Dark Souls Series

Who made Dark Souls series?

The Dark Souls series is a legendary action-RPG series developed by FromSoftware, known for its tough-but-fair combat, interconnected worlds, and minimalist storytelling. The game series drops players into dark, decaying fantasy lands where gods, dragons, and ancient curses loom over every step.

The gameplay emphasizes methodical melee and magic-based combat, tight resource management, and learning from repeated failure. With dense lore hidden in item descriptions and environmental clues, the Dark Souls franchise invites players to piece together its mythology themselves, making discovery part of the experience.

When did Dark Souls come out?

The First Dark Souls released in 2011, its roots go back to Demon’s Souls (2009), which introduced many of the mechanics that would define the franchise. Dark Souls built on that foundation and became a critical and commercial success, establishing the “Soulslike” genre and spawning countless imitators.

How many Dark Souls games are there?

There are three main entries in the Dark Souls game franchise. Each one is a self-contained story, but there are subtle narrative and thematic links across the games. Here’s the Dark Souls series in order by release:

1. Dark Souls (2011)
2. Dark Souls II (2014)
3. Dark Souls III (2016)

All three have received DLC expansions that significantly add to the lore and challenge. A remastered version of Dark Souls was released in 2018, and Scholar of the First Sin serves as an enhanced version of Dark Souls II.

Dark Souls games in chronological order

Every installment can be played independently, but to fully appreciate the interconnected themes and subtle references, it’s best to go through the game series in order, starting with the original and moving forward. Here's a look at the game timeline based on lore, which matches release order:

Chronological Dark Souls timeline:

1. Dark Souls – The Age of Fire begins to fade, and undead rise as the curse spreads.
2. Dark Souls II – Set in the kingdom of Drangleic, loosely connected to the first through cyclical lore.
3. Dark Souls III – The final chapter in the series, where the Age of Fire is nearing its ultimate end.

The timeline is intentionally cyclical and vague, each game portrays a world in decline, with echoes of past civilizations and myths repeating in new forms. Whether Dark Souls II is a direct sequel or a spiritual echo is still debated by fans.

The best Dark Souls games

Every title in the Dark Souls game franchise has its strengths. The original Dark Souls is often praised for its masterful world design and sense of interconnectedness. Dark Souls III is seen as the most polished in terms of combat and presentation, while Dark Souls II is a bit more divisive. Some fans love its ambitious ideas, while others critique its changes to pacing and mechanics.

All three games offer memorable bosses, haunting soundtracks, and deep lore worth unpacking over multiple playthroughs.

Who are the most iconic Dark Souls characters?

Although Dark Souls doesn’t focus heavily on dialogue or traditional cutscenes, it features many memorable characters whose stories unfold subtly:

• Gwyn, Lord of Cinder – The godlike king who sacrificed himself to prolong the Age of Fire.
• Artorias the Abysswalker – A legendary knight corrupted by darkness (DLC – Dark Souls).
• Solaire of Astora – A fan-favorite knight in search of his own sun.
• Nashandra – A central antagonist in Dark Souls II, born from fragments of the Abyss.
• The Fire Keepers – Recurring figures tied to the cycle of fire and rebirth.
• The Ashen One – The player character in Dark Souls III, tasked with rekindling or ending the flame.

Each character represents a facet of the series’ core themes: decay, sacrifice, and the struggle against fate.

Will there be a new Dark Souls game?

As of March 2025, FromSoftware has not announced a Dark Souls 4, and Dark Souls III was intended to conclude the series. The studio has since focused on new IPs like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Elden Ring, both of which carry the DNA of Dark Souls in different forms. If anything changes, you can be sure that we will inform you in our gaming news section of the site.