Every DARK SOULS game, ranked
All 5 DARK SOULS games we hold, spanning 2012 to 2018: 5 ranked by the GamingPickz Score and plotted below, the rest listed in release order so nothing in the series is missing. Together they carry 851,072 Steam reviews.
Where to start
- For the best-reviewed: Dark Souls III (GamingPickz Score 8.3), the highest-rated entry we can score.
- For canon order: begin with DARK SOULS: Prepare To Die Edition (2012) and follow the release-order timeline below.
- For the money: DARK SOULS: REMASTERED gives the most score per dollar right now.
The DARK SOULS games on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueThe same 5 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.
5 games have both
Axes are fitted to these 5 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.
- 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.
5 best DARK SOULS games, ranked
Ordered by GamingPickz Score. Every figure links back to the source that produced it.
- 1
Dark Souls III
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.3GamingPickz 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 8.3.
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 8.3.
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.
- 3
DARK SOULS: Prepare To Die Edition
Best for: Playing with other people
8.2GamingPickz 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 8.2.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 4
Dark Souls II
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
7.9GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceDark Souls II at a glance Released 2014 Studio FromSoftware Player sentiment 88% positive of 46,773 Critics 91/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 12 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 88% shrinks to 88.0 on 46,773 reviews, then blends with the 91 critic aggregate, giving 7.9.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 12 GB.
- 5
DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
7.8GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceDARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin at a glance Released 2015 Studio FromSoftware, Inc. Player sentiment 84% positive of 131,673 Critics 79/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 23 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 84% shrinks to 84.0 on 131,673 reviews, then blends with the 79 critic aggregate, giving 7.8.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Best and worst entry
The best-received DARK SOULS game we can score is Dark Souls III at 8.3. The lowest is DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin at 7.8, a 0.5-point spread across the series. The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
How the series scored over time
GamingPickz Score against release year, 2012 to 2018. It has held roughly steady across the years.
Cheapest way in, and best value
- Cheapest right now: Dark Souls II at $39.99. Prices are read live from Steam and move.
- Best value: DARK SOULS: REMASTERED, the most GamingPickz Score per dollar in the series at its current price.
On a Steam Deck
Valve's own Deck compatibility rating for the DARK SOULS entries on Steam:
- Verified: Dark Souls II, DARK SOULS II: Scholar of the First Sin, Dark Souls III
- Playable: DARK SOULS: REMASTERED
- Unsupported: DARK SOULS: Prepare To Die Edition
Platforms across the series
Where the 5 DARK SOULS games have landed, counting every entry we hold:
| Platform family | Entries |
|---|---|
| PC | 5 of 5 |
| Xbox | 2 of 5 |
The DARK SOULS series, game by game
Every DARK SOULS game we hold, in release order. Each description is the game's own, from Steam where it has a listing and Wikipedia for the older entries, never ours.
- 2012
Dark Souls will be the most deeply challenging game you play this year. Can you live through a million deaths and earn your legacy? (Steam)
- 2014
Developed by FROM SOFTWARE, DARK SOULS™ II is the highly anticipated sequel to the gruelling 2011 breakout hit Dark Souls. The unique old-school action RPG experience captivated imaginations of gamers worldwide with incredible challenge and intense emotional reward. (Steam)
Plot
Like its predecessor , Dark Souls II employs minimalist storytelling to convey its plot and lore. Historical events in the world and their significance are often implicit or left to player interpretation rather than fully shown or explained. Most of the story is given to the player through dialogue from non-player characters , flavor text from items, and world design; how players progress through the story can vary heavily depending on their actions. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Edit on Wikidata Dark Souls II received universal acclaim, according to review aggregator platform Metacritic . Critics praised the game's story, atmosphere, visuals, and environmental design, though some were critical of the boss quality, combat mechanics, and increased difficulty, adding that, in these regards, it fared poorly in comparison to the previous games ( Dark Souls and its spiritual predecessor, Demon's Souls ). Famitsu reviewed the… (Wikipedia)
- 2015
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin brings the franchise’s renowned obscurity & gripping gameplay to a new level. Join the dark journey and experience overwhelming enemy encounters, diabolical hazards, and unrelenting challenge. (Steam)
- 2016
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! (Steam)
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)
- 2018
Then, there was fire. Re-experience the critically acclaimed, genre-defining game that started it all. Beautifully remastered, return to Lordran in stunning high-definition detail running at 60fps. (Steam)
DARK SOULS, head to head
Two entries side by side on score, price, specs and reception:
DARK SOULS vs other series
How DARK SOULS stacks up against other series in the same genre, as a whole:
Also: DARK SOULS vs Risen, DARK SOULS vs The Witcher, DARK SOULS vs Torchlight, DARK SOULS vs Dragon's Dogma, DARK SOULS vs Dungeon Siege, DARK SOULS vs ELDEN RING, DARK SOULS vs Gothic, DARK SOULS vs Hades, DARK SOULS vs Heroes of Hammerwatch, DARK SOULS vs Kingdom Come, DARK SOULS vs Kingdoms of Amalur, DARK SOULS vs Middle-earth, DARK SOULS vs Nioh, DARK SOULS vs Remnant, DARK SOULS vs The Surge, DARK SOULS vs Two Worlds
Common questions
How many DARK SOULS games are there?
We hold 5 DARK SOULS games in the catalogue, released between 2012 and 2018. 5 of them carry enough Steam data to rank; the rest are listed in release order below, including console-only entries with no Steam listing.
Which DARK SOULS game is best?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dark Souls III rates highest at 8.3. That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, computed the same way for every game, not our opinion. The full ranking is above.
What order should I play the DARK SOULS games in?
Release order is listed below, from 2012 to 2018. For most series that is also story order, but we list dates rather than telling you a canon; the timeline is read from Wikidata.
More franchises
Browse every game franchise ranked the same way, or head to the full grid.