There are so many side missions to find, with each one giving you more lore about the happenings of the world at this time and tons of duels to unlock, which in turn reward you with more weapons and weapon styles.
The loop is addictive, and the combat is sharp as can be, so don’t miss out on one of the most underrated titles in some time.
9 Code Vein
Vampire Wasteland for Two
- Released
- September 27, 2019
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
Code Vein attempts to do something very different compared to most souls-likes.
With an anime aesthetic, Code Vein provides a story-rich experience that offers players a staggering amount of customization in not only their appearance, but also their play style. The story is about vampires in a post apocalyptic world and while the plot isn't amazing, it's certainly interesting and much different than your typical souls-like stories.
There are countless special attacks to unlock, different archetypes to equip, and pieces of equipment to find that it’s hard to put Code Vein down once it sinks its teeth in. For beginners, this one offers full co-op throughout the game and a wealth of options in combat to make things easier on you.
There are tons of high damage, special abilities to unlock that will make boss encounters go a lot more smoothly and there is a somewhat forgiving checkpoint system compared to some of the more cruel games in the genre.
8 The Surge 2
Build a Brute
The Surge 2
- Released
- September 24, 2019
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Deck13 Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Focus Home Interactive
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- The Surge
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 21 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
The Surge 2 is an amazing achievement that doesn’t get enough love. This futuristic and dystopic take on a souls-like introduces a wild vision of the future where everyone seems to be mechanically altered in one way or another. You are one of these people and are tasked with taking down a dangerous cult.
For those just jumping into the genre, The Surge 2, while tough, definitely eases you into the game more delicately than most souls-likes.
You won't find your first mind-numbing boss to fight until you're hours into the game and the constant ability to pick up new equipment and the customization of your character can mitigate some of the difficulty.
The combat offers so many options in terms of weapon types, ability customization, and defensive techniques that you should find yourself lasting a lot longer in The Surge 2 than most of its contemporaries.
In addition to that, you'll find that the world is a bit more lively than most souls-likes, offering you moments of reprieve among others when you're not trudging through the dark, decrepit, dystopic future.
If you're looking for an accessible souls-like with a sci-fi twist, The Surge 2 is your best choice.
7 Bleak Faith: Forsaken
Incredible Exploration and Manageable Combat
An unknown game for the most part, Bleak Faith: Forsaken gives a feeling of being in a dangerous and foreign world better than any game since Dark Souls 1.
While it’s a bit technically unrefined, the combat is deep and customizable, and the world is so mysterious and strange that you can’t help but push on just to see what might be lying next around the corner.
The combat itself is definitely on the easier side, with enemies having large parry windows and forgiving hitboxes, which will make boss encounters far easier than most souls likes.
Bleak Faith: Forsaken is more about exploration than combat, which makes it thoroughly less intense than other games in the genre while being just as engaging in a very different and unique way.
6 Remnant 2
An Accessible Classic
- Released
- July 25, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Gunfire Games
- Publisher(s)
- Gearbox Publishing
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike, Third-Person Shooter
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 65 GB (January 2024)
- Metascore
- 85
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
Remnant 2 came out of nowhere as a sequel to a relatively well-received first title and took the souls-like genre into new territory.
For beginners, it's an incredibly accessible game from the get-go that offers the best co-op system any souls-like has to offer.
It can be tough at first to get the flow of the game down, but due to it being largely about ranged combat, it's easy to recommend this as the first game for those looking to get into the genre.
There are difficulty options to select from to scale the difficulty to your liking, and the easiest one will give you a nice, easy experience that still lets you explore all of the worlds to your content.
Checkpoints are generally right next to boss encounters as well, so don't worry about long trudges back to the fight you failed at.
5 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
This is the Souls-Like You're Looking for
- Released
- April 28, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Star Wars
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Soulslike, Sci-Fi
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 134 GB (May 2024)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an absolutely gorgeous game that puts you in the Jedi robes of Cal Kestis on his mission to take down the empire.
The first iteration of this series, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was good in its own right, but Survivor takes that formula to a whole new level.
Cal has the force at his disposal, along with multiple lightsaber styles to learn, and never has Star Wars combat looked or felt this good. There is also plenty to enjoy story wise, and the overall journey Cal takes is easily one of the most engaging that a Star Wars game has had, and there is still more to come.
There are numerous difficulty options that let you customize things right down to parry windows and other intricacies that most games would never offer.
Boss fights are a heck of a time here, but again, if something is giving you trouble, you can always just lower the difficulty and try again.
If you prefer to keep the difficulty the same throughout the game, there are various side quests to take part in that will reward you with skill points to make you strong enough to finally handle any battle that's giving you trouble.
4 Lords of the Fallen
The New Age Dark Souls
- Released
- October 13, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- HEXWORKS
- Publisher(s)
- CI Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
Sometimes, imitation is the best form of flattery and that is definitely the case with Lords of the Fallen. For all intents and purposes, this game is Dark Souls 4 in everything but name.
The atmosphere is dark, oppressive and dangerous, castles are brimming with death around every corner and the story that plays out is both obscure and fascinating all at once.
The highlight here is the introduction of the Umbral Lamp, an item that lets you peer into another world and even transport there yourself. But the real highlight here for beginners is that you get 2 lives.
One in the real world and one in the umbral, which makes things a bit more accessible for those who get frustrated with the live, die, repeat cycle of souls likes.
The combat is tough, but in Lords of the Fallen, you can be both a ranged and melee user without having to allocate all of your stats into one basket to be effective.
You can be a mage/knight type character that slings spells and deals damage up close or have a massive greatsword and be able to hurl spears or shoot bows effectively as well.
This flexibility makes combat much more accessible than your typical FromSoftware offerings, making the experience much more inviting to anyone looking to jump into the genre for the first time.
3 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Parry Your Way To Victory
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is inspired heavily by Sekiro, but manages to lower the difficulty by a significant amount here while still producing enough challenge for players of all skill levels to get that warm fuzzy feeling after overcoming a brutal challenge.
The magic here is within the parry system, which is among the most satisfying I've seen in a game and is not only simple to pull off, but crucial to defeating enemies.
Bosses in particular are devastated by this move and while the opening fight is quite a baptism by fire, once you overcome it, the subsequent fights will feel like child's play to you.
It's not often in a souls-like that you can down a boss in 4 hits, but here, that is an occasion you will find aplenty if you can get your timing down right. There are tons of weapons for you to find, magic spells to unlock, and you can summon co-op for any level in the game, human or AI controlled, to make things a lot easier at times.
You'll still need to learn the ropes here a bit, but once you do, you'll find Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty to be a very accessible and very fun souls-like to introduce you to the genre.
2 Black Myth: Wukong
The Monkey King of 2024
Black Myth: Wukong
- Released
- August 20, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Game Science
- Publisher(s)
- Game Science
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 39 hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
The most recent addition to this list is Black Myth: Wukong, which wears its souls-like inspiration on its sleeve with pride. Think of Sekiro, but instead of parrying, you’re dodging, and you’ll have an idea of what this plays like.
Armed with your staff, you play as The Destined One, a descendant of the legendary Monkey King, Wukong, from the story Journey to the West, and anyone familiar with that story will be right at home here.
For beginners, Black Myth: Wukong is a fantastic starting point, offering fast-paced combat reminiscent of an action game more than a souls-like at times. The souls-like gene is strong in this one, but it's also fair and gives you plenty of tools to work with.
To help beginners out, your character can transform into a variety of different creatures, and the most important feature of this is a second life bar that, when extinguished, merely turns you back to your normal form instead of killing you.
Dodging is also incredibly useful, and you have one of the most useful attacks in any souls-like, the immobilization spell, which literally freezes enemies for a few seconds so you can get hits in.
It's tough at times for sure, but its early hours will be an easy experience while still remaining fun and when the difficulty ramps up, you'll already be 5 hours in or so and have a full grasp of the combat and ready to face anything the game has to throw at you.
1 Another Crab's Treasure
Under the Sea, a Souls-like for Thee
Another Crab's Treasure
- Released
- April 25, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Publisher(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Engine
- Unity
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 14 Hours
Another Crab's Treasure is one of the most surprising hits in recent years, and though it may seem like a kid's game on the surface, inside dwells an incredibly fun and addictive souls-like that's wildly creative.
You take the role of Kril, a crab whose shell has been stolen. It's up to you to get it back, and along the way, you'll encounter tons of enemies and take part in a hilarious and sometimes dark story. It's surprising fare for what seems like a light-hearted romp, making the experience more gripping than would be expected.
The combat is easy, but that's fine given how creative it is. You'll have your general souls-like staples like frequent checkpoints, parry maneuvers, and light and heavy weapons here, but the best part comes in the shell-swapping mechanic. Each time you find a new shell, you augment Kril's abilities as well as his movement options.
There are tons of shells to find, and they're all creative in their own ways, offering entirely new playstyles depending on the shells you find. The bosses here are light work, but that doesn't make them boring to play against.
It'll spoil you to tell you how weird and funny the fights get, but there are several fights here that you'll never forget.
Another Crab's Treasure tries to lampoon the genre, and in the process, becomes one of the most enjoyable souls-likes to come out in some time.
10 Most Disappointing Soulslikes, Ranked
FromSoft may never drop the ball, but all those trying to follow their formula have done so with mixed results.