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15 Best Soulslike Games to Play While You Wait for The Duskbloods

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Ignacio Weil

Gaming - May 20th 2026, 17:00 GMT+2

Nioh 3 — 1. Nioh Series

Before *Nioh* throws a boss at you, it politely asks whether you understand stance switching, ki pulses, loot rolls, yokai powers, and the deep spiritual pain of dying because you got greedy for one extra slash. Team Ninja’s samurai RPGs move faster than most Soulslikes, mixing Sengoku-era history with monster-hunting chaos and a build system that can swallow entire weekends. It is punishing, sure, but also weirdly generous once the combat finally clicks. | © Team Ninja

Lords of the Fallen bodies — 2. Lords of the Fallen (2023 version)

The 2023 version of *Lords of the Fallen* walks into the Soulslike conversation wearing two worlds on top of each other, which is already a strong commitment to making players nervous. Its Umbral realm gives exploration a nasty second layer, letting areas unfold after death or near-death in ways that feel both clever and occasionally rude. It is messier than FromSoftware’s tightest work, but its grim fantasy scale and aggressive post-launch improvements make it worth revisiting. | © HEXWORKS

Dark souls 3 — 3. Dark Souls Series

*Dark Souls* is still the old, cursed cathedral everyone keeps renovating in their own image. The first game perfected the joy of opening a shortcut and feeling like a cartographer with trauma, while *Dark Souls III* turned the series into a funeral march for its own mythology. The combat is slower than many modern imitators, but that weight is the point: every swing, roll, flask, and bonfire feels like a decision made under bad lighting. | © FromSoftware

Mortal Shell Boss Fight — 4. Mortal Shell

*Mortal Shell* understands that a smaller Soulslike can still leave teeth marks. Its biggest trick is the harden mechanic, which lets you freeze your body mid-attack like a haunted statue refusing to participate in physics for a second. The shell system gives each body a distinct rhythm, so progression feels less like leveling a hero and more like borrowing someone else’s ruined life. It is compact, moody, and confident enough not to overstay its welcome. | © Cold Symmetry

5. The Surge 1 & 2

Deck13 looked at medieval misery and apparently said, “Fine, but what if the knight had an exo-rig and workplace injuries were the combat system?” *The Surge* games trade castles for industrial labs, letting you target enemy limbs to slice off the exact gear you want, which is both smart design and wildly impolite. The sequel improves the speed, variety, and urban sprawl, turning sci-fi body horror into a surprisingly sharp alternative to the usual cursed-kingdom routine. | © Deck13 Interactive

Remnant from the ashes — 6. Remnant: From the Ashes & Remnant 2

Calling *Remnant* “Dark Souls with guns” is useful, but also a little unfair, because it undersells how much personality these games get from co-op chaos, randomized worlds, and bosses that treat distance as a negotiable concept. The first game built the blueprint; *Remnant II* made it bigger, stranger, and more replayable with its archetype system. It is one of the rare Soulslike-adjacent series where panic-rolling and panic-shooting can both be valid strategies. | © Gunfire Games

Cropped Blasphemous — 7. Blasphemous 1 & 2

The *Blasphemous* games are what happens when religious iconography, pixel art, and punishment all decide to share one beautifully uncomfortable apartment. They are more Metroidvania than classic Soulslike, but the corpse runs, cryptic lore, grotesque bosses, and carefully carved world design absolutely belong in the same conversation. The sequel smooths out movement and weapon variety without losing that baroque, guilt-soaked identity. Few games make a ladder, a prayer, and a giant enemy face feel equally threatening. | © The Game Kitchen

Cropped Hollow Knight Silksong — 8. Hollow Knight & Silksong

*Hollow Knight* did not need 3D armor, stamina bars, or a tragic man mumbling behind a door to understand the Soulslike appeal. Hallownest is a masterclass in lonely exploration, nasty boss patterns, and lore that waits for players to do the emotional paperwork themselves. *Silksong* shifts the rhythm through Hornet’s speed and sharper movement, making every jump and strike feel more acrobatic. Together, they prove bugs can be elegant, heartbreaking, and extremely good at ruining your evening. | © Team Cherry

Jedi survivor — 9. Jedi: Fallen Order & Jedi: Survivor

The *Star Wars Jedi* games sneak Soulslike design into a blockbuster adventure without making it feel like Cal Kestis wandered into the wrong genre convention. Meditation points, careful healing, parry-heavy combat, and tough optional fights all bring that familiar tension, but Respawn wraps it in lightsaber fantasy, wall-running, droid banter, and just enough Jedi melodrama to keep the cape flowing. *Survivor* opens the formula up nicely, giving Cal more stances and bigger spaces to get into trouble. | © Respawn Entertainment

10. Lies of P

*Lies of P* could have been an easy punchline — “Pinocchio, but miserable” — and somehow became one of the cleanest Soulslike surprises of recent years. Its Belle Époque city of Krat gives the game a strong visual identity, while the weapon assembly system lets players mix blades and handles like a very dangerous craft project. The parry timing is strict, the bosses are theatrical, and the whole thing commits to its strange premise without blinking. | © Round8 Studio

Bloodborne ps exclusive — 11. Bloodborne

*Bloodborne* is still the genre’s most stylish bad decision: faster than *Dark Souls*, meaner than most action RPGs, and drenched in enough gothic horror to make every alley feel medically unsafe. The regain system rewards aggression, which is a polite way of saying the game wants you to sprint back into danger while your brain begs for a pause menu. Yharnam starts as a nightmare about beasts, then keeps peeling back layers until the cosmos itself looks infected. | © FromSoftware

Wo long 12 — 12. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

*Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty* brings Team Ninja’s speed to a dark fantasy version of the Three Kingdoms, then builds everything around deflection, morale, and the satisfying sound of turning an enemy’s confidence against them. It is less loot-mad than *Nioh*, but still loves systems, elemental magic, weapon variety, and bosses that arrive with absolutely no interest in your personal growth journey. The result is flashy, uneven, and often thrilling when its martial-arts tempo really starts firing. | © Team NINJA

13. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

*Sekiro* is what happens when FromSoftware removes the comfort blanket of builds, summons, and heavy shields, then hands you a katana and says, “Good luck, posture matters now.” It is not a traditional Soulslike in the RPG sense, but its boss design, precision, and refusal to let players brute-force bad habits make it essential homework. Once the deflection system clicks, fights stop feeling like endurance tests and start playing like violent rhythm games with mythological HR violations. | © FromSoftware

Black Myth Wukong — 14. Black Myth: Wukong

*Black Myth: Wukong* is not a straight Soulslike, but anyone craving demanding boss fights, mythic spectacle, and pattern-reading combat will understand why it keeps entering the conversation. Inspired by *Journey to the West*, it turns the Destined One’s staff work, transformations, and spells into a fast, cinematic action RPG built around duels that look expensive and hit harder than expected. It leans more toward boss-rush intensity than maze-like exploration, which gives it a sharper, showier flavor. | © Game Science

Elden Ring Crossplay — 15. Elden Ring

*Elden Ring* took the Souls formula outside, gave it a horse, and somehow made getting lost feel like an official mechanic. The Lands Between are enormous without feeling empty, packed with caves, catacombs, field bosses, legacy dungeons, and NPCs who speak as if being clear would violate company policy. Its open structure lets players wander away from a wall and come back stronger, stranger, or wearing a helmet shaped like a bad idea. That freedom changed the genre’s expectations. | © FromSoftware

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The Duskbloods already has FromSoftware fans circling the calendar, but patience is easier when there are brutal bosses, ruined kingdoms, and stamina bars waiting elsewhere. The best Soulslike games know how to turn frustration into obsession, whether they lean into gothic horror, bleak fantasy, fast parries, or strange worlds that refuse to explain themselves. While the next big nightmare is still out of reach, these are the games that can scratch that very specific itch.

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The Duskbloods already has FromSoftware fans circling the calendar, but patience is easier when there are brutal bosses, ruined kingdoms, and stamina bars waiting elsewhere. The best Soulslike games know how to turn frustration into obsession, whether they lean into gothic horror, bleak fantasy, fast parries, or strange worlds that refuse to explain themselves. While the next big nightmare is still out of reach, these are the games that can scratch that very specific itch.