DARK SOULS™ II similar games & best alternatives

DARK SOULS™ II - Trailer
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DARK SOULS™ II

PlayStation 3, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox 360 • 2014

Should you play it?

Developed by FROM SOFTWARE, DARK SOULS™ II is the highly anticipated sequel to the gruelling 2011 breakout hit Dark Souls. The unique old-school action RPG experience captivated imaginations of gamers worldwide with incredible challenge and intense emotional reward.

What works

  • Challenging and rewarding combat
  • Deep character customization and builds
  • Large, detailed world with secrets
  • Engaging multiplayer co-op and pvp
  • High replay value and long playtime

Things to keep in mind

  • Steep learning curve and difficulty may frustrate
  • Some technical issues and hitbox inconsistencies
  • Story and lore are obscure and fragmented
  • Enemy placement can feel unfair at times
  • Pc controls less intuitive without gamepad

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • DARK SOULS™ III

  • DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED

  • DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin

  • STALZONE

  • Nioh: Complete Edition

  • Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition

More relaxing

Games that feels like DARK SOULS™ II but with a more relaxing feel

  • Monster Hunter: World

  • The Elder Scrolls® Online

  • Dungeons of Sundaria

  • MONSTER HUNTER RISE

  • Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

  • Borderlands 2

Less competitive

Games that feels like DARK SOULS™ II but with less competition against others

  • Risen 2: Dark Waters

  • REMNANT II®

  • Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

  • Hunted: The Demon’s Forge™

  • Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide

  • Grimlord

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • DARK SOULS™ III

  • DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED

  • DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin

  • ELDEN RING

  • ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with DARK SOULS™ II. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with DARK SOULS™ II. These titles are not in What to play next.

DARK SOULS™ II: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Status, Fellowship, Domination. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Exploration, Story. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

Last update: 21/08/2026