Are There Any Action RPGs Left That Aren’t Soulslikes?

The action RPG space has evolved a lot over time, but over the past few years, it feels like soulslikes have consumed the entire genre. It is easy to see why: the formula of fast encounters and satisfying combat fits perfectly into an already action-packed world. That said, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find an ARPG that offers a more traditional gameplay style, rather than being replaced by this new wave.

Thankfully, the genre is still full of many great titles that offer fresh and familiar gameplay approaches, without bowing to the FromSoftware overlords that have otherwise dominated the space. These games bring plenty of speed, excitement, and a healthy dose of role-playing as well, ensuring that longtime fans keep their love of the genre going without straying too far from the conventions they have grown accustomed to.

Crimson Desert

The Next Big Open-World Sandbox

• Insane amount of content.
• Range of traversal options and open-world activities.

Crimson Desert is about as out-there and ridiculous as an RPG can possibly get. Rather than sticking to one specific gameplay style, players can engage with the game however they see fit, whether that be gliding across the map in search of adventure or focusing on more grounded systems like base-building, fully leaning into the idea of true role-playing freedom.

When it comes to combat, the fights themselves can be fairly challenging, but they are far from the calculated encounters seen in a soulslike. Instead, players get to wield a variety of weapons and ability styles, combining them to unleash some pretty impressive combos, without ever feeling as though they are being pushed to their mechanical limits.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Companions Leading The Charge

• Physics-based encounters.
• Organic interactions driven by AI NPCs.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes a very system-driven approach to combat, where interactions become much more organic as opposed to following a script. Mechanics like enemy climbing and environmental weaknesses become the primary focuses during encounters, and that’s without even considering the AI companions.

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s challenge comes from the unpredictability found within the world. One minute, players can use their pawns to control the pace of a fight, and the next, they need to scale a giant beast themselves. This gives the game a much more creative style that keeps it from being too reliant on precise swings or rolls, allowing it to feel like a more traditional ARPG with a few modern touch-ups.

Final Fantasy 16

Pure Cinematic Greatness

• Large-scale battles against massive enemies.
• Combos and ability synergies drive the combat.

Final Fantasy 16 shifts the series toward fast and spectacular real-time fights, drawing heavy influence from character-action games rather than soulslikes. Combos, cooldowns, and ability synergies take center stage over things like stamina management. In a lot of ways, the result is far more rewarding if a bit less physically taxing.

More linear than other RPGs in the space, FF16 puts a greater focus on the narrative and characters within, playing with emotions and delivering a more personal story as a result. The streamlined nature of the game also makes the cinematic moments hit much harder, as players are constantly being moved from one epic moment to the next, with very little downtime in between the action.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Realism Over Fantasy

• Methodical, detail-oriented gameplay.
• Historical simulation devoted to accuracy.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 takes many lessons from the original game and goes further to deliver an even more immersive medieval simulator. Realism remains the key component of the gameplay, as everything from weapon smithing to horseback riding factors into the real-world, creating a more engaging loop that doesn’t rely as much on shortcuts or easy routes forward.

For the fights, players have to play more cautiously, like they would in a soulslike, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to go on the offensive and create some chaotic moments throughout the story. Most importantly, because there are no fantastical elements, players get to experience a more grounded narrative that explores the world in greater detail, removing a lot of the more abstract and even absurd elements that can often bring down the tone of a story.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Accessible Yet Still Satisfying

• Player builds greatly vary the gameplay.
• Softer difficulty curve allows for gradual progression.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla continues the series’ shift into RPG territory, putting an emphasis on exploration and world-building rather than pure combat. The combat is much more flexible and forgiving, allowing for multiple playstyles to work without too many mechanical constraints that would otherwise turn off long-time fans.

These strengths continue into the world itself, which is filled to the brim with activities to complete and quests to follow, ensuring a consistent level of engagement from start to finish. More casual, less demanding: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the perfect place to fully immerse oneself in a glorious Viking past, with very few barriers to what the player can accomplish.

Horizon Forbidden West

A Whole New World To Conquer

• Strategic ranged battles that demand precision.
• Preparation and resource management are key.

Horizon Forbidden West is beautiful, action-packed, and surprisingly challenging at times, all without having the soulslike tag strapped to it. Fights are much more about strategy and timing, as players can dismantle specific limbs and armor sections of enemy creatures and use a variety of tools to take down even the largest predators.

There is also a better balance between ranged and melee combat. Players don’t need to focus on slotting into one specific path; instead, many approaches are used throughout the game, making combat feel more involved. To make things even better, the world is more exploration-oriented. It almost seems to beg players to fly and ride across it, something that they will quickly become addicted to from the moment the adventure begins.

Path Of Exile 2

Loot For Everyone To Enjoy

• Classic ARPG gameplay.
• Long-term build complexity.

Path of Exile 2 is a much more traditional isometric ARPG that continues the tradition of expansive skill trees established by the first game. Player builds are all that really matter, and they have complete control over damage, sustain, defense, and just about every other stat their character can use, ensuring that there is always another way to experience the game.

In fairness, the fights here can feel similar to soulslikes in a way, as the harder bosses become much more timing-focused than the early-game battles, but at the end of the day, raw DPS and perfect ability use become the deciding factors in a player’s success. For those in search of an ARPG to really sink their teeth into, it is pretty hard to find another with as much depth and variety as POE2.

Tainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalon

Dark, Gritty, Yet Still Familiar

• Open-ended RPG systems.
• Exploration becomes the main focus of progress.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon takes an almost old-fashioned approach to its gameplay, with a first-person perspective that will feel all too familiar for long-time fans of the genre. The game’s systems focus a lot on player agency, with quests offering multiple approaches to completion, which in turn means that progression can be achieved by whatever means each player sees fit.

Unlike many other RPGs, the tone is much darker, creating a world that is frightening yet alluring in a way that other games choose to avoid. Overall, Tainted Grail represents a return to tradition for the genre and a great game for players who have long been searching for a more classic-feeling ARPG.

Monster Hunter Wilds

Bosses Of A Very Different Kind

• Complex monster encounters.
• Build variety tailored to every hunt.

Monster Hunter Wilds steps things up a notch in the intensity department, gifting players with even more monstrous foes to take on in a much more open map than ever before. The comparisons to soulslikes are pretty obvious, with the main one being the boss-like nature of many larger fights, but the difference is in how players have to actively engage with the variety of systems all at once, rather than just rolling at the right time.

There are environmental components and weaknesses to factor in, as well as specific gear types that can offer bonuses for players to exploit, all things that become crucial in a successful late-game hunt. The feel of taking down a huge opponent is similar to a soulslike, yet here, the satisfaction comes from all that preparation paying off, and the reward of succeeding with a group of loot-hungry friends who are all equally excited about the win.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Creating Spectacles In Every Session

• Party dynamics and strategic positioning.
• Real-time, almost MMO-inspired combat.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 merges action and RPG mechanics through a hybrid fighting system that takes components from MMOs and party-based games to deliver a distinctive combat style that couldn’t be any further from a soulslike. Auto-attacks, ability rotations, and positional bonuses create an enormous amount of depth for players to explore, and rely more on their intelligence than their mechanical prowess.

Party synergies make the fights into a game of planning and coordination, where certain combos and pairings become the player’s sole focus in terms of long-term progression. Diversity is perhaps the best way to describe it. Regardless of whether players are jumping in for the first time or booting the game up for yet another playthrough, they will always find new ways to play and unlock a whole new layer of depth that they had previously never even considered.