Since the release of FromSoftware's Demon's Souls in 2009 and Dark Souls in 2011, the Soulslike genre has expanded steadily. Defining a Soulslike typically involves high difficulty, exploration encouragement, bonfire-style checkpoints, and punishment for player death. A recent retrospective ranking highlights the greatest Soulslikes of the past 10 years developed by studios other than FromSoftware.

Top-Ranked Soulslikes of the Past Decade

While FromSoftware titles such as Bloodborne and Elden Ring set the standard for the genre, external studios have built notable entries featuring unique twists on traditional mechanics. The top 10 list places 2023's Lies of P at number one, followed by Team Ninja's 2017 action RPG Nioh at number two, and Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor at number three.

Other notable entries span a wide variety of settings and mechanics:

  • 4. Hell Is Us (2025): Developed by Rogue Factor and Nacon, available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2 (launching Oct. 8).
  • 5. Black Myth: Wukong (2024): Developed by Game Science for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
  • 6. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (2023): Developed by Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo, playable on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
  • 7. Remnant 2 (2023): Developed by Gunfire Games, focusing on firearms rather than melee combat with procedural generation and cooperative multiplayer on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
  • 8. Another Crab's Treasure (2024): Developed by Aggro Crab, featuring bright underwater environments, trash-based armor customization, pause functionality, and accessibility settings across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
  • 9. The First Berserker: Khazan (2025): Developed by Neople and NEXON for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
  • 10. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (2025): Developed by Leenze and 505 Games for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

What Lies Ahead for the Genre

As hardware transitions bring games like Elden Ring to the Nintendo Switch 2 alongside FromSoftware's upcoming The Duskbloods, developers continue to iterate on the formula. Neowiz has confirmed a sequel is in the works for Lies of P, which may explore other fairy tales such as The Wizard of Oz following post-credits teasers.