Tier ListsSoulslike

Best Soulslike Games Tier List

FromSoftware made every S pick among the best soulslike games, so the real contest on this board is for the places just below, where Lies of P, Black Myth: Wukong, Nioh 3 and Nioh 2 all reach A. Hollow Knight earns A too and proves the genre works side-on, and the view filter takes you straight to the 2D games if that is your style.

33gradedNov 2, 2026updated
Build your own tier list
Graded by Build your own tier list
STop4 gamesThe games the whole genre is measured against. Start hereClick any game for its gradeTap a card for its grade
Elden RingElden Ring2022
BloodborneBloodborne2015
Dark Souls IIIDark Souls III2016
Sekiro: Shadows Die TwiceSekiro: Shadows Die Twice2019
Click any game for its gradeTap a card for its grade
AStrong8 gamesBrutal, brilliant and only a step below the very top
Dark SoulsDark Souls2011
Lies of PLies of P2023
Black Myth: WukongBlack Myth: Wukong2024
Nioh 3Nioh 32026
Nioh 2Nioh 22020
Demon's Souls (2020)Demon's Souls (2020)2020
Remnant IIRemnant II2023
Hollow KnightHollow Knight2017
BSolid6 gamesExcellent tests with a clear identity, from hand-drawn 2D duels to sprawling dark fantasy
Wuchang: Fallen FeathersWuchang: Fallen Feathers2025
The First Berserker: KhazanThe First Berserker: Khazan2025
Nine SolsNine Sols2024
Dark Souls IIDark Souls II2014
Salt and SanctuarySalt and Sanctuary2016
Lords of the Fallen (2023)Lords of the Fallen (2023)2023
CSituational9 gamesSolid picks that bend the formula toward action, co-op, loot or exploration
Another Crab's TreasureAnother Crab's Treasure2024
The Surge 2The Surge 22019
Stellar BladeStellar Blade2024
Wo Long: Fallen DynastyWo Long: Fallen Dynasty2023
Star Wars Jedi: SurvivorStar Wars Jedi: Survivor2023
Code VeinCode Vein2019
Elden Ring NightreignElden Ring Nightreign2025
Hollow Knight: SilksongHollow Knight: Silksong2025
NiohNioh2017
DBottom6 gamesRougher or narrower games that reward players who already love the genre
AshenAshen2018
ThymesiaThymesia2022
Blasphemous 2Blasphemous 22023
BlasphemousBlasphemous2019
HellpointHellpoint2020
Mortal ShellMortal Shell2020

What each tier means

  • STop The games the whole genre is measured against. Start here
  • AStrong Brutal, brilliant and only a step below the very top
  • BSolid Excellent tests with a clear identity, from hand-drawn 2D duels to sprawling dark fantasy
  • CSituational Solid picks that bend the formula toward action, co-op, loot or exploration
  • DBottom Rougher or narrower games that reward players who already love the genre
2 reads blended into one listreblend in Showing33/ 33

Game art belongs to its publishers. RankedBoost is not affiliated with any game publisher.

Board breakdown

What is the best soulslike game?

Elden Ring tops the genre, and its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is worth saving until after the credits. If you would rather play the genre in its classic form, Dark Souls III is the S pick with a more linear route and the fastest, most responsive combat of the Dark Souls games. All four S picks come from FromSoftware, the studio whose games started the genre.

#1 on our boardSElden Ring2022 · PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, PC

Its open world lets you walk away from a boss you cannot beat yet and come back stronger, which makes it the friendliest door into the genre. Save the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for after the credits.

  1. Aggressive, fast melee combat and a gothic horror city give it the most distinct world in the genre. It never left PS4, but it plays on PS5 through backward compatibility.
  2. Fast, responsive combat and a more linear route than the older Dark Souls games make it the smoothest way to play classic Souls design today.
  3. Sekiro swaps character builds for parries and posture-breaking sword duels, so skill carries you much further than upgrades. Our pick for the purest skill test here.

What are the best 3D and 2D soulslikes?

Every S pick is 3D, so 2D players start one tier lower with Hollow Knight, Team Cherry's dark Metroidvania with soulslike bosses. After that, match the 2D game to the 3D one you already enjoy: Nine Sols borrows Sekiro's parry-and-deflect fighting, while Salt and Sanctuary carries Dark Souls' weighty combat into 2D almost one to one. Treat Silksong, the Hollow Knight follow-up, as a Metroidvania with hard bosses rather than a pure soulslike.

  • 3D27 gamesS4A7B4C8D4
  • 2D6 gamesA1B2C1D2
Show the 27 3D soulslikesShow the 6 2D soulslikes

What should I play after the FromSoftware games?

Lies of P is the first place to go after FromSoftware, a dark retelling of Pinocchio built around precise parrying. From there, choose by what you enjoy most: Black Myth: Wukong for spectacle-first boss fights from Chinese mythology, Team Ninja's Nioh 2 or Nioh 3 for loot and build tuning, and Remnant II if you would rather carry a rifle and play in co-op. Bluepoint's Demon's Souls also sits in A, but it remakes FromSoftware's own 2009 game, so it shows where the genre began rather than somewhere new.

  1. Round8 Studio1 gameA
  2. Game Science1 gameA
  3. Team Ninja4 gamesAACC
  4. Bluepoint Games1 gameA
  5. Gunfire Games1 gameA

Which of the top soulslikes run on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and PC?

Own a PlayStation and the whole S and A tiers are open to you, because Bloodborne and the Demon's Souls remake never left it. Xbox loses those two plus Nioh 2 and Nioh 3, and PC misses only the two PlayStation exclusives. Nintendo players have Dark Souls Remastered and Hollow Knight, and in August 2026 Elden Ring and Lies of P both arrived on Switch 2.

Which of the 12 soulslikes graded S or A play on each platform
GamePlayStationXboxNintendoPC
PlaysPlaysPlaysPlays
PlaysNot on itNot on itNot on it
PlaysPlaysNot on itPlays
PlaysPlaysNot on itPlays
PlaysPlaysPlaysPlays
PlaysPlaysPlaysPlays
PlaysPlaysNot on itPlays
PlaysNot on itNot on itPlays
PlaysNot on itNot on itPlays
PlaysNot on itNot on itNot on it
PlaysPlaysNot on itPlays
PlaysPlaysPlaysPlays
Plays12 of 128 of 124 of 1210 of 12
Xbox soulslikesNintendo soulslikesPC soulslikes