Do you remember Dark Souls series? This franchise is made to kill you and it’s surely one of the hardest franchises in the gaming world. However, wouldn’t it be good if some games are equally as hard and quality as the good old Dark Souls? It surely would be, and there are tons of these games for you to play. However, we’ll take a look at the 20 best Games Like Dark Souls which will provide you with months, even years of fun! So, if you are brave enough, I think you need to see this list, which is just below, waiting for you to take a look.
1. Nioh
Nioh is a great Japanese game that will put you in the shoes of William, a famous English Samurai-to-be. This man is known as a pirate who landed on Japanese shore and quickly fought his way to becoming a Samurai and marrying a Japanese woman. Well, this game is much more than that, as you’ll engage in very challenging and patience-testing combat which is nothing short of Dark Souls. In fact, these two games are often compared, and although I LOVE Nioh, it’s still a tad easier than Dark Souls. Try this game if you dare. It has everything you want from such game. A great story, smart combat and lots of dangerous boss fights.
2. The Surge
The Surge is another Dark Souls clone but advanced like… I don’t know, maybe 600 or 700 years. This is a futuristic hack & slash game that lets you experience the Souls-like combat the moment you start the game. You begin as a disabled person and then you get these cool mechanical limbs which you’ll use to fight against the enemies which look similar to you. There are tons of bosses, drones, enemies, upgrades, etc. It’s a real role-playing game with lots of action going on. Be sure to check this game out. It’s cheap and very underrated, yet deadly effective in its presentation.
3. Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Assassin’s Creed: Origins is a brand new Ubisoft game which took the Earth by storm. After they took one year off of the franchise, Ubisoft blew us away with this game. It’s set in Ancient Egypt which, by the way, looks gorgeous! You’ll be able to explore the in-game world, search for hidden treasure, loot pyramids and meet the smoking-hot Cleopatra! Now, some say that combat isn’t all that milk and honey, but I personally like it. It’s relatively tactical and level-based, as this is an RPG title, opposed to the older games in the franchise.
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Dark Souls 1, 2, and 3 are all great games, but let’s be real- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a better game. I mean, that open world, the graphics, the characters and the story are really, really good. Once again, you’ll be Geralt of Rivia and you’ll seek for you adopted daughter Ciri in an unforgiving, yet the jaw-dropping world. If you play only for a story, the game isn’t all that short but put in some side quests and you’ll have dozens of hours to play! It’s so good and will probably make every other game look and play shitty.
5. Monster Hunter: World
Monster Hunter: World is another new game released for consoles. Don’t worry, this will also be released for PC in the next few months! Now, about the game. Monster Hunter: World is an open-world game, full of places to explore and monsters to hunt. By the way, monsters in this game are really a challenge, depending on the strength and the size. Usually, you’ll be very challenged to hunt and even study different types of monsters. On top of that, there is a time limit to every mission, so only brave hunters will be able to participate.
6. Lords of the Fallen
Lords of the Fallen is a game with mixed reviews, but it’s very much like Dark Souls. In fact, I first thought that I bought Dark Souls and not this game. What kind of sorcery is this? Lords of the Fallen is an action RPG title which brings back that challenging combat and lots of dangerous foes to eliminate. However, the reason for the mixed and negative reviews are mostly because of glitches, bugs and very bad performance. Since the game isn’t that new, it’s all ironed out now, so you can play it as it’s meant to be played.
7. Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War was released the last year and was generally a great game. Tons of combat, hundreds of Uruks to kill and that notorious Nemesis system that’s great. Although the protagonist is kind of boring, I must admit he has some neat swordsman skills. As you know, the game is set between the events of Lords of the Rings and The Hobbit, so there’s a little bit of everything for everyone. I have one advice regarding this game, and that’s to AVOID microtransactions. Please don’t buy anything from the store. Microtransactions are the cancer of today’s gaming.
8. Necropolis
Necropolis is a game with the interesting artwork and cartoonish graphics. Released in 2016, this game is fairly new, offering polished combat and great visuals. There are tons of weapons, armor, scrolls, enemies and a huge environment to explore. I like how the developers included both singleplayer and multiplayer components, which is really admirable.
9. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within scared the shite out of me when I was a kid. That Dahaka monster was haunting my nightmares and it took me more than 10 hours to finish this goddamn game. Still, this is one of my favorite games ever and one of the most challenging games of my childhood. If you want a great Prince of Persia game, this one will not disappoint. It even features two different endings, which is quite revolutionary at the time. What are you waiting for? Go get it now!
10. Nier: Automata
Nier: Automata is another Japanese game that relies on using large-scale boss battles and an open world full of Android enemies to challenge the player. The sense of scale in this game is simply mind-boggling! The bosses are usually huge and will scare you to death. Even with all upgrades, this game is very, very hard to beat and will take you more than 30 hours to do so. It’s not that great graphically but screw that. Nier: Automata is a fucking masterpiece!
11. Bloodborne
Bloodborne is a game that PC users wish it was available for their (our) precious, glorious machines. However, Bloodborne is a PS4 exclusive and it’s one hell of a game that looks, feels and plays like Dark Souls 3. By the way, this game is a Dark Souls CLONE because it’s like 90% similar to this masterpiece. If you own a PS4, now it’s time to grab your DualShock controller and start your epic adventure. Be careful, though. It will challenge you to the very maximum.
12. Bound by Flame
Bound by Flame is a combination of Dark Souls and The Witcher franchise which perfectly blends into a fluid, responsive and beautiful-looking game. Released in 2014, Bound by Flame is still a great game when it comes to visuals, but also sports a very good combat. However, this game doesn’t have any multiplayer or online modes since it’s a strictly single-player game. Begin your journey through the unforgivable fantasy world and prepare to meet your foes!
13. Diablo III
Diablo is a pretty legendary franchise, especially that second game, which is one of my favorites. As a great hack & slash fantasy game, Diablo III lets you explore its gothic world full of dangerous enemies and boss fights that will kick your ass. Furthermore, it’s a top-down game, meaning that the gameplay is vastly different from Dark Souls. But, the cores of these games and the settings are quite similar, so yeah… go play it- it will satisfy your Dark Souls needs.
14. Salt and Sanctuary
Salt and Sanctuary might be the most beautiful 2D game I’ve ever seen. It’s amazing how well this game works and plays and how much it’s interesting since it’s a… well, 2D game. Salt and Sanctuary is a game of surviving, crafting stuff in order to be better at its challenging combat and exploring the dark world. Get ready to delve into the forgotten tombs, grim dungeons, and dangerous monuments. If you’re scared to do it alone, there’s still an option for split screen, so get your friend and enjoy the game.
15. Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is an action-packed adventure game with beautiful artwork and lots of exploring. If you’ve heard about the genre called Metroidvania, now it’s time to introduce yourself to such game. Hollow Knight is a masterpiece of its genre and it’s one of the best 2D games at the moment. Although there’s only a singleplayer mode, Hollow Knight is challenging, crushing and addictive game. I bet you’ll like it with every inch of your (Dark) soul!
16. Inferno Climber
Another dark game is here and it’s Inferno Climber. What did you expect coming ’round here? Dark Souls is indeed a DARK game, and now we have this one, isn’t that cool? Let’s embrace the darkness and take a look at Inferno Climber, a fantastic action role-playing game. If you like boss fights, Inferno Climber has a shitload of them to offer and they are very challenging. The point of the game is to collect 5 Purgatory Stones in hell and your best bet is to kill the enemies using combat, bombs, arrows or magic. Be sure to experiment with various weapon combinations and magic in order to achieve your goals.
17. Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus is another PS2 and PS4 exclusive, but here, we are talking about the PS4 version which came out a few days ago. This game is absolutely awesome and made me want that PS4 right now! Yet again, we get this nice action-packed adventure with a high focus boss fights and a strong sense of scale, due to the Colossus battles. Colossus is a special and a main kind of enemy in the game and the main goal here is to defeat each and every Colossus in order to beat the game. I can encourage you to buy the game, but if you don’t have a PS4… well, that’s a pity.
18. Titan Souls
Titan Souls even shares the similar name to Dark Souls, but with a quite different, albeit worthy and fun gameplay. When you first look at the game, you’ll see pixelated graphics and you may be turned off, but this game has much more to offer under these not-so-impressive visuals. It’s a top-down game which sets you up on an epic adventure as you aim to explore the hidden world guarded by the Titan Souls. You are a lonely hero and your task is to survive and explore the in-game world, which is, by the way, beautiful and full of stuff to do.
19. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Released by Capcom, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is an open world game which puts an emphasis on role-playing gameplay and character customization. Think of this game as a Skyrim, but with a little smaller world and just an octave below this game. Essentially, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is all about the exploration and storytelling, and to be honest, the story isn’t all that great here. However, if it’s the combat, exploration and character customization you want, then you’ll get it without a doubt.
20. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 marks a great period for hack & slash games since it’ a pretty decent game in this genre. To make things better, it isn’t a mindless game where you’ll only spam your left mouse button and kill the enemies. Instead, it has various environmental puzzles and a great story about the Dark Prince Dracula. Still, the game is a little repetitive, which is not strange for this type of game. If you can get over repetitiveness, this game will offer you more than 6 hours of fun.