Genre entry · Challenge & persistence

What is a soulslike? Hard games, explained calmly

Soulslikes have a reputation for difficulty, but their real signature is patience: learn an enemy, die, return, and win through understanding rather than luck.

Abstract chrome artwork for the Soulslike genre

Soulslike · definition

A soulslike is an action role-playing game modelled on FromSoftware’s Souls series, built around demanding, deliberate combat, sparse checkpoints and the risk of losing your levelling currency when you die.

Hallmarks to look for

Deliberate melee combat where every attack commits you to an animation
A stamina bar that limits attacking, dodging and blocking
Checkpoints that restore health but also bring enemies back
Dropping your levelling currency on death, with one chance to recover it
Challenging boss fights learned through repetition
Story told through item descriptions and environments rather than long cutscenes

Where the name comes from

The genre is named after FromSoftware’s Dark Souls trilogy (2011–2016). FromSoftware and director Hidetaka Miyazaki are widely credited with creating the style with Demon’s Souls (first released in Japan in 2009) and popularising it with Dark Souls. Later FromSoftware games such as Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Elden Ring carried the formula forward.

Other studios have since built their own games on the template, including the Nioh series and Lies of P, which is why “soulslike” is now used as a genre label rather than a description of one series.

The soulslike death loop, step by step

Most soulslikes share a distinctive rhythm:

You rest at a checkpoint (a bonfire, lamp or grace). Your health and healing items refill — but so do the ordinary enemies you defeated.
You push forward, earning a currency (often called souls, runes or something similar) that pays for levelling up.
If you die, you return to the checkpoint and drop all the currency you were carrying where you fell.
You have one chance to reach that spot and collect it. Die again on the way and it is gone.

This loop creates tension without saving and reloading. Every step away from a checkpoint is a small gamble, and opening a shortcut back to one feels like a real victory. It also means that dying is expected. A soulslike assumes you will fail many times and gives you the tools to learn from it.

Checkpoints in soulslikes are usually spaced far apart, and the route between them often loops round to open a shortcut. Learning a level therefore becomes part of the challenge: once you know the safe path and the hidden dangers, the same area that defeated you repeatedly can be crossed in a minute. Many players describe this growing familiarity as one of the most rewarding parts of the genre.

Stamina, commitment and reading enemy attacks

Soulslike combat is slower and more deliberate than in most action games. Attacks, dodges and blocks all spend stamina, and when the bar is empty you are briefly helpless. Pressing attack repeatedly usually ends badly.

Attacks also commit you: once your character starts swinging, you cannot cancel. Enemies telegraph their moves with wind-ups, and the core skill is learning those patterns, waiting for an opening, attacking once or twice, then backing off. Dodging often grants brief invulnerability, known as i-frames, if timed correctly.

Bosses work the same way at a larger scale. A first attempt is often about watching; later attempts are about responding. Many players find that the moment a boss “clicks” is the most rewarding part of the genre.

Is a soulslike too hard for me?

Soulslikes are demanding, but they also contain more ways to ease the difficulty than their reputation suggests:

Levelling up — spending time collecting currency and improving your character makes fights easier.
Exploring elsewhere — open-world games such as Elden Ring let you leave a hard area and return stronger.
Summons and co-operative play — many soulslikes let you call in computer-controlled helpers or other players for difficult fights.
Ranged builds and magic — keeping your distance can make some fights much more manageable.

Most traditional soulslikes do not have a difficulty setting, which remains a point of discussion among players. If precise timing under pressure is not enjoyable for you, a metroidvania or roguelite may offer similar exploration with more forgiving settings.

It also helps to know that soulslikes are designed to be learned. The first hours are usually the hardest, because you are learning the controls, the stamina rhythm and how enemies behave all at once. Once those basics settle, later areas tend to feel fairer even when the enemies are tougher. Many players who nearly gave up early on later describe the genre as one of their favourites.

How soulslikes tell their stories

Soulslikes typically tell their stories sparingly. There may be a short opening cinematic and a few conversations, but much of the history of the world is hidden in item descriptions, the layout of ruined places and cryptic remarks from other characters.

This approach has created a large community of players who piece the story together in videos and wikis, often called “lore” discussion. If you prefer a clearly told story, you may find it vague. If you enjoy speculation and discovery, it can be one of the genre’s main pleasures.

Because story details are scattered, it is easy to miss important characters and quests. Talking to every character more than once, and returning to them after major events, usually reveals more. Some optional storylines can be missed permanently, so some players use a guide after a first playthrough to see what they missed.

Words every soulslike player uses

Soulslike communities share a recognisable vocabulary:

Bonfire (or equivalent) — the checkpoint where you rest, level up and respawn.
Corpse run — the trip back to where you died to recover your dropped currency.
Poise — how well a character resists being knocked off balance by hits.
Parry — a precisely timed block that leaves an enemy open to a counter-attack.
Build — the combination of stats, weapons and armour you have chosen. See build.
Cheese — an unintended trick that makes a boss easier.
Git gud — a teasing phrase telling someone to improve; usually affectionate, sometimes not.

Knowing these terms makes guides and videos much easier to follow if you decide to look for help with a difficult area.

Online features and age ratings in soulslikes

Many soulslikes include light online features: players can leave short pre-set messages on the ground, see faint ghosts of other players and summon others for help. Some also allow other players to “invade” your game for player-versus-player fights. These features can usually be turned off by playing offline from the game’s settings or the console’s network settings.

Content is generally mature. The starter games on this page are rated PEGI 16 or PEGI 18 for violence, and many feature grotesque or frightening creatures. They are aimed at older teenagers and adults rather than younger players.

Gentle places to start

Age ratings are the PEGI ratings listed for each game; always check the current listing on your platform before buying or downloading.

Game	PEGI	Platforms	Why start here
Elden Ring	PEGI 16	PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\|S (Nintendo Switch 2 edition also rated)	An open-world soulslike; the freedom to go elsewhere when stuck makes it the most commonly recommended starting point.
Dark Souls Remastered	PEGI 16	PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One	A remaster of the game the genre is named after, with an interlinked world that loops back on itself.
Bloodborne	PEGI 16	PlayStation 4	A faster, more aggressive take that rewards attacking to regain health; available only on PlayStation.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice	PEGI 18	PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One	Built around parrying and posture rather than levelling up, so it demands more precise timing than most soulslikes.
Lies of P	PEGI 16	PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\|S	A soulslike from another studio, loosely inspired by the Pinocchio story, with a more linear structure.
Nioh 2	PEGI 18	PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5	A loot-focused soulslike set in a fantasy version of feudal Japan, with many weapon styles to experiment with.

Subgenres and offshoots

Open-world soulslike2D soulslike (“soulsvania”)Fast, parry-focused soulslikeLoot-heavy soulslike

Questions

What does soulslike mean?

A game that follows the design of FromSoftware’s Souls series: deliberate combat, stamina management, sparse checkpoints and losing your levelling currency when you die.

What was the first soulslike?

Demon’s Souls, first released in Japan in 2009, is generally regarded as the game that started the genre; Dark Souls (2011) gave it its name.

Is Elden Ring a good first soulslike?

It is often recommended because its open world lets you leave a difficult area and come back later, but it is still rated PEGI 16 and is demanding.

Can you pause a soulslike?

Many online-connected soulslikes do not pause when you open a menu. Some offline or single-player modes allow pausing; check the specific game.

Sources we checked

Last checked: 2026-11-03