25 Brutal Soulslike Games to Test Your Limits in 2025
What’s the hardest Soulslike boss you’ve ever beaten? From indie surprises to legendary sequels, 2025 is stacked with brutal, beautiful, and unforgettable action RPGs. Let’s jump right in.
1. The First Berserker: Kazan
If you love your combat fast, punishing, and tactical, The First Berserker: Kazan is calling your name.
You play as Kazan, a disgraced general possessed by a vengeful spirit. With stamina-based combat that demands precise parries, dodges, and aggression, every encounter is a lesson in patience and timing.
Linear missions, heavy-hitting bosses, and solid weapon variety make it a Soulslike standout.
2. Hell Is Us
This one’s pure chaos—in a good way.
Set in a war-torn country swallowed by supernatural forces, Hell Is Us throws you into eerie freedom. There’s no map handholding—just cryptic clues and unsettling discoveries. The game’s blend of atmospheric exploration, psychological horror, and intense melee combat makes every fight a story in itself.
3. Code Vein
Think Dark Souls meets anime apocalypse.
In Code Vein, you play as a revenant—a kind of vampire—fighting for survival in a ruined world. The companion system keeps things interesting, while the Blood Code system lets you switch combat styles mid-game. Fast, flashy, and emotional, it’s perfect for players who love challenge and character-driven storytelling.
4. Stellar Blade
Futuristic, emotional, and visually jaw-dropping, Stellar Blade puts you in the boots of Eve—the last hope for a dying Earth. Its mix of stylish hack-and-slash combat, deep story, and exploration hits all the right notes for fans of sci-fi and sleek action.
5. WuChang: Fallen Feathers
Travel back to late Ming Dynasty China, where plague and myth intertwine.
You play as Wu Chang, battling demonic corruption and her own supernatural curse. Fallen Feathers blends Chinese folklore with slow, deliberate combat and hauntingly beautiful environments. Think ancient temples, eerie forests, and ghosts that don’t want to stay dead.
6. Hollow Knight: Silksong
It’s finally here! Silksong lets you step into Hornet’s shoes—faster, stronger, and more agile than ever.
Set in the mysterious world of Farloom, it features over 200 enemies, 40+ bosses, and a web of secrets to uncover. Gorgeous hand-drawn art and moody music make this long-awaited sequel every bit as magical as fans hoped.
7. Bloodborne
Still unmatched in gothic horror and frenetic combat. Bloodborne rewards boldness—hesitation is death.
Its nightmarish city of Yharnam drips with atmosphere, lore, and terror. Every boss fight feels like a panic attack you’ll want to relive. Truly one of the greatest horror-action experiences ever made.
8. Dark Souls III
The gold standard for punishing yet fair difficulty.
Every enemy can end you if you get cocky, but every victory feels earned. With intricate level design, cryptic lore, and intense boss encounters, Dark Souls III remains the blueprint for the genre.
9. Blades of Fire
You are Aron Delira—a warrior blacksmith in a cursed world where steel turns to stone.
Blades of Fire mixes crafting and combat like never before. Forge your own weapons, strike enemies’ weak points, and survive a world of betrayal and monsters. It’s ambitious, creative, and punishing in all the right ways.
10. Mortal Shell
What if your character was just a vessel?
Mortal Shell lets you inhabit “shells”—fallen warriors with unique powers. Combat is slow and strategic, dripping with tension and dark mystique. If you love atmosphere and precision, this one’s for you.
11. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Final Fantasy meets pure chaos.
Jack’s quest to destroy “Chaos” offers fast, flexible combat with real-time job switching and a darker tone than any FF before it. A weird, gritty experiment that somehow works—and delivers an addictive challenge.
12. Ashen
A minimalist masterpiece.
In a sunless world, connection is everything. Real players (or AI) appear without names—just silent companions who might help or vanish. Ashen balances punishing combat with emotional storytelling about trust and survival.
13. Demon’s Souls (Remake)
The OG Soulslike, reborn on PS5.
Its world—Boletaria—is both beautiful and horrifying, filled with bosses that demand perfection. Every death teaches you something new. If you want to know where it all began, this is essential gaming history.
14. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
A 2D soulslike that’s equal parts melancholic and magical.
Play as Lilac, a silent priestess awakening spirits and reviving a fallen kingdom. Smooth combat, haunting music, and smart exploration make it one of the most atmospheric indies this year.
15. Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree
A dark fantasy world balanced between decay and magic.
You’ll fight witches, beasts, and curses while navigating layered quests and hand-painted backdrops. It’s gothic storytelling done right, blending mystery, combat, and classic RPG depth.
16. Tales of Iron II: Whiskers of Winter
Return to the brutal world of heroic rats.
Arlo, heir to the frozen north, battles ancient beasts with elemental powers. Expanded settlement building, survival mechanics, and breathtaking art make this sequel a standout in 2025.
17. Mark of the Deep
A 2D action-platformer steeped in maritime horror.
Explore a decaying harbor town filled with secrets, puzzles, and lore. The blend of Metroidvania exploration and tight combat makes Mark of the Deep one to watch.
18. AI Limit
Set in a crumbling cyberpunk world, you play as Arisa, an immortal warrior unraveling humanity’s downfall.
Its sync-rate combat system rewards aggression and adaptability, while its world design rivals Bloodborne in scale and imagination.
19. Rise of the Ronin
Open-world samurai action at its finest.
Set during Japan’s chaotic transition to modernity, Rise of the Ronin offers swordplay, stealth, and story choices that shape your path. Gorgeous scenery, moral dilemmas, and freedom define this samurai epic.
20. Another Crab’s Treasure: Year of the Crab DLC
Our favorite hermit crab hero is back!
This new DLC brings wild shells, fresh areas, and even goofier bosses. It’s weird, colorful, and unexpectedly deep—proof that even crabs can deliver Soulslike greatness.
21. Lords of the Fallen (Version 2.0)
This massive update transforms Lords of the Fallen into something truly special.
Full crossplay co-op, smoother combat, revamped UI, and new magic systems make it the most accessible and polished version yet. Brutal, but rewarding.
22. Lies of P: Overture
Pinocchio’s nightmare continues.
The Overture DLC expands the gothic world of Krat with new enemies, weapons, and punishing boss fights. Gorgeous, creepy, and relentlessly difficult—just how we like it.
23. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Precision, patience, and pain.
You’re a shinobi on a mission of revenge, using stealth and split-second parries to survive. The posture system is pure genius, making every duel a deadly dance. No grinding—only mastery.
24. Elden Ring
The crown jewel of open-world Soulslikes.
Ride across the Lands Between, take on dragons, gods, and monsters, and forge your own legend. Every hill hides a story, every ruin a deadly secret. Infinite builds, unforgettable lore—Elden Ring is timeless.
25. (Bonus) The Heat Within
And finally—what drives all of us Soulslike fans: that hunger.
The hunger to try again. To improve. To win. Every one of these games burns with that same fire.
Final Thoughts
There you have it—25 brutal, beautiful, and unforgettable Soulslike experiences waiting to test your skill (and patience) in 2025.
Post a Comment for "25 Brutal Soulslike Games to Test Your Limits in 2025"