The best game like Elden Ring depends on what you actually liked about Elden Ring. Some players want another large world where they can choose their route. Others want difficult bosses, mysterious storytelling, character builds, co-op, or the feeling of entering a hostile place with very little explanation.
That distinction matters because no alternative reproduces the entire package. GameSpot's current 2026 list makes the same broad point by mixing Soulslikes, RPGs, and open-world games rather than pretending one title is a direct clone. A useful recommendation should identify the feature match instead of ranking everything by superficial similarity.
Best alternatives at a glance
- Dark Souls III — best if you want FromSoftware combat and bosses in a more directed world.
- Nioh 3 — best if you want difficult action, deep builds, and broader open-field exploration.
- Lies of P — best if you want a focused modern Soulslike with precise defensive timing.
- Lords of the Fallen — best if you want dark fantasy and more campaign-oriented co-op.
- Mortal Shell II — best if you want a compact interconnected open world with a darker, more concentrated scale.
- Remnant II — best if co-op and buildcraft matter more than melee purity.
- Dark Souls Remastered — best if you want the design roots that Elden Ring expanded.
Dark Souls III: closest FromSoftware combat without the open world
Dark Souls III is the obvious next step if Elden Ring's combat, boss design, animation language, stamina management, weapon scaling, and dark fantasy mattered more to you than free-roaming exploration.
The world is far more directed, which changes the difficulty curve. When a boss blocks the main route, there are fewer distant regions to explore for hours. In exchange, pacing is tighter and the sequence of major encounters feels more concentrated.
Players who specifically want the original world-design roots should go even further back to Dark Souls Remastered.
Nioh 3: more systems, faster combat
Nioh 3 is a strong alternative for players who loved difficult encounters and build experimentation but want a much denser combat toolkit. KOEI TECMO's 2026 release lets players switch instantly between Samurai and Ninja styles and explores larger open fields.
It does not recreate Elden Ring's seamless fantasy world. Instead, it trades some geographic wonder for combat complexity, loot optimization, active techniques, and historical Japanese settings. If your favorite part of Elden Ring was experimenting with builds until a boss became manageable, Nioh 3 offers a different but compatible obsession.
Read our Nioh 3 profile for the current release details.
Lies of P: focused modern Soulslike
Lies of P is ideal when you want modern production values, difficult bosses, precise combat, and build experimentation without another enormous map. The official site directly describes it as a Soulslike and emphasizes weapon combinations, Legion Arms, and Krat's Belle Époque-inspired world.
The key difference is route freedom. Lies of P is much more authored and focused, so progression walls must usually be solved rather than bypassed. That can feel harsher or cleaner depending on what you want.
See Lies of P and games like Lies of P for more.
Lords of the Fallen: dark fantasy with stronger co-op options
Lords of the Fallen is useful for players who want dark-fantasy exploration and difficult combat but care more about playing with a friend. Its 2026 co-op update supports shared progression under defined conditions, and Version 2.0 added a Free Friend's Pass.
The two-world Umbral/Axiom structure also gives exploration a distinctive identity. It is not as geographically open as Elden Ring, but it creates alternate routes and environmental puzzles through overlapping realms.
If friend play is the main reason you are looking for an alternative, start with co-op Soulslike games.
Mortal Shell II: compact open-world alternative
Playstack describes Mortal Shell II as an interconnected open world that is deliberately compact. That makes it a good choice for players who liked Elden Ring's freedom but do not want another map designed around dozens of hours of wandering.
The sequel keeps the idea of possessing different Shells and expands weapons, sidearms, dungeons, and exploration. Combat is also unrestricted by stamina, so it deliberately changes one of the conventions most associated with Souls-style play.
This is a useful reminder that a good Elden Ring alternative does not need to imitate every mechanic.
Remnant II: co-op and buildcraft with guns
Remnant II is the recommendation for players who enjoyed Elden Ring with friends and are willing to replace melee-first fantasy combat with a mix of ranged and close combat. Gunfire Games describes solo or three-person co-op, dynamically generated worlds, bosses, branching quest lines, loot, and Archetype builds.
Its structure is more replay-oriented and procedural, but the process of learning dangerous enemies, preparing builds, and cooperating against bosses can feel familiar.
Dark Souls Remastered: play the foundation
If Elden Ring was your first FromSoftware game, Dark Souls Remastered is valuable because it shows what the open world expanded from. Lordran is smaller and more interconnected, with shortcuts and layered routes replacing vast fields.
The result is a different kind of exploration: less about choosing a distant horizon and more about realizing that two places you thought were far apart are connected by one door or elevator.
Use games like Dark Souls after that if this denser structure becomes your preference.
Which Elden Ring feature should guide your choice?
Choose by the feature you want to preserve. For open exploration, compare Nioh 3 and Mortal Shell II. For FromSoftware combat and bosses, choose Dark Souls III or Dark Souls Remastered. For focused modern Soulslike design, choose Lies of P. For co-op, compare Lords of the Fallen and Remnant II.
If you simply want the strongest games across the whole category, use best Soulslike games. If open-world structure itself is the requirement, use open-world Soulslike games.
