Quick verdict: I've played every major soulslike since Demon's Souls, and the honest ranking includes some games people pretend to like and a few that are genuinely great. Elden Ring is still the best of its kind, Lies of P is the best non-FromSoft imitation, and the 2026 wave, Nioh 3, Code Vein 2, Khazan, has been shockingly strong. This list is ranked by entry difficulty, so you can find your level instead of your genre.
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What You're Actually Looking For
"Games like Elden Ring" is a search with three different audiences hiding inside it, and the correct recommendation changes completely based on which one you are:
- The open world. You want to wander, stumble into caves, and outlevel problems. That's a short list, and most "like Elden Ring" lists don't match it
- The builds. You want stats, gear, and character math to obsess over. That's a much longer list, and it includes games that look nothing like Elden Ring
- The challenge. You want a fair fight that demands learning. That's the soulslike genre itself, and it's the biggest bucket of all
This list separates them. Every entry gets a difficulty rating, a builds rating, and a straight answer about what it copies and what it does differently.
Tier 1: The Easiest Entry Points
These are the games to start with if Elden Ring's reputation scares you or its difficulty beat you:
| Game | Difficulty | Builds | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jedi: Fallen Order / Survivor | Low | Light | Star Wars souls-lite with difficulty sliders |
| Steelrising | Low-medium | Medium | French Revolution automata, generous parry timing |
| Lies of P | Medium | Medium | Pinocchio noir, the best parry soulslike outside FromSoft |
Lies of P is the standout here, and I'll defend it against the genre gatekeepers. It's linear where Elden Ring is open, its story is legible, and its combat, built on perfect parries and a legion arm of gadgets, is distinct enough to be its own thing rather than a clone. The "not actually like Elden Ring" disclaimer is real though: there's no open world, no mounts, no character creation. It shares the language, not the vocabulary.
Steelrising is the honest dark horse. It's lighter, shorter, and its parry window is generous to the point of being forgiving. It's the game I recommend to people who want the feel without the wall.
The Jedi games are the gentlest of all, with difficulty settings that go genuinely low. Purists exclude them from the genre. For a list that helps real people, they belong here, clearly labeled.
Tier 2: The Classic FromSoft Canon
The games that defined the genre, ranked by what they demand:
- Dark Souls 3 is the closest classic to Elden Ring's feel. Faster than its predecessors, superb bosses, and linear enough to be a tutorial for the whole genre. If you finished Elden Ring and want more of the same language, start here
- Bloodborne is the aggression school. No shields, limited healing, forward pressure as a design philosophy. It's my favorite game FromSoftware has made, and it will punish anyone who learned to play Elden Ring defensively
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the rhythm school. No builds at all, one sword, one moveset, a parry rhythm the entire game is built around. It's the purest action game they've made and the least like Elden Ring in structure
The important note about the canon: none of them are open world. The Elden Ring players who bounce off the classics usually bounce off the linearity, not the difficulty. If that's you, Tier 3 is your actual destination.
Tier 3: The 2026 Wave
The genre's strongest release year in recent memory, and it changes what "games like Elden Ring" should even recommend:
| Game | Released | Platform | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khazan: The First Berserker | March 27, 2025 | PC, PS5, Xbox | Brutal, stylish, the hardest thing on this list |
| Code Vein 2 | January 30, 2026 | PC, PS5, Xbox | Anime souls with companions and a time-travel story |
| Nioh 3 | February 6, 2026 | PC, PS5 | The best loot-based soulslike ever made |
| Mortal Shell 2 | August 20, 2026 | PC, PS5, Xbox | The cult original's sequel, out this week |
| The Duskbloods | 2026, unconfirmed | Switch 2 | FromSoftware's blood PvPvE exclusive |
| Valor Mortis | 2026, unconfirmed | TBA | The one to watch this fall |
Nioh 3 is the pick of the wave, and it's not close. Team Ninja took the genre's combat and welded it to a Diablo-grade loot engine and a stance system with real depth. Insider Gaming called it the best soulslike of 2026, and I agree. The catch for Elden Ring fans: it's mission-based, not open world, and its stat math is deeper than anything FromSoft has shipped.
Khazan is the difficulty spike of the group, a Korean action RPG built around exact timing and brutal punishment. It's excellent and it's not for beginners. Put it at the end of your ladder.
The Duskbloods is the wildcard: FromSoftware's Switch 2 exclusive, and it's PvPvE rather than single-player. That makes it the one 2026 title that's structurally unlike everything else here, and the one to watch for Switch 2 owners specifically.
The "Souls-Adjacent" Picks, and the Ones That Aren't
This is where the list gets honest about the genre's fuzzy edges:
- Black Myth: Wukong gets called a soulslike constantly, and its developers reject the label. It's a boss-rush action game with no stamina economy and no currency loss. It's wonderful, and it's not this genre. Play it because it's great, not because you want more Elden Ring
- Remnant 2 is a shooter with soulslike DNA: stamina, dodge rolls, checkpoint recoveries, and full co-op. The best answer for people who want the structure with guns
- Hollow Knight and Silksong are 2D metroidvanias with soulslike difficulty and checkpoint systems. They're the genre in miniature, and Silksong's 2026 run makes it the cheapest way to test your tolerance
- Lords of the Fallen (2023) is the literal one-to-one comparison, and the reason it needs a disclaimer: its dual-world mechanic, light and shadow as parallel maps, is its real identity, and the 2026 state of the game is dramatically better than its launch. Its sequel got pushed to 2027
The rule for this tier: know what you're buying. The souls-adjacent games scratch specific itches, and none of them are "Elden Ring but different," which is the thing most people are actually searching for.
Co-op Soulslikes, for the Socially Inclined
Elden Ring's multiplayer is famously opaque. These two solve it:
- Remnant 2 is co-op first, soulslike second, and it's the smoothest group experience in the genre. Three players, shared progression, bosses with actual mechanics
- Elden Ring Nightreign is FromSoft's own answer: a co-op roguelike built on Elden Ring's bones, with runs under an hour and a boss gauntlet structure. It's the fastest way to play something Elden Ring-shaped with friends
Both are better with a full squad, and both are terrible first games in the genre, which is fine, because they're not meant to be.
The Full Comparison Table
All twelve games, one table, including the ones people pretend are on this list:
| Game | Entry difficulty | Builds | Co-op | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jedi: Fallen Order | Low | Light | No | ~$20-40 | PC, PS, Xbox, Switch 2 |
| Steelrising | Low-medium | Medium | No | ~$20-40 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| Lies of P | Medium | Medium | No | ~$40-60 | PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2 |
| Elden Ring | Medium | Deep | Yes | ~$60 | PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2 |
| Dark Souls 3 | Medium | Deep | Yes | ~$40-60 | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
| Code Vein 2 | Medium | Medium | Yes | ~$70 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| Mortal Shell 2 | Medium-high | Medium | No | ~$40-60 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| Black Myth: Wukong | High | Light | No | ~$60 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| Nioh 3 | High | Very deep | Yes | ~$60-70 | PC, PS5 |
| Bloodborne | High | Light | No | ~$20-40 | PS4, PS5 |
| Khazan | Very high | Medium | No | ~$60 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| Sekiro | Very high | None | No | ~$40-60 | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
Prices are list prices in mid-2026 and the memory-shortage market has been pushing deals around, so sales are worth watching. Difficulty is entry difficulty, the first ten hours, not the ceiling.
How to Choose, the Decision Tree
Answer these and the table picks itself:
- Finished Elden Ring, want more of the same? Dark Souls 3, then Bloodborne
- Want a story and a straight line? Lies of P
- Want loot math to obsess over? Nioh 3
- Want to play with friends? Remnant 2 or Nightreign
- Own a Switch 2 and want something new? The Duskbloods, when it lands
- Want to prove something? Sekiro, or Khazan if you're a masochist
The deeper advice, from someone who's finished all of these: the genre rewards matching the game to your tolerance, not your ambition. The games ranked "very high" on entry difficulty are not better games. They're just narrower doors.
FAQ
Is Elden Ring still the best soulslike in 2026?
Yes, and I don't think it's close. The open world, the build variety, the tools for beginners, and the Switch 2 Tarnished Edition all compound into a game that's simultaneously the best gateway and the deepest sink. Nioh 3 has better combat math, Bloodborne has better atmosphere, and Elden Ring still has everything.
What's the hardest soulslike?
Among the major titles, Sekiro and Khazan trade the crown, depending on whether rhythm or timing punishment is your weakness. Bloodborne is the hardest for defensive players specifically. The completionist endgame of Nioh 3 rivals all of them, but that's a different conversation from a first clear.
Are there cheap alternatives?
The genre goes on sale constantly. Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 regularly drop under $30, Steelrising has been a bargain since 2022, and Elden Ring itself has seen 50% off on PC sales. The 2026 memory shortage has made deals more time-sensitive, so when a soulslike hits its sale price, that's the moment.
What should I play on Switch 2?
Elden Ring's Tarnished Edition is the obvious answer, base game plus Shadow of the Erdtree in a summer 2026 bundle. Lies of P also has a Switch 2 version. The Duskbloods is the upcoming exclusive to watch, though its PvPvE structure makes it a different experience entirely.
Are Black Myth: Wukong and Lords of the Fallen actually soulslikes?
Black Myth's developers explicitly reject the label, and they're right, it has no stamina economy or currency loss, it's a boss-rush action game. Lords of the Fallen is a true soulslike, but its identity is the dual-world mechanic, and its 2026 patched state is far better than launch. Both are worth your money for different reasons than the genre label.
What's the best co-op option?
Remnant 2 for a full campaign with friends, Elden Ring Nightreign for short sessions. Both require a squad to shine, and both are better second purchases than first ones. If you're solo, ignore this tier entirely and pick from the main table.
Related Reading
- Which Soulslike Should You Play First? (2026 Guide). The ladder that tells you where to start
- Elden Ring Beginner's Guide (2026): 10 Things I Wish I Knew. The first ten hours, solved
- Elden Ring Nightreign: Beginner Guide & Best Builds. The co-op roguelike spin-off
- Hollow Knight: Silksong Beginner's Guide. The genre in 2D miniature
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