At this point, Soulslike games have become commonplace, and an announcement of a new one doesn’t tend to attract the same excitement as it used to. However, that doesn’t mean these releases aren’t worthy of attention, and plenty of indie developers have turned to FromSoftware for inspiration and aspiration. While 3D variants hog the limelight, 2D Soulslikes are arguably more consistently good, with each year producing a few releases that are among the genre’s strongest efforts.
Most people probably know Salt and Sanctuary, Blasphemous, and Hollow Knight, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. Therefore, let’s take a look through recent history and highlight the very best 2D Soulslikes that left their mark on the genre. Hopefully, we will get a few more of these masterpieces over the years.
Now, these games can be hard to classify as they are usually Metroidvanias with Soulslike elements. How much of the latter is needed for a project to become Soulslike? Well, I am going to try to stick to games that also follow a structure that is similar to Dark Souls or Bloodborne. Basically, Silksong qualifies, but Dead Cells doesn’t.
10
Vigil: The Longest Night
A Soulslike 2D World That Cannot Escape The Night
One of the more forgotten 2D Soulslikes, Vigil: The Longest Night is arguably closer to something like Bloodborne than Dark Souls, at least when it comes to its world. Utilizing gothic imagery, Lovecraftian monsters, and Taiwanese culture, this 2020 release has a haunting atmosphere that almost injects an element of horror. With the world trapped in an eternal night, a plague is slowly transforming humanity into creatures, a concept that sounds right out of FromSoftware’s playbook.
7 Best Soulslike Games For Feeling Like A God, Ranked
Most Soulslikes make you struggle for every win, but some games just let you destroy everyone quickly and satisfactorily.
Vigil‘s world-building is arguably its highlight, but the gameplay is by no means bad either. The melee combat is fairly typical for this genre, and it emphasizes stamina management as Soulslikes want to do. Leila, the playable character, can utilize four different types of weapons that cater to unique playstyles, and players are encouraged to swap between them (and level up their skills).
9
Unworthy
Brutally Difficult Game Set In A Dark World Is A Challenging Experience
Featuring a stark, ominous art style and some of the most challenging combat one can find in a 2D Soulslike, Unworthy is an unforgiving, tremendously difficult action RPG that puts a heavy focus on combat. It does not let up on the player one bit, tasking them with fast-paced and highly difficult encounters. Even mob enemies feel more challenging than normal, as the game attempts to live up to its promise of deeming the player unworthy.
Unworthy also features some fun map design and a host of intriguing weapons and items, all of which come into play to uncover more of its devious design. Backed by a stellar soundtrack and some moody art direction, Unworthy is one of the more overlooked 2D action games of the past several years and is worth checking out, no matter what system you play it on.
8
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight
Underground Soulslike Franchise Hits Peak With Fourth Entry
Momodora is an ongoing series of action RPGs, all of which star different female leads in challenging and engaging quests in beautifully designed worlds. Through its humble beginnings as free games on digital marketplaces like itch.io, Momodora has quietly become one of the industry’s best Soulslike franchises, and with the fourth entry, Reverie Under the Moonlight, developers Bombservice delivered an absolutely stellar action game that is still worth playing eight years after launch.
In Reverie Under the Moonlight, players control a priestess named Kaho in a tightly connected world, one filled with deadly enemies and some truly fierce bosses. The combat feels outstanding, with light flashes and effects delivering excellent feedback to the player. Kaho is a blast to control, as she leaps and darts through the air with crisp animation. It’s an altogether fantastic package, and this lovely Soulslike game is a standout entry in an already incredible franchise.
7
The Last Faith
Stylish Blend Of Castlevania And Dark Souls
The Last Faith gained quite a following in the time following its announcement to release, as it hearkened back to not just classic Castlevania, but looked like a brilliant fusion of the gothic world of the Belmont clan and the harsh, unforgiving worlds of FromSoftware. The final product achieved exactly that, as this brutally difficult action RPG meshes the interconnected exploration of the Metroidvania genre with the nasty, violent combat from games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne.
Best Soulslike Games Without A Stamina Bar, Ranked
These soulslike titles are a great amount of fun for players to try, especially since they aren’t burdened by a stamina bar.
Players take control of Eryk, a man on a quest for revenge that takes him through a world influenced by various bits of gothic horror and is dripping with atmosphere. The combat is precise and efficient, with a feeling of speed and visceral feedback. The Last Faith is available now on all major platforms and is absolutely worth jumping into as one of the best 2D Soulslike games ever made.
6
Grime
A Bizarre And Awesome Soulslike
Grime is weird, and I love it. More so than 3D games, 2D Soulslikes are often willing to push the genre into new and exciting directions, and this is a prime example. Grime‘s coolest concept is that parrying is not only encouraged but also actively rewarded through damage and even new skills. When parried enough times, players can actually absorb an enemy’s traits, a concept that is really fascinating and is mostly executed well.
Nearly every Soulslike game punishes button-mashers, but Grime is among the most unforgiving, as the Stamina drains quickly and poor maintenance will leave players seriously vulnerable. However, the combat still favors aggressive play, so it is not a case of just waiting to score an occasional hit. You just need to commit to every action.
Grime 2 also seems very good, but I went with the first as I don’t have that much experience with the sequel.
5
Hollow Knight & Silksong
The Most Famous 2D Metroidvanias To Incorporate Some Soulslike Elements
-
Hollow Knight
- Released
-
February 24, 2017
- ESRB
-
E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
-
Team Cherry
- Publisher(s)
-
Team Cherry
-
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Released
-
September 4, 2025
- ESRB
-
Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
-
Team Cherry
Hollow Knight is one of the most engaging and exciting 2D games of all time. As most Soulslike games share DNA with the Metroidvania genre, it’s no surprise that Hollow Knight excels at both game styles; however, this is one of those cases where the game is a Metroidvania first and a Soulslike second. The world of Hallownest is an erosive, intoxicating world that is phenomenal to explore, and in doing so, the player encounters a host of ferocious enemies and boss battles.
The Best Easy Mode Mods For Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong takes no prisoners, but these easy mode mods might help ease the pain required to survive Team Cherry’s masterpiece.
The tiny little knight that players control is nimble and feels fantastic to control, with a slew of powers and abilities to acquire. Using these powers in tandem with the terrific feedback from combat, a key component of the Soulslike genre, allows Hollow Knight to unfold at a brisk pace. New abilities and magic spells are acquired at perfect intervals, and the stylish, yet dangerous, world of Hallownest is still worth diving into, even after the arrival of the long-awaited Silksong.
Speaking of the sequel, Silksong proved to be worth the wait, delivering another absurdly long campaign that pulls very few punches. The game is, somehow, harder than Hollow Knight, even though Hornet is faster and more aggressive. The combat comes with a steep learning curve since players need to unlearn a few things they picked up from the first title. Even after that, prepare to die and die again.
Hollow Knight and Silksong are the best games on this list, but they are also the least “Soulslike” out of all of them. That’s why they are ranked a bit lower.
4
Salt And Sanctuary
The Journey Of The Saltborn Is One Of The Best 2D Soulslike Games Ever
Salt and Sanctuary expertly combines the elements of Soulslike games and Metroidvanias into one package, resulting in an outstanding effort from Ska Studios. In this dark and dreary world, the player controls the Saltborn on a hostile island filled with dangerous enemies and a looming sense of terror.
Backed by a furious, fast-paced combat system and some brilliant enemy design, the world of Salt and Sanctuary is a treacherous one to explore, but worth the effort. Uncovering its numerous secrets, defeating its numerous bosses, and surviving the harsh reality of the Saltborn’s fate are just a few of the reasons Salt and Sanctuary is still one of the finest 2D action games of its generation. In terms of 2D Soulslikes, it transfers the brutal combat difficulty mixed with in-game storytelling of the genre perfectly.
Salt and Sacrifice is a far more polarizing experience. While I would still recommend trying it if you love Salt and Sanctuary, don’t go in expecting the same game.
3
Blasphemous
Gorgeous 2D Soulslike Explores Ominous World
Taking strong visual influence from Catholic symbolism and Spanish iconography, Blasphemous was developed by The Game Kitchen, a team of 17 people that combined the best elements of the Metroidvania genre with Soulslikes. The world is wonderfully interconnected, and the combat is some of the best seen in a contemporary 2D action game.
Players control The Penitent One, an exile on a quest across the land of Cvstodia as he engages with all manner of nasty monsters and frightening bosses. Blasphemous levels challenge exploration with an expert hand, as the world is filled with a sense of escalating challenge and gives the player all they need to overcome its steep difficulty.
Blasphemous 2 is also fantastic and an easy recommendation for pretty much any Soulslike fan.
2
Ender Lilies: Quietus Of The Knights
A World Cursed By A Deadly Plague Soars As A Brilliant 2D Soulslike Game
Soulslike games tend to take place in desolate worlds, ones devastated by war, famine, or some sort of curse. And within those ominous settings, a stark beauty can emerge, something that Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights pulls off flawlessly. In Ender Lilies, players control a priestess named Lily in Land’s End, a world afflicted with disaster, as she and her faithful knight companion journey to purify the cursed souls of the world.
What makes Ender Lilies and the combat so fulfilling is how it isn’t Lily who is doing the fighting; her spectral knight companion is the one dealing out damage. As the game progresses, the player can gain more spirits that utilize different abilities, and they all feel terrific. This sinister world and the effects of the Blight, a deadly rainfall that turns people mad, are endlessly compelling. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights deftly combines the haunting exploration of a decaying world with tactful combat, and is one of the finest 2D action games on the market today.
1
Nine Sols
If Sekiro Is FromSoftware’s Best Game, Then Nine Sols Is The Best 2D Soulslike
Every other Metroidvania and action RPG seems to take inspiration from Dark Souls, but Nine Sols decided to turn to another FromSoftware masterpiece for inspiration: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Similar to that game, this indie RPG emphasizes timing and parries, forcing players to properly learn an enemy’s rhythm as they seek to deflect and build up QI, which can then be used to deal some serious damage. While everyone will have their favorites, and a parry-first system is certainly not for everybody, Nine Sols arguably has the best combat out of any 2D Soulslike, and that’s the area that matters the most. Fortunately, the game is also fantastic in every other way.
The graphics and world are beautiful and detailed, with some frames being just straight-up jaw-dropping. Fragmented as it might be, the lore is also pretty darn interesting and, also, very typical for a Soulslike, and it is learned organically through exploration and discovery. Nine Sols also has incredible and tough-as-heck bosses that will present a challenge to even the most seasoned players.
15 Best Soulslike Games Easier Than Dark Souls – Updated for 2026
Tired of constant dying? Discover the best Soulslike games easier than Dark Souls in 2026, including new releases like Nioh 3.
