10+ Best Souls-Like Games to Play in 2024: Challenging RPG Adventures

Souls-like games have become one of the most popular genres today, thanks to FromSoftware’s success at popularising the challenging and punishing action game format. Hits like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring have spawned many inspirations from developers of all sizes. This list brings you the top 10 best Souls-like games in 2024 across PS5, Xbox, Steam, and Switch.

These games are some of the best Souls-like games of all time, ranging from original series to being inspired by some of the most iconic universes ever. Some are brand new, and some are still the best souls-like games years after their release.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. 10 Best Souls-Like Games to Play in 2024
3. More of the Best Souls Like Games to Play in 2024
4. The Bottom Line
5. FAQs
6. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. 10 Best Souls-Like Games to Play in 2024
3. More of the Best Souls Like Games to Play in 2024
Show Full Guide
4. The Bottom Line
5. FAQs
6. References

10 Best Souls-Like Games to Play in 2024

10. Another Crab’s Treasure

The newest game on the list is Another Crab’s Treasure. Released in 2024, it is a rather charming little indie Souls-like that sees you play as Kril the hermit crab in a crumbling underwater world. Utilizing a variety of Umami Techniques, a set of strong attacks and powers, he can swap shells freely, gaining new powers and giving himself an easy way to fend off attacks (by ducking inside).

The game offers a completely unique world that isn’t available in any other game in the genre, fantastic visuals, fluid combat, and an incredible soundtrack that helps it stand out even more. It also offers a wealth of assist settings to help you out if you want a less punishing experience. It’s one of the best indie games you can play right now.

This makes the game a great choice for newcomers to the genre or young gamers in their teens looking for something that has a friendly visual style and setting but wants something a bit more challenging than what most kids’ games offer. Combine all of this, and you get one of the best Souls-like games to play in 2024.

9. The Surge 2

Released in the Fall of 2019, The Surge 2 is one of the few high-quality sci-fi Souls-likes available today. Developed by Deck13, who worked on the first game and 2023’s Atlas Fallen, The Surge 2 improves upon the original by offering a more fleshed-out, diverse, and engaging sci-fi setting.

On your way to Jericho City, your plane is shot down, and you wake up years later inside the city, which has been overrun by robots and soldiers in makeshift armor. Utilizing a variety of weapons that are bolted onto your exo-suit, you fight tough armored humans who have gone mad, huge robotic mechanisms, and more as you try to escape the impending nano storm looming over the city.

While it isn’t the most polished experience on the list, the game makes it onto this list as one of the best Souls-like games due to its setting, excellent combat, and rich world-building. Good sci-fi Souls-like are not easy to come across, and Deck13 is experienced with the genre. As such, they produce some excellent boss designs, great world-building and story moments, and solid quests to keep you busy as you explore.

8. Ashen

Ashen is our next entry on the list, released by the small indie team at A44. A44 recently released Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn. However, their debut experience is far better, with great direction and a haunting, gorgeous art style combined with multiplayer functionality, making Ashen one of the best co-op Souls-like games.

As a wanderer, you find yourself in this grayscale, empty land filled with nothing but enemies wanting to kill you and dilapidated buildings. Searching for a place to call home, you will bring the survivors together you find in your town, growing in power and building new structures in the hopes of surviving the dangerous world.

The gorgeous art style, beautiful soundtrack, and world design are the highlights of Ashen. Huge creatures will fly above you as you explore, while fearsome, faceless foes sit waiting for you around every corner as you use your lamp to explore caves, castles, and dungeons during the day and night.

Alongside these strengths, the game is also rather simple compared to the stat-filled menus and loot systems in the other games on the list, making it another one of the best beginner Souls-like games.

7. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty isn’t the only Team Ninja game that will appear on this list, but it is one of the studio’s best. With a dark fantasy take on the Three Kingdoms, you are transported to 184 AD, the Later Han Dynasty in China. The land has been overrun by chaos and destruction at the hands of demons and deadly creatures.

Throughout the game, you take on the role of hero as you fend off humans, huge demon creatures, flying demon dragons, and more, honing your skills with your blade, spells, and varied battle styles. The game’s setting is one of the most visually stunning on this list, but Team Ninja added in a unique territory-claiming mechanic that allows you to place flags at specific spots throughout each level, boosting your Morale and your power, subsequently allowing you to get noticeably stronger as you progress through the level.

It’s a fun twist that keeps things fresh alongside the varied environments, boss designs, and gameplay flexibility that allows you to really customize your hero to your liking. It’s one of the best-looking Souls-like games you can play in 2024.

6. Lords of the Fallen (2023)

2023’s Lords of the Fallen is a reboot of the series after the infamously hated 2013 game. It shares basically nothing with that original game from a decade earlier, but it does have a lot of original ideas of its own. The main twist here is that the entire game takes place across two worlds layered on top of each other: Axiom and Umbral.

Axiom is the land of the living, while Umbral is a dank spectral realm where the dead reside. Upon dying, you will shift from the Axiom realm to the Umbral realm, and you can manually transition between the two realms at any point using your lamp. These two realms are explorable at the same time, with their own pathways, areas, bosses, and secrets to find, creating the most unique Souls-like experience on this list.

Great gameplay and boss world design help elevate Lords of the Fallen far beyond the previous game. It is one of the best Souls-like games on PC, PS5, and Xbox and one that manages to replicate the magic often found in From Software’s games in its own way.

5. Salt and Sanctuary

Salt and Sanctuary is the oldest game on this list and the best 2D Souls-like game. The haunting island you find yourself on as a doomed shipwrecked sailor is full of worn structures, labyrinthine pathways, and deadly foes. The sheer scale of Salt and Sanctuary is its major strength, and it has some of the deepest mechanics and progression on this list.

The 2D adventure contains more than 600 weapons, armor pieces, spells, and items to use in combat as you explore the cursed forgotten cities and corpse-laden dungeons. It’s all packaged together with tight combat and movement, clean animations (integral to 2D games), and an exquisite soundtrack.

4. Lies of P

2023 was a really good year for the best Souls-like games. On top of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and Lords of the Fallen, we also got Lies of P, a gothic, twisted take on Pinnochio. Created by Geppetto, you are awakened by a mysterious voice, caught in a web of lies with untrustworthy allies and unruly beasts roaming the streets.

As you make your way through the city streets of Krat, you will face mechanical monstrosities that tower over you and deadly creatures, all while trying to unravel the lies and making choices that will affect key moments in the game. The game sticks closest to FromSoftware’s formula on this list, replicating almost every aspect of their gameplay and combat.

However, the game’s unique setting, polished progression, and flexible weapon customization help elevate it above many of the other games on this list. It is one of the best Soul-like games from a non-Western studio, showcasing great promise for the upcoming DLC and sequel. It also happens to be one of the best games on Xbox Game Pass, too.

3. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Although Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order came before it, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is by far the better Souls-likes. It is easily one of the biggest and one of the only triple-A souls likes on this list. Developed by Respawn Entertainment, who made the Titanfall series and Apex Legends, Jedi Survivor offers up a sprawling Jedi adventure with a fantastic story, excellent lightsabre combat, and great exploration.

As Cal Kestis, a Jedi on the run, you pushed to the edges of the galaxy with the memories and expectations of the Jedi Order resting on your shoulders. With your droid buddy BD-1 by your side, you will need to put a stop to the deadly Empire forces growing stronger each day. It’s the best Souls-like for Xbox Series X by far, but it plays well on every system.

After several patches, the game is now in a much better state than launch, running well on PC, PS5, and Xbox. Alongside being one of the best Souls-likes, Jedi Survivor is also one of the best Star Wars games, masterful at immersing you in Jedi combat and the Star Wars universe more broadly.

2. Nioh II

Nioh is a fascinating series, but the sequel wins out. Developed by Team Ninja (who made Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty), the studio clearly took inspiration from FromSoftware with this series. But, they also reinvented the gameplay style and challenge that could be found in its earlier games for a new era.

Nioh II has some of the fastest combat in the genre and is also among the hardest Souls-like games around, often topping FromSoftware’s games in terms of difficulty. The breakneck pace of combat, the variety of enemy attacks, and the punishing Ki mechanics make it a souls like built for the most hardcore souls like players.

Despite its punishing challenge, the combat and flow of the game are unmatched outside of our number one game. It offers an intense, nail-biting gameplay experience that showcases the best the genre has to offer.

1. Demon’s Souls Remake

Bluepoint’s remake of Demon’s Souls, FromSoftware’s original first attempt at creating the genre it would later master with the Dark Souls trilogy, is the best Souls-like game overall. It sort of cheats by being made by FromSoftware originally, but Bluepoint put in a lot of work to improve the visuals, gameplay feel, progression, and animations to make this one of the best PS5 games overall.

The visuals on display and the audio are particular standouts, exceeding anything else on this list and also still showcasing some of the best graphics and positional audio on Sony’s latest console. You simply can’t get much better than the game that started it all, brought to PS5 by one of the most talented remaster and remake studios working today.

More of the Best Souls Like Games to Play in 2024

The Bottom Line

Since From Software has popularised the genre, we have seen many games try to iterate on the formula. These best Souls-like games have been the most successful, bringing their own ideas to the gameplay of the genre or providing wildly different experiences inspired by Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. After a strong few years for the genre, it looks like it is in a better spot than ever.

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