12 Games Like Dark Souls in 2026: Trials of the Undying
Games like Dark Souls take players to the edge of danger.
Games like Dark Souls take players to the edge of danger. Every step feels risky, every shadow hides a deadly foe, and every victory demands patience and skill. Its punishing combat and haunting worlds leave an impression that lingers long after the screen goes dark.
I set out to find other games that capture the same sense of weight and danger. Some excel with relentless, brutal combat, others with twisted, immersive worlds cursed to their very core. I played them all, fell countless times, and emerged with a list of games that any Dark Souls fan will want to tackle next.
Players chasing punishing challenges or worlds that refuse to let you rest will find these games test reflexes and resolve at every turn.
Our Top Picks for Games Like Dark Souls
Not all soulslike games earn their scars. I’ve waded through plenty that tried and failed, but a handful rose above the noise. These five nail the tension, the weight, and that creeping dread that makes Dark Souls such a cult classic.
Elden Ring
SOULSLIKE
The open world shouldn’t work, but it does. Every ruin, swamp, and nightmare boss keeps the Souls heart beating.
Bloodborne
SOULSLIKE
Pure gothic horror turned into a video game. Faster, sharper, and so relentless it never lets you breathe.
Hollow Knight
METROIDVANIA
A bug-sized Souls epic. Tight combat, haunting exploration, and bosses that can ruin you in seconds.
These five are the best of the best, but they’re only a taste of what’s out there. Up next, I’ll dive into these and even more great choices. I’ll show you games like Dark Souls that carry the torch but also twist the formula into something new.
12 Games Like Dark Souls: Ashes and Agony
I looked at combat weight, world design, boss encounters, and the kind of punishment that actually feels fair. I played each game long enough to feel its rhythm, pain, and reward. What follows is a breakdown of all 12 picks for anyone chasing the best games like Dark Souls.
Elden Ring
Overall Best Game Like Dark Souls
- Our score
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- Type of game
- Action RPG, open-world soulslike
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Creators
- FromSoftware, Bandai Namco
- Average playtime
- 60-150+ hours
- Best for
- Souls fans who want freedom without losing the edge
- What I liked
- Boss variety, open exploration, insane build depth, haunting world design
- This one just floored me from the first step into Limgrave. But that’s exactly what you should expect from
- games like
Elden Ring
- . It’s a
- Souls
- game at its core (
- slow, brutal combat with that creeping sense of dread
), but stretched across a world that begs to be explored. Every castle, cave, and swamp hides something nasty, and curiosity always feels dangerous.
What I loved most is how it doesn’t hold your hand.
No markers, no “go here next.”
You follow your instincts, and that makes every discovery yours. I stumbled into dungeons I wasn’t ready for, got wrecked by bosses I couldn’t touch, and loved every second of clawing my way back stronger.
Mechanically, it’s a dream.
Builds are deeper than ever, summoning adds a whole new layer of strategy, and you can play in so many ways. You can dual-wield colossal swords and roll through fire like a madman or spam sorceries from afar.
My Verdict:
Elden Ring
isn’t just Dark Souls in a bigger box. It’s proof that FromSoftware can expand its formula without losing what made it legendary. It’s punishing, rewarding, and endlessly replayable, which makes it the most essential pick on any list of games like Dark Souls.
- ★ Overall Best Game Like Dark Souls
Elden Ring
Bloodborne [Best Gothic Horror Soulslike]
- Our score
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- ☆
- ★
- Type of game
- Action RPG, gothic horror soulslike
- PS4
- Creators
- FromSoftware, Sony Computer Entertainment
- Average playtime
- 40-100+ hours
- Best for
- Souls fans who want fast-paced combat and a horror-soaked setting
- What I liked
- Frenetic combat, grotesque monsters, eerie world design, risk-reward health system
Bloodborne
- is an
- amazing action RPG game
that changed the rules for us.
Dark Souls taught me to play safe and turtle up – here, waiting gets you killed. The trick is to push harder, punish openings, and use your gun to parry instead of hiding behind a shield. That relentless pace makes the combat feel savage and addictive. This title also gave birth to the so-called “soulsborne games.”
Yharnam sticks because it feels alive in the worst way. The mobs with torches dragging beasts through Central Yharnam, the Executioners waiting in Hemwick, the chanting mobs in the Cathedral Ward. You never shake the feeling that the whole city is hunting you. It’s not just a setting, it’s an enemy.
The longer you play, the deeper the horror digs in. Enemies will mutate, lore peels back to reveal cosmic terror, and the whole world feels like it’s rotting from within. The game does a great job at challenging your reflexes, but also unsettling your mind.
My Verdict:
Bloodborne
is a soulslike with faster, methodical combat, but also a masterclass in atmosphere. It proves FromSoftware can take the DNA of Dark Souls and mutate it into a punishing and unforgettable nightmare. That’s why it stands as the best gothic horror soulslike on this list.
gamekeys.deals team
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