Elden Ring took the world by storm, selling more copies in a month than Fromsoft’s previous best seller Dark Souls 3. It may have been the brutal combat, the adrenaline after besting a boss, or perhaps the beautiful views the Lands Between has to offer.
Elden Ring had a bit of everything, so finding a replacement is nearly impossible. Luckily, there are more games out there that offer some of these same great qualities that Elden Ring provides. Here, we will discuss games that might just hold that special something to quench the thirst for playing a great game like Elden Ring.
10. Dark Souls Series
Why not begin where the series took off? Without Dark Souls, we wouldn’t have and enjoy the Elden Ring we have today. If the excruciating difficulty of the combat is your main draw to Elden Ring, Dark Souls has you covered. If anything, the combat can be quite a bit tougher without tools like Spirit Ashes to assist you on particularly difficult bosses. Dark Souls’ boss fights are unforgettable, and some will forever haunt you. The lore is fantastic and offers tons of depth, and it’s expanded on throughout the trilogy of games. The key difference when comparing Dark Souls to Elden Ring is that the Dark Souls games aren’t fully open world. Instead, they offer intricately designed areas, more akin to the legacy dungeons found in Elden Ring.
9. Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon’s Dogma is very similar to Elden Ring in how vast the world is and how hard the enemies can be. Though Dragon’s Dogma’s combat isn’t quite as difficult as Elden Ring, it still poses a serious challenge to players. It offers more of a classic fantasy setting, but the story and world fit the game and gameplay perfectly. The combat provides a more personal, intimate touch as you can climb the bosses and stab them in their weak spots while having pawns (teammates you’ll recruit along the journey) help you in these fights.
8. The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
If you loved the freedom that Elden Ring provided, then Breath of the Wild (BOTW) is the perfect fit. BOTW can pose a serious challenge as weapons will constantly break, leaving you defenseless at times. Most enemies aren’t as tough as Elden Ring bosses, but if you go into a boss fight unprepared, you could be in for quite the challenge.
The minor dungeons in Elden Ring share many similarities to shrines in BOTW. You will find them scattered across the open world, and while some are easy to find, some can be tricky to discover. The shrines themselves usually provide a small puzzle or miniboss fight, but some can be quite intricate. You never know what’s in store when you enter a new shrine.
7. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A dark fantasy setting with grotesque creatures–sounds like Elden Ring, but it also applies to The Witcher series. Beyond the setting and tone similarities, The Witcher 3 more strongly emphasizes a memorable story with complicated, brilliant characters. Geralt in particular stands out for his sharp wit and deep characterization. Dialogue choices are a massive part of The Witcher 3. The side quests offer a wide variety of creatures to hunt and interesting stories to delve into, and the music is captivating and incredibly atmospheric.
Skyrim doesn’t have the exceptional combat of Elden Ring, but it does everything else amazingly. The worldbuilding within Skyrim makes it feel real. The side missions provide great insight into the world and lore while also showcasing the personal matters within the setting. In the war between the Nords and the Empire, you can take a side and be the deciding factor of who wins–or you could become a master thief or even an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood.
While you can learn a great deal through quests in the world, you often need to do a little bit of digging to understand the deep lore present in the game. Like the Witcher 3, Skyrim also boasts an impressive soundtrack that won’t ever be forgotten.
5. Bloodborne
Bloodborne is a PlayStation exclusive, and another of FromSoftware’s masterpieces. Bloodborne offers a similar feel to Elden Ring, but it has a darker atmosphere with its gothic setting. The fast-paced combat strongly encourages aggression since you can regain some lost health by attacking enemies in the few moments after taking damage.
Bloodborne showcases some truly monstrous creature designs, rivaling the most grotesque found in Elden Ring. Even when the setting is at its most horrific, it still manages to display its own twisted beauty. It also showcases some of the best boss designs the Soulsborne series has ever seen.
4. Hollow Knight
This cute yet demanding Metroidvania game captured the hearts of millions. The side-scroller is gruesomely tough, as is the design of the enemies. Hollow Knight has a hauntingly beautiful background that alone tells a story about the world. Hollow Knight provides a tragic tale with a glimmer of hope. The level design is outstanding, and you’re given complete freedom to explore the world of Hallownest with very little guidance. The game features a plethora of horrifying bosses who provide a serious challenge even to the most seasoned gamer. Hollow Knight can be a brutal experience, and it demands patience and perseverance to truly appreciate.
3. Demon’s Souls Remake
The father of the whole Soulsborne genre, Demon’s Souls crawled so Dark Souls could run. Remade for PS5 in stunning detail, the remake boasts graphics even more impressive than Elden Ring’s. The game shares many familiar combat designs with Elden Ring, though the game’s combat is perhaps the most uneven of FromSoftware’s games. Despite any of the game’s shortcomings, Bluepoint’s remake of the world is spectacular. Many of the game’s boss designs have since been perfected in later games, but the game showcases some truly inspired level designs (Gates of Boletaria in particular is masterful). After playing Elden Ring, it’s more than worth your while to visit the origin of this now fabled genre.
2. God of War
The grittiness and vicious combat present in God of War would suit anyone who loved Elden Ring. This game can be unforgiving, especially the optional Valkyrie boss fights. Unlike Elden Ring, God of War provides a personal and heart-wrenching story. The relationship that evolves between Kratos and his son, Atreus, is beautiful, offering a slow and complicated story of growth and acceptance. The world of North mythology as presented in the game is absolutely gorgeous. The graphics are also some of the best ever seen, pushing the PS4 to its limit.
1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro, yet another FromSoftware game, offers another brilliant combat system. It shares many of the bones found in the other Soulsborne games, but further complicates it with an intricate parry system that provides wonderfully tense battles. Mastering the combat is incredibly rewarding. This game also introduced stealth into the FromSoftware formula, which added a new layer to an already remarkable series of games. Sekiro also utilizes a grappling hook to reach high ledges, bringing more verticality to level designs. Sekiro earns its place on this list with its challenging combat, intricate level design, and astonishing boss fights.
