"Fight, Die, Repeat" formula perfected with Soulsborne games.
The name Soulsborne is a mash-up of Demon Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, but don't be fooled: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the recently released Elden Ring are both Soulsborne games. With Elden Ring becoming the best-selling video game of 2022 upon its first month of release (according to NPD Group), here are the top 5 best-selling Soulsborne games ever:
5. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – 5 M
Sekiro is by far the most alienating of the Soulsborne games.
You wouldn’t think that one of the later releases of FromSoftware would rank so low, but here we are! Sekiro acts like Dark Souls if you trained to go for the parry, and acts a lot more like Bloodborne in terms of the speed of combat. Unlike previous releases, Sekiro introduces verticality to the series. You couldn’t imagine the hype we felt when we heard there was going to be a jump button. Also, unlike the other releases, Sekiro has its own sense of combat. It feels more rhythmic since it’s like a dance of parrying and dodging. With its unique gameplay elements and ancient Japanese aura, Sekiro is one of the most beloved games of the last decade.
By July 2020, Activision revealed that Sekiro had sold over 5 million copies, putting it in fifth place among Soulsborne games. (Activision)
4. Dark Souls – 5.5 M
Are we moving a bit slow with all this or is it just me?
Some say Dark Souls is the true first entry of the Soulsborne games; some say it’s just a spiritual successor to Demon's Souls. One thing is certain though, it was nothing like we've ever seen before. The reason most fans adore Dark Souls is that it was different than all the other games that hold our hands and guide us through. Dark Souls gave us the basic tools to survive and basically said "You’re on your own now buddy". This choice of design gave the fans a greater sense of reward after each kill. In addition, one other great aspect of Dark Souls is its non-stop gameplay. Of course, there is a lore if you know where to look for it, there are occasional cinematics and a short tutorial at the start. But besides all that, the original Dark Souls was an electric joyride from start to finish.
According to Eurogamer.net, Dark Souls surpassed 5.3 million sales by June2015,5 and since then, the number is around 5.5 million by now.
3. Dark Souls 2 - 8.5 M
The black sheep of the franchise.
Oh boy... The monstrosity we all try to forget. After the huge success of Dark Souls, the director, Hidetaka Miyazaki took the only logical route and immediately went for the sequel. The development hell of Dark Souls 2 was the result of two directors with different visions for the game. With the launch date getting closer, one of the directors resigned after completing a big chunk of the project. The remaining director, Yui Tanimura, wasn’t left with enough time to redo everything, and thus a half-assed final product is what we have today.
Even with all of the bad luck around the project, Dark Souls 2 still remains the 3rd most-sold Soulsborne game. There may be 2 main reasons for this. The first one is how great the first game was! The second one is kind of depressing. Even being the weakest entry in the series, Dark Souls 2 is still one of the better games in the A-RPG genre. With all said, by July 2015, Dark Souls 2 managed to sell over 8.5 million copies, according to eurogamer.net.
2. Dark Souls 3 - 10 M
May not be the best, but still a fixture in modern fantasy RPGs.
Everybody loved the original Dark Souls. Then there was Dark Souls 2, the black sheep of the family. With the release of Dark Souls 3, FromSoftware perfected the formula and did the impossible. A truly flawless game. The world seems alive and natural, unlike previous entries. Whether it's the remnants of an ancient city or dead bodies piled up, Dark Souls 3 truly catches the feeling of a dying, cold, dystopian world.
The Soulsborne series is known for its difficulty and it’s the main reason they became so popular in the first place. However, by the 3rd installment, FromSoftware decided to make Dark Souls 3 a bit more accessible to average players. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still no walk in the park, but with respect to other entries, I’ve only thrown "1" controller at my PC.
By 2021, Dark Souls 3 has sold over 10 million copies, states gamespot. This number is a huge accomplishment, yet it gets dwarfed by our number 1 pick.
1. Elden Ring - 13.4 M
The toughest fight of Soulsborne, Elden Ring.
The absolute pinnacle of video-game evolution. Crème de la crème. A truly gigantic open world, rich with detail and almost unlimited freedom to choose your own path. What I love the most about Elden Ring is how adaptive the world feels. Who can forget the ashes raining down on us after we burn the Erdtree, or what about the meteor shower after we defeat Radahn? If one had to describe the Elden Ring experience, without a doubt, it would be EPIC.
Only 2 months after its release, Elden Ring sold 13.4 million copies, and the number keeps going up. (Statista, 2022) It is easy to say that it is one of the greatest pieces of entertainment media ever produced.
