This year was a big one for Soulslikes. Fans of the burgeoning subgenre ate spectacularly well in 2023, with more new Soulslikes launching than any year prior, and there were some absolute bangers in the mix.
While some releases were smoother than others, all the Soulslikes on this list are worth playing and will likely be enjoyed by Souls fans for years to come. Whether you’re a die-hard Estus enjoyer or a fresh-faced newcomer to the genre, these 2023 Soulslikes are all worth checking out.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
Jedi Survivor launched in April 2023, and it improves upon 2019’s Jedi Fallen Order in almost every way. Respawn Entertainment’s first entry to the Soulslike space surprised everyone with its remarkably competent (albeit simple) approach to the formula, and the sequel is more of the same, but bigger and bolder than before.
The plot picks up five years after the first and follows protagonist Cal Kestis, now a Jedi Knight instead of a Padawan, on a galactic quest spanning six explorable worlds. Jedi Survivor’s planets are far bigger than Fallen Order’s, and you get a handful of fun, new traversal options, like mounts and a grappling hook. Combat is better in the sequel, too, with two new weapon options to spice things up, including my personal favorite, the Crossguard stance. Cal swings his Lightsaber like a heavy greatsword to deal devastating damage, just like Kylo Ren from the new film trilogy. It’s perfect for fans of the Dark Souls claymore like me.
On the whole, Jedi Survivor is a well-crafted experience tailor-made for Star Wars fans and Souls beginners. It’s an easily accessible, story-driven adventure packed with impressive set pieces and memorable moments. Anyone can pick up and enjoy Jedi Survivor, but die-hard Souls fans might want more of a challenge.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
If it’s challenge you seek, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty could be the Soulslike for you. This action-packed arcade-style Soulslike from Ninja Gaiden and Nioh developer Team Ninja launched in March 2023 and offers short, snappy missions with challenging combat and brutally difficult boss encounters. It’s perfect for anyone who loves Souls games for their ruthless difficulty, but isn’t fussed about having a large, interconnected world to explore.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a stylish setting based on Chinese mythology, and while there isn’t much in the way of exploration, the monstrous bosses are the real stars of the show. The tutorial boss, Zhang Liang, is a formidable foe and a significant roadblock for most players, but it’s a rite of passage; you need to master dodging and parrying to overcome the fight, and once you do, you’ll be ready for the rest of the game.
With 16 main missions across seven chapters, Wo Long is an enjoyable experience in a modest-sized package. It’s shorter than Nioh 2 and most other Soulslikes, and while there’s a decent amount of character and build customization, don’t expect anything groundbreaking. Above all, if you enjoy combat that rewards quick reactions and love pulling off perfect parries in Bloodborne, Sekiro, or Lies of P, you’ll long for Wo Long.
Remnant 2
Remnant 2 is an explosively fun third-person shooter that owes much of its success to the Souls series. Releasing to an overwhelmingly positive reception in July 2023, Remnant 2 offers precise and satisfying gunplay, challenging boss battles that are far more than just bullet sponges, and seamless co-op that’s a blast to play with friends.
From developer Gunfire Games, Remnant 2 is great fun for Souls and shooter fans alike. It expertly weaves Souls elements with classic gunplay to great effect: You get a dodge roll with i-frames (that you’ll rely on to survive), limited healing items that replenish when you rest at checkpoints (but resting also respawns enemies), and weapons you’ll upgrade with limited resources sparsely scattered around the world. It all feels very close to home, with enough freshness to keep me wanting more.
Remnant 2 doesn’t just carbon-copy Souls games’ systems; it introduces its own twists, with randomly generated worlds that change every playthrough, comprising two distinct storylines with unique bosses for each of the three main biomes. On top of this, there are 11 Archetypes to choose from and dozens of viable weapons, mods, rings, and amulets. All this considered, Remnant 2 offers impressively deep customization and endless replayability that will retain its relevance for years to come, so it’s absolutely worth picking up if you enjoy Souls games, shooters, or anything in between.
Lords of the Fallen
Lords of the Fallen is my personal favorite Soulslike and probably my game of the year. That said, I recognize not everyone had the same glowingly positive experience I did, especially in the weeks following Lords of the Fallen’s shaky launch in October 2023.
First things first: Developer Hexworks expertly crafted a sprawling, interconnected world the likes of which we haven’t seen since the original Dark Souls, and it deserves to be recognized. Lords of the Fallen’s two parallel worlds, Axiom and Umbral, add a brilliant twist to exploration that makes Mournstead intriguing to explore and exciting to conquer. There are secrets to discover and shortcuts to unlock at every turn, and a surprising number of routes connect to the hub area, Skyrest Bridge, in a way that’s pleasantly reminiscent of Dark Souls’ Firelink Shrine.
It’s enormously rewarding to progress through Lords of the Fallen’s world, and it helps that combat is crunchy and responsive. Melee weapons, ranged weapons, and spells are all totally viable, and there are dozens of weapons to find with unique movesets. A recent patch even added new abilities to boss weapons. All things considered, Lords of the Fallen is, in my opinion, the best Souls game since the original Dark Souls, and that’s a hill I’ll die on.
But it’s impossible not to mention the issues that plagued many players at launch. Severe frame drops and crashes were the icing on the cake. Many players also reported losing their save files and even having their game soft-locked due to Lords of the Fallen’s egregious glitches. Hexworks’ efforts to fix the game are commendable, as the developer was quick to respond to community complaints with frequent balance changes and bug fixes, and is still releasing regular patches at the time of writing. Even so, Lords of the Fallen still has a few issues that need ironing out, especially given recent patches introduced new problems.
If you’re an old-school Souls fan like me and loved the world design of the original Dark Souls, don’t skip Lords of the Fallen. But if you’re after a refined Souls experience that’s polished from start to finish, there’s another game that you absolutely shouldn’t miss.
Lies of P
Lies of P is the best Soulslike of the year and arguably the best Soulslike ever made by a developer other than FromSoftware. Released in September 2023, the game is brilliantly polished, with a beautifully detailed world, crisp animations, and precise combat that feels responsive and satisfying.
Throughout your journey, you’ll battle frenzied puppets rampaging through the streets of Krat, a towering gothic city reminiscent of Bloodborne’s Yharnam. Krat is expertly designed and thick with atmosphere, but it’s Lies of P’s peculiar plot—a grimdark retelling of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio—that truly brings the world to life. While exploring Krat, you’ll face unforgiving enemies and ruthlessly aggressive bosses that put your reflexes to the test. Lies of P certainly isn’t for the faint of heart; Most bosses easily took me at least a dozen attempts to overcome, and I’ll confidently say Lies of P is the hardest Soulslike out there.
But Lies of P’s ruthless difficulty only makes overcoming the challenge more rewarding. It helps that you have plenty of options in combat. Parrying is your best defensive option, but dodging and blocking are viable, too. Lies of P also offers a unique weapon assembly system where you can mix and match weapon heads and handles to combine the moveset and abilities of both, as well as awesome Sekiro-style prosthetic arm attachments that can turn the tides of battle, like a grappling hook, an explosive shield, or a flamethrower.
With brutally challenging boss fights, satisfyingly precise combat, and a gorgeous gothic setting, Lies of P raised the bar for Soulslikes and is nothing short of a remarkable achievement from developer Round8 Studio. Lies of P absolutely earned its place as Dot Esports’ best Soulslike of 2023.
