A Soulslike game is a type of action role-playing game known for being very challenging, having large worlds filled with enemies, and using the environment to tell stories, often in a dark fantasy setting. The Japanese company FromSoftware and its director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, are often credited with creating this type of game. They started with Demon's Souls (2009) and later made the popular Dark Souls trilogy (2011–2016), which inspired the name "Soulslike." Games from FromSoftware and similar titles are sometimes called "Soulsborne," a combination of the words "Souls" and "Bloodborne" (2015).

While the term "Soulslike" is usually used for action role-playing games, some of its key features—such as high difficulty, learning through repeated failures, few save points, and using the environment to share information—are sometimes found in other types of games. These features are sometimes described as Soulslike even if the games are not action role-playing games.

Gameplay

Soulslike games are known for being very challenging. Players often expect their character to die many times, and this is part of the game. Progress made since the last checkpoint, such as collecting items or defeating bosses, is usually kept. Other losses, like experience or currency, can sometimes be recovered. These games allow players to improve their character's abilities permanently, often using a type of currency that can be earned and spent. However, this currency may be lost between deaths if not managed carefully, similar to the "souls" in the Dark Souls series. Repeating playthroughs helps players improve their character or learn better strategies.

Salt and Sanctuary developer James Silva explained that Soulslike games encourage careful and important exploration of the game world, character growth, and combat through learning from repeated failures. Combat often requires players to manage stamina to avoid overexerting their character. Actions in combat follow a system called "animation priority," which means players cannot stop moving until an action finishes, making them vulnerable to enemy attacks. Games like Dark Souls and others by FromSoftware include multiplayer features, such as leaving messages for other players, seeing other players as apparitions, viewing blood stains from their deaths, invading other players' worlds, or summoning others for help.

Many Soulslike games include a feature called a "bonfire," which acts as a checkpoint. Introduced in Dark Souls, bonfires look like small campfires made of bones and marked by a coiled sword. Their design may vary in other games. Activating a bonfire sets it as a respawn point if the player dies. It can also restore health, magic, and remove status effects. However, these actions may revive nearby enemies. Some bonfires allow leveling up or repairing weapons. Players can usually travel quickly between all discovered bonfires in the game world.

Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki said bonfires were the most exciting addition when transitioning from Demon's Souls to its sequel. Designed as both a recovery and respawn point, bonfires were meant to be a strong part of the game. They also served as places where players could gather, share experiences, and feel a sense of connection. Miyazaki wanted them to represent a "place of warmth" and one of the few comforting spots in the game's dark fantasy setting.

Since their introduction in Dark Souls, many games have used similar mechanics, such as checkpoints, leveling systems, or travel beacons. This design helps players avoid complete failure while still keeping the game challenging through a risk-and-reward system.

Common themes

These games are often recognized for not having obvious stories, but they are known for creating detailed and imaginative worlds. A fascinating game world is considered important because it encourages players to explore and learn about the game’s background. Players find pieces of the game’s story over time by looking at clues in the environment, reading descriptions of items, and listening to mysterious conversations. They must figure out the story on their own, which adds to the game’s sense of mystery. Even though these games often have serious or dark themes, they sometimes include funny moments, such as unexpected interactions like petting a cat, silly reactions from characters, unusual clothing and weapons, and funny or exaggerated ways to die, such as being eaten by a Mimic.

Notable examples

The Soulslike genre began with the game Demon's Souls, released in 2009. It was created by FromSoftware and led by Hidetaka Miyazaki. This game introduced key features that later appeared in the Dark Souls series, such as combat, how players die, multiplayer elements, storytelling, and a dark fantasy world. Dark Souls was released in 2011 as a follow-up to Demon's Souls. Some games in the Soulslike genre are Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring.

Other important Soulslike games include:
• Lords of the Fallen (2014)
• Titan Souls (2015)
• DarkMaus (2016)
• Salt and Sanctuary (2016)
• Nioh (2017)
• The Surge (2017)
• Darksiders III (2018)
• Ashen (2018)
• The Surge 2 (2019)
• Code Vein (2019)
• Dark Devotion (2019)
• Outward (2019)
• Remnant: From the Ashes (2019)
• Mortal Shell (2020)
• Hellpoint (2020)
• Nioh 2 (2020)
• Chronos: Before the Ashes (2020)
• Thymesia (2022)
• Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (2022)
• Lies of P (2023)
• Lords of the Fallen (2023)
• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (2023)
• Remnant 2 (2023)
• Another Crab's Treasure (2024)
• Enotria: The Last Song (2024)
• The First Berserker: Khazan (2025)
• AI Limit (2025)
• Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (2025)
• Code Vein II (2026)
• Nioh 3 (2026)
• The Relic: First Guardian (2026) (upcoming)
• Lords of the Fallen II (2026) (upcoming)
• Mortal Shell II (2026) (upcoming)
• Valor Mortis (2026) (upcoming)

Other games not in the Soulslike genre but inspired by the Souls series include:
• Journey (2012)
• Shovel Knight (2014)
• Destiny (2014)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
• Hollow Knight (2017)
• Nier: Automata (2017)
• God of War (2018)
• Dead Cells (2018)
• Death's Gambit (2018)
• Blasphemous (2019)
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)
• Tunic (2022)
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)
• Black Myth: Wukong (2024)
• Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (2024)
• Rise of the Ronin (2024)
• Stellar Blade (2024)

Reception

Interviews with developers of Soulslike games showed that they generally viewed being part of the genre as a positive thing, as it helped players understand what the games were like. However, some developers worried that the label could be confusing, leading players to expect features that might not be present. For example, some players were surprised to learn that Remnant: From the Ashes was mainly a shooter, even though it was described as a Soulslike game.

Austin Wood of PC Gamer criticized the Soulslike label, saying that treating Souls games as a model for other games could trick players into thinking similar games are alike when they are not. He called terms like "Soulslike," "Metroidvania," and "roguelike" special words that overlook the unique qualities of the games. Mark Brown of Game Maker's Toolkit also argued that the Soulslike label was too limiting, as it forced games into a fixed structure and limited their design possibilities. In response, Bruno Dias of Vice disagreed, stating that comparing Soulslikes to roguelikes was unfair because roguelikes were once a niche interest for many years. He also noted that Soulslikes did not need to change yet, as they were already popular and did not face marketing challenges.