While 2025 did give us the much-awaited DLC for Lies of P, a mechanically solid offering in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, and a true test of perseverance and skill with Clair Obscur’s Thank You update, the genre spent a relatively quiet year for the most part. However, that’s about the change with a bunch of new titles designed to invoke a lot of clenched jaws and aching fingers on the way.

Join us as we take a look at some of the brand-new Soulslikes coming your way in 2026 and beyond!

1. Code Vein 2

The sequel to 2019’s Code Vein is all set to build on what made its predecessor a title worthy of the genre, expanding on its size, scope, and ambition to present an experience that’s sure to have you glued to your screens.

With a new story and a new set of party members to engage with, along with a world that’s going to be significantly larger for you to explore, this one is shaping up to be quite the sequel. We’re expecting it to be among the more approachable ones on this list if you’re thinking about dipping your toes into the deep waters that come with the Soulslike genre.

2. Lords of the Fallen 2

We’re quite eager to step into this dark world again, and with good reason. Its trailers are looking really good, and showcase a gameplay loop that’s every bit as immersive and punishing as its predecessor. The new boss designs are a highlight, as are the new levels, with the Axial and Umbral worlds presenting us with stunning vistas to behold.

If the sequel is anything like the previous game, this one is going to be a love letter to those of you who like to learn from their mistakes and come back stronger after every defeat.

3. Nioh 3

A true sequel in the popular franchise is only days away at the time of writing this list, and it’s bringing a whole lot of new additions to the table. There’s a new protagonist who’s poised to travel across time to influence the fate of Japan in the wake of their brother’s betrayal. The mechanics that you know and love are also coming back to the new game, albeit with a twist.

They are now part of the Samurai playstyle, which is to be joined by the Ninja playstyle that forgoes the Ki Pulse mechanic that’s been a staple of the franchise so far in favor of some cool weapons and moves. It’s a great balance between the old and new for a franchise that’s known to push its players past their limits and send them right back to the last save point quite often.

4. Mistfall Hunter

This PvPvE extraction RPG has everything you’d expect from a Soulslike, along with the added allure of bringing a new gameplay loop into the mix. There are fantasy-inspired levels, enemies, and bosses, along with a variety of weapons and spells for your character, the Gyldhunter, to use against their foes.

With smooth animations, tight windows for your parries and dodges, and your success purely reliant on your skills in the field, this one is sure to have you playing on the edge of your seat when it releases later this year.

5. Phantom Blade Zero

While the game’s director has insisted that it isn’t a Souls-like title, there are enough similarities to the genre for it to earn a spot on this list. Its slick, wuxia-based combat and traversal mechanics are a sight to behold, while its enemies pack quite a punch in a story that gives you 66 days to uncover a conspiracy surrounding your character.

While it’s probably going to be approachable on lower difficulties, everything we’ve seen about this one is evidence that putting it on the hardest possible level of challenge is going to have you in desperate battles for survival, thanks to combat mechanics and enemy designs that are geared to dish out as much punishment as they receive.

6. Valor Mortis

This is an interesting one. Set in an alternate version of 19th-century Europe where Napoleon’s military ambitions have resulted in a world gone horribly wrong, you step into the shoes of William, an English soldier who’s been resurrected and forced to fend off undead hordes with his own comrades among their ranks.

That sets the stage for an excellent first-person Soulslike where you use your cutlass, flintlock pistol, and a host of magical spells to strike, slash, dodge, and parry your way through an adventure full of mystery and conspiracy. We’ve definitely got our eyes on this one and will be diving in when it releases later this year.

7. The Relic: First Guardian

This dark action-RPG has a lot of interesting twists to the traditional Soulslike formula. For starters, your attacks don’t consume stamina, and all your skills work off of cooldowns as opposed to mana or other resources. Second, every weapon or piece of gear you find is unique, which is another feather in its cap.

But the story is probably going to be a highlight of the experience with your character, the Keeper, exploring the remnants of a past civilization that has faded out of existence. Memories of lives long past are going to be a key focus of your experience, and it’s quite a poignant narrative from what we’ve seen so far. This one drops in May this year, and we’re expecting it to be a title that haunts us long after we complete it.

8. Fatekeeper

A protagonist with a talking rat stowed away in his backpack, exploring a fantasy world that’s designed to catch your attention, is something that’s sure to appeal to any Soulslike fan. That’s exactly what Fatekeeper is bringing to the table, with visuals and a gameplay loop that could have you losing track of the many hours you’re going to spend exploring its world.

The game’s demo showcases many familiar mechanics and a combat system that’s seemingly easy to learn but is probably significantly harder to master. It’s entering Early Access on Steam later this year, with a console version confirmed to come along sometime after that.

9. Beast of Reincarnation

Game Freak’s attempt to break away from Pokémon looks like a solid effort to bring a dystopian Japan to life. From horrifying mutants to gigantic robots, your character and her pet dog are going to have their work cut out for them as they set out to heal the land from the effects of a mysterious blight and take down the creature that has caused it.

The visuals are definitely impressive, while the combat has been compared to Sekiro, which is always good news for a game that aims this high. It’s coming out later this year and is certainly looking like it could be worth your time and money.

10. The Duskbloods

Hidetaka Miyazaki is back again with a new project, although this one’s a Switch 2 exclusive. You get to pick from a lineup of Duskbloods, characters with vampiric abilities, and you will be thrust into a dark fantasy world with both PvP and PvE elements.

While the director has been typically cagey about the details, we know that each Bloodsworn comes with unique weapons, gear, and abilities, and must fight against beings that have left their humanity behind in the pursuit of a mysterious power across time and space. That’s more than enough to pique our curiosity, and our Switch 2 is probably going to be quite busy when this one releases sometime this year.

11. Lies of P 2

Neowiz is hard at work on a sequel to its runaway hit, but details are scarce about when it’s going to release. However, the studio has been quite open about how it has been enjoying the process of creating a sequel, and there have been hints at a more expansive, less linear world for P (or Carlos, if you will) to explore.

Of course, the cliffhanger at the end of the first game has us expecting characters from another popular childhood story to make an appearance, and curious to know more about how they could fit into Krat’s grim world in the process. We could hear more about this one over the course of the year, and maybe even play it this year or in 2027.

12. Knights Path

Set in the Roman Empire and placing you in the shoes of Alryk, a disgraced noble out to restore his name, this one is sure to delight those among you who prefer a more methodical approach to combat. You’re going to want to take your time mastering its mechanics, as it’s designed around each move you make being intentional, which is always a good thing in a Soulslike.

Your character arc is going to be woven into how well you manage to take down your enemies, and with a story that lets you choose a path between honor and acting in your own self-interest, this is a game to watch out for, although there’s no release date yet.

13. Shadows of The Lost

Lies of P has demonstrated that it’s always nice to have a Soulslike with a story, and this dark fantasy title with mythological elements woven into its world is a great showcase of that. Or it’s going to be when it eventually releases, either in 2026 or 2027.

Aside from the story, its focus on momentum-based combat, where the game rewards you for skillful play, is definitely something we’re eager to check out. We think that this one could be a Soulslike game for the ages, just as it seemingly aims to be.

14. LUOYANG

This single-player action-RPG might be a long time away from its final release, but with the success of other Chinese Soulslikes and action-RPGs with settings in Chinese history, LUOYANG is looking like a sublime blend of everything good about the titles that inspired it.

Its combat is definitely up there with the genre’s best, while its worldbuilding and enemy designs have us quite enthusiastic to see more of the game in action. Sadly, there’s no release date as of now, and we might have a long wait ahead of us before this one is available to play.

15. Spark in the Dark

This dungeon crawler brings a lot of reasons to be curious about it. For starters, you have five hero classes, each bringing unique value propositions to its combat loop. You have a ton of enemies to try them out on, with an Abyss that’s seemingly endless and just waiting to be explored. What could go wrong?

Throw in procedurally generated gear and the fact that you’re going to have to take care of your equipment once you’re done with your fights, and you have the recipe for a game that could translate to many hours of intense entertainment. What’s more, it comes out this March, which means we don’t have to wait too long before we’re exploring the dark, endless dungeon alongside you.

We’re going to come out and say it. Yes, the game does have its problems. But they haven’t stopped us from thoroughly enjoying our time with it thanks to how its systems work in tandem to keep you invested in a gameplay loop that can take up significant chunks of your day if you let it. The story is interesting enough to make you care, while the combat and exploration loops do a fair bit of the heavy lifting alongside it.

To gamers like us who like to dig our heels in and give a title our best, this one was quite the entertainer, making us feel generous enough to overlook any minor flaws we found along the journey. But why is that so? What makes Code Vein II so addictive? Let’s get right into it and find out!

A Tale Ravaged By Time

We’ve often heard that time is the one thing that even the strongest of heroes might not be able to overcome. But that’s exactly what the Revenant Hunter sets out to do in Code Vein II, flitting between the past and the present in order to try and fix what went wrong with a world that was once a thriving place filled with joy and noble ideals.

Of course, things aren’t as easy as that, and we’re not going to give you any spoilers about the why, where, and how of the dystopian landscape we zoom around in with our very cool motorcycle (if only we could have one of those in the real world!). Instead, we’re going to focus on one aspect of the story that often makes or breaks the way it’s received by the ones experiencing it: the people you meet along the way.

The most interesting facet of Code Vein II’s story, and one of the reasons that it’s been keeping us coming back for more, has been the manner in which its emotional beats are underlined by the knowledge that things don’t really pan out in the way its characters want. Meeting their past versions and joining them on missions as you learn more about their hopes and dreams, while coming to appreciate their distinct personalities, is contrasted against the bleak future that you know thanks to you being from that timeline.

You learn more about their motivations, building bonds with them in your efforts to save them from their impending doom. You invest time in helping them out to collect key items that you know you’re going to use in the future. It isn’t just a matter of presenting emotional beats to frame the action that often follows your interactions with them, but a tale in which your protagonist must use that knowledge of who they were in the past to try and heal their corrupted versions in the future. When woven in with the usual complexities that time travel presents, it’s easy to see why Code Vein II manages to hold your attention as its story unfolds.

It’s all so anime, and in a good way. You’re so driven to learn more about how the world came to be the way it is, and each revelation often has you pushing yourself to find out more even as your eyes and fingers tell you that it’s probably time for a bit of a break. And the story is just the beginning.

A World Across Timelines

While the story in this game brings you in contact with an intriguing cast of actors, each with their own distinct identities, the world in which it takes place is the perfect stage to let those sub-narratives develop in tandem with your own adventure. The past and the present, and the other timelines you’re placed in, make for an exploratory loop that keeps you invested.

The game’s open-world map is a large one, and you’re encouraged to hop on your bike and ride off into the distance, Elden Ring style, with the thrill of the unknown guiding your path as you go. Yes, there’s a map, but uncovering it all is on you, and the few markers you get once you do send you in the general direction of interesting locations.

However, it’s up to you to figure out how to get to them once you’re there. We spent many an hour trying to find the entrance to a particular facility that housed Nectar, an item you’re going to want to find ASAP, thanks to its utility in expanding your healing capacity. But it took us the better part of an hour to find our way to it, and we had loads of fun along the way. The game doesn’t hold your hand when it comes to exploration, and that’s a very good thing.

We did see a few complaints about the lack of a minimap, but to us, that just made the entire thing feel all the more immersive. It lets you focus on what’s in front of you, allowing you to formulate your own plan on how to get to a place you’re interested in, and then spend some time finding your way in, just as it would be if you ever find yourself in a dystopian landscape where everything has gone to hell.

It all feels quite intentional, and the verticality that’s factored into the level designs ensures that getting to your next important upgrade material or lore drop is challenging enough to keep you pushing yourself without being a chore. By prioritizing discovery over convenience, Code Vein II has taken a bold gamble with its open world that largely pays off as it has us pushing ourselves to solve the little mysteries that come with trying to navigate its world brought to the table.

And of course, experiencing the story and exploring the world brings us to the meat of why this game has us hooked: the combat.

Fighting For The Future

As a Soulslike title, albeit a more accessible one than others in the genre, Code Vein II had to nail its combat down if it was to succeed. And on that front, the game does a very good job, which in turn makes it one that you’re not going to put down in a hurry.

Chief among the reasons for that is the build variety. There are a ton of options for players to explore, and a variety of ways to try out different playstyles on the fly, thanks to how seamless it is to switch things up. The Blood Code system is a major part of that, with each one coming with stats that push you in one direction or the other, and the option to freely swap them out, encouraging experimentation.

But it’s more than that. The Blood Codes are tied to building bonds with the game’s cast, allowing the game’s combat to integrate itself with the story and encourage players to engage with its compelling cast. The same could be said for exploration and Formae, as you’re encouraged to find as many of them as you can in order to have more options at your disposal.

Mix that up with the presence of your Companion in the field, and your Blood Code, and you have the recipe for a combat system that’s mechanically sound while allowing players to come at challenging fights from angles that suit their individual preferences. We often found ourselves swapping our loadouts to better suit the task at hand, carefully considering what the Companion at our side was bringing to the table when choosing our own abilities.

It’s a brilliant way to encourage finding synergies between your character and the rest of the cast while making the game easier to handle than some of the other offerings in the Soulslike space. It’s a welcome subversion of the “git gud” level of challenge, instead focusing on getting smarter about your own playstyles while still being required to master animation windows, parry timings, and managing cooldowns.

When factored in with Jail attacks, Ichor management, and all of the bells and whistles that its combat system brings to the table, Code Vein II’s combat is a blast. It encourages trying things differently, and has the potential to have you spending hours with your many builds.

A Potent Mix Of Fun and Intrigue

Looking back, it’s easy to see how Code Vein II managed to keep us invested in its world, story, and systems. They build a synergy similar to the one that players are encouraged to form with the game’s characters and combat. Its key elements are put in conversation with each other throughout its playtime, and the developers ensured that the game has a lot of interesting things to say to its players.

And by putting player agency at the center of it all, the game manages to have its players coming back for more, and then some. That’s a feat that isn’t easy to achieve, but we’re happy to have been a part of that journey. But for now, we’re going to leave you with a word of caution.

Make sure you have the time you need to enjoy this one. You deserve to be entertained, and Code Vein II is happy to oblige. Now, excuse us as we speed away to that interesting ruin in the distance, and find out exactly what it’s hiding from us.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

It’s enough of an improvement to make it worth the long wait, and the sentiment that it’s a more ambitious take on the original does come across quite early in your time with it.

"What’s more, it takes inspiration from other titles in the genre that have since made themselves known and puts its own spin on it with some truly unique mechanics."

Code Vein II is bigger and better. But dig a little deeper, and there are a few areas that could be improved if the studio decides to round out a trilogy with another title in the future.

The Soulslike fan in me always welcomes a title that takes the genre’s formula and brings an experience that challenges me while also managing to be a solid RPG in its own right. Code Vein II definitely gets that part right. What’s more, it takes inspiration from other titles in the genre that have since made themselves known and puts its own spin on it with some truly unique mechanics.

Let’s begin with the story. While Souslike narratives are rather indirect, the original game gave us an amazing experience alongside all of the action that it brought to the table. As for the sequel, the addition of time travel between the past and present is definitely a bold choice. However, that bold choice may not necessarily translate to a better experience. Allow me to explain.

Flitting between the past and the present is often centered around the people you meet on your latest outing as a Revenant Hunter. While the world building from the original game is definitely here for those of you who liked it, the past-present time travel doesn’t really lean on events in the past all too much, choosing to tell you a brand new tale that you might enjoy if you like anime and narratives that have you building bonds with your fellow companions.

"Flitting between the past and the present is often centered around the people you meet on your latest outing as a Revenant Hunter."

Without spoiling too much, I can say that I largely enjoyed it, but I couldn’t help feeling like the story leaned too much on the bonds you build with your allies. On the one hand, it worked well with the core plot of the game, ensuring that the new addition wasn’t just a gimmick or set dressing. You begin to really care about the people who join you, and feel almost obligated to get to know what they were like in the past in order to better understand how to save them from corruption.

That would be great if the game didn’t sometimes push so hard for those unnecessary emotional feelings that can feel forced rather than naturally earned. The writing, too, doesn’t fully measure up to the challenge, and these bonds often follow a repeated loop of the same beginnings and ends. And then there are flashbacks, which may or may not be appreciated by fans of the first game. I personally believe that they are a lazy form of storytelling in a title that aims to do so much better than its predecessor.

But of course, I’m sure many of you are not really here for the story, and it’s time to get to the meat of why Code Vein II had me grinning to myself when I wasn’t talking to my companions.

As soon as you start the game, you’re greeted by a surprisingly in-depth character customization menu. You can tweak just about everything: eyes, ears, facial features, even your hairstyle and hair length. On top of that, there’s a solid wardrobe of costumes, and you can go a step further by customizing their textures and materials. Overall, it’s a robust system, and if you enjoy character creators, you could easily spend an hour fine-tuning your look.

"A plethora of returning skills and new ones is another highlight, allowing you to either get up close and personal with your enemies or stay at range as you whittle away at their health."

The combat is as good as it was and perhaps even better thanks to more fluid animations and a challenge that remains accessible, but doesn’t shy away from testing your limits with well-designed enemies, bosses, and animations.

Combat variety in this game is a crucial selling point considering its Soulslike trappings, and I was quite happy with what’s changed. For starters, everything is a lot snappier when you’re out in the field, and I found myself weaving in and out of enemy attacks with reckless abandon in a way that the first game didn’t really manage. The animations on both your character and enemies feel so fluid and well-implemented that it was a pleasure to learn your every attack pattern and plan your own counterattacks.

There are also so many more ways to adapt your character to the situation at hand, and taking on an aggressive or defensive approach according to the situation, thanks to how the Blood Code system has been tweaked. Blood Codes give you unique combat styles, and you’ll unlock more of them as you progress, opening the door to some genuinely distinct character builds.

A plethora of returning skills and new ones is another highlight, allowing you to either get up close and personal with your enemies or stay at range as you whittle away at their health. The returning weapon types are so much better thanks to the fluidity you get to wield them with, but my personal highlight was the newly added twin blades.

"The RPGness of it all is very satisfying for those of you who like to tailor your approach based on the enemy you’re facing in the field."

Man, those things are awesome! The developers were clearly inspired by iterations of that weapon in other Souslikes, and their spin on dual blades hits very hard and fast, allowing you to stay on the offensive with skill and style. Their playstyle encourages offense, and when you get the hang of their rapid, multi-hit strings, they can have you shredding enemies thanks to a constant loop of attacks. They’re an offensive powerhouse! There are other options as well, such as the Rune Blade, Halberd, and Bayonet, but the twin blades are where my heart truly lies.

The build-crafting systems in Code Vein II are also a highlight, allowing you to get a build going quite quickly in comparison to other Soulslikes. The revamped approach to Blood Codes, along with Formae loadouts and drain attacks (depending on what kind of Jail equipment you have in your inventory), can result in a build of your choice, focusing on defensive or ranged options, as examples. The RPGness of it all is very satisfying for those of you who like to tailor your approach based on the enemy you’re facing in the field.

Rounding out the excellent combat system is the manner in which your partners work. You can either have them out with you in the field, taking down enemies and even reviving you if you make a mistake. However, that comes with the caveat of your partner being put on a cooldown until they return to the fray, which is a nice way of ensuring that you don’t get too comfortable with face-tanking enemy attacks.

The game also introduces a system called Traits, which grants specific bonuses that only activate once you’ve formed a strong bond with your partner. These can provide added buffs such as temporary stat boosts and other combat effects. You can also use Assimilation to effectively become one with your partner, gaining additional combat benefits that are especially useful when taking down tougher enemies and bosses.

Moving on from combat, I think the game’s new level designs are another fantastic touch. Exploration is more organic thanks to the Forma Motorcycle, a very handy spell that lets you summon a supernatural bike that looks as cool as it sounds, and is very useful. Think of it as Code Vein II’s take on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Master Cycle Zero, offering a nifty way of getting around the world that’s designed to imitate that classic but on a much smaller, focused scale.

"Exploration is still a vital part of the experience as you’re going to need the crafting materials to unlock more Formae attacks or defense options to use in your next challenge."

The world’s art style is bleak and oppressive, with a decent variety of biomes to explore, ranging from dead forests that feel outright haunted to cities partially submerged under polluted waters. The level of detail across these environments is strong, and it actively encouraged me to explore and take in everything the world had to offer.

There are dungeons to explore, but they’re geared towards putting you in situations where you either enjoy the game’s mechanics or discover more about the lore. The dungeons do come with a lot of verticality in a past-apocalyptic world that can get immersive for some players, but they were a tad too boring for my taste.

The open world isn’t close to Elden Ring, which remains at the top of that particular food chain. However, exploration is still a vital part of the experience as you’re going to need the crafting materials to unlock more Formae attacks or defense options to use in your next challenge.

I must tip my hat to the boss designs, though. Although I’m not a fan of giant health bars for the sake of prolonging a fight, the sheer spectacle of it all was enough to keep me invested in taking them down as efficiently as I could, carefully managing my stamina while unleashing an assault of my own. Some of them even had me contemplating bringing my companion back into the fray, and given that I’ve been playing Soulslikes for a long time now, that’s saying something.

The new visual style do help with making each fight feel as fast and frenetic as it should, and I’m quite enthralled by the new 3D approach to the game’s world and characters. Some of you might prefer the more old-school anime style from the first game, thoug,h but that’s quite a subjective aspect of the experience.

From a difficulty perspective, does Code Vein II work as a viable Soulslike, though? The formula is definitely there, but like its predecessor, it does play it a tad too safe when it balances its difficulty against the possibility of being accessible enough for players who might not appreciate a game that takes too much effort to truly enjoy. This is a good thing, in my opinion. Just look at how many players actually completed Sekiro.

So, does Code Vein II deserve your attention? I’d say yes. It’s an improvement of the first game in many ways, and its mechanics make it an interesting title to master. But given your tolerance for familiarity, this one might not break enough new ground for some players to enjoy all of its new additions. It’s quite easy to recommend to anyone who likes action-RPGs with a lot to do in them, and to players who like challenging combat with a lot of mechanics to get their head around.

This is a worthy sequel to an already solid game, and I’m glad I got to play it despite a few minor shortcomings.

This game was reviewed on PC.