7 PvP games like Dark Souls II that you should try

It shares the essentials of what Dark Souls II does: punishing difficulty, melee combat and fantasy world. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. It sets itself apart with open world exploration and online features.

If Dark Souls II worked for you because of punishing difficulty, melee combat and fantasy world, the same is here. The common ground extends to exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. Where the two diverge is combat: open world exploration.

If Dark Souls II worked for you because of strong narrative focus, melee combat and fantasy world, the same is here. To that it adds single-player focus and a third-person camera. They part company on setting: this one brings horror setting.

Matches like this one are rare: it meets Dark Souls II on genre, combat and game mode. Both also lean on exploration and discovery, and single-player focus. The distance is in progression.

On paper it is what Dark Souls II is — punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus — though the resemblance is mostly at that level. To that it adds skill tree progression and a third-person camera. They part company on setting and combat: this one brings tactical combat and a sci-fi setting.

Held in common with Dark Souls II: deep RPG systems, magic-based combat and fantasy world. The common ground extends to PvP competition and a third-person camera. Where the two diverge is setting: offline play.

It comes from the same genre as Dark Souls II and shares punishing difficulty, melee combat and single-player focus. To that it adds exploration and discovery, and a third-person camera. They part company on tone and progression: this one brings competitive edge and 3D presentation.