12 Best Games Like Elden Ring to Play in 2026

Updated September 29, 2026. The best games like Elden Ring in 2026 are FromSoftware's own Dark Souls III and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, followed by Lies of P, Nioh 3, Black Myth: Wukong and Elden Ring Nightreign. Below are 12 picks, each checked for release date and platforms, with a note on what exactly it shares with Elden Ring and where it goes its own way.

What Makes a Game "Like Elden Ring"?

Elden Ring is really two games in one. It is a classic FromSoftware soulslike: stamina-based melee combat, bonfire-style checkpoints (Sites of Grace), runes lost on death and bosses that test your patterns. It is also an open-world adventure, where you ride Torrent across the Lands Between, pick your own route and use Spirit Ashes and Ashes of War to build the character you want.

Very few games do both at the same level, so this list is split by what you are after:

• The combat and the bosses — Dark Souls III, Sekiro, Lies of P, Khazan, Lords of the Fallen.
• Builds, loot and deep systems — Nioh 3, Nioh 2, Wo Long.
• Spectacle and exploration — Black Myth: Wukong, Stellar Blade, Monster Hunter Wilds.
• Something different built on the same DNA — Elden Ring Nightreign and Hollow Knight: Silksong.

All 12 Picks Compared

The FromSoftware Picks: Dark Souls III, Sekiro and Nightreign

1. Dark Souls III

If you finished Elden Ring and have not played Dark Souls III, start here. It was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, who also directed Elden Ring, and its faster combat and weapon Skills (special moves tied to your equipment and paid for with Focus Points) are the clearest ancestor of Ashes of War.

The difference is structure. Dark Souls III is a mostly linear, tightly connected world rather than an open map, so there is less freedom to skip a wall of a boss and come back later. In return you get some of the studio's best boss fights, especially in the two DLCs, Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City. The Fire Fades Edition bundles both.

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC. Released: April 12, 2016 worldwide (March 24, 2016 in Japan).

2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro is the FromSoftware game for players who loved Elden Ring's bosses and want them sharper. Instead of whittling down health, you deflect attacks to break an enemy's posture and land a finishing blow. A grappling hook on your prosthetic arm adds vertical movement and stealth approaches that Elden Ring only hints at.

Be aware of what it drops: there is no multiplayer, no summons and no traditional character build. You cannot out-level a hard boss, and its difficulty split players when it launched. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019.

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC. Released: March 22, 2019.

3. Elden Ring Nightreign

Nightreign is a standalone spin-off that reuses Elden Ring's combat, enemies and bosses in a cooperative roguelike. Teams of three explore a procedurally generated map over three in-game days, gearing up before a final boss. A single-player mode exists, but the game is designed around co-op.

It has had solid post-launch support. The Everdark Sovereigns update added harder boss variants from June to August 2025, and The Forsaken Hollows DLC (December 4, 2025) added new bosses, locations and two new playable characters, the Undertaker and the Scholar.

Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC. Released: May 30, 2025.

The Best Non-FromSoftware Soulslikes

4. Lies of P

Lies of P, from Neowiz, is the soulslike that feels most like a FromSoftware game without being one. It is a dark take on Pinocchio set in the city of Krat, and it uses Stargazers as checkpoints for resting, fast travel and respawning.

Its two standout systems are weapon assembly, where you combine separate blades and handles, and the Legion Arm, a mechanical arm with tools such as a grappling hook. Parrying is central: well-timed blocks stagger enemies and can damage their weapons. The prequel DLC Overture launched in June 2025, and a sequel is in development.

Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and Switch 2 (Complete Edition, August 6, 2026). Released: September 2023.

5. Nioh 3 (and Nioh 2)

Team Ninja's Nioh 3 is the biggest new soulslike of 2026 so far. It lets you switch freely between a Samurai style, with weapon stances and the series' Ki Pulse, and a faster Ninja style that uses a "Mist" system to create distracting clones. It also moves toward Elden Ring territory, with less linear levels and larger explorable spaces full of side quests and optional challenges.

Reviews were strong: 86 on Metacritic for PS5 and 85 for PC, with major outlets such as IGN and GameSpot giving it 9/10. It supports summoning help for bosses and co-op exploration.

Platforms: PS5, PC. Released: February 6, 2026.

On a budget? Nioh 2 (PS4 in 2020, PS5 and PC Complete Edition in 2021) is still excellent. It is built around Yokai transformations, stances and Soul Cores, and has three-player co-op.

6. Lords of the Fallen

Hexworks' 2023 Lords of the Fallen is the most "Dark Souls" of the western soulslikes: grim fantasy, an interconnected world and lots of armored knights. Its big idea is the Umbral Lamp, which lets you cross from the living world, Axiom, into Umbral, the realm of the dead, to open paths you cannot otherwise reach.

The launch version was rough in places, but the April 2025 version 2.0 update improved co-op, added quality-of-life changes to ease the difficulty, expanded the character creator and added more tutorials. The campaign supports two-player co-op. The sequel, Lords of the Fallen II, has been delayed to Q1 2027.

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC. Released: October 13, 2023.

7. The First Berserker: Khazan

Khazan, from Neople and Nexon, is set in the Dungeon & Fighter universe and is closer to Sekiro than to Elden Ring. It lives and dies by stamina. You manage your own stamina for dodging, blocking and attacking, while draining the enemy's to stagger them. Perfect blocks, parries and reflections reward precise timing.

There are three weapon types (dual axes or short swords, greatswords and spears), and Spirit points earned in combat power weapon skills.

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC. Released: March 27, 2025.

8. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Team Ninja's Three Kingdoms-era action RPG is the most approachable game in this group. Combat centers on deflecting attacks to open counters, and a Spirit gauge fuels special moves and elemental spells. Unlike Nioh, it has a jump button, which makes exploring feel closer to Elden Ring.

Its Morale system shows each enemy's rank, so you can judge a fight before you start it.

Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Switch 2 (Complete Edition, September 3, 2026). Released: March 3, 2023.

Open-World and Action RPGs With Elden Ring Energy

9. Black Myth: Wukong

Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong adapts the Chinese classic Journey to the West. Its boss count and huge set-piece fights are what Elden Ring fans usually love most. You fight with a staff using three stances (smash, pillar and thrust) and can transform into other creatures with their own movesets.

Note that there is no parry. Defense is about dodging and positioning, which feels closer to Elden Ring's roll-heavy style than to Sekiro. The levels are wide but not a true open world. Game Science has announced the next Black Myth game, Black Myth: Zhong Kui, but has not given it a release date.

Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X|S. Released: August 20, 2024 on PS5 and PC; August 20, 2025 on Xbox.

10. Monster Hunter Wilds

If your favorite Elden Ring moments were spotting a dragon on the horizon and going after it, Monster Hunter Wilds is built entirely around that. Capcom moved the series from separate expeditions to a more seamless world, the Forbidden Lands, with several biomes and dangerous storms. All 14 weapon types return.

It is less punishing than a soulslike, and the loop is about hunting, crafting and refining gear rather than a single difficult route. You can play with up to four players with cross-play, or bring AI support hunters when playing solo. A Switch 2 version launches December 4, 2026, and a paid expansion, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, is due in 2027.

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC. Released: February 28, 2025.

11. Stellar Blade

Shift Up's Stellar Blade is a sci-fi action game rather than a strict soulslike, but its boss fights run on the same timing skills. You play as Eve on a post-apocalyptic Earth, building a Beta Gauge through parries and perfect dodges to unleash counters, while a separate Burst Gauge builds from parries and combos. Wall scaling and rope swinging add traversal, and NPCs hand out optional side quests along the way.

Platforms: PS5, PC, and Switch 2 (Complete Edition, November 5, 2026). Released: April 26, 2024 on PS5; June 11, 2025 on PC.

12. Hollow Knight: Silksong

Team Cherry's Hollow Knight: Silksong is 2D, but it shares more with Elden Ring than you might expect: a large, mysterious kingdom (Pharloom) with little hand-holding, hard bosses and a sense of discovery you earn. You play as Hornet, the former princess-protector of Hallownest from the first game.

A free expansion, Sea of Sorrow, was announced in December 2025 for release in 2026. Team Cherry has not given it a date yet, so do not buy expecting it on a set day.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2. Released: September 4, 2025.

Which One Should You Play First?

1. You want more of the same: Dark Souls III, then its DLC.
2. You want a harder test: Sekiro or Khazan.
3. You want the newest big soulslike: Nioh 3.
4. You play with friends: Elden Ring Nightreign (three players), Monster Hunter Wilds (four) or Nioh 3.
5. You want to play on Switch 2: Lies of P, Wo Long and Silksong are out now. Elden Ring itself also arrived as the Tarnished Edition on August 28, 2026.
6. You want the open world without the pain: Monster Hunter Wilds, or a story-focused RPG like The Witcher 3, which has a free Remastered upgrade out now.

Several of these rotate through subscription services, so check our best Game Pass games this month and our Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus comparison before paying full price. On PC, games like Black Myth: Wukong and Monster Hunter Wilds are demanding, so our best 4K graphics cards guide is worth a look if you want high settings.

Upcoming Games Like Elden Ring to Watch

• Monster Hunter Wilds on Switch 2 — December 4, 2026.
• Stellar Blade Complete Edition on Switch 2 — November 5, 2026.
• Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of Sorrow — free expansion, 2026, no exact date.
• Lords of the Fallen II — delayed to Q1 2027; PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam and Epic) and Switch 2.
• Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance — paid expansion, 2027.
• Black Myth: Zhong Kui and the Lies of P sequel — announced, no release dates.

For everything landing in the next few weeks, see our October 2026 release calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources checked on September 29, 2026 against Bandai Namco, Capcom investor relations, Koei Tecmo, Nintendo, PlayStation Blog and Steam store pages, plus reporting from Game Informer, GameSpot, PC Gamer, Gematsu and RPG Site.