Games to Play If You Liked Elden Ring

Elden Ring is one of those games that sits in your brain long after the credits roll. The mix of brutal combat, strange lore, huge bosses, and a world that feels mysterious instead of overexplained is hard to replace. Once you finish it, everything else can feel a little flat.

The good news is that there are other games that scratch similar itches in different ways. Some double down on punishing combat and boss design. Others lean into exploration, worldbuilding, or atmosphere. None of them are one-to-one replacements, but each of these games offers something that Elden Ring fans will recognize and appreciate.

If you loved wandering the Lands Between, experimenting with builds, and slowly mastering fights that felt impossible at first, these are the games you should look at next.

Dark Souls Trilogy

If Elden Ring was your first FromSoftware game, the Dark Souls trilogy is the most obvious next step and still one of the best. The three games share the same overall DNA, but each feels distinct enough that it is worth playing all of them, especially if you enjoyed different parts of Elden Ring for different reasons.

Dark Souls is the closest match in terms of world structure. Its world is interconnected in a way that feels almost impossible by modern standards. Areas loop back into each other, shortcuts fold the map into a tight knot, and exploring has a strong sense of discovery. If you liked stumbling into late-game zones early in Elden Ring or finding hidden paths around tough enemies, Dark Souls 1 will feel surprisingly familiar. The combat is slower and more deliberate, and the jank shows its age, but the level design is still outstanding.

Dark Souls II is the odd one out. The world is more segmented, and some systems feel experimental. That said, it has a strange charm and some of the best build variety in the series. If you loved messing around with weird weapons or off-meta builds in Elden Ring, Dark Souls 2 gives you a lot of room to do that again. It can be messy, but it is interesting in a way few games are.

Dark Souls III is the most polished and the closest to Elden Ring in how it feels moment to moment. The combat is faster and more aggressive, and the bosses are large, flashy, and relentless. If what you enjoyed most about Elden Ring was the feel of the later bosses and the fluidity of combat, Dark Souls 3 will probably be your favorite in the trilogy.

Taken together, the Dark Souls games let you see how FromSoftware arrived at Elden Ring, step by step. You will recognize animations, sound effects, and design ideas all the way through.

Bloodborne

If you wished Elden Ring was even more aggressive and even stranger, Bloodborne is the one to play. It trades fantasy knights and dragons for gothic horror, body horror, and cosmic nightmares. The tone is very different, but the foundations are similar.

Bloodborne pushes you to play faster and more offensively than Elden Ring. There are no shields to hide behind in the traditional sense, and the rally system encourages you to hit back immediately after taking damage to regain health. It feels harsher at first, but once it clicks, it is one of the most satisfying combat systems FromSoftware has made.

The world design is tighter and more focused than Elden Ring, but it still has secrets, shortcuts, and hidden areas everywhere. The lore is layered and obscure in the same way Elden Ring’s is, but with a stronger horror flavor. If you enjoyed wandering into areas in Elden Ring that felt wrong, unsettling, or out of your depth, Bloodborne delivers that feeling constantly.

It is also not a massive time sink by modern standards. If you want something dense, intense, and unforgettable, this is a must play.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro is the most mechanically demanding game on this list, and that includes Elden Ring. Where Elden Ring lets you adjust the difficulty through builds, summons, and playstyle, Sekiro expects you to get good in a very specific way. There is no leveling your way out of a problem. You have to learn enemy patterns, master parries, and commit to the posture system.

So why is it here for Elden Ring fans? Because when it clicks, Sekiro offers some of the best combat in any action game. If you enjoyed the feeling of finally mastering a tough Elden Ring boss after many attempts, Sekiro builds an entire game around that kind of payoff. The fights are fast and intense, but also fair once you understand what is happening.

The world is smaller and more linear than Elden Ring, but still has branching paths and optional areas. The story is more direct, but the background details and worldbuilding have that same FromSoftware flavor. The key difference is that Sekiro is about being one character, with one core playstyle, expressed at a very high level.

If you enjoyed Elden Ring most for its challenge and boss fights rather than its build variety, Sekiro should be high on your list.

Demon’s Souls (PS5 Remake)

The PS5 remake of Demon’s Souls is a great pick if you want something that feels like a time capsule and a modern game at the same time. It is FromSoftware’s earliest Souls formula, but dressed up in some of the best visuals on the console.

The structure is different from Elden Ring. Instead of one continuous open world, Demon’s Souls uses a hub area with separate worlds you enter through archstones. Each world has its own style, enemies, and tone. If you liked the idea of Elden Ring’s legacy dungeons more than the open fields, Demon’s Souls is almost entirely built around that kind of structured level design.

The combat feels closer to Dark Souls 1. It is slower and a bit clunky at times, but it also rewards careful play and planning. Some of the bosses are relatively simple by modern standards, but others still hold up as great fights. The atmosphere is strong throughout, with moody lighting and eerie sound design that give the game a heavy, oppressive tone.

Demon’s Souls is worth playing if you want to see where this whole style really took shape and you are okay with some rough edges beneath a very shiny new coat of paint.

Lies of P

Lies of P is one of the best non FromSoftware takes on the Souls formula so far. It borrows heavily from Bloodborne’s pacing and attitude, but gives everything a unique puppet filled twist. The setting is a dark, twisted version of Pinocchio, with a city overrun by murderous automatons and strange monsters.

The combat is precise and relies heavily on parries, stamina management, and learning boss patterns. It is closer to a blend of Sekiro and Bloodborne than it is to Elden Ring. If you enjoyed the more aggressive melee builds in Elden Ring, you will probably feel comfortable here.

What makes Lies of P stand out is how confident it feels. The level design is tight, the progression feels fair, and the boss fights are memorable. It captures that feeling of slowly improving over multiple attempts and finally overcoming something that seemed impossible the first time. It also tells a more direct story than most Souls-likes, but still leaves room for mystery.

If you are looking for a modern game that proves other studios can handle this style well, Lies of P is easy to recommend.

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight looks very different from Elden Ring at first glance. It is a 2D side scroller instead of a third person 3D action RPG. But once you get into it, the similarities become clear. It has a large interconnected world, tough but fair combat, hidden paths everywhere, and lore that is mostly implied rather than explained.

Combat is simple to learn and tricky to master. You have a basic melee attack, a jump, and a dodge, and over time you unlock spells and movement upgrades that open up new strategies. Boss fights are fast and pattern heavy. If you enjoyed Elden Ring boss fights that were about learning sequences and finding safe windows to attack, Hollow Knight offers that in a more compact and focused way.

The real draw is the world. Hallownest feels like a 2D version of the Lands Between, full of strange characters, quiet tragedy, and long forgotten ruins. Exploration is rewarding, sometimes intimidating, and constantly surprising. Hollow Knight is also long, especially if you go for optional bosses and endings, so it fits well if you only pick up a few games a year.

Monster Hunter: World

Monster Hunter: World is a great choice if your favorite part of Elden Ring was fighting huge bosses and experimenting with different weapons. The structure is different. You take on hunts instead of roaming a continuous world, and the story is thin. But in terms of learning enemy moves, adapting your gear, and hitting that point where difficult fights suddenly feel manageable, it is very similar.

Each weapon in Monster Hunter: World is almost like its own mini game. The difference between a greatsword, a bow, and insect glaive is huge, and each has depth that can take dozens of hours to really learn. If you enjoyed trying different builds, weapons, and ashes of war in Elden Ring, Monster Hunter rewards that kind of curiosity.

Fights are long, tactical, and full of moments where you barely scrape by or turn things around at the last second. There is a co op angle too. If Elden Ring’s occasional summons and co op made you wish for more shared experiences, Monster Hunter: World does that very well.

It is less about story and more about systems and mastery, but for players who enjoy that loop, it is extremely satisfying.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 is not a Souls-like and does not try to be one, but it still belongs on this list for Elden Ring players. If you loved Elden Ring’s feeling of wandering into strange places and meeting odd, memorable characters, The Witcher 3 gives you that in a more narrative driven form.

Combat is serviceable rather than the main draw, but it still rewards preparation and understanding enemy weaknesses. You have signs, potions, oils, and bombs, and using them well makes fights feel more tactical. On higher difficulties, you cannot just spam attacks and hope for the best, which should feel familiar coming from Elden Ring.

Where The Witcher 3 really shines is its quests and worldbuilding. Side quests often turn into full stories, and the writing holds up across the board. If you want something with a strong narrative backbone and a world that feels rich and lived in, this is one of the best options out there.

Shadow of the Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus is all boss fights, but those fights treat the boss itself as the level. There are no mobs to grind and no dungeons to clear. Instead, every encounter is a puzzle, a climb, and a battle all at once. You explore a quiet, almost empty world between colossi, which gives the whole game a lonely, dreamlike feeling.

For Elden Ring fans, the appeal is in the scale and the tone. The colossi are enormous, the music is haunting, and the story is told with very few words. It is about mood and weight more than systems and stats. The controls can feel clumsy by modern standards, but the experience still lands.

If the parts of Elden Ring that stuck with you most were the big bosses and the feeling of standing in front of something impossibly huge, Shadow of the Colossus is worth playing at least once.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes a different path from Elden Ring, but there is still overlap. It focuses on party based combat, climbing large enemies, and building a character that feels uniquely yours. The vocations system lets you swap roles, mix styles, and try new approaches as you go.

The fights can feel chaotic, but in a good way. You can cling to griffins as they take off, blow up weak points with spells, or coordinate attacks with your pawns. It is less precise than a Souls game, but makes up for it with wild, unexpected moments.

Exploration is also a big part of the experience. The world has hidden encounters, tough enemies that show up without warning, and side areas that feel rewarding to discover. It is not trying to be Elden Ring, but if you want another big fantasy game where combat and exploration feel dangerous and alive, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a strong pick.

Closing Thoughts

Elden Ring is a hard game to follow because it offers such a rare combination of challenge, freedom, discovery, and atmosphere. Very few games capture all of those elements at once, but the ones on this list each tap into something that made Elden Ring special. Some emphasize exploration, some focus on combat mastery, and others aim for that same sense of mystery and scale. None of them replace Elden Ring, but each offers a path forward for players who want more of what FromSoftware delivered.

Whether you want to refine your skills with the precision of Sekiro, lose yourself in a vast world like The Witcher 3, or chase that feeling of awe from Shadow of the Colossus, there are incredible adventures waiting. Elden Ring set a high bar, but it also opened the door for more players to explore demanding and rewarding games. If you are looking for your next journey, any of these titles will give you a challenge worth overcoming.