The 8 Best Souls Type Games To Play In 2022

An anime-inspired Souls with a ton of flexibility in its combat, Code Vein is perfect for anyone who loves Dark Souls but wants to ditch the dark fantasy for complete Gothic vampire nonsense. Like in the Souls series, there’s a ridiculously large selection of weapons to choose from, which you’ll use while relying on vampiric abilities to defeat the game’s toughest enemies. Souls series, for the most part, though there are a few key moments where you’ll have to cringe, memorize every boss attack, and show off some real vampiric power.

Team Ninja’s second hack (and slash) to the Souls formula didn’t make huge changes from the original game, but one addition was hugely important: the burst counter. By using this ability during boss fights, you are able to constantly stay on the offensive, deliver punishing blows, and cut through defenses like they’re butter. The enemies, meanwhile, are also extremely powerful, including some of the toughest bosses in all of Souls-like, and just like in the first Nioh, there are a ton of weapons to try out. Everything from dual-wielding katanas to massive big axes are available, and finding your “new favorite” is an almost constant process. You can grab Nioh 2 on PS4 or PS5 as part of The Nioh Collection, a compilation of both Nioh games with PS5 performance upgrades.

An understated, atmospheric Souls that won’t take you 100 hours to complete, Ashen is an interesting Souls in that it’s clearly as inspired by From Software’s world-building as it is its structure. The cold, desolate landscape feels like it wants you faded away, and enemies are more than willing to hasten your exit. Although it lacks some of the memorable locations of a Souls game and has some ridiculous difficulty spikes, Ashen is absolutely worth playing. It’s also available on virtually every platform, including the Nintendo Switch, so you can get your ass kicked on the toilet before you start getting your ass kicked on the couch again.

A somewhat surprising Souls-like game that plays with the rules of the subgenre a little less than some of the other games on this list, Star Was Jedi: Fallen Order proves just how versatile Star Wars and Souls-like can be. Set right after the events of Revenge of the Sith, the game features steady progression of your Force powers as you unlock new attacks and lightsaber configurations. Battles often consist of dodging, parrying and counter-attacking, and its relatively low difficulty compared to Dark Souls makes it a great entry point.

After injecting Souls elements into the undercooked Darksiders 3, Gunfire Games took a radically different approach with Remnant: From The Ashes. Focused primarily on third-person shooters, Remnant: From The Ashes uses procedurally generated elements and cooperative multiplayer, though it’s also fully playable as a single-player experience. Nature-themed enemies, many of which deal incredible damage, make this quite a challenge, especially if you’re used to the “dodge, attack, dodge” routine of other souls. Still, you’ll find the structure very familiar, with plenty of hidden nooks and crannies that are also often filled with enemies.