It’s no secret that Elden Ring is a special game, and in the world of soulslikes, other projects find it nearly impossible to even come close, let alone compete. This game is a decade of refinement and perfection forged into a single experience, so it’s easy to see why it’s held in such high regard and considered an almost unbeatable titan in a genre already packed with masterpieces.
Yet today’s soulslike market is saturated, and there are still a handful of titles that can rival the grandeur of the Lands Between. Some were born inside FromSoftware itself, others in entirely new studios, but in both cases the level of craft is truly incredible and serves as real proof of how hard it is to create something so close to perfection.
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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — possibly FromSoftware’s finest work
Probably the best there is
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Key features:
Perfect parry mechanics
A smaller but more refined roster of bosses
It’s fair to say that when Sekiro burst onto the soulslike scene, the entire genre shook to its core. Gone were the days of slow, methodical exploration; in came fast, merciless combat that relies purely on reaction speed and muscle memory—something no other game in the field had even approached.
From a mechanical standpoint it remains at the genre’s summit, delivering a level of precision and satisfaction many have tried to replicate, but few have matched. And then there are the boss fights, each one a unique challenge demanding deep knowledge and endless patience to overcome. Elden Ring may boast scale, but Sekiro…
…ticks every other box, first among them the gameplay and mechanics the player must learn and master over time.
Bloodborne — a gothic masterpiece that still holds up
Atmosphere and style at their peak
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Key features:
An incredible world and environment
Brutal, fast combat that hasn’t aged a day
Bloodborne is over ten years old, yet—frame-rate lock aside—it hasn’t aged a single day. From the moment players step into its world, it’s clear something special awaits. Everything—from the towering architecture to the sinister sky—creates a sense of Darkness and mystery that lingers long after the credits roll.
Where earlier games had their own parry mechanics, here the gun becomes your tool for deflecting attacks, producing spectacular moments where the player cuts down anything foolish enough to strike. But the world and its stories, inspired by Lovecraft’s work, remain the star: a terrifying yet captivating experience players beg to see continued.
Hollow Knight — a masterpiece of a very different kind
On an entirely different level
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Key features:
Regarded as the king of metroidvanias
A detailed, dynamic world
Hollow Knight doesn’t look like the traditional third-person soulslike many associate with the genre, yet its gameplay and design quickly show it more than meets the criteria. The game unfolds organically—much like Elden Ring—but its environment is far more claustrophobic and intimate, making the player feel one with the world throughout a long, perilous journey.
And the challenges don’t stop there. Players will find their mechanical skills pushed to the limit: both platforming prowess and combat mastery are tested far harder than expected. Just when you think the adventure is over—after collecting every grub and defeating nearly every foe—the game pulls a sharp turn, opening an entire new cave of secrets to fall in love with all over again.
Lies of P ushers in a new era for soulslikes
A new name enters the game
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Key features:
Refines lessons learned from many other soulslikes
A beautiful new setting packed with surprises
Lies of P showed the world that a non-FromSoftware soulslike really can compete with the giants. Set in a twisted fairy-tale world full of mechanical horrors and mutated life-forms, it throws players straight into the thick of the action, forcing them to parry and deflect their way toward a far darker truth hiding beneath the surface.
Rather than perfecting one single mechanic, the game hits every target without missing a beat. Its gameplay polish and narrative pull make it hard to put down even after marathon sessions. Perhaps its greatest achievement, though, is paving the way for a wave of new soulslikes, proving that with a strong concept and a gripping world, you really can take the top spot.
Dark Souls 3 — the perfect Souls formula
A thunderous end to a trilogy
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Key features:
Incredible boss fights from start to finish
Fan service served up deliciously
Dark Souls 3 feels like a distant memory in today’s soulslike landscape, yet it has held its place among the best since launch. Learning from past successes and failures, FromSoftware closed its trilogy with a heroic finale, plunging players into vast castles and fiery caverns brimming with action, lore, and hordes of enemies.
When it comes to boss rosters, the game can claim one of the best line-ups in the industry. Even its lowest points are higher than many competitors’ highs, and its peaks set a bar that has rarely been cleared in the last decade. Without this series the genre simply wouldn’t exist today, and the third entry’s role in pushing soulslikes into the mainstream is guaranteed by the unforgettable experience it delivers.
Black Myth: Wukong — combat at its finest
A legend made real
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Key features:
Fast ability combos and attack chains
A varied cast of characters and foes
Black Myth: Wukong takes a legendary tale from the East and brings it to life with as much beauty and grandeur as technically possible. The very first scene sets the tone with a cinematic confrontation that kicks off a long chain of ever-more-epic set pieces as the story unfolds.
It’s in combat that the game can truly go toe-to-toe with Elden Ring. Instead of weapons with a couple of tricks, players unleash torrents of combos, transform mid-fight, and pummel bosses non-stop without ever losing spectacle.
This cinematic flair is present in nearly every battle, blurring the line between cut-scene and gameplay. The result is an unbroken epic canvas with the player right at its center.
