FromSoftware has made a name for itself as not only the creator but also the king of the Soulslike genre. Every single one of its modern games has been praised universally by players of all kinds, and this success has paved the way for many other devs to enter the space and attempt to replicate that greatness or try something entirely new. Many Soulslikes take clear inspiration from something like Dark Souls or Sekiro without breaking the mold in major ways, despite having a generally decent gameplay loop overall. However, a few games have managed to innovate or deliver a distinctive experience that sets itself apart from its predecessors, whilst still maintaining a lot of the DNA that makes the genre so well-loved to begin with.
Best Soulslike Games On Xbox Game Pass
Whether it's the punishing difficulty or epic boss encounters, these are the best Soulslike games on Xbox Game Pass.
They achieve this through their visual presentation, combat, or the progression through the world, each taking a different approach to transforming an already pretty complex gameplay style. Some games incorporate new methods of taking down enemies, while others put a bigger emphasis on world-building and the design of the environments. At the end of the day, what they prove is that success doesn't always have to come from a single name in the business, and that with enough talent and motivation, they can easily compete with the best.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
The First Berserker: Khazan
More Combos Than You Can Even Use
Details:
- Multiple combat styles within a single weapon type
- Complex bosses with challenging attacks and effects
The First Berserker: Khazan is perhaps the best example of a game that refines FromSoftware’s formula by aggressively trimming a lot of the friction that exists purely for the sake of tradition. The combat remains punishing, but it’s built around clarity and responsiveness, with every enemy attack being readable and all the hitboxes being incredibly clean to ensure there are no moments of unwanted frustration.
Like any good Soulslike, the bosses are the real standout...
So many different skills and combos can all be woven together to allow the player to both dish out insane damage, but also prevent it in the process. They can go from perfect-parrying a set of blows, then returning fire with a heavy hit that can then be chained into a flurry of slashes, and that's just one example of one of the three distinct weapon styles. Like any good Soulslike, the bosses are the real standout, and every single fight comes with a unique approach that can range from aggressive melee blows to rapid ranged magic, each demanding a different playstyle, which keeps things constantly feeling fresh. And, because of how the levels are set up, players are free to replay any fight they want, at any point in the game, including some slightly harder variations that come from the side-quests, adding more replay value and reasons to go back and give those trickier fights another go.
Lies Of P
Trading Fantasy For Steampunk Goodness
Details:
- Heavy parry emphasis, but not an overreliance
- Weapon crafting for added variety
Lies of P takes Soulslike concepts that fans love and infuses them with great new mechanics, as well as more directly tying its story to the player's progression. The Pinocchio-inspired setting isn’t just flavor, but it influences everything from the mechanics to the choices, and eventual growth of the character into a human. Systems like the lie/truth decision-making subtly affect outcomes without breaking immersion or overwhelming players with branching complexity, which in turn makes the story beats hit far harder without being overbearing.
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These highly accessible soulslikes still offer a challenge, although they do so without punishing players quite as harshly as some of their peers.
Mechanically, Lies of P puts parries first, emphasizing perfect guards that require an immense amount of timing, especially towards the later stages of the game. The modular weapon system is another great addition that encourages experimentation and lets players use a much wider range of weapon types that would otherwise go completely untouched. Nailing just the gameplay or the story separately is hard enough, but the game somehow manages to perfectly execute on both fronts, delivering an exceptional Soulslike experience that keeps players invested emotionally and physically from start to finish.
Hollow Knight
The Best A Metroidvania Can Be
Details:
- Engaging exploration style
- Meaningful progression with each added ability
Hollow Knight takes the Soulslike genre to a completely different realm, sending players to an underground world full of mysterious bugs and expansive caverns that hide more than a few secrets. The Soulslike elements echo through the environmental design and how players explore it; despite having a map as a rough guide, they are still very much going in blind, venturing into the unknown with no easy way of going back. Each step into a new area is daunting yet exciting, as players will quickly find new enemies, new abilities, and new bosses to take on and conquer that always bring with them a huge sense of accomplishment.
It is a breathtaking experience that every Soulslike fan should play at least once...
On the gameplay side of things, the fights are very reminiscent of the early Souls days, where enemies have telegraphed attacks and clear windows where players can weave in a few hits before going straight back to dodging. The ideas surrounding the difficulty level have also been improved, as rather than running out of flasks and having to run back to the previous save point, players can instead push on, constantly having a source of healing if they manage to play well enough. It is a breathtaking experience that every Soulslike fan should play at least once, and it is perhaps the clearest marker of how well the genre's identity can be translated into an entirely different style.
Nioh 2
Complexity Dialled To Eleven
Details:
- Real build diversity
- High skill ceiling without artificial difficulty
Nioh 2 takes away any and all fighting limits and leans fully into absurd mechanical depth in a way that no other Soulslike ever has. The combat systems stack aggressively, with stances, ki pulsing, Yokai abilities, gear synergies, and builds all interlocking to create a fighting sandbox that rewards mastery at every level. Unlike FromSoftware’s often opaque systems, the game is unapologetically explicit, showing clearly how important specific numbers and combinations are as indicators for success, and letting player expression be the main driving force for their progression through the world.
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The difficulty remains brutal, but all victories feel earned through understanding systems rather than memorizing animations alone. Compared to older Soulslikes, the enemy encounters are much faster and more aggressive, demanding proactive play at all times, and the bosses heavily punish hesitation but reward players who are willing to adapt and prepare to the demands they bring. While it may not have the same atmosphere as something like Bloodborne, the sheer mechanical density is more than enough to give every kind of player enough excitement and thrills for a lifetime.
No Rest For The Wicked
Evolving The Genre In A New Direction
Details:
- Modernized systems without repetition
- Encourages experimentation heavily
No Rest for the Wicked pushes the soulslike formula forward by blending it with modern action RPG mechanics that innovate in just about every way imaginable. Combat remains weighty and deliberate, but systems like stamina, gear durability, and healing are recontextualized to reduce downtime and encourage continuous play, allowing the momentum to remain high at all times.
The game also introduces tighter camera work and more readable encounters, addressing long-standing accessibility complaints without diluting the challenge in any way. And the progression systems feel much more flexible rather than punitive, meaning that players can try out new builds and experiment without the fear of permanently harming their character. Overall, it represents a future-facing Soulslike experience that respects FromSoftware’s foundation while actively questioning which traditions still serve the player.
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