Why Finding Games Like Sekiro Is Actually Kind of Hard?

You know that feeling? You finally beat the Sword Saint, the credits roll, and you’re left staring at your screen with sweaty palms and a racing heart. You just want more. But here’s the thing – finding games like Sekiro isn’t as simple as just picking another Soulslike. FromSoftware really broke the mold with this one.

Most action RPGs want you to dodge. You see a big scary attack, you roll away. Safe and sound. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice grabs you by the collar and screams at you to stand your ground. It’s about the clang of metal, that rhythmic “ting-ting-CLANG” of deflecting attacks until you break your enemy’s posture. It’s less like a traditional RPG and more like a rhythm game disguised as a samurai slasher.

So, when we talk about games like Sekiro, we aren’t just looking for difficult games. We are looking for that specific feeling. The feeling of mastering a blade, where hesitation spells defeat. I’ve scoured the genre, died hundreds of times, and broken maybe one controller to put this list together.

What Actually Makes a Game Feel Like Sekiro?

Before we get to the titles, let’s figure out what we are actually chasing here. It’s usually three things:

• The Deflection Mechanic: If I can’t parry a 50-foot monster’s claw with a tiny sword, I don’t want it. The combat needs to focus on standing your ground rather than rolling around on the floor.
• The Posture System: Health bars are boring. We want to break an enemy’s guard for that sweet, cinematic deathblow.
• The Setting and Agility: Wolf is fast. He has a grappling hook. He’s a ninja, not a knight in heavy armor. Movement needs to be snappy.

Game Title	Combat Focus	Difficulty Level	Vibe Check
Sekiro	Deflection / Posture	Very High	Feudal Japan / Myth
Lies of P	Perfect Guard	High	Dark Fantasy / Pinocchio
Sifu	Structure / Parry	High	Kung Fu Action
Wo Long	Deflect / Spirit	Medium-High	Chinese Mythology
Jedi: Survivor	Parry / Block	Adjustable	Sci-Fi / Space Opera
Ghost of Tsushima	Stance / Parry	Adjustable	Realistic Samurai

Now, let’s get into the games that will scratch that itch.

Sifu

Honestly, if you want the closest mechanical match to Sekiro’s combat, you have to leave the fantasy genre entirely. Sifu is a kung fu brawler, but the DNA is almost identical. You play as a martial artist seeking revenge, and just like Wolf, you have a “Structure” bar.

If you block too much, your structure breaks, and you get winded. But if you tap that block button at the perfect moment? You deflect the blow, leaving the enemy open. The sound design here is crunchy. Every hit feels heavy.

And there is a catch – literally. The death mechanic is unique. Every time you die, you age. You hit harder as an old master, but you have less health. It puts serious pressure on you to master the parry timings early on. It lacks the exploration of games like Sekiro, but for pure combat rhythm? It’s unmatched.

Lies of P

I was skeptical about this one. A Soulslike about Pinocchio? Sounds weird. But Lies of P is legitimate. While it borrows the gothic aesthetic from Bloodborne, the combat is heavily inspired by Sekiro.

You cannot rely on dodging here. Enemy attacks track you aggressively, and your dodge has very few invincibility frames. The game wants you to use the “Perfect Guard.” It’s tight – maybe even tighter than Sekiro’s deflection window – but landing it feels incredible. When you perfect guard enough attacks, the enemy’s weapon might literally snap in half. That is a level of satisfaction I didn’t know I needed.

Plus, you have a mechanical arm (Legion Arm) that offers tools like a grappling hook or a flamethrower. Sound familiar? It’s one of the best games like Sekiro released in the last few years.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

From the guys who made Nioh, Team Ninja took a crack at the parry formula with Wo Long. Set in a demon-infested version of the Three Kingdoms period in China, it replaces the posture bar with a “Spirit Gauge.”

Here is the kicker: there is no dedicated block button that you tap. Instead, you press the dodge button into the attack to deflect it. It took me a few hours to rewrite my muscle memory, but once it clicks, you feel like a god. You are flying around, deflecting spears, and countering with martial arts.

It’s a bit more forgiving than FromSoftware’s titles. The parry window is generous, and you can bring NPC allies to take the heat off you. If Sekiro was too hard for you, this is a great middle ground.

Thymesia

I have to mention Thymesia. It’s an indie game created by a small team, so it’s a bit janky around the edges. But the combat? Oh, the combat is good.

You play as a plague doctor in a kingdom ruined by alchemy. The mechanic here is interesting: enemies have two health bars. One is white (wounds) and one is green (actual health). You use saber attacks to inflict wounds, but they heal back if you don’t follow up with claw attacks to deal permanent damage.

Deflecting attacks is crucial to staying aggressive. It forces a rhythm where you are constantly switching between parrying, slashing, and clawing. It’s short – you can beat it in a weekend – but for the price, it’s a solid snack for fans of games like Sekiro.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Okay, hear me out. I know it’s Star Wars. However, the Jedi series (starting with Fallen Order and refined in Survivor) is essentially “Baby’s First Sekiro.” And I don’t mean that as an insult.

Respawn Entertainment clearly looked at the posture system and thought, “Let’s give them lightsabers.” You have a block meter. You parry to lower the enemy’s block meter. Once it’s gone, you get a cinematic finisher.

Survivor adds distinct stances. You can dual-wield, use a cross-guard heavy saber, or go classic single-blade. The parry windows are significantly wider here, especially on normal difficulty levels. It’s a fantastic entry point if you want games like Sekiro but felt the original was too punishing. Plus, Force-pushing stormtroopers off cliffs never gets old.

Ghost of Tsushima

If you played Sekiro for the setting – the falling cherry blossoms, the samurai honor codes, the katanas – then Ghost of Tsushima is the logical next step.

It is less of a “Soulslike” and more of an open-world action game. However, on the highest difficulty (Lethal Mode), it transforms. In Lethal Mode, you die in one or two hits, but so do the enemies. It turns every encounter into a tense standoff:

• The Standout Feature: The Standoff mechanic. You hold a button, waiting for the enemy to flinch. Release it at the exact moment they strike to kill them instantly.
• Combat: You switch stances to counter different weapons (shield, spear, sword).
• Stealth: Just like Wolf, Jin Sakai can use stealth, smoke bombs, and kunai to thin the herd.

It’s definitely more grounded and cinematic. You won’t be fighting giant apes or headless spirits, but the clash of swords is incredibly satisfying.

Stellar Blade

This is a newer addition to the conversation. Stellar Blade looks like a stylish hack-and-slash like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, but when you get your hands on the controller, it feels heavier.

The game relies heavily on “Perfect Parries” and “Perfect Dodges.” Enemies have yellow stamina bars (posture) that you need to chip away at. The visual feedback is intense – sparks fly, the screen shakes, and the sound effects are sharp.

It’s faster than Sekiro, certainly. And there is a lot more combo memorization involved. But the core loop of studying an enemy’s attack pattern and reacting with defensive precision places it firmly on the list of games like Sekiro.

Rise of the Ronin

Team Ninja again. They really like this genre. Rise of the Ronin is an open-world RPG set in the Bakumatsu period. It mixes the combat of Nioh with the open structure of Ghost of Tsushima.

The “Counterspark” is your parry here. It’s tricky because it requires you to use the triangle button (on PlayStation), which feels a bit odd at first. But it serves the same purpose: drain the enemy Ki (stamina) to leave them winded.

The cool thing here is the variety of weapons. You can parry with a katana, a greatsword, or even a bayonet. It’s a bit messier than the tight precision of Sekiro, but the historical tourism aspect is top-notch.

Top Indie Games Like Sekiro You Shouldn’t Miss

Sometimes the big AAA studios play it safe. If you want innovation, you look at the indie scene. There are two titles here that punch way above their weight class.

Nine Sols

People are calling this “2D Sekiro,” and they aren’t lying. The developers, Red Candle Games, coin their combat as “Sekiro-lite Deflection.” You play as a cat-like hero (Yi) in a “Taopunk” world – a mix of Taoism and Cyberpunk. The art is gorgeous, hand-drawn and crisp.

But don’t let the cute art fool you. This game is brutal. You have to deflect attacks to build up Qi, which you then use to stick talismans onto enemies and detonate them. The parry timing is crisp, and the boss fights are distinct dances of death. It captures the flow of games like Sekiro perfectly, just on a flat plane.

Furi

This one is a bit older, but it holds up. Furi is essentially a boss rush mode. No minions, no exploration, just you and a series of difficult bosses. The combat is a mix of bullet-hell shooting and close-quarters sword fighting.

The sword phase is all about parrying. You wait for the flash, hear the sound cue, and react. It requires that same “zone” state of mind Wolf demands. The soundtrack is also absolute fire – synthwave beats that ramp up as the fight gets intense.

Upcoming Games Like Sekiro to Watch

The industry knows we love this stuff. There are a few titles on the horizon that look like they are going to eat up all my free time.

Phantom Blade Zero

Have you seen the trailers for this? The speed is insane. It looks like a kung fu movie played at 2x speed. The developers have cited traditional martial arts cinema as a huge inspiration. It promises a semi-open world and a combat system that looks fluid and parry-heavy.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Set in late Ming Dynasty China, this looks to be another supernatural historical epic. The gameplay snippets show a heavy emphasis on deflection and aggressive counters. It seems to be leaning into the darker, grittier side of the genre, much like Bloodborne meets Sekiro.

Tips for Transitioning

If you are jumping from Sekiro to these other games, you might struggle with muscle memory. Here is what I found helps:

• Forget the L1 Spam. In Sekiro, you could kinda mash the block button and get lucky. In games like Lies of P or Sifu, the window is tighter and spamming usually gets you hit. You have to commit to the press.
• Watch the Stamina. Sekiro didn’t have a stamina bar for running or attacking. Most of these other games do. Don’t swing until you’re empty, or you won’t have energy left to block.
• Use your tools. Wolf had prosthetics. In Star Wars, you have the Force. In Ghost, you have Ghost weapons. Don’t be a purist – use every tool the game gives you to win.

FAQ

Which game is the hardest on this list?

Sifu or Lies of P. Sifu demands mastery or you literally run out of lives (age), while Lies of P has some bosses that rival the difficulty of Isshin.

Are there any easier games like Sekiro?

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Ghost of Tsushima are your best bets. They have difficulty sliders so you can enjoy the parry mechanics without the frustration.

Is Elden Ring like Sekiro?

Not really. Elden Ring is fantastic, but it focuses more on build variety, dodging, and exploration. The combat rhythm is very different, though you can play a parry-heavy build if you want.

Can I play these games on PC?

Yes, every game on this list is available on PC, and most run great. Bloodborne is the only exception – it’s still stuck on PlayStation, sadly.

Do these games have stealth like Sekiro?

Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin have full stealth systems. Lies of P and Sifu are mostly straight-up brawls where stealth isn’t an option.

What is the “posture” system called in other games?

It varies. In Sifu it’s “Structure,” in Wo Long it’s “Spirit,” and in Lies of P it’s a hidden “Groggy” meter. They all function similarly: fill the bar to perform a critical hit.

Is Black Myth: Wukong like Sekiro?

It shares the setting and boss-rush vibe, but the combat relies more on dodging and cooldown management than the constant “clash-clash-clash” deflection of Sekiro.

Wrapping it up

There is nothing quite like the first time you play Sekiro. It rewrites how you look at action games. But while we wait for FromSoftware to maybe (hopefully) make a sequel, these titles are more than worthy of your time.

Whether you want the sci-fi flair of Jedi: Survivor or the gritty, dark fantasy of Lies of P, the spirit of the Wolf lives on in these mechanics. So, pick one up, sharpen your reflexes, and remember: hesitation is defeat.