Conquering the Lands Between left a void for many Tarnished. The allure of its vast, punishing open world, intricate combat, and rich environmental storytelling is potent. The search for worthy successors or similar experiences leads players to explore games like Elden Ring. Whether seeking pure Soulslike intensity, open-world grandeur, or meticulously crafted challenge, understanding the landscape of Elden Ring like games reveals a wealth of formidable adventures waiting to test your mettle.
Defining the Quest: What Makes Games Like Elden Ring?
Finding the best games like Elden Ring means identifying titles that capture its core DNA, though rarely replicating the full package:
- High Stakes Combat: Precise, weighty, and demanding mechanics where timing, stamina management, and learning enemy patterns are paramount. Death is a frequent teacher.
- Atmospheric Exploration: Rewarding curiosity with hidden paths, deadly secrets, environmental storytelling, and awe-inspiring vistas. Minimal hand-holding.
- Significant Challenge: Overcoming tough enemies and bosses provides a profound sense of accomplishment. Difficulty is core, not optional.
- Rich Lore & Mystery: Deep, often cryptic worldbuilding delivered through item descriptions, NPC dialogues, and environmental cues rather than exposition dumps.
- Character Build Freedom: Diverse playstyles enabled through stats, weapons, spells, and skills, encouraging experimentation and replayability.
- Interconnected Worlds (Often): While Elden Ring is open, many games like Elden Ring feature intricately designed, looping level design (a hallmark of the Soulslike genre Elden Ring evolved from).
The Soulslikes: Elden Ring’s Direct Kin (And the Question Answered)
Before listing alternatives, let’s address the query: “Is Elden Ring a Soulslike game?” Absolutely, yes. It is the natural evolution of FromSoftware’s own Souls formula (Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Sekiro), expanding it into a seamless open world. Therefore, the most direct games like Elden Ring are other Soulslikes, particularly FromSoftware’s catalog:
- Dark Souls Trilogy (I, II, III): The foundational blueprint. While more linear in structure (especially DS1/2), they deliver the iconic combat loop, profound challenge, interconnected worlds (DS1 is a masterpiece here), and deep lore. DS3 combat feels closest to Elden Ring’s speed. Essential for understanding the roots.
- Bloodborne (PS4/PS5): FromSoftware’s gothic horror masterpiece. Faster, more aggressive combat with rally mechanics (regain health by attacking back), a unique trick weapon system, and an unparalleled, chilling atmosphere. Its world design, while not fully open, is exceptional.
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: Focuses intensely on precision swordplay and deflection (parrying). Features a defined protagonist, a grappling hook for verticality, and stealth elements. Less RPG build variety, but unparalleled combat mastery. Brutally rewarding.
- Lies of P: A stunning non-FromSoftware Soulslike. Captures the aesthetic and mechanical feel brilliantly (dodge, block, visceral combat) within a dark, twisted Pinocchio-inspired world. Excellent weapon assembly system and challenging bosses.
- Nioh 1 & 2: Team Ninja’s take. Features deeper loot systems (Diablo-like), complex stance-based combat, punishing stamina (Ki) management, and mission-based structure. Faster, more combo-oriented than typical Souls, set in a demon-infested Sengoku Japan. Nioh 2 offers fantastic character creation and is often cited among the best games like Elden Ring for combat depth.
Beyond FromSoft: Capturing Elements of the Elden Ring Experience
Other games like Elden Ring excel at capturing specific aspects, even if not pure Soulslikes:
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom (Switch): For vast, physics-driven open-world exploration with minimal guidance and emergent gameplay. Shares the sense of wonder and discovery, though combat is generally less punishing and lacks deep RPG mechanics.
- Hollow Knight: A 2D Metroidvania masterpiece capturing the Soulslike ethos perfectly: challenging combat, intricate interconnected world, beautiful desolation, cryptic lore, and significant boss fights. A must-play for fans of atmosphere and exploration.
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (and Fallen Order): While more narratively driven, these capture the Soulslike combat rhythm (dodge, parry, stamina), challenging encounters, and exploration elements within a fantastic Star Wars setting. Survivor expands significantly on the semi-open world.
- Mortal Shell: A shorter, focused Soulslike with a unique “harden” mechanic (temporarily turn to stone mid-action) and a haunting atmosphere. Known for its deliberate pace and distinctive visual style.
- Remnant: From the Ashes / Remnant II: Unique “Soulslike with Guns.” Features challenging third-person shooter combat, procedurally generated levels/dungeons, co-op focus, and fantastic boss design. Remnant II greatly expands the scope and build variety.
How These Games Work: Embracing the Challenge Loop
The workings of games like Elden Ring revolve around a core loop:
- Exploration & Discovery: Traverse dangerous environments, uncover shortcuts, find hidden items/lore, and locate challenging bosses.
- Combat Encounter: Engage enemies using precise attacks, blocks, dodges, parries, and character abilities. Manage stamina/resources. Learn patterns or perish.
- Death & Loss: Upon death, lose currency/resource (Runes/Souls/Scrap/Geo/etc) at the location of death. Return to a checkpoint (Site of Grace/Bonfire/Idol/Bench).
- Retrieval & Progression: Fight back to your death spot to recover lost resources (if you die again before retrieving, it’s lost forever). Use currency at checkpoints to level up stats, upgrade equipment, or learn new skills. Resting respawns most enemies.
- Boss Conquest: Overcome significant skill-check bosses through pattern recognition, adaptation, and persistence, granting major progression and deep satisfaction.
Accessing Your Next Challenge: Downloads and Platforms
Finding and playing these games, like Elden Ring, is straightforward across modern platforms:
- Digital Storefronts (Primary Method):
- PC (Steam, Epic Games Store): Home to the widest selection, including all FromSoftware titles (except Bloodborne), Lies of P, Nioh 1 & 2, Mortal Shell, Remnant series, Hollow Knight.
- PlayStation Store (PS4/PS5): All FromSoftware titles (including Bloodborne), Lies of P, Nioh 1 & 2, Mortal Shell, Remnant series, Jedi series.
- Xbox Store (Xbox One/Series X|S): All FromSoftware titles (except Bloodborne), Lies of P, Nioh 1 & 2, Mortal Shell, Remnant series, Jedi series.
- Nintendo eShop (Switch): Dark Souls Remastered, Hollow Knight. (Zelda: BOTW/TOTK are exclusives).
- Physical Media: Available for most titles at retailers for consoles and sometimes PC.
- Subscription Services:
- Xbox Game Pass: Frequently includes Soulslikes (Lies of P, Mortal Shell, Remnant series, Jedi: Survivor often rotate in).
- PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium: Offers a rotating catalog that sometimes includes Soulslikes (e.g., Bloodborne is often on Essential or higher tiers, Nioh 2 has appeared).
- Download Considerations: File sizes vary greatly. Elden Ring itself is ~50GB. Expect 20-70GB for most comparable AAA titles. Ensure sufficient storage space (SSD highly recommended for best performance).
Basic Information for the Aspiring Champion
- Development: FromSoftware titles are self-developed/published. Others come from studios like Cold Symmetry (Mortal Shell), Neowiz & Round8 (Lies of P), Team Ninja (Nioh), Gunfire Games (Remnant).
- Price: AAA Soulslikes launch at $59.99-$69.99 USD. Indie titles like Hollow Knight are significantly cheaper ($15-$25). Frequent sales occur.
- Time Commitment: These are demanding games. Completing main stories often takes 40-80+ hours, with much more for completionists or mastering higher difficulties (NG+).
- Community: Strong, active communities exist for all major titles, offering guides, lore discussions, co-op help (where available), and PvP (in FromSoft titles).
- Patience is Key: Frustration is part of the experience. Learning from failure is the core progression loop.
The Lands Between Were Just the Beginning
The journey for exhilarating challenge and immersive worlds doesn’t end with Elden Ring. From the gothic streets of Yharnam in Bloodborne to the ruined city of Krat in Lies of P, the haunting depths of Hallownest in Hollow Knight. OR the demon battlefields of Nioh 2, a vast array of games like Elden Ring await. Embrace the difficulty, savor the exploration, and discover your next unforgettable adventure among the best games like elden ring.
Games Like Elden Ring FAQs
- What exactly defines a “Soulslike” game?
- A Soulslike is a subgenre of action RPGs directly inspired by FromSoftware’s Dark Souls. Core elements include high difficulty emphasizing pattern recognition and precision, corpse-run mechanics (losing currency on death, retrieving it), checkpoint-based progression that respawns enemies, intricate interconnected level design (often), deep but cryptic lore, and stamina management in combat. Elden Ring is a Soulslike, evolving the formula into an open world.
- What is the best game like Elden Ring to start with if I’m new to Soulslikes?
- Elden Ring itself is arguably the most accessible due to its open world, allowing you to avoid tough encounters and overlevel. If you want a different starting point, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order offers a gentler introduction with adjustable difficulty. Lies of P is excellent but quite challenging; Dark Souls III has the most refined “classic” Souls combat.
- Are there any good open-world games like Elden Ring that aren’t as difficult?
- While they lack the punishing Soulslike combat, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom capture the sense of vast, open-ended exploration and discovery beautifully. The Witcher 3 offers a rich open world and deep RPG mechanics with adjustable difficulty. Horizon Zero Dawn / Forbidden West features stunning open worlds and strong combat (against machines), with story difficulty options. They offer grandeur without the extreme challenge.
