Games Like Dark Souls: A List of Must-Play Titles

Soulslikes are a special type of game, that's for sure. Following the incredible successes enjoyed by From Software from Demon Souls onwards, it shouldn't be a surprise that many other studios wanted to try their hand at this very same niche, too. That's precisely what we're celebrating here today, in fact, with a list of must-play games like Dark Souls.

Something to note before we begin, though, is that we're not featuring any other FromSoft titles on this list. Look, everyone knows about the studio's output already: you can safely purchase Elden Ring, Armored Core 6, or any of the other awesome FromSoft games knowing you'll love them by default.

This isn't necessarily the case with games featured in this article, on the other hand. Instead, we've identified a few key categories in which the featured titles riff on some of the key aspects of Dark Souls. If you, for example, wish to enjoy the sheer vibes delivered by FromSoft, you'll know precisely where to look!

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2Game's finest games like Dark Souls

Keeping the above in mind, then, the games we've got for you here aren't necessarily what you'd expect. Sure, we simply had to go with the obvious choice every so often, but our goal was to surprise you, too. So, this is something to consider as you move on. 2Game sells every game in this article, too. This means you can get your official Steam key right here with a lovely discount, and get to playing in a matter of minutes. Good stuff, right? Let's get to it!

Best for Vibes: Blasphemous

Vibes are, generally speaking, the bread and butter of every Dark Souls game. The sense of ontological hopelessness innate to FromSoft's equally pre and post-apocalyptic universe is absolutely immaculate, and few "Soulslikes" succeed in emulating it to such an extent as Blasphemous does.

Here's the kicker, too: Blasphemous is entirely successful in doing its own thing, too. Centred heavily around a fictionalized version of Christianity, as seen through the lens of Spanish faith, Blasphemous delivers a uniquely horrific vision that rhymes with some of FromSoft's finest work. For that alone, we recommend it! Don't forget it's an awesome Metroidvania too, though.

Best for General Similarity: Lords of the Fallen

If you're most interested in just attempting to replicate the core Dark Souls gameplay experience with a few key novelties thrown in for good measure, you can do no better than Lords of the Fallen. This is both a re-envisioning and a true sequel to the 2014 original by the same title, but boy howdy does it deliver something truly special.

Notably, this Lords of the Fallen is a polished, complete,  and incredibly satisfying Soulslike that - yes - wears its inspiration on its sleeve, but its twin-world mechanic and honest-to-goodness co-op multiplayer help elevate it in some key ways. This game comes highly recommended, especially now that it's received oodles of free DLC.

Best for Innovation: No Rest for the Wicked

No Rest for the Wicked is one of those games you just need to see and play for yourself to truly appreciate what they're trying to do. Coming from the good folks that made the astonishingly good Ori titles, No Rest for the Wicked is a combination of a Soulslike and a Diablo-type hack 'n' slash, with fully dynamic physics, lightning, and spawn systems thrown in for good measure.

This is an Early Access title still, mind, which means it's got some ways to go before it's fully up-to-spec. Even today, however, No Rest for the Wicked is an immaculately polished and deeply satisfying experience. You do need to adapt to it a bit, mind, especially if you've got prior experience with the hack 'n' slash genre, but Soulslike fans absolutely need to check this out.

Best for Sheer Awesomeness: The Surge 2

Who says every Soulslike needs to be a fantasy game? Enter The Surge 2: a post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk-esque body horror game where you outright replace bits and pieces of your body to duke it out with increasingly more powerful cyborgs. The Surge 2's notable party trick is its awesome body part targetting system, and we simply cannot believe the feature hasn't been replicated elsewhere just yet.

The way this works is very similar to the modern Fallout games' VATS system: time slows down and you can finely control which body part your character will begin taking chunks out of. Tear the limb off before killing the enemy cyborg, and voilà: you've got an awesome new piece of kit to outfit yourself with! The Surge 2 is just an awesomely fun experience. Though it fails in some respects, we still absolutely recommend it, especially if you want something a tad different from most anything else on the market in this niche.

Best for Value: Thymesia

A more affordable and often overlooked Soulslike, Thymesia is smaller and more focused in scope than any other game on this list. It is also markedly more affordable, all the while delivering that same delightful Soulslike experience we all know and love. Look, there's good reason why this game is a 9/10 on Steam, and price is just a small part of the full equation.

What you're getting in Thymesia is a Sekiro-style reflex-based combat system wrapped up in a Bloodborne-style aesthetic. The end result? A remarkably and surprisingly memorable experience that punches well above its weight class. Made by a small studio of only 8 people, this is the game to go after.

Best Open-World Equivalent: Dragon's Dogma 2

Surprised? As we said above, Elden Ring was never going to make it onto this list, and Dragon's Dogma 2 ended up being devilishly similar to some of the best Soulslikes on the market right now. Granted, this should not be a surprise. Notably, Dragon's Dogma 2 is what you'd get if you combined Monster Hunter with Dark Souls proper, and that's about as much as a fan of the genre needs to know!

Though it does get a tad annoying to deal with some enemies, the simple fact of the matter is that Dragon's Dogma 2 is an awesome action RPG that will, inevitably, be a serious contender for the GOTY title for 2024. If you'd in an experimentative sort of mood and want a game that isn't afraid of punishing you for trying something silly, this is the ticket.

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