Best Of
10 Best Games Like Nioh 2026
Over the years, Soulslike games have found fresh ways to add their own twist on the original Dark Souls formula. Among them, Nioh, with its stances and Diablo-style loot system. Nioh may be similar to Dark Souls’ bonfires, shortcuts, and losing XP after dying, but it focuses more on a fluid and deep combat system, much like Ninja Gaiden, prioritizing skill management and mastery of combos to win.
Curious to find more Soulslike games writing their own game plans? More games like Nioh? We got you with the best games like Nioh below.
10. Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong will satisfy your craving for intense action, with its fast-paced battles, stances, and tough bosses. Yet, take the pressure down a notch with the complexity of the combat system. Most similar are the stances, where Wukong has three options. Smash stance is more agile, Pillar defensive, and Thrust enhances your ranged attacks. You can always unlock and upgrade your toolsets, with the character build system relatively more accessible.
9. STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order
Since Star Wars already has a rich lore and universe, with characters we’d ride or die for, it’ll likely make STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order an easy choice for you. The story and characters definitely deliver a compelling adventure that spans a little over ten hours. But you likely won’t be returning for multiple playthroughs. This is an experience focused on exploration and solving puzzles, while the combat is purposefully fun.
8. Devil May Cry
What often sets Nioh apart from other games is its focus on deep and complex combat systems. And the other game to match its calibre, perhaps even beat its high skill ceiling, is Devil May Cry. From weapon swapping, with each having its unique styles and abilities, to agility, switching between ground and aerial combat, the combat system gives you endless possibilities for combos and quick thinking.
The Style meter keeps you on your toes, keeping track of your dodges and attacks. It rewards aggression while punishing damage taken and even repetition. Button mashing won’t get you far, despite the high learning curve and high-speed combat.
7. Bloodborne
The next among the best games like Nioh you may want to try is Bloodborne. It’s also heavily combat-focused, with a lock-on mechanic, stamina management, and well-timed parries. Because of the fast-paced nature of battles, it can become quite intense while juggling dodges and powering up charge attacks.
6. The Surge
The Surge can easily slip under your radar. But it can be a great way to change the tune of your usual serving of Soulslike games. Its sci-fi setting, especially, takes you to an interesting, dystopian, industrial world. Humans now use exoskeletons to fight malfunctioning robots and rogue AI.
It’s also interesting how dismembering enemies is the way to loot and upgrade your weapons and gear. While combat isn’t as complex as Nioh, it still has its fun factor.
5. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Meanwhile, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has its nuances, even when set in the same Sengoku-era Japan setting as Nioh. It places an even heavier focus on precise parrying. Rather than versatile loot and combat builds, Sekiro challenges you to deflect with pristine accuracy.
Because of its laser focus on parry/deflection, it can get frustrating for newcomers. But that’s the drive, isn’t it? To get good or go home. Even when you wield one main katana throughout the game, Sekiro finesses skill progression so well. The only way to get good is to kill enemies, beat bosses, and earn skill points to unlock new combat abilities.
4. Lies of P
How many Soulslikes can you say you’ve played and remember the story? Try out Lies of P, and you’ll definitely find its plot unforgettable. Primarily because it’s inspired by the famous Pinocchio. But the story here is much darker, retelling the tale in the gothic, sci-fi, nightmarish city of Krat.
Combat is still fast-paced, albeit with fewer build options and complex mechanics than Nioh. Still, you’ll find your fair share of aggressive battles against challenging bosses, mastering perfect parries, and accurate timing for attacks and stunning enemies.
3. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
It’s unsurprising that Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin features on the list of the best games like Nioh, given that they share the same Team Ninja developer. Final Fantasy fans will love that Strangers of Paradise adopts the classic love and gameplay elements they’ve grown accustomed to all these years: spells, jobs, and quests.
The only difference is that Strangers of Paradise takes a darker, Soulslike turn with its combat system. It creates a more hardcore experience, featuring what the game calls “merciless battles.” Moreover, the complex builds and loot systems in Nioh translate here, ensuring versatility, while also adding neat touches like swapping jobs on the fly.
2. Lords of the Fallen
Taking a breather from fast and frenetic battles, you might appreciate the compelling exploration and atmosphere of Lords of the Fallen: a classic Soulslike experience. It has some clever ideas, like the Umbral mechanic, where you encounter far more dangerous demons and creatures who can track you down.
You definitely don’t want to stay in Umbral Dead too long. Yet, braving tougher enemies in harsher terrain comes with greater rewards. Overall, the worldbuilding will intrigue you, with its many secrets and interconnected paths, as well as genuinely terrifying enemy designs.
1. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Ranking in first place of the best games like Nioh is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, also developed by Team Ninja. But this time, the studio took it a step further and added more verticality, as well as a focus on parries. While you don’t manage stamina, you have a spirit gauge that fills up when you deal damage and deflect successfully, but drains when you dodge, block, take damage, and use skills.
It’s still fast-paced combat, with a decent spread of tough bosses to contend with. Plus, you have the morale system to keep you on your toes, killing enemies to deal more damage and take less damage, but losing the buffs when you sustain critical hits or die.