Best Soulslike games: 25 ranked (2026)
76 soulslike games ranked by the GamingPickz Score, a published composite of player sentiment and critic reception. The formula is below in full, and no placement on this page can be bought.
The short version
- Top pick: Black Myth: Wukong, GamingPickz Score 9.7/10 from 1,209,348 player reviews.
- 25 score 8.5 or above out of 76 ranked soulslike games.
- Price range free to $69.99, median $29.99, with 4 free to play.
- 42 are Steam Deck Verified by Valve's own testing.
- 14 declare six or more accessibility features. Listed per game below.
Why trust this list
Most "best games" lists are either one person's taste presented as fact, or an affiliate feed with the highest commission at the top. This is neither. It is a ranking of 76 soulslike games computed from two third-party signals we did not generate, using a formula printed below.
Our team has played and reviewed games for over twenty years, somewhere around 3,000 titles across every generation since the PS1. A good number of the soulslike games on this page are among them, and that experience is what lets us tell you which of these numbers are worth trusting.
It is not, however, what set the order. The formula did, and we think that is the right way round: a list ordered by one person's memory is a list you have to take on trust, and this one you can check line by line.
The order comes out of the grid. Every game in the catalogue is placed on eighteen measured axes, each one a number read from a named source rather than an opinion: player sentiment and its sample size, the critic aggregate, review volume, Wikipedia language editions, price, install size, Steam Deck rating, accessibility features. A ranked list is that grid collapsed to one dimension. The map further down this page plots these same 25 games on two of those axes, so you can see the position the ranking gave each one and check it against where the game actually sits. If the list and the map ever disagreed, the list would be wrong, and they read the same numbers so they cannot.
1 entry on this page carries a full review of ours, marked as such and linked. For the rest, the score reflects how other people received the game, and we say so rather than implying a verdict we have not written.
At a glance
The top 12 side by side. Full entries below.
| # | Game | Best for | Score | Players | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Myth: Wukong | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 9.7 | 96% (1,209,348) | $59.99 |
| 2 | Elden Ring | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 9.4 | 93% (1,151,628) | $59.99 |
| 3 | Hollow Knight | Handheld play, small install and Deck verified | 9.3 | 97% (559,290) | $14.99 |
| 4 | Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 9.2 | 95% (354,898) | $59.99 |
| 5 | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 9.2 | 95% (277,064) | $47.99 |
| 6 | Dead Cells | Handheld play, small install and Deck verified | 9.2 | 97% (183,007) | $24.99 |
| 7 | Hades II | Handheld play, small install and Deck verified | 9.2 | 96% (122,855) | $29.99 |
| 8 | God of War | Players who need accessibility options that actually exist | 9.1 | 96% (184,172) | $49.99 |
| 9 | Cuphead | Handheld play, small install and Deck verified | 9.0 | 96% (220,388) | $19.99 |
| 10 | Monster Hunter: World | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.9 | 89% (516,159) | $29.99 |
| 11 | Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.9 | 95% (354,843) | $59.99 |
| 12 | Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT | Players who need accessibility options that actually exist | 8.9 | 94% (96,000) | $59.99 |
How we chose these
This ranking is a projection of the same axes the grid plots, not a second scoring system sitting alongside it. The grid answers where a game sits on two chosen measures; a ranked list needs one number, so the axes are collapsed using published weights. A game cannot be high on the grid and low here for a reason nobody can point at, because both read the same values.
Every ranked game gets a GamingPickz Score out of 10. It is a weighted blend of the axes below, and these percentages are read directly from the code that computes the ranking rather than written out separately, so the published formula cannot drift from the applied one.
| Component | Weight | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 55% | The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000. |
| Critics | 25% | Metacritic and OpenCritic aggregate, normalised to 0 to 100. |
| Popularity | 20% | A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it. |
Shrinkage is the part that matters most. Without it a game with nine reviews at 100 percent outranks Half-Life 2 with 278,000 at 98. Player sentiment is pulled toward the catalogue average of 84 using a 400-review prior, in proportion to how thin the evidence is.
Popularity is deliberately a minority weight. At 20 percent it nudges well-known games up without letting fame decide the order. Weight it higher and the list becomes "games you have already heard of", which nobody needs a ranking for. Weight it at zero and a game almost nobody played can top the list on the strength of a few hundred enthusiastic reviews. Neither is useful, so it sits in between. How popularity is measured.
Where a game has no critic aggregate, that 35 percent is redistributed onto player sentiment rather than counted as zero, and the entry says so.
Games with fewer than 50 reviews are excluded outright. Shrinkage is symmetric, so a game sitting at 0 percent on one review would otherwise be pulled up near the average, which flatters something nobody has actually assessed.
What we deliberately do not do. No paid placement, no sponsored slots dressed as editorial, no hidden weighting. If sponsorship is ever introduced it will be labelled and will sit outside the ranking. The formula above is the whole formula.
The soulslike games on a map
Compare the whole catalogueThe same 25 games, plotted rather than listed. The two axes below are the ones the ranking is built from, so a game sitting high and right is a game the formula placed near the top. Change either axis to see the field a different way. Where we hold a publisher wordmark, the game is drawn as its mark rather than a dot.
25 games have both
Axes are fitted to these 25 games rather than the full 0 to 100 scale, because a filtered list shares a narrow band and would otherwise sit in one corner. End values are marked. A point on the left edge is the lowest of thesegames, not a low score.
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
- PlayStation
- Xbox
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
How to choose between these
25 entries, six things that separate them
The ranking answers "which is best received". It cannot answer "which is best for you", because that depends on things no formula knows. Here is what actually separates these 25 soulslike games, in the order worth thinking about it.
Check the sample size before the score
A score is only as good as the evidence under it. 19 of these have more than 50,000 player reviews, which makes their number very hard to move.
Look at where critics and players disagree
The widest gap here is Hollow Knight, where players sit above critics by 10 points. A gap that size usually means the game changed after launch, or that it does something critics undervalue. It is worth reading why before deciding which number you trust. The disagreement map plots this across the catalogue.
Decide what you are actually willing to spend
The median here is $39.99, and the cheapest paid entry is LIZARDS MUST DIE at $3.99. Prices move constantly, so a game a place or two down the list is often the better buy this week. Filter by price below rather than assuming the top pick is the right purchase.
Match it to the hardware you own
16 of these are Steam Deck Verified by Valve's own testing, and install sizes vary by more than an order of magnitude. If you are choosing for a handheld or a drive that is nearly full, that narrows the field faster than any score.
Check it supports how you want to play
Solo, with a friend online, or two people on one sofa are different requirements, and a well-reviewed game that does not support yours is the wrong game. The filters below answer this directly.
Look for the things a score hides
9 declare six or more accessibility features, and 0 carry in-game purchases. Neither shows up in a review score, and both change the experience substantially. Each entry lists its own.
Choose one if…
Tick what matters to you. This filters the ranking above rather than reordering it, so the order you see is still the order the formula produced, minus the games that do not fit. Every filter reads a field from the game's own store listing.
Nothing selected, so all 25 soulslike games are shown below. Pick one or more above to narrow it.
The best soulslike games for a specific need
The ranking answers "which is best overall", which is rarely the actual question. These are the answers to the narrower ones, computed from the same scores, so a single pick is named for each.
- What is the best cheap soulslike game?
- Hollow Knight, top of 6.
- What is the best co-op soulslike game?
- Elden Ring, top of 6.
- What is the best soulslike game for the Steam Deck?
- Elden Ring, top of 16.
- What is the best soulslike game for a small hard drive?
- Hollow Knight, top of 12.
- What is the best accessible soulslike game?
- Elden Ring, top of 9.
- What is the best soulslike game to play with a controller?
- Black Myth: Wukong, top of 19.
- What is the best soulslike game with the most reviews?
- Black Myth: Wukong, top of 19.
- What is the best single-player offline soulslike game?
- Black Myth: Wukong, top of 22.
- What is the best cheap soulslike game for the Steam Deck?
- Hollow Knight, top of 4.
- What is the best Steam Deck co-op soulslike game?
- Elden Ring, top of 5.
- What is the best accessible single-player soulslike game?
- Elden Ring, top of 9.
25 best soulslike games, ranked
Ordered by GamingPickz Score. Every figure links back to the source that produced it.
- 1
Black Myth: Wukong
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
9.7GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceBlack Myth: Wukong at a glance Released 2024 Studio Game Science Player sentiment 96% positive of 1,209,348 Critics No aggregate Price $59.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size 130 GB Accessibility 4 declared features Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 1,209,348 reviews, giving 9.7. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 1,209,348 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 2
Elden RingWe reviewed this
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
9.4GamingPickz ScoreOur review: 9.5/10high confidenceElden Ring at a glance Released 2022 Studio fromsoftware Player sentiment 93% positive of 1,151,628 Critics 94/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 60 GB Accessibility 7 declared features Raw 93% shrinks to 93.0 on 1,151,628 reviews, then blends with the 94 critic aggregate, giving 9.4.
What the data supports- 93% positive across 1,151,628 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 7 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
PlayStation 5PlayStation 4Xbox Series X and Series SXbox OnePC
- 3
Hollow Knight
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
9.3GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceHollow Knight at a glance Released 2017 Studio Team Cherry Player sentiment 97% positive of 559,290 Critics 87/100 Price $14.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 9 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 97% shrinks to 97.0 on 559,290 reviews, then blends with the 87 critic aggregate, giving 9.3.
What the data supports- 97% positive across 559,290 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 9 GB.
- 4
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
9.2GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceSekiro: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition at a glance Released 2019 Studio FromSoftware, Inc. Player sentiment 95% positive of 354,898 Critics 88/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 25 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 95% shrinks to 95.0 on 354,898 reviews, then blends with the 88 critic aggregate, giving 9.2.
What the data supports- 95% positive across 354,898 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 5
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
9.2GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceClair Obscur: Expedition 33 at a glance Released 2025 Studio Sandfall Interactive Player sentiment 95% positive of 277,064 Critics 91/100 Price $47.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 55 GB Accessibility 6 declared features Raw 95% shrinks to 95.0 on 277,064 reviews, then blends with the 91 critic aggregate, giving 9.2.
What the data supports- 95% positive across 277,064 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 6
Dead Cells
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
9.2GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceDead Cells at a glance Released 2018 Studio Motion Twin Player sentiment 97% positive of 183,007 Critics 89/100 Price $24.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 0.49 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 97% shrinks to 97.0 on 183,007 reviews, then blends with the 89 critic aggregate, giving 9.2.
What the data supports- 97% positive across 183,007 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 0.49 GB.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 7
Hades II
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
9.2GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceHades II at a glance Released 2025 Studio Supergiant Games Player sentiment 96% positive of 122,855 Critics 94/100 Price $29.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 11 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 122,855 reviews, then blends with the 94 critic aggregate, giving 9.2.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 122,855 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 11 GB.
- 8
God of War
Best for: Players who need accessibility options that actually exist
9.1GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceGod of War at a glance Released 2005 Studio Santa Monica Studio Player sentiment 96% positive of 184,172 Critics 93/100 Price $49.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 70 GB Accessibility 12 declared features Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 184,172 reviews, then blends with the 93 critic aggregate, giving 9.1.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 184,172 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 12 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
PlayStation VitaPlayStation 2PlayStation 3PlayStation 4Steam Deck
Cuphead at a glance Released 2017 Studio Studio MDHR Player sentiment 96% positive of 220,388 Critics 88/100 Price $19.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 4 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 220,388 reviews, then blends with the 88 critic aggregate, giving 9.0.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 220,388 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 4 GB.
- 10
Monster Hunter: World
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.9GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceMonster Hunter: World at a glance Released 2018 Studio CAPCOM Co., Ltd. Player sentiment 89% positive of 516,159 Critics 88/100 Price $29.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 52 GB Accessibility 6 declared features Raw 89% shrinks to 89.0 on 516,159 reviews, then blends with the 88 critic aggregate, giving 8.9.
What the data supports- 89% positive across 516,159 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- 11
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.9GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceSekiro: Shadows Die Twice at a glance Released 2019 Studio FromSoftware Player sentiment 95% positive of 354,843 Critics 88/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 25 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 95% shrinks to 95.0 on 354,843 reviews, then blends with the 88 critic aggregate, giving 8.9.
What the data supports- 95% positive across 354,843 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 12
Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT
Best for: Players who need accessibility options that actually exist
8.9GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceGhost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT at a glance Released 2024 Studio Sucker Punch Productions Player sentiment 94% positive of 96,000 Critics No aggregate Price $59.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 75 GB Accessibility 10 declared features Raw 94% shrinks to 94.0 on 96,000 reviews, giving 8.9. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 10 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 13
Dark Souls III
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.8GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceDark Souls III at a glance Released 2016 Studio FromSoftware Player sentiment 94% positive of 439,389 Critics 89/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 25 GB Accessibility 7 declared features Raw 94% shrinks to 94.0 on 439,389 reviews, then blends with the 89 critic aggregate, giving 8.8.
What the data supports- 94% positive across 439,389 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 7 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
DARK SOULS: REMASTERED at a glance Released 2018 Studio QLOC Player sentiment 92% positive of 154,698 Critics 84/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 8 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 92% shrinks to 92.0 on 154,698 reviews, then blends with the 84 critic aggregate, giving 8.8.
What the data supports- 92% positive across 154,698 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Small install at 8 GB.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 15
LIZARDS MUST DIE
Best for: Playing through with a friend online
8.8GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceLIZARDS MUST DIE at a glance Released 2023 Studio Smola Game Studio Player sentiment 96% positive of 26,441 Critics No aggregate Price $3.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 3 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 95.8 on 26,441 reviews, giving 8.8. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Small install at 3 GB.
- 16
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Best for: A consistently well-received pick in this category
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceOri and the Will of the Wisps at a glance Released 2020 Studio Moon Studios Player sentiment 97% positive of 146,084 Critics 88/100 Price $29.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 20 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 97% shrinks to 97.0 on 146,084 reviews, then blends with the 88 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
What the data supports- 97% positive across 146,084 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- 17
ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON
Best for: Playing with other people
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON at a glance Released 2023 Studio FromSoftware, Inc. Player sentiment 92% positive of 85,669 Critics 86/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 60 GB Accessibility 6 declared features Raw 92% shrinks to 92.0 on 85,669 reviews, then blends with the 86 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 18
Lies of P
Best for: A consistently well-received pick in this category
8.7GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceLies of P at a glance Released 2023 Studio NEOWIZ Player sentiment 92% positive of 81,935 Critics No aggregate Price $59.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 50 GB Accessibility 8 declared features Raw 92% shrinks to 92.0 on 81,935 reviews, giving 8.7. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Declares 8 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 19
DARK SOULS: Prepare To Die Edition
Best for: Playing with other people
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceDARK SOULS: Prepare To Die Edition at a glance Released 2012 Studio FromSoftware, Inc. Player sentiment 92% positive of 78,539 Critics 85/100 Price Not listed Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 92% shrinks to 92.0 on 78,539 reviews, then blends with the 85 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 20
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights at a glance Released 2021 Studio Live Wire Player sentiment 94% positive of 45,705 Critics 86/100 Price $24.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 2 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 94% shrinks to 93.9 on 45,705 reviews, then blends with the 86 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 2 GB.
- 21
Nine Sols
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
8.7GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceNine Sols at a glance Released 2024 Studio RedCandleGames Player sentiment 94% positive of 45,195 Critics No aggregate Price $29.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 15 GB Accessibility 6 declared features Raw 94% shrinks to 93.9 on 45,195 reviews, giving 8.7. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 22
Source Filmmaker
Best for: Trying the genre without spending anything
8.7GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceSource Filmmaker at a glance Released 2012 Studio Valve Player sentiment 93% positive of 43,896 Critics No aggregate Price Free Steam Deck playable Install size Not stated Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 93% shrinks to 92.9 on 43,896 reviews, giving 8.7. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Free to download, so trying it costs only time.
Dark Souls at a glance Released 2011 Studio FromSoftware Player sentiment 92% positive of 154,662 Critics 84/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 8 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 92% shrinks to 92.0 on 154,662 reviews, then blends with the 84 critic aggregate, giving 8.6.
What the data supports- 92% positive across 154,662 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Small install at 8 GB.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 24
Bright Memory: Infinite
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
8.6GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceBright Memory: Infinite at a glance Released 2021 Studio FYQD-Studio Player sentiment 92% positive of 39,848 Critics No aggregate Price $19.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 13 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 92% shrinks to 91.9 on 39,848 reviews, giving 8.6. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 13 GB.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 25
Death's Door
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
8.5GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceDeath's Door at a glance Released 2021 Studio Acid Nerve Player sentiment 93% positive of 22,064 Critics 85/100 Price $19.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 5 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 93% shrinks to 92.8 on 22,064 reviews, then blends with the 85 critic aggregate, giving 8.5.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 5 GB.
Soulslike games by the numbers
The figures below describe all 76 entries on this page together, not the top pick. They are recomputed on every build, most recently on 5 September 2026, from 8,847,291 player reviews.
What the pricing looks like
70 of the 76 carry a listed US price, with a median of $29.99 and a mean of $33.65. The mean sitting above the median tells you the field is pulled up by a few expensive outliers. The cheapest is Cat or Bread? at $1.99, the most expensive Star Wars Jedi: Survivor at $69.99. 4 are free to download. Prices are read hourly from the US Steam storefront and move constantly.
How much this field agrees with itself
Player sentiment spans 48 points across these 76 entries. That is a wide band, which means the position of an entry here genuinely matters rather than splitting hairs. 43 carry a critic aggregate, averaging 83 out of 100. Players rate this field 4 points higher than critics on average, which is worth knowing before you weigh either number. See where the two diverge.
Who makes them, and what they overlap with
The studios appearing most often here are FromSoftware, Inc. (6), FromSoftware (4), Gunfire Games (3), KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. (3) and Acid Nerve (2). The genres these entries also sit in are soulslike (76), rpg (51), action-rpg (42), open-world (31), action-adventure (24) and horror (19), which is a fair map of what you are actually choosing between.
Which way attention is moving
We track Wikipedia pageviews over 28 days for 11 of these. 6 are gaining attention and 3 are losing it, with the rest flat. Attention is not quality, and we do not feed it into the ranking. The full monitor shows the movements across the catalogue.
The other 51 soulslike games
The 25 above are the top of the ranking. These 51 are the rest of the category: games that ranked below the cut, and games with too few reviews or no store listing to be ranked at all, which is normal for console and Nintendo exclusives.
Also catalogued
51 more soulslike games, not yet reviewedNone of these carry a review yet. The rest are catalogue records: title, year, studio and platforms, sourced from Wikidata. They are not indexed by search engines, because a record is not a review.
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordersource
- Dark Souls IIsource
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivorsource
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownsource
- Biomutantsource
- DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sinsource
- The Surgesource
- Nioh: Complete Editionsource
- Darksiders IIIsource
- Remnant: From the Ashessource
- CODE VEINsource
- Blasphemoussource
- SCARLET NEXUSsource
- Outward Definitive Editionsource
- Bright Memorysource
- REMNANT IIsource
- No Rest for the Wickedsource
- Monster Hunter Wildssource
- ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGNsource
- The First Berserker: Khazansource
- Path of Exile 2source
- Black Myth: Wukong Benchmark Toolsource
- Hyper Light Driftersource
- Salt and Sanctuarysource
- Titan Soulssource
Common questions
What is the best soulslike game?
Black Myth: Wukong ranks first, with a GamingPickz Score of 9.7 out of 10 drawn from 1,209,348 player reviews. That is a statement about how it was received, not a claim that it is the one you personally will enjoy most.
How is this ranking calculated?
The GamingPickz Score is 55% player sentiment adjusted for sample size, 25% the critic aggregate published on the game store page, 20% popularity, from review volume and Wikipedia language editions. Player sentiment is pulled toward the catalogue average of 83.8% using a 400-review prior, so a game with a handful of reviews cannot outrank one with hundreds of thousands. Nothing on this page is paid for and no placement can be bought.
How many soulslike games are ranked here?
76 of them qualify. A game needs at least 50 player reviews to be scored, which excludes titles with too little evidence to place fairly.
Why is a game I love missing?
Three likely reasons. It has fewer than 50 player reviews, so it is excluded rather than ranked on noise. It has no Steam listing at all, which is normal for console and Nintendo exclusives. Or it is not in the catalogue yet.
Do you get paid for these placements?
No. Positions are computed from the formula above and nothing else. The site carries advertising, and advertisers can neither see nor influence this page. A position is not an endorsement, it is a measurement of reception.
How current is this?
Recomputed on every build from source data read on a stated date. This page was last rebuilt on 5 September 2026. Player review counts move daily, so positions in the middle of the list shift more than those at the top or bottom.
What is the best cheap soulslike game?
Hollow Knight is the best cheap soulslike game, ranking 9.3 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 6 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best co-op soulslike game?
Elden Ring is the best co-op soulslike game, ranking 9.4 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 6 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best soulslike game for the Steam Deck?
Elden Ring is the best soulslike game for the Steam Deck, ranking 9.4 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 16 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best soulslike game for a small hard drive?
Hollow Knight is the best soulslike game for a small hard drive, ranking 9.3 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 12 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best accessible soulslike game?
Elden Ring is the best accessible soulslike game, ranking 9.4 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 9 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best soulslike game to play with a controller?
Black Myth: Wukong is the best soulslike game to play with a controller, ranking 9.7 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 19 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best soulslike game with the most reviews?
Black Myth: Wukong is the best soulslike game with the most reviews, ranking 9.7 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 19 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best single-player offline soulslike game?
Black Myth: Wukong is the best single-player offline soulslike game, ranking 9.7 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 22 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best cheap soulslike game for the Steam Deck?
Hollow Knight is the best cheap soulslike game for the Steam Deck, ranking 9.3 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 4 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best Steam Deck co-op soulslike game?
Elden Ring is the best Steam Deck co-op soulslike game, ranking 9.4 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 5 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
What is the best accessible single-player soulslike game?
Elden Ring is the best accessible single-player soulslike game, ranking 9.4 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 9 of the 25 soulslike games qualify.
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