Highlights

  • Over the years, FromSoftware has focused on perfecting its own IPs, resulting in the successful niche of Souls games and the creation of the "Souls" genre as a whole.
  • Seven distinct Souls games directly developed by FromSoftware have influenced many other Soulslike titles, but we look at which of the original FromSoft games are the best.
  • These games are monumentally polished experiences, giving them a strong replay factor and ensuring long-lasting popularity.

Following the release of Demon's Souls, FromSoftware gradually shifted away from work on other publisher's pre-existing IPs and more towards perfecting and maintaining its own, immediately successful niche: Souls games. Not counting remakes and re-releases, there have been seven distinct Souls games directly developed by FromSoftware - and dozens, if not hundreds, of other Soulslikes that were influenced by the studio's work.

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Ranking these titles is no easy task, as it should be noted up front that even the "worst" of the titles on this list are still widely considered to be some of the best games ever made - which is a roundabout way of saying "please don't get mad at me if your favorites are in the bottom spots".

Updated February 27, 2024 by Marco Vito Oddo: FromSoftware games keep mesmerizing us all due to their satisfying gameplay, deep lore, and inventive approach to multiplayer features. Every single game released by FromSoftware since Demon's Souls is well worth your time and justifies the cult following that the studio gathered over the years.

All of the Soulsborne titles are incredibly polished and filled with secrets, meaning there's always something new for you to find when revisiting them. This replay factor is one of the many reasons why the Soulsborne series stands the test of time.

7 Dark Souls 2

Dark Souls 2

Platform(s)
PS4 , PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC , Xbox One
Released
March 11, 2014
Developer(s)
From Software
Publisher(s)
Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software

Dark Souls 2 has always been the odd one out when it comes to FromSoftware's Souls series, but it's more than fair to say that some of the hate it gets is a little too harsh. A lot of the criticisms people have of the game are relatively superficial, like, for instance, how some of its shortcomings are blamed on Hidetaka Miyazaki's supposed lack of involvement in crafting its world and lore.

Some of the criticism is more than justified, however, such as the janky hitboxes, the eight-directional movement system (compared to both DS1 and DS3's 360-degree movement system), a higher focus on mobs of enemies ganging up on the player, and the unforgivable sin of tying the iframes in your dodge roll to a specific stat. That being said, it really speaks volumes to the quality of FromSoft's work that this is the lowest entry on this list, especially considering it has an overwhelmingly positive critical reception.

Dark Souls 2's Scholar of the First Sin version includes all three wonderful DLC packages and unlocks 60 FPS, against the 30 FPS of the original release.

6 Demon's Souls

Demon's Souls

Platform(s)
PS5
Released
November 12, 2020
Developer(s)
Bluepoint Games
Publisher(s)
Sony

When it first released back in 2009, Miyazaki and the team at FromSoftware were terrified that Demon's Souls was going to be a commercial bomb and produced a limited run. Even though sales were slow immediately following its release, the critical reception of the game and word of mouth caused it to sell out when sales numbers swiftly began to increase.

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Of course, the rest is history: Demon's Souls' critical acclaim at launch led to the game being a runaway hit, and as a result of its popularity, an entire new genre of game was born. While it could be argued it deserves a higher spot on this list for that feat alone, some of Demon's Souls' mechanics do seem a little dated compared to its successors. If we were referring to the Demon's Souls remake on PS5, that would likely have taken a higher spot on this list - but FromSoftware didn't directly assist in its development, so that alone excludes it from being considered.

5 Dark Souls

Dark Souls

Platform(s)
PS3 , PS4 , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Switch , PC
Released
September 22, 2011
Developer(s)
From Software
Publisher(s)
Namco Bandai

Whilst Demon's Souls is considered the first, true Souls game, Dark Souls is considered to be the perfected blueprint that truly solidified the genre in the gaming zeitgeist. As stated by Miyazaki himself, the development of Demon's Souls was extremely troubled during its early stages, and as a result several ideas were scrapped and a lot of development time was wasted. When it came to developing Dark Souls, FromSoftware was more organized, and the team felt galvanized by the surprise success of its predecessor.

Dark Souls went on to sell more than twice as many copies as the original Demon's Souls, bringing the Souls genre into the mainstream. It's hard not to see Dark Souls as an improvement over Demon's Souls in almost every single way, due in no small part to its streamlined development process. More obvious improvements to its graphics and sound design were paired with welcome updates to the Souls genre's system mechanics, like improved range of movement and an increased variety in potential character builds.

The Remastered version of the first Dark Souls kept the gameplay mostly intact while fixing the original game's connectivity issues. Since that was the biggest problem at Dark Soul's 2011 launch, you can now enjoy every aspect of the game with the Remastered version.

4 Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls 3

Platform(s)
PS4 , Xbox One , PC
Released
March 24, 2016
Developer(s)
From Software
Publisher(s)
Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software

If the changes made to the series' formula in Dark Souls 2 are considered to be too risky and polarizing, then Dark Souls 3 is arguably its complete opposite - a game that seeks to improve upon everything the original Dark Souls did right, whilst changing very little in regard to its system mechanics in the process. Now, that might initially sound negative, but it's not at number three on this list for no reason.

The original Dark Souls was lauded for making necessary updates and changes to the groundwork that Demon's Souls had laid, so FromSoftware decided to take what it learned from the initial player reception to Dark Souls 2 and simply improve upon its winning formula. Surprising absolutely no-one, this led to stellar reviews and ridiculously high sales numbers.

3 Bloodborne

Bloodborne

Platform(s)
PS4
Released
March 24, 2015
Developer(s)
From Software
Publisher(s)
Sony

It's rare that a game, or any piece of media for that matter, is somehow so popular and revered yet simultaneously gets to enjoy being labeled as a "cult classic". In Bloodborne's case, that label does fit, as it's difficult to think of a fanbase more passionate and as outspoken as Bloodborne's. It's not hard to see why, as very few games can compare to it both mechanically and stylistically.

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The striking, grimdark world that Bloodborne is set in distinguishes it from all of FromSoftware's other Souls titles - which is impressive considering the Souls titles aren't exactly known for being upbeat and cheery. In addition, while using the Dark Souls' formula of checkpoints and an interconnected semi-open world, Bloodborne creates its own action system based on high-agressivity instead of careful play.

2 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Platform(s)
PS4 , PC , Xbox One
Released
March 22, 2019
Developer(s)
From Software
Publisher(s)
Activision

Compared to every other entry on this list, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the least Souls-like Souls game by quite a considerable margin. While the Soulsborne series is acnhored on a action RPG gameplay, Sekiro completely drops the RPG elements in favor of the best action system ever created. For that reason, some people might not even count it as part of the Soulsborne series. However, the use of checkpoints, the punishment for death, and most importantly the deep exploration of a interconnected world are still there, bringing it closer to the Dark Souls formula.

While the absence of character customization might prevent you from replaying the game in a whole different fashion, by knowing the equipment every player will have, FromSoftware was able to create the best boss battles ever. Each boss is fine-tuned to the precise dance of swords of Sekiro, something that wouldn't be possible if you completely change your build. So, even if Sekiro doesn't hold the same replay value as other Soulsborne titles, it arguably offers the most thrilling boss battles in the series.

1 Elden Ring

Elden Ring

Released
February 25, 2022
Developer(s)
From Software
Publisher(s)
Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software

Elden Ring is everything people have come to love about the Souls genre, perfectly applied to an open world. Thanks to universally positive review scores, the game has won basically every video game award known to man and had stellar sales, surpassing every other title in the series. Furthermore, the game is huge and takes hundreds of hours to fully explore.

A staggering amount of content paired with an incredible focus on its detail and lore has made Elden Ring infinitely replayable. The most impressive thing about Elden Ring is that even though the public's expectations for the title were unfathomably massive leading up to its release, somehow FromSoftware managed to exceed said anticipations and deliver a title many, justifiably, already consider one of the greatest games ever made.

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