If your travels across The Lands Between in Elden Ring have reached their conclusion, chances are you’re still buzzing over the riveting dark fantasy experience the game has to offer. As such, you’re either going to want to play some more Soulslikes, or you’re going to want to take a break from the genre altogether. We’ve put together a list of five great choices if you’re looking for something to play after Elden Ring.
Eldest Souls
If you’ve still got a hankering for more Soulslike goodness after beating Elden Ring but maybe don’t want to get lost in a massive open world, Eldest Souls is a fine choice. The game focuses almost entirely on its boss battles, with no minor enemies to encounter in between the bouts with larger foes.
Eldest Souls is a highly challenging boss-rush experience, and as such, it puts you up against gigantic god bosses not unlike the more imposing foes in Elden Ring. And though it’s a much shorter experience and doesn’t have a massive map to explore, its world is still filled with hidden lore and is a true joy to behold.
Demoniaca: Everlasting Night
Maybe you’ve beaten Elden Ring and you want to play a difficult game — you’re just not sure if you want to play another Soulsike right away. If that’s the case, Demoniaca: Everlasting Night is a great game to consider. It’s more Metroidvania than Soulslike, but it still offers an intense challenge with enjoyable fighting game-esque combat.
You’ll take on large, demonic bosses as you explore dreary dungeons and castles. The game also has a solid upgrade system that mixes the traditional leveling up you’d see in an RPG with items-based stat upgrades. The controls in Demoniaca: Everlasting Night can take a little getting used to, but overall, the game delivers solid action that’s both satisfying and tough.
Stylistically, Demoniaca: Everlasting Night is more goth than gothic, but it’s still very much a cool dark fantasy adventure that’s sure to pique your interest if you dig the look of Elden Ring.
Death’s Gambit: Afterlife
If you’re looking for an engaging 2D Metroidvania landscape to explore, coupled with stamina-based combat and a Soulslike mood, Death’s Gambit: Afterlife hits all the right — and incredibly challenging — notes. The game’s visuals feature dark and brooding lands, haunted-looking interiors, and intimidating bosses.
There are multiple classes to play as in Death’s Gambit: Afterlife, all with their own perks. Like in Elden Ring, the class you choose will have a major impact on the weapons you use and the style of play you employ. In addition, you’ll be leveling up your character as you go along for the bigger challenges that await the further you progress.
It might be a stretch to refer to Death’s Gambit: Afterlife as 2D Elden Ring. That said, this game utilizes enough of the same fundamentals as From Software’s latest project that it’s absolutely enticing if you’re looking for a dark fantasy action-RPG adventure through a haunted, desolate world.
Mortal Shell
One of the major selling points of Elden Ring is its massive open world. Of course, because said open world has so much to see, do, and discover, it can be a little overwhelming — especially since the Dark Souls games are mostly linear. As such, if you enjoyed Elden Ring but need to scale things back a bit, Mortal Shell comes highly recommended. The game features a much more compact Soulslike experience without sacrificing challenge and that signature sense of discovery.
While the world of Mortal Shell may not exactly be sprawling, it does afford you some degree of freedom. You’re able to explore the area as you please and take on the game’s temples in any order you want. While you may struggle if you attempt the more challenging temples first, the game still gives you the tools necessary to succeed.
There are a few different class types to play as in Mortal Shell. These are unlocked as you explore the game’s world. Once you’ve done so, you’re free to switch between classes in the game’s hub area. One of the cool things about Elden Ring is that you can start out as one class and eventually evolve into something completely different. In Mortal Shell, you have the freedom to switch between your available classes at will, which is pretty cool, too.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The open world of Elden Ring is pretty incredible. There’s so much to discover, and it’s easy to get sidetracked along the way. Maybe you’ll be heading to the next major area, but then you spot a cave nearby. Oh, look, a giant dragon for you to fight! The game’s open world is as daunting as it is inviting. If you want more massive open-world goodness akin to Elden Ring, few games come close to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Nintendo was able to deliver a seamless world, and though it may not be as difficult as Elden Ring, Breath of the Wild still offers some hearty challenges. Both games share that freeing sense of exploration, and there are secrets around every corner. If you’ve yet to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Elden Ring left you craving more of that rich world design, there are definitely some parallels that can be drawn between the two games.
Conclusion
Any of the games listed above would be great if you’re looking for something to play now that you’ve beaten Elden Ring. Of course, you could just, ya know, play Elden Ring in New Game Plus mode!
