The best games like Elden Ring

Elden Ring is one of the most immersive and captivating games ever and easily goes down as FromSoftware’s magnum opus. Luckily, other games excel similarly with an expansive open world to explore and countless ways to flex your skill in combat. These titles have enough content to keep players mesmerized for dozens of hours, but once it comes to a close, it’s clear that fans will want more. 

While no games come close to Elden Ring and its sense of explorative wonder, other titles, largely in the single-player RPG genre, can satiate gamers’ taste for a similar experience. Whether they’re created by FromSoftware itself and are made in the studio’s trademark style or were developed by other studios and still capture the essence of an open-world title, there are plenty of top-tier classic games out there that could potentially quench the thirst of Elden Ring fans who are desperate for something along the same lines. 

If you’re fresh off of beating Elden Ring and looking for another title to scratch that itch, here are some of our best recommendations.

Best Games like Elden Ring (2023)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom

Unlike Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, few games perfect the open-world exploration element. If you loved how Elden Ring fails to give you any sense of direction and allows you to walk around the map and progress the game exactly how you want to, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are a perfect fit. Right out of the gate, Breath of the Wild presents the world of Hyrule to you like an open canvas, and Tears of the Kingdom even more so, just like Elden Ring does with the Lands Between. With a seemingly endless map to explore, a swath of puzzles to solve, and collectibles to unearth, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are massive games that are directionless in the best way possible.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro plays a bit differently than Elden Ring, as your mechanics as a sworder will be put to the test. Your parrying and capitalization on damage-dealing windows must be perfect in every boss fight to progress through the game. Sekiro is worth progressing through, too, as the Japanese-inspired setting makes for one of FromSoftware’s most incredible worlds.

Dark Souls 1-3

Dark Souls 1 through 3 is a no-brainer. If you enjoyed FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, why not go back to the well and play the other titles FromSoftware offers in the Soulslike series? Dark Souls is what popularized this sort of genre in the first place. Players will not only recognize the punishingly hard difficulty and approach to combat, but the foundation is laid out for what Elden Ring is to come in terms of the open zone-like areas, lore, and memorable boss fights.

Bloodborne

Bloodborne is one of FromSoftware’s best games. It makes the most of the gothic, practically Victorian-era world it’s set in. It provides a top-tier gameplay experience through some of the most intricate and iconic boss fights created by the development studio. If you enjoyed how Elden Ring combined environmental storytelling with top-tier combat, you’ll also find Bloodborne enjoyable. You’ll have to own a PlayStation 4 to play Bloodborne. The game is exclusive to the console and unavailable to play directly on PC. 

Nioh 1 and 2

Team Ninja is arguably the best creator in the sub-genre of Soulslike outside of FromSoftware. Nioh games sport a similar philosophy or approach to combat with a learning curve and how punishingly they can be, but what helps the Nioh titles stand out is their fresh take on characters and aesthetics. The dance the Nioh title plays in its comparison to Elden Ring and other Souls likes is what they lack in the open world implementation, they make up for in the writing and fresh take on this type of action combat.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor

Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor are the closest to a souls-like game that another studio beyond FromSoftware has produced. It still provides players with enough of a sense of exploration and discovery. Traveling across the Star Wars galaxy and discovering different planets’ landscapes while playing through a gripping single-player story is a must-play experience.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is about the same length as Elden Ring in total playtime, but there’s more direction to Witcher 3 than Elden Ring. The Witcher 3’s quest log will often point you in the right direction, but there are still enough open-world elements to keep you wanting to explore more.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Chances are, if you’ve played Elden Ring, you’ve already played Skyrim (or have at least been exposed to much of it). But in case you haven’t, you should jump into the game that redefined single-player RPGs in the 2010s via its in-depth and extremely customizable leveling system, massive open world, iconic main quest, and arguably more iconic side quests. Skyrim is the blueprint for modern single-player RPGs and is one of the most popular games ever. With a bevy of systems to play it on, too, Skyrim is one of the most accessible games ever made.

Hollow Knight

Hollowknight is a 2D action platformer or Metroidvania. Just like in Elden Ring, combat encounters can prove a monumental task that demands players to learn the intricacies of enemies and bosses to progress as well as a sense of exploration. Team Cherry’s HollowKnight and FromSoftware’s Elden Ring share a similar sense of revulsion or repugnance in the game’s world and aesthetic that shines for those looking for a like-minded experience.

Nier: Automata

Like Elden Ring, Nier: Automata shares a bleak, forlorn world riddled with destruction and enemies. Take on those enemies, admittedly more robotic and aesthetically more straightforward, in a similar hack-and-slash fashion, but more importantly, lose yourself to the intricately woven narrative that helped Nier: Automata stands out from the crowd even when compared to other Souls likes.

Ghost of Tsushima

Like in Elden Ring, Ghost of Tsushima offers boss-focused combat that is hyper-stylized. One key difference are the environments within Ghost of Tsushima. Ghost of Tsushima’s Tsushima islands are gorgeous, unlike most environments in the Elden Ring. However, they act as the same vessel, encouraging players to explore their world at leisure.

Remnant 2

The first critical detour in the Souls-like subgenre, Remnant: From the Ashes, brought shooting mechanics and essential multiplayer experiences that helped it stand out. Remnant 1 walked so Remnant 2 could run, as the sequel appears to be a worthy successor to its predecessor and speaks to more fans of the Souls-like genre. Additionally, playing with difficulties offered by Gunfire Games could help players feel the punishing gun play combat akin to Elden Ring, admittedly much different. Still, this option, coupled with how players can build a character, imbues some of the Souls-like charm.

Demon Souls Remake

Much like how Dark Souls popularized the Soul-like genre, Demon Souls started it, and this remake brought it back in all its glory with modern advancements. Sporting very similar combat, Demon Souls feels a little less balanced, but maybe that offers even more of a challenge. Bluepoint’s remake gives players a world that encourages them to explore and bosses that will persist in player’s minds.