The 10 best FromSoftware games for those craving crushing defeats

Here you'll find our list dedicated to ranking the best FromSoftware games of all-time.

Delivering up some of the most challenging experiences around, FromSoftware gave rise to a new subgenre that's gone on to inspire some truly inventive souslikes from other developers - Lies of P and the latest Nioh entry being prime examples (you can learn more about that one in our Nioh 3 review.

But FromSoftware has brought us a vast lineup of satisfying adventures over the years that will test your skills. With some of the most memorable boss battles, curious world settings, and deep progression systems, the studio is responsible for releasing some of the best action games of past and present console generations. Happily, we're set to see more new games in the future, with the upcoming Switch 2 game, The Duskbloods (which is giving us some Bloodborne vibes). But for the best FromSoftware games we've already seen, read on below to discover our ranking.

The best FromSoftware games to play today, starting with...

10. Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors 

Platform(s): Xbox, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Released: 2003

"After a thousand years, the Great Seal was broken. The capital fell prey to the demons of the outside world." The opening spiel of Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors definitely sounds like something pulled from the realm of Dark Souls, as do the game's hack-and-slash action-RPG combat mechanics and its themes of salvation by way of light and dark worlds.

Released in 2003 in Japan (2004 in the US; 2005 in Europe), the original Xbox's Otogi series was a low-key forerunner to, and a clear inspiration for, FromSoftware's more defined dark fantasy games the studio is now famous for. Available today for the Xbox Series X via backward compatibility, Otogi 2 is worth a gander – if for nothing else but to understand the trail blazed by FromSoft over the last 20 years. Step into new worlds with our list of the best RPGs of all time.

9. Armored Core 2

Platform(s): PS2
Released: 2000

Before FromSoftware was best known for Dark Souls, it was the studio best known for Armored Core. Launched in 1997 for the PSOne, the first Armored Core combined the myriad customization options available in Dynamix's MechWarrior with the 3D arcadey third-person shooting mechanics that were popular in mech fighting games at the tail-end of the 20th century.

Following the original's two standalone expansions, Project Phantasma and Master of Arena, Armored Core 2 carried the blueprint into the PS2 era to great effect. It's a prettier, more sophisticated third-person mech shooter than its forerunners, where completing contracts, earning loads of cash, and customizing your mech to make steps one and two easier is the name of the game. With five main series entries and close to 20 spin-offs and expansions, 2000's Armored Core 2 stands above the rest. Check out our ranking of the best PS2 games for more recommendations.

8. Elden Ring Nightreign

Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
Released: 2025

Following up from the success of the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, which rounded out the experience in the Living Lands, Elden Ring Nightreign entered the soulslike landscape as a standalone online co-op adventure set in the Elden Ring universe. That's right, Nightreign lets you team up with two other players as you take on the dangers of the night and its ever-changing challenges.

With eight different heroes known as Nightfarers to take on the role of, each has their own unique powers, with different passive abilities, characters skills, and ultimate's that reflect their background. With them completing each other in different ways, you can synergize with your teammates to become formidable against your enemies. For more, check out our Elden Ring Nightreign review.

7. Demon's Souls 

Platform(s): PS3, PS5
Released: 2009

The cult classic-turned-remaster-worthy game responsible for FromSoftware's modern fame. Demon's Souls is Dark Souls but a little rougher around the edges, a little less fleshed out, and a little more bounce-your-controller-off-the-wall challenging.

Still, it's a wonderful action RPG with memorable boss fights and twisted baddies – you will never forget your first encounter with the Tower of Latria's Mind Flayers – that will keep you on your toes from the moment you enter the Nexus to your final meeting with Old King Allant. Released in 2009 as a PS3 exclusive, Demon's Souls was given a wonderful remaster by Bluehole, a PS5 launch title in late 2020. Read our Demon's Souls review for more details!

6. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice 

Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Released: 2019

Dark Souls, but with stealth, katanas, and set in 17th century Japan, is one hell of a sell – so much so, in fact, living it up to it could have gone either way. Luckily, Sekiro delivers, because not only is it one of FromSoftware's best games, it's one of the best stealth games of all time.

It pulls on history, pop culture, and prior video game interpretations of the era effortlessly, in turn becoming one of FromSoft's most accessible games, which, in turn, has seen it become an inadvertent gateway to the wider Dark Souls series for many players. Series veterans, on the other hand, are given new challenges by way of Sekiro's traversal system which can be used in combat and stealth mode. For more information check out our Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review.

5. Dark Souls 2

Platform(s): PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Released: 2014

Viewed by some as the runt of the Dark Souls litter, Dark Souls 2 is the only Souls series game (including Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro) not to be directed by FromSoftware head honcho Hidetaka Miyazaki. As such, noticeable differences against its counterparts include a sprawling, less coherent, but nevertheless gorgeous map.

There's a more open-ended level structure that's, in turn, more inviting for newcomers and slower-paced combat, which can help or hinder players depending on the circumstances. Dark Souls 2's new console cycle variation, Scholar of the First Sin, corrected a lot of the original game's flaws, and it must be said Looking Glass Knight is one of the best bosses in the entire series. Read our Dark Souls 2 review for more insights into this must-play.

4. Dark Souls 3

Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Released: 2016

With Hidetaka Miyazaki back at the helm of development (having skipped Dark Souls 2 in favor of Bloodborne), Dark Souls 3 is a proper sequel to the original Dark Souls. Not just from a lore perspective but also from a technical one, Dark Souls 3 improves on just about every element in its switch from Lordan to Lothric.

It's faster, smarter, prettier, and more confident in itself – emboldened by everything that's come before it in Dark Souls, and the darker, Lovecraftian path tread by Bloodborne. Its bosses are predictably merciless, and its two DLC packs – Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City – are both beautiful and brutal, the latter of which is a fine conclusion to the looped universe that never ends. Check out our Dark Souls 3 review if you want to learn more.

3. Bloodborne 

Platform(s): PS4
Released: 2015

Surely FromSoftware's most twisted trek into the action-role playing trenches, Bloodborne is Dark Souls meets Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Whereas in Dark Souls, the souls and essence of fallen creatures are the lifeblood of the world, blood is the currency here in Yharnam.

Aesthetically darker and mechanically sharper, Bloodborne forces a more offensive play style on its players by effectively removing shields entirely and, in the most twisted design decision of all, replacing them with firearms used exclusively for parrying and not dealing damage. From Father Gascoigne to Vicar Amelia and Micolash, Host of the Nightmare, Bloodborne's terrors will stay with you for a very long time. Tired of hoping for Bloodborne 2? Read our Bloodborne review in the meantime.

2. Dark Souls 

Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (PS4, Xbox One: Remastered)
Released: 2011

For the sake of this list's structure, I'm slotting Dark Souls in at number 2, but, in all honesty, I think Dark Souls and Elden Ring are neck-and-neck. Dark Souls was a game-changer upon release in 2011. A sleeper hit that became a cult classic, then evolved into a trendsetter that was eventually voted the greatest video game of all time at the 2021 Golden Joystick Awards.

All of this is owed to its enchanting fantasy world, its masterful level design, its bastard-hard bosses, and its ambiguous lore that demands you overturn every rock and crystal lizard from here to Anor Londo in order to unlock its darkest secrets. With a great PvP scene – that's still active today thanks to 2018's remaster – and a slice of DLC that houses some of the series' most iconic antagonists, it's no wonder we're still talking about Dark Souls over a decade since launch. Don't be surprised if we're still talking about it in another 10 years' time. For more on this iconic title, check out our Dark Souls review.

1. Elden Ring

Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Released: 2022

"Suffering has never been so much fun," so reads our five-star Elden Ring review, which tells you everything to know about the latest of FromSoftware's twisted action RPGs. The biggest, weirdest, most outlandish, and most ambitious game the Japanese developer has ever created – this time with advice from Game of Thrones mastermind George RR Martin – Elden Ring takes everything Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team have learned since Demon's Souls in 2009 and expands on it.

If Dark Souls birthed the Soulslike genre, Elden Ring defines it. Elden Ring isn't just the best FromSoftware game, but it's also one of the best open world games ever made. It's also still going strong, as it's been confirmed to be heading to more platforms soon. The new Elden Ring Tarnished Edition is set to hit the Switch 2 sometime in 2026. So, keep your eyes peeled!

Want even more FromSoftware alikes in your life? Check out the best games like Dark Souls. Or for the most recent FromSoftware verdict, head over to our Elden Ring Nightreign review.