When a game like Elden Ring drops, it doesn’t just launch — it detonates. It redefines open-world design, reshapes player expectations, and leaves a massive, hollow void once the final boss falls. After dozens of hours spent wandering the Lands Between, slaying demigods, uncovering cryptic lore, and dying to wolves stronger than dragons, players are left asking:

🗨️ “What now?”

But Elden Ring isn’t just a Soulslike. It’s a pilgrimage through a decaying dream. A brutal, beautiful world packed with ancient ruins, broken myths, and unspeakable horrors lurking just off the beaten path. It doesn’t hold your hand—it slaps it away. But it rewards curiosity with awe, and perseverance with triumph.

This list is for those brave (or broken) enough to seek their next fix. Ten games, each with their own spin on difficulty, atmosphere, and that “I died, but I learned” energy. Some echo the classic Souls formula. Others go off-meta and carve their own brutal path. But all of them promise pain, wonder, and that dopamine drip of mastering the impossible.

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🔥 1. Dark Souls 3

🎯 Tags: Soulslike | Dark Fantasy | Build Variety | PvP Ready

💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

♻️ Replay Value: High (NG+, build-crafting, PvP meta)

⭐ Rating: 89/100 (Metacritic)

🧙‍♂️ Main Character: The Ashen One (player-created)

Story & World:

Set in the twilight of the Age of Fire, Dark Souls 3 drops you into Lothric—a world that’s basically collapsing in on itself. Gods are MIA, flame’s dying, and time itself is breaking. You’re the Ashen One, a nobody tasked with herding fallen legends back to their thrones… or watching it all burn.

Why It Hits Like Elden Ring:

• Same DNA, same pain: tight, punishing combat that demands patience.

• Lore that’s 90% hidden in item descriptions, 10% told via cryptic NPCs.

• Areas like Irithyll and the Dreg Heap that feel like nightmares made art.

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🩸 2. Bloodborne

🎯 Tags: Gothic Horror | Speed Souls | Cosmic Horror
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: Medium-High (Chalice Dungeons, alt builds)
⭐ Rating: 92/100 (Metacritic)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: The Hunter (player-created)

Story & World:

Welcome to Yharnam, the city where dreams, nightmares, and blood rituals are indistinguishable. As a Hunter, you're lured into a waking nightmare where everyone’s infected, everything wants to kill you, and the moon definitely isn't normal. Dig deep and you’ll uncover an Eldritch truth more horrifying than the beasts.

Why It Scratches the Itch:

• Combat’s faster and meaner—no shields, just dodge or die.

• Deep cosmic lore baked into the environment and gear.

• Constant sense of “WTF is going on... and why am I loving it?”

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🥷 3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

🎯 Tags: Parry Mastery | Japanese Folklore | Story-Driven Souls
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: Medium (NG+, different endings, challenge runs)
⭐ Rating: 90/100 (Metacritic)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: Wolf (Sekiro), a loyal shinobi

Story & World:

Sengoku Japan, but dialed up to 11. You’re Wolf, a shinobi with one arm and a lot of regrets. Your mission? Protect your young lord, slash through corrupted monks, undead warriors, and divine dragons. The story’s way more linear—but don’t mistake that for simplicity. It's layered and tragic AF.

Why It Works Post-Elden Ring:

• No builds, no cheese. Pure skill. Pure parries. Pure rage.

• Grapple + stealth = vertical Soulslike, with ninja flair.

• Narrative payoff hits hard, especially if you dig into the multiple endings.

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⚔️ 4. Nioh 2

🎯 Tags: Loot Grinder | Yokai Slayer | Hardcore Builds
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: Very High (gear depth, builds, NG++, co-op)
⭐ Rating: 85/100 (Metacritic)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: Hide (player-created half-yokai warrior)

Story & World:

A war-torn Japan crawling with demons and twisted history. You’re a half-yokai warrior caught in a supernatural civil war, battling literal monsters and inner demons alike. The story’s a mix of myth, folklore, and WTF moments—but once it grabs you, it doesn't let go.

Why It Clicks With Elden Fans:

• Weapon stances, ki pulses, yokai forms—it’s Souls on speed.

• Ridiculously deep build-crafting. Want to be a dodge-tank spear god? Go for it.

• Real Japanese legends mixed with supernatural chaos.

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🐛 5. Hollow Knight

🎯 Tags: Metroidvania | Bug Souls | 2D Brutality
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: High (endgame content, hidden endings, boss rushes)
⭐ Rating: 90/100 (Steam)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: The Knight (silent insect warrior)

Story & World:

Hallownest is a subterranean insect kingdom decayed by time and infection. As a small, silent Knight, you explore its haunted ruins, learning of a forgotten war and gods that whisper through dreams. It’s beautiful, creepy, and utterly engrossing.

Why It Resonates With Elden Players:

• Secret walls? Check. Unfair bosses? Check. No map unless you earn it? Check.

• Narrative is built like a puzzle—you earn the answers.

• For a 2D game, it hits harder than many full-scale RPGs.

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🧂 6. Salt and Sanctuary

🎯 Tags: 2D Souls | Hand-Drawn Horror | Build Depth
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: Medium-High (factions, NG+, builds)
⭐ Rating: 84/100 (Metacritic)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: The Saltborn (player-created)

Story & World:

Shipwrecked and stranded on a cursed island, you’re left to survive against gods, monsters, and crumbling cults. It’s Soulslike to its bones—but sideways. The art style is grim, the lore’s murky, and the mood is all “abandon hope.”

Why It Feeds the Addiction:

• All the best parts of Souls: weighty combat, bonfires (sorry—sanctuaries), and secrets behind every corner.

• Covenant-like factions that affect your playthrough.

• You’ll die a lot. But you’ll get salty and go again.

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🧙‍♂️ 7. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

🎯 Tags: Story-Heavy RPG | Monster Hunter | Dark Fantasy
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: Very High (choices, multiple endings, DLCs)
⭐ Rating: 93/100 (Metacritic)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: Geralt of Rivia (professional monster slayer)

Story & World:

Geralt’s world isn’t just dangerous—it’s morally gray. From cursed swamps to courtly betrayal, every quest has layers. While it doesn’t play like Souls, it has that same “live in the world” feel. Plus: actual decisions that matter.

Why It Scratches a Different Itch:

• Deep narrative and world-building on par with Elden Ring’s scale.

• Monster contracts feel like side-quests done right.

• The lore is thick, ancient, and full of Slavic soul.

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🌀 8. Demon’s Souls (Remake)

🎯 Tags: Origin of Souls | Obscure Lore | PS5 Glory
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: Medium (World Tendency system, alt builds)
⭐ Rating: 92/100 (Metacritic - PS5 remake)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: The Slayer of Demons (player-created)

Story & World:

Boletaria is where it all began. A land consumed by fog and demons, ruled by madness and forgotten gods. The remake preserves the OG pain while adding next-gen polish. Each zone feels like its own themed nightmare—from poison swamps to mind-breaking towers.

Why It Deserves the Praise:

• Proto-Elden Ring: weird, dark, and totally unhelpful.

• You’ll need a wiki… and maybe a priest.

• World Tendency alone is a whole game mechanic Elden never tried.

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🪨 9. Mortal Shell

🎯 Tags: Soulslite | Minimalist Lore | Shell-Based Builds
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: Low-Medium (alternate shells, NG+)
⭐ Rating: 74/100 (Metacritic)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: The Foundling (takes control of fallen warriors)

Story & World:

You’re a fragile creature who wears the bodies of fallen warriors in a decayed world called Fallgrim. The lore’s sparse and eerie—like someone erased half the script on purpose. But the atmosphere and tone? On point.

Why It’s Worth a Run:

• Fewer systems, more mood.

• Combat’s slow, brutal, and relies on the unique “Harden” mechanic.

• Every shell is a new build—kinda like Elden Rings’ respecs, but locked to bodies.

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⚡ 10. Hades

🎯 Tags: Roguelite | Greek Myth | Fast & Furious
💀 Hardcore Level: 🔥🔥
♻️ Replay Value: Infinite (new runs = new lore + builds)
⭐ Rating: 93/100 (Metacritic)
🧙‍♂️ Main Character: Zagreus, son of Hades

Story & World:

Zagreus is trying to escape hell, and Hades is having none of it. Greek gods cheer you on (and sass you mid-run), and each death pushes the story forward. Unlike Souls games, failure here is part of the charm.

Why It Surprises Elden Fans:

• Combat is fast, stylish, and endlessly replayable.

• Lore is unlocked with every death—you want to fail.

• Builds change on the fly—perfect for min-max tinkerers.

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🏆 Honorable Mentions

• Lies of P – Pinocchio but make it Bloodborne.

• Blasphemous – Catholic guilt meets Metroidvania punishment.

• Remnant II – Guns, gods, and procedural pain.

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🎤 Final Word

If Elden Ring left you hollow, don’t go AFK. The struggle doesn’t end here. Whether you’re parrying in Sekiro, looting in Nioh, or descending into bug hell in Hollow Knight, there’s always another boss fight waiting.

Get back in there, Tarnished. The next “You Died” screen awaits.