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- In just a decade, annual Soulslike releases on Steam have increased 41.2 times.
- 371 Soulslike titles launched on the platform in 2024 compared to 9 in 2015.
- 60% of these titles are published by Asian devs, and 97% of the buyers also belong to this region.
Soulslike titles have been all the rage in the gaming world for such a long period that the niche has become saturated. Games belonging to this genre are still succeeding, for example, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, which hit a peak of 131k on Steam.
However, many developers are trying to distance their products from this genre, with the likes of NeoBards Entertainment being frustrated that Silent Hill F is being labeled as a Soulslike. And, when you consider how many of these titles are produced every year on Steam, this inclination makes a lot more sense.
Why it matters: Relying too much on one niche of gaming without experimentation will curtail creativity and progress in the medium, as everyone will stick to a formula.
According to a study from VG Insights, the number of games released on Steam with the Soulslike tag has increased by 4100% or 41.2 times since 2015. In 2024, 371 new games on the platform were tagged as a Soulslike by either the developer or the fans.
Comparatively, only 9 such titles launched on Steam back in 2015, showcasing an exponential bloom of this genre. The research provided us with more interesting facts, specifically how AAA publishers make two-thirds of the latest Soulslike games, while AA publishers dominated until 2022.
Furthermore, the Asia-Pacific countries were responsible for 60% of these titles in 2024 and have released 80% of the new Soulslike on Steam this year. Unsurprisingly, most of the consumers also belong to this region and accounted for 97% of Soulslike copies sold in 2025, rising from 81% last year.
Chinese and USA users were among the biggest consumers of the genre, with Black Myth: Wukong ending up as the best-selling Soulslike on Steam in the last decade.
The genre’s dominance is definitely a thing, but with action games like Phantom Blade: Zero making a comeback and the number of annual Soulslike releases decreasing to 207 this year, the saturation is starting to diminish.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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