Dark Souls III vs The Surge 2
Dark Souls III is an action-RPG open-world game from FromSoftware (2016) while The Surge 2 is an action-RPG open-world game from Deck13 (2019).
Quick answer: Dark Souls III rates higher, 8.3 to 6.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Surge 2 is the cheaper at $29.99.
What each one is
Dark Souls III is filed under Action-RPG and Open-World. In contrast, The Surge 2 under Action-RPG and Open-World.
Dark Souls continues to push the boundaries with the latest, ambitious chapter in the critically-acclaimed and genre-defining series. Prepare yourself and Embrace The Darkness!
In a bid to survive, explore the sprawling, devastated Jericho City. Fight ferocious threats in brutal, unforgiving combat, slashing and tearing the limbs off your opponents to steal their equipment.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Dark Souls III is set in the kingdom of Lothric, where the First Flame, which sustains the Age of Fire, is fading. To prevent the coming Age of Dark, a champion must link the fire by sacrificing themselves to rekindle it. Prince Lothric, who was chosen for this task, refuses to do so. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Edit on Wikidata Dark Souls III received generally favourable reviews from critics, according to Metacritic , while OpenCritic reported that 94% of critics recommended the game. Critics praised its atmosphere, visual design, combat, and boss encounters, with many regarding it as a fitting conclusion to the Dark Souls series. Reviewers also noted its faster pace in comparison with earlier Dark Souls games, often linking this change to… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting The Surge 2 is set in a dystopian future where humans have exhausted the world's resources , leading to strained social and environmental conditions bringing mankind to the brink of extinction. CREO, one of the largest tech conglomerates, makes attempts at restoring the environment but with the task taking too long, a second process is developed, Project UTOPIA, a means to use nanites to complete the project faster but costing the lives of 95% of… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The Surge 2 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic . ^ "The Surge 2 for PC Reviews" . Metacritic . (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Dark Souls III | The Surge 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.3/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (94%, 439,389) | Mostly Positive (75%, 9,558) |
| Critic aggregate | 89/100 | 76/100 |
| Price | $59.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | 25 GB | 20 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Developer | FromSoftware | Deck13 |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dark Souls III vs The Surge 2, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Dark Souls IIIAction-RPG open-world gameThe Surge 2Action-RPG open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dark Souls IIISouls-like, Dark Fantasy, DifficultThe Surge 2Souls-like, RPG, ActionThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dark Souls III ✓Score 8.3 · 94% on Steam · 89 criticThe Surge 2Score 6.8 · 75% on Steam · 76 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dark Souls III439,389 reviews · 3 add-ons · 25 GBThe Surge 29,558 reviews · 7 add-ons · 20 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dark Souls III$59.99The Surge 2 ✓$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dark Souls IIIVerifiedThe Surge 2VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDark Souls III and The Surge 2 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
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.
- PC
- 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.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Dark Souls III (GamingPickz Score 8.3)
- The cheaper right now: The Surge 2 ($29.99)
- Lighter on storage: The Surge 2 (20 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Dark Souls III (439,389 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Souls-likeDifficultRPGThird PersonStory RichAction RPGCo-opAction
Where they differ
Dark FantasyAtmosphericLore-RichExplorationGreat SoundtrackAdventure
ViolentSci-fiCyberpunkGoreMechsHack and Slash
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dark Souls III is demanding, for players who want a challenge. The Surge 2 is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Dark Souls III | The Surge 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 750 Ti / ATI Radeon HD 7950 | 2 GB |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i3-2100 / AMD® FX-6300 | AMD FX-8320 (3.5 GHz) / Intel i5-4690K (3.5 GHz) |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Install size | 25 GB | 20 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Dark Souls III · The Surge 2.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 7 accessibility features for Dark Souls III and 1 for The Surge 2. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dark Souls III and The Surge 2 in scope?
Dark Souls III has drawn 439,389 Steam reviews, ships 3 add-ons and installs in 25 GB. The Surge 2 has drawn 9,558 Steam reviews, ships 7 add-ons and installs in 20 GB.
Is Dark Souls III or The Surge 2 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dark Souls III rates higher (8.3 to 6.8). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Dark Souls III or The Surge 2?
The Surge 2 is cheaper right now at $29.99, against $59.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Dark Souls III or The Surge 2?
Dark Souls III rates higher, 8.3 to 6.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Surge 2 is the cheaper at $29.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.