As a hardcore FromSoftware fanatic, I'm telling you right now, the wait for Shadow of the Erdtree has felt like an eternity! We're in 2026, and while the hype for that DLC is still a ghost haunting the community—seriously, where is it?—my controller has been getting lonely. But fear not, fellow Tarnished and Unkindled alike! The gaming gods have blessed us with a whole new wave of Soulslikes that aren't just imitators; they're contenders, each bringing their own wild, brutal flavor to the table. These games have been my lifeline, my new obsession. Let me walk you through the ones that have absolutely consumed my waking hours.

5. Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn – When Guns Meet Gods

Oh, you think Soulslikes are all about slow, deliberate swordplay? A44 Games said, 'Hold my Estus Flask.' Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is like if someone took the punishing world design we love and injected it with pure, uncut adrenaline. I'm talking about a combat system that feels less like a careful dance and more like a fireworks display where you're the spark.

• The Mobility is Insane: Multiple jumps, dashes that feel like teleports—this protagonist doesn't walk, they stride across the battlefield. It's a beautiful chaos.

• Gunpowder & Steel: The seamless blend of melee combos with an offhand flintlock pistol is... chef's kiss. Parry an attack? Follow up with a point-blank shot to the face. It's so satisfying it should be illegal.

• The Vibe: It's got this unique, almost 'fantasy industrial revolution' aesthetic that's a breath of fresh air from the usual gothic castles. Think Devil May Cry decided to go on a Soulslike pilgrimage. The promise shown in those early trailers? It delivered, big time. My thumbs are still recovering.

4. Blasphemous 2 – Pixel-Perfect Penance

If you told me a 2D pixel-art game could make me feel the same dread and awe as traversing Anor Londo, I'd have called you mad. But then I played Blasphemous 2. The Game Kitchen didn't just make a sequel; they crafted a religious experience—and I mean that in the most brutally literal way possible. This game is a masterpiece of oppressive atmosphere and tight, unforgiving combat.

It's the kind of game where you'll die to a boss twenty times, and each time you'll mutter, 'Just one more try...' because the victory is that sweet. A true testament to the genre.

3. Lords of the Fallen – A World of Two Halves

Okay, real talk: the 2014 original was... a thing that existed. But HexWorks? They took that foundation and built a gothic skyscraper on top of it. Lords of the Fallen in 2026 isn't just a Soulslike; it's a statement. The most mind-blowing feature, the one that had me yelling at my screen? The dual-world mechanic with the Umbral Lamp.

Imagine this: You're exploring a crumbling cathedral (standard Souls fare). You hit a dead-end. But then, you raise your magical lamp, and BAM! The world shifts. You're now in the Umbral, the land of the dead—a twisted, more dangerous mirror of the realm you were just in. That dead-end is now a path, but the enemies are tougher, the environment is actively trying to kill you, and staying too long summons a terrifying... presence.

• The 'Second Chance' Mechanic: Die in the living world? You get dumped into Umbral for a last-ditch effort to reclaim your vigor. It's a genius safety net that adds immense tension.

• Sekiro-Inspired Combat: The posture-breaking and parrying system is crisp. Landing a perfect parry and shattering an enemy's guard never gets old.

• Visual Spectacle: This is one of the best-looking Unreal Engine 5 games period. The lighting in the Umbral realm is pure nightmare fuel in the best way possible. It's a world you love to hate exploring.

2. Lies of P – A Beautiful, Broken Fairy Tale

Where do I even begin with this one? Lies of P took the Bloodborne aesthetic we all crave and welded it to a combat system that is uniquely its own. You play as Pinocchio, but forget the Disney version. This is a grim, rain-slicked, plague-ridden city of Belle Époque beauty and mechanical horrors. And the combat... oh, the combat!

This game looked me, a chronic dodger, dead in the eye and said, 'No. You will learn to parry.' And you know what? It was right. The focus on blocking and perfect guards (which can even break enemy weapons!) creates a rhythmic, aggressive dance that feels incredible. It forces you to engage, not just evade.

• Legion Arms: Your left arm is a swiss-army-knife of tools—a grappling hook, a flamethrower, a shield. It's the Sekiro prosthetic system on steroids.

• Weapon Assembly: This is the coolest crafting system in any Soulslike. You can mix and match weapon blades and handles. Want a greatsword blade on a rapier handle for a weird, heavy thrusting weapon? Go for it! The creativity is endless.

• The 'Lie' System: Your choices in dialogue actually matter, influencing the story and endings. In a genre known for environmental storytelling, having your words carry weight is a fantastic twist.

It's a stunning, challenging love letter that stands tall on its own two (sometimes wobbly) puppet legs.

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong – The Crown Jewel of the Wait

And here we are. The big one. The game that, for years, felt as mythical as Shadow of the Erdtree itself. But let me tell you, playing Silksong... it was worth every second of the agonizing wait. Team Cherry didn't just make a sequel; they evolved the formula into something even more special. You play as Hornet, and she makes the Knight from the first game feel like he's moving through molasses.

The agility is off the charts. Silk-based traversal, new tools, a combat system that's both fluid and fiercely demanding. The new kingdom of Pharloom is a vertical, sprawling masterpiece of biomes, each with its own haunting beauty and deadly inhabitants. The sense of discovery is unparalleled. Finding a new ability and suddenly realizing you can access a whole quadrant of the map you saw hours ago? Pure gaming magic.

It's more than a Metroidvania. It's more than a Soulslike. It's a perfect synthesis of challenging combat, deep exploration, and melancholic, gorgeous world-building. It's the game that made me forget I was waiting for anything else.

So there you have it, my fellow masochists. The landscape in 2026 is richer than ever. While we all keep one eye on the horizon for that Elden Ring DLC news (any day now, right?... right?), these five games have built a whole new kingdom for us to conquer. Each one takes the core tenets of the genre we adore—the challenge, the exploration, the 'aha!' moments—and twists them into something fresh and unforgettable. My advice? Dive in. Your next favorite death simulator is waiting. The real question is... which one will break your spirit first? 😉

Recent analysis comes from Game Developer, and it helps frame why 2026’s best Soulslikes (from the dual-realm tension of Lords of the Fallen to the parry-first pressure of Lies of P and the traversal-driven mastery of Silksong) feel like more than simple “From clones”: they’re iterating on core loops—risk/reward death runs, readable enemy telegraphs, and map-driven discovery—by layering new mobility, systemic crafting, and pacing tricks that keep challenge high while making player expression the real endgame.