Soulsborne Ranked — And Where a Newcomer Should Actually Start

The Souls catalogue has reached the point where "where should I start" is a genuinely open question — and the answer has changed. This is the 2026 version.

The Honest Ranking

1. Elden Ring — the best version of the formula. Open world changes the rules but the core is intact.
2. Bloodborne — still the purest expression of FromSoft's combat design, held back only by a locked-to-PS4 frame rate.
3. Dark Souls (Remastered) — the one that defined the genre. Ages better than its sequels.
4. Sekiro — technically not a Soulsborne, but the best-feeling combat FromSoft has ever shipped.
5. Dark Souls III — the most polished, if the least adventurous.
6. Demon's Souls (2020 Remake) — a beautiful time capsule of a slower, stranger design philosophy.
7. Dark Souls II — contentious, undervalued, and still the most mechanically rich of the trilogy.

Where Most People Should Actually Start

Elden Ring. Not because it's the easiest — it's the most forgiving in structure. An open world means if a boss walls you, you can leave, level up somewhere else, and come back. Every earlier entry locks you in to linear progression that's much harsher on new players.

If You Want the Classic Experience

Dark Souls (Remastered). It's the most concentrated version of what made this genre matter. Short, dense, interconnected in a way even Elden Ring doesn't attempt.

What Not to Start With

• Dark Souls II — mechanically rich but structurally punishing. Save this for run three.
• Sekiro — incredible, but its rhythm-based combat teaches bad habits for every other FromSoft game.