The Soulslike genre is a beautiful and bullishly difficult genre of games. FromSoftware created a monster when it unleashed Demon’s Souls onto the world, and everyone is trying their hand at Soulslike games in 2026.
Trying to explain the joys of playing a Soulslike game must sound like sadism to the uninformed and uninitiated. Souls games offer an unprecedented level of triumph seldom seen in any other type of game, and it’s why they continue to keep coming out. Elden Ring brought the Soulslike genre into the mainstream, and many more are lined up for 2026.
Hardest Soulslikes Releasing That You Must Play In 2026
As with all lists, make room for the possibility of a delay or two. Everything on this list is expected to come out in 2026, and Insider Gaming will have news on any delays or further announcements, like always. Without further ado, these are the 7 games identified as must-play and must-own Souls games in 2026—also known as must-have-spare-controllers-on-standby titles.
Beast of Reinacarnation
Who’d have ever guessed that the primary driving force behind Pokémon games would venture off into a completely different, Soulslike direction? Beast of Reincarnation was fully revealed during the Xbox Developer Direct, and one thing that immediately became apparent was its Soulsy nature. Its beautiful environments could be ripped from Pokémon Sword and Shield or Scarlet and Violet, but its combat veers violently away from tiny elemental creatures to awe-inspiring bosses with a high level of difficulty. Beast of Reincarnation holds a lot of promise and is easily one of 2026’s most intriguing games, let alone Soulslikes.
The Duskbloods
You have Hidetaka Miyazaki to thank for the hours you’ve spent curled up on the couch, unable to beat a Soulslike boss, or dying for the 137th time to a poisonous swamp. Now, FromSoftware’s company president, Miyazaki, and his team have spawned a new potential franchise—The Duskbloods. It’s launching as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, but there’s nothing family-friendly about its action. It changes up the formula slightly with PvPvE action; however, based on what we’ve seen, the gameplay looks as unforgiving as ever.
Nioh 3
It’s so good to have Nioh back. There was nothing wrong with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty or Rise of the Ronin, but Nioh has an unrivalled vibe that hits harder than a One-Eyed Oni who’s just lost his favorite monocle. Patience is certainly KI in Nioh 3, and the third mainline game brings back all the devilishly difficult action that Team Ninja specializes in. Expect a quality product that can go toe-to-toe with any competitor that dares to step up.
Lords of the Fallen 2
If there’s one Soulslike franchise that is still trying to find its breakout moment, it’s probably Lords of the Fallen. It took nine years for Lords of the Fallen to get a sequel, and 2023’s bizarrely also self-titled game was hit and miss with many. Lords of the Fallen 2 looks big, it looks badder (in a good way), and fingers crossed that HEXWORKS has finally found the missing piece of the puzzle in Lords of the Fallen 2.
Mortal Shell 2
Your mileage may vary, but Mortal Shell is seen as a more accessible Souls game. It’s still not easy by any means, and it may have played things a bit safe. Cold Symmetry heard this, took the feedback on board, and came back all guns (more swords in this case) blazing with Mortal Shell 2’s heavy-metal-thumping announcement trailer in June 2025. Gruesome kill animations and a mean attitude could be symptomatic of a game that wants to brush off the Dark Souls comparisons to feel like something fresh and fun.
Valor Mortis
A first-person Soulslike should be a winner on paper. It’s a mystery why no one’s thought to go down this avenue, but developer One More Level is looking to ascend to that next step of greatness, following the energy-charged Ghostrunner games. Insider Gaming sat down for an exclusive hour-long playtest, and as the person who did it, I raved about it and went as far as calling it: “The Most Promising Soulslike in Years.” Its seamless blend of Bioshock-like action and esoteric Soulslike mechanics and principles makes it accessible and equally satisfying and punishing. One of 2026’s hottest prospects lurks beneath the Napoleonic nuances.
The Relic: First Guardian
Speediness and swiftness have been at the heart of a lot of what’s been shown from The Relic: First Guardian. It’s probably gotten the least hype of anything in this list, but that doesn’t mean it won’t deliver. It looks wonderfully atmospheric, and this is your first call to pay attention to it. Who knows, it could be your next Soulslie darling without you ever knowing it.
There are other Soulslike-adjacent games like Phatnom Blade Zero coming out in 2026, but are there any distinct Souls games missing from this list? Head to the free-to-join Insider Gaming Discord Server to let any of the team know!
Please check out the 9 Open-World & RPG Games and 8 Big Shooters Releasing In 2026 for more fun IG lists.
