54 games
The best soulslike games on Nintendo Switch
Demanding, precise and brutally fair: games where you learn from every defeat and every victory feels earned.
How to find games that really suit you: Tap “I like it” on up to 5 games. Playalike compares 20 traits such as combat, story and atmosphere and suggests games that hit exactly the same spot, even across genres.
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1 Dark Souls
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A merciless action RPG whose interconnected world of Lordran rewards careful exploration with clever shortcuts, deliberate combat and cryptic, melancholic lore. Every death teaches something, and every victory feels truly earned.
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2 Cuphead
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A brutally tough boss-rush shooter animated like a 1930s cartoon, where precise dodging, parrying and shooting decide every fight. A swinging big-band jazz score and local co-op round it out.
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3 Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A brutal top-down action sequel where one hit kills and every floor demands split-second planning and reflexes. A fractured, non-linear story across multiple characters unfolds in garish neon, driven by a hypnotic synthwave soundtrack.
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4 Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A blistering hack-and-slash where young Dante juggles swappable fighting styles, weapons and guns, and the game rewards you for fighting with flair. It is famously punishing, with legendary boss duels like the fights against Vergil and a heavy metal soundtrack.
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5 Enter the Gungeon
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A tough, pun-filled bullet-hell roguelike where you dodge-roll and flip tables through procedural floors with hundreds of wildly creative guns. Every run plays differently, and mastering the dense projectile patterns is deeply rewarding.
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6 Hotline Miami
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A brutally fast top-down shooter where one hit kills and every floor is mastered through rapid trial, error and instant restarts. Its neon visuals, pulsing synthwave soundtrack and unsettling, surreal story about violence make it unforgettable.
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7 Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
The sequel to Hollow Knight: faster, more acrobatic and even more demanding.
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8 Apex Legends
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A fast free-to-play battle royale hero shooter set in the Titanfall universe, where squads of three legends with unique abilities fight to be the last team standing. Slick movement, tight gunplay and squad synergy define it.
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9 Sifu
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
Sifu is a punishing kung fu brawler about avenging your murdered family. Precise blocking, dodging and countering drive the combat, and every death ages you, raising the stakes with each attempt.
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10 Volgarr the Viking
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A merciless retro arcade platformer where a Viking fights through brutally tough levels with precise jumps and spear throws. Every hit counts, and only those who learn the patterns will progress.
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11 Furi
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
Furi is a pure boss-rush duelist where you mix sword combat, parrying and twin-stick shooting in intense one-on-one fights. Each guardian has a distinct style, backed by bold comic-inspired art and a driving electronic soundtrack.
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12 Post Void
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
An extremely fast, psychedelic first-person shooter built around short roguelike runs where speed and reflexes are everything. Constant killing keeps you alive while its stark, trippy visuals pull you into a flow state.
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13 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A fast-paced Soulslike from Team Ninja set in the collapsing Han Dynasty, where deflecting and countering define the combat rhythm. Demon-corrupted warlords and mythical beasts provide tough fights that can also be tackled in co-op.
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14 Dead Cells
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A fast, fluid 2D roguelite with Metroidvania structure, where tight, punchy combat and a huge arsenal of weapons make every run feel different. Permanent unlocks and new routes give you a real sense of progress even as you die again and again.
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15 Hollow Knight
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A hand-drawn Metroidvania in a ruined insect kingdom full of secrets.
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16 Ghostrunner
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A blisteringly fast first-person parkour slasher where one hit kills you and you wall-run, deflect bullets and slice enemies apart as a cyber-ninja. Constant death-and-retry loops set to a pounding synthwave score turn every arena into a precise reflex puzzle.
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17 Rocket League
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
Fast-paced rocket-car soccer where physics-driven ball control and aerial maneuvers create a staggering skill ceiling. Easy to pick up, yet competitive online play offers years of mastery.
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18 They Bleed Pixels
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A brutally tough action platformer with a Lovecraftian horror vibe, blending precise jumping with fluid combo-based combat. Kicking enemies into saws and spikes is the hook, wrapped in a distinctive pixel-and-ink look.
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19 Nuclear Throne
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A blisteringly fast top-down roguelike shooter where you blast through an irradiated wasteland with random weapons and mutations on your way to the throne. Runs are short, frantic and unforgiving, yet endlessly replayable.
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20 Nine Sols
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A hand-drawn 2D Metroidvania set in a Taoist-flavored sci-fi world, with combat built almost entirely around precise deflecting and counterattacks. Revenge, mythology and stylish boss fights drive the journey.
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21 Blazing Chrome
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A punishing 16-bit style run-and-gun in the spirit of Contra, where you blast through a robot apocalypse as a human soldier or a rebel robot. Fast reflexes, boss pattern learning and optional co-op define the experience.
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22 Celeste
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A precise platformer about climbing a mountain and overcoming inner fears.
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23 ScourgeBringer
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A blisteringly fast roguelite action platformer where Kyhra chains sword combos, dashes and gunfire through procedurally built machine ruins. Fluid movement and demanding combat are the heart of the game.
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24 Akane
- Challenging difficulty
- Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
- Action-packed real-time combat
A fast arcade arena slasher set in the neon-soaked pixel streets of Mega-Tokyo, where every hit is lethal. Akane fights waves of yakuza with sword and gun, demanding sharp reflexes.
What matters with Soulslike games
Soulslike games hook you with a simple deal: the challenge is steep, but the rules are consistent, so every defeat teaches you something and every win feels earned. On Switch, the clearest example on this list is Dark Souls: Remastered, the genre-defining original with its interconnected world of Lordran, deliberate combat and lore pieced together from item descriptions. The remaster also includes the Artorias DLC. Note that this list goes beyond strict Soulslikes to include other punishing, skill-driven games, so it helps to know what kind of challenge you want.
If you prefer 2D, Hollow Knight carries the same spirit into a hand-drawn Metroidvania set in a ruined insect kingdom full of secrets. Hollow Knight: Silksong is its faster, more acrobatic and even more demanding sequel, so it makes sense to start with the first game. Dead Cells suits shorter sessions: its roguelite runs vary every time, and permanent unlocks keep you progressing even when you die. For pure boss fights, Cuphead offers precise dodging and parrying in a 1930s cartoon style, plus local co-op.
When choosing, think about pace and structure. Dark Souls is slow and methodical, Dead Cells is fast and run-based, and the Hollow Knight games reward long exploration. Also check whether you want a solo experience or something you can share. Cuphead is the only real Soulslike-style pick here with local co-op.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dark Souls available on Nintendo Switch?
Yes. Dark Souls: Remastered is on Switch and includes sharper visuals, smoother framerates and the Artorias DLC alongside the original game.
What is a good soulslike for beginners on Switch?
Hollow Knight is a good entry point thanks to its 2D perspective and steady sense of exploration. Dead Cells also works well, because permanent unlocks make each failed run still feel like progress.
Are there co-op soulslike-style games on Switch?
Cuphead is the best choice from this list, with demanding boss fights built around parrying and dodging that you can play in local co-op. Dark Souls: Remastered and Hollow Knight are best approached as solo experiences.
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