The popularity of Soulslike games isn’t going anywhere, and several promising titles expected in 2026 could become the best the genre has to offer. While these games have changed over time, they still share common features: challenging boss battles, a save system tied to checkpoints, and a story that’s often mysterious and hard to follow.
This year will bring both new sequels continuing popular stories, and fresh movies hoping to become the next big thing.
We’re going to check out everything worth knowing about in the Soulslike world in 2026.
10. Ballad of Antara
Souls for All
| Developers | Tipsworks Studio |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2026 |
| Platforms | PS5, PC |
Ballad of Antara is a free-to-play game heavily inspired by the Souls series, offering a similar challenging experience without a cost. While free games often include in-app purchases, those details haven’t been revealed yet. What’s immediately striking is the impressive combat and beautiful graphics, plus a clever mechanic where you explore two different worlds searching for individuals who can move between them.
It’s unusual to find a Soulslike game that’s free to play, and while that can make people cautious, it also means it has the potential to be fantastic. This game offers a unique visual style not typically seen in the genre, and early gameplay suggests players will have access to much more powerful abilities than in most Soulslike titles.
9. Mortal Shell 2
Breaking Out
The original Mortal Shell showed promise, but ended up feeling like a basic imitation of Dark Souls – it was confusing, visually reminiscent of the earliest Souls games, and the combat was clunky. Mortal Shell 2, however, appears to be a complete overhaul. Based on early previews, it’s a massive improvement in areas like graphics and how smoothly the combat flows.
The next installment promises significantly more intense action and graphic violence, but also boasts stunningly detailed animations for weapon clashes – a new level of visual quality for the series. The story appears to be taking center stage, and the unique body-swapping mechanic from the first game is being expanded upon. This sequel seems poised to revitalize the series, potentially bringing it back into the spotlight after a period of decline.
8. Fatekeeper
The Bloody Dance
Fatekeeper is a challenging, first-person action game in the style of Souls games, featuring impressive graphics and a combat system that rewards player skill. Dodging, parrying, and well-timed attacks create a visually stunning experience – it might be the best first-person combat we’ve seen. The game’s visuals are particularly striking, offering a dark and realistic aesthetic that initially reminded me of what was promised in the first reveal of Avowed.
Fatekeeper offers more than just good looks; its combat isn’t limited to swords and shields. Players can also use magic, like telekinesis to throw enemies into traps – and that’s just one example. The game has a subtle, captivating quality similar to Tainted Grail, and even with many games releasing in 2026, it has the potential to stand out.
7. The Relic: First Guardian
The Sleeping Giant
I predict The Relic: First Guardian will be as popular as last year’s First Berserker: Khazan. The game’s art style is distinctive, and the combat looks amazing – the main character is incredibly agile, much more so than typical characters in similar action games. While details are scarce, the impressive combat footage is enough to generate excitement in this genre.
The game has a really intriguing and atmospheric quality, with beautiful environments and a more subdued tone than many similar action games, which often emphasize bombastic sound. There’s a lot we don’t know about it yet, but I have a strong feeling it will be a surprising standout title – one of those games that comes out of nowhere and really makes an impact.
6. Forsaken Realms: Vahrin’s Call
A Tribute to the Past
| Developer | Titan Roc |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2026 |
| Platforms | PC |
Forsaken Realms: Vahrin’s Call blends the charm of Fable with the challenge of Dark Souls, and the expansive world of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. It’s a truly impressive game, especially considering it’s made by a team working on it as a passion project alongside their regular jobs. This indie Soulslike is shaping up to be a standout title in 2026, boasting a unique art style, a surprisingly large scope for a new studio, and tons of different ways to customize your character.
What’s really cool about this game is that you don’t have to choose a specific class. You’re free to create any character you imagine – a mage who’s great with a bow, or a warrior who casts spells. It feels like a classic game from the Xbox 360 days, and that’s a positive! It’s a return to the roots of the ‘Souls-like’ genre, offering mystical settings, tough battles, and the kind of RPG experience many players have been wanting.
5. The Duskbloods
Don’t Sleep on the King
FromSoftware, the studio behind popular games like the Souls series, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, is developing The Duskbloods. While those games were known for challenging solo experiences, The Duskbloods appears to emphasize cooperative play, similar to Elden Ring: Nightreign. Not much else is known about the game right now, but it looks like it will be visually demanding, potentially pushing the Nintendo Switch 2 to its maximum capabilities. Unfortunately, it will only be available on that console, which means many fans won’t be able to play it.
Despite everything else, we’re looking forward to a game with a distinctive style, similar to Bloodborne, and it promises to have the best cooperative gameplay FromSoftware has ever created. Players can anticipate a bizarre and original story, hidden and challenging side quests, and epic boss fights that will really push your abilities. We should get more details soon, but it’s already shaping up to be one of the year’s most exciting releases.
4. Beast of Reincarnation
The Beautiful Soul
Beast of Reincarnation seems really promising! It follows a girl and her dog who are outcast because of an illness, and they must journey into the wilderness to find a remedy. This kind of story is unusual for games like Souls-like titles. The game appears to focus on a thoughtful experience, and it’s likely to be quite sad. Early looks show beautiful graphics, combat similar to Sekiro, and some impressive weapon designs.
I’m hoping Beast of Reincarnation will focus heavily on both its story and its combat. It seems like it’s aiming for something different than most games in the Soulslike genre. The game looks like it has a compelling narrative, particularly with the inclusion of your dog companion. Games with companions often have a strong emotional core, and I expect that’s what we’ll see when this game releases later this year.
3. Valor Mortis
A Confluence of Genres
Valor Mortis is trying something new with the challenging ‘Soulslike’ genre, known for dodging, rolling, and detailed character customization. It’s different because it removes many of the features players expect from these games. However, early gameplay footage suggests it could be fantastic. The developers seem to have overcome the common problem of first-person melee combat feeling weak, and they’ve managed to create a similarly intense experience to other popular Soulslike titles.
Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper Soulslike coverage
The game is visually impressive, featuring enemy designs unlike anything typically seen in the Soulslike genre. A key challenge will be keeping the combat interesting, as first-person animations can sometimes feel repetitive. It’s a bold project, and we’re hoping it lives up to its potential.
2. Lords of the Fallen 2
The Heir to the Souls Throne
The 2023 game Lords of the Fallen has divided opinions, but I thought it was the best game to capture the spirit of Dark Souls I’ve played. Everything from the world’s atmosphere and story to the challenging bosses, variety of weapons, and overall level design felt fantastic – it really felt like a true successor to the Dark Souls series, and I think it was seriously overlooked. The upcoming Lords of the Fallen 2 seems to be taking that foundation even further, with combat that looks even more brutal and includes impressive finishing moves, plus more weapons and a larger world to discover.
I’m really excited about how they’re reimagining the Umbral Realm for the sequel! It looks way more intimidating now, covered in this striking red instead of the purple we saw in the first game. Honestly, this series is amazing and deserves to grow, and it’s awesome that the developers have consistently listened to us fans – they’ve released so many patches for the first game, really evolving it over time. I have a lot of faith they’ll use all that feedback to make the sequel the best it can be when it finally comes out.
Thankfully, the game will feature cooperative play again, which is fantastic news. The co-op experience in the original Lords of the Fallen was among the best I’ve seen in any game of this type.
1. Phantom Blade Zero
The Art of War
Phantom Blade Zero is a promising game that blends the quick, intense combat of Ninja Gaiden with the challenging gameplay of Soulslike titles. It’s visually stunning, features a memorable protagonist, and delivers a level of speed and accuracy in combat rarely seen in this genre. Think of Sekiro, but with a wider variety of weapons – and a unique twist: each enemy has its own parry and counterattack animations, allowing you to turn their weapons against them.
While we don’t know much about the story yet, the combat we’ve seen is incredibly impressive – some of the best in the genre since Lies of P. Even if the story isn’t amazing, the game looks like a blast to play. But if the story and characters are good too, this game could easily become one of the very best.
Read More
- Poppy Playtime Chapter 5: Engineering Workshop Locker Keypad Code Guide
- God Of War: Sons Of Sparta – Interactive Map
- Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 23 Preview: Yuji And Maru End Cursed Spirits
- Poppy Playtime 5: Battery Locations & Locker Code for Huggy Escape Room
- Who Is the Information Broker in The Sims 4?
- Poppy Playtime Chapter 5: Emoji Keypad Code in Conditioning
- Why Aave is Making Waves with $1B in Tokenized Assets – You Won’t Believe This!
- Pressure Hand Locker Code in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5
- How to Unlock all Substories in Yakuza Kiwami 3
- All 100 Substory Locations in Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
2026-02-25 01:41