It's no secret that Elden Ring is a special game, and when it comes to the world of soulslikes, it is pretty hard for other titles to even come close, let alone compete with it. The game represents a decade of refinement and perfection, all fused into a single experience, so it is easy to see why it is rated so highly and considered a near-unbeatable titan in a genre full to the brim with excellence.
The 7 Best Soulslike Games On Xbox Game Pass, Ranked
Game Pass doesn't have Dark Souls or Elden Ring, but it has a few great Soulslike games that can keep you busy for a long time.
However, the soulslike space is stacked nowadays, and there are still a few other games out there that can contend with the greatness found in The Lands Between. Some were born from FromSoftware's own arms, while others came from completely new studios, but in both cases, the level demonstrated is truly unbelievable and a true testament to just how hard it is to create something so close to perfection.
What's That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Might Be FromSoftware's Best
Perhaps The Best There Is
Details:
- Perfect parry mechanics
- Smaller yet more refined roster of bosses
It is pretty fair to say that when Sekiro exploded onto the soulslike scene, the entire genre was shaken down to its very core. Gone were the days of slow, methodical exploration, and what replaced it was fast, unforgiving combat that relied solely on reaction speed and muscle memory in a way that no other game in the space had even come close to.
Mechanically, it remains at the top of the genre, demonstrating a level of precision and satisfaction that many have tried to replicate, but very few have succeeded. Then there are the boss fights, each posing a different kind of challenge to the player, and all requiring a huge amount of knowledge and patience in order to take them down. Elden Ring might have the scale, but Sekiro checks every other box, with the most important being the gameplay and the actual mechanics that players will come to learn and master over time.
Bloodborne Is Still A Gothic Masterpiece
Atmosphere And Flavor For Days
Details:
- Unreal world-building and environments
- Gritty and fast combat that holds up today
Bloodborne is now over a decade old, but FPS locks aside, the game hasn't aged a day. From the moment players step into the world, it is very clear they are in for something special, as everything from the towering structures to the eerie skybox creates a sense of darkness and intrigue that never goes away until the end credits finally roll.
5 Soulslike Games With Just As Good Or Better Lore Than Elden Ring
Dive into the rich lore of 5 soulslike games, each offering unique stories and worlds that rival Elden Ring's depth and mystery.
While previous games had their own parry mechanics, here, guns become the player's tool for deflection, setting up some incredibly visceral sequences where they quickly dispatch and destroy anything and anyone that dares to take a swing at them. The standout, though, will always be the world and the stories within it, both taking heavy influence from Lovecraftian fiction to deliver a horrific yet enticing experience that will have players begging on their knees for more.
Hollow Knight Is A Whole Different Type Of Masterpiece
On A Completely Different Plane
Details:
- Considered the king of the metroidvanias
- Detailed and dynamic world
Hollow Knight doesn't look like the traditional third-person soulslike many people associate the genre with, yet the gameplay and the design of the game quickly reveal that it more than fits the criteria. The way the game unfolds feels so organic and natural, something that Elden Ring definitely excels at, but here, the environments are far more claustrophobic and intimate, making the player feel one with the world throughout their long and perilous journey.
The goodness doesn't stop there, as players will find themselves tested to their absolute mechanical limits, with their platforming mechanics and their combat prowess being pushed far further than they may have expected. By the time players have scoured the map for caterpillars and conquered just about every foe in sight, they may think the adventure is coming to an end, but that's exactly when the game throws a curveball and introduces a brand-new cavern of secrets for them to explore and fall in love with all over again.
Lies Of P Helped Usher In A New Era For Soulslikes
A New Name Enters The Conversation
Details:
- Refines lessons learned from many other soulslikes
- Beautiful new setting with plenty of surprises
Lies of P showed the world that a non-FromSoftware soulslike could, in fact, compete with the big dogs. Set in a twisted fairy tale world full of mechanical monstrosities and mutated lifeforms, players are thrown right into the thick of it, having to parry and deflect their way through the world to uncover the much darker truth that lies beneath the surface.
5 Soulslike Games With Better Combat Than Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Wait, is it even possible? These soulslike action titles might prove it really is.
Rather than doing one specific mechanic or aspect perfectly, the game manages to hit all the criteria on the head without missing a beat, having so much gameplay polish and narrative goodness that it becomes pretty hard to put it down, even after a multi-hour-long session. However, perhaps the game's biggest achievement is how it has now paved the way for so many other new soulslikes to enter the space, showing that with a good enough concept and a compelling enough world, the poll positions can actually be claimed.
Dark Souls 3 Perfects The Souls Formula
Sounding Off The Trilogy With A Bang
Details:
- Incredible boss battles from start to finish
- Tasteful fan service
Dark Souls 3 feels like a distant memory in the context of the soulslike world, yet somehow, it has retained its place among the best ever since it released. Learning from the mistakes and triumphs of their previous games, FromSoftware decided to close out their trilogy with a heroic finale, thrusting players into giant castles and fiery caverns, all full to the brim with action, lore, and plenty of enemies to take down.
When it comes to the boss roster, it is fair to say the game has one of the best in the entire industry, with even its lowest points being higher than its rivals and its peaks setting a new high that has barely been cleared in the last decade. Without the series, the genre simply wouldn't exist today, and this third installment's role in catapulting soulslikes into the mainstream came solely from the unforgettable experience players are treated to within it.
Black Myth: Wukong Nails Combat
Legends Made Real
Details
- Fast ability combos and attack chains
- A diverse cast of characters and enemies
Black Myth: Wukong takes a legendary story from the eastern world and brings it to life with just about as much beauty and glory as physically possible. The very first scene of the game sets the tone in a big way, presenting players with a cinematic encounter that kick-starts a long line of others that all seem to get increasingly more extravagant the further they progress into the story.
Where the game really contends with Elden Ring is in the combat, as rather than players using a weapon with a few tricks, they instead get to unleash a flurry of combos, transform mid-fight, and keep hammering away at the boss, without the spectacle ever fading away. That level of cinematic greatness remains present in virtually every fight, and because of that, it is pretty hard to tell cutscenes from real-time moments, making the whole game feel like one drawn-out epic with the player at the center of all the action.
8 Best Soulslike Games With Simple But Great Combat, Ranked
The combat systems in these soulslike games prove that sometimes simplicity is the best.