What to play after Elden Ring: the best soulslikes
You beat the hardest game of your life and now nothing else hits the same. Here's where to go next.
There's a specific kind of emptiness that follows the credits of Elden Ring. For a hundred-odd hours you were locked in — learning, dying, adapting — and then it was over, and your usual games felt like they were made of cardboard. The good news: the soulslike has grown into a real genre, and some of its best entries do things FromSoftware never tried.
The mistake is treating them as interchangeable. What you should play next depends on what you actually loved. Was it the precise, readable combat? The eerie, interconnected world? Or just the feeling of a wall you couldn't climb until, suddenly, you could? We've sorted the best by the itch they scratch.
If you loved the combat feel
Elden Ring's combat is about reading a tell and committing. If that push-pull of patience and aggression is what hooked you, these refine it hardest.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
FromSoftware's most demanding and most rewarding combat — a rhythm of deflects that, once it clicks, makes you feel superhuman. No build to hide behind; just you and the timing.
PC · PlayStation · Xbox
Lies of P
The soulslike that finally cracked the formula on its first try. Tight, weighty combat, a weapon-assembly system that invites experimentation, and a Belle Époque world that looks like nothing else.
PC · PlayStation · Xbox · Switch
If you loved the world design
Half of Elden Ring's genius is the map — the way a path loops back on itself and a shortcut clicks open like a held breath. These prize that same architecture.
Bloodborne
Still the high-water mark for atmosphere. Yharnam is a city that unfolds like a nightmare you half-remember, and the aggressive combat rewards stepping toward the danger.
PlayStation
Dark Souls Remastered
The original interconnected world, and arguably still the best-designed map in the genre. Worth playing to understand where all of this came from.
PC · PlayStation · Xbox · Switch
If you want something different
You don't have to stay in the medieval-fantasy lane. The genre's ideas — earned difficulty, deliberate combat, environmental storytelling — travel surprisingly well.
Hollow Knight
A 2D soulslike that earns every comparison. Enormous, hand-drawn, and quietly one of the best games of its generation. The challenge is real but always fair.
PC · PlayStation · Xbox · Switch
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
A more accessible, more cinematic take on the formula. The lightsaber combat borrows soulslike rhythm without the brutal punishment, making it a great on-ramp.
PC · PlayStation · Xbox
The bottom line
If you only play one, make it Sekiro or Lies of P — they're the two that most directly reward the muscle memory Elden Ring built in you. But the deeper truth is that the genre is about the climb, not the setting. Find the wall that looks impossible, and start learning it.
Frequently asked questions
What should I play after finishing Elden Ring?
If you loved the combat, play Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Lies of P. If the interconnected world was the draw, play Bloodborne or Dark Souls. For something in the same spirit but different in form, Hollow Knight is an outstanding 2D take on the genre.
Is Lies of P as hard as Elden Ring?
Lies of P is comparably challenging but more focused — it's a linear, combat-driven experience rather than a sprawling open world. Many players find its tight bosses just as demanding, and its parry-leaning system rewards aggression similarly to Sekiro.
Are there easier soulslikes for newcomers?
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the gentlest on-ramp here — it keeps the deliberate, rhythm-based combat but softens the punishment. Lies of P also offers more accessible difficulty options than a classic FromSoftware title.
Keep track of what you play
Playshelf is a free social game tracker — log the games from this guide, rate and rank them, and get AI recommendations tuned to your taste and what your friends are playing.
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