Sony announcing an official Bloodborne umbrella collab with Super Groupies, years before any real word on a sequel or a PC port, is a decent tell. The game is still trapped on PS4 hardware, still running at 30 frames per second, and PC players who’ve watched the emulator scene inch forward for a decade need something to play now. We looked at seven Bloodborne alternatives that run on Windows, most also on macOS or Linux via Proton, and each one keeps a specific piece of what made Yharnam work: the aggression, the gothic dread, or the trick weapons.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Platforms | Steam price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lies of P | Closest Bloodborne feel on PC | Windows | $59.99 | Belle Époque setting, weapon assembly system |
| Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Aggression and posture combat | Windows | $59.99 | Deflect-based swordplay, no stamina bar |
| Dark Souls III | Original Miyazaki formula | Windows | $59.99 | Deepest lore, closest gameplay lineage |
| Nioh 2 | Weapon variety and stances | Windows | $49.99 | Yokai transformations, five stance system |
| Elden Ring | Open world with soulslike bones | Windows | $59.99 | Full open world, mount, jump button |
| Remnant II | Co-op soulslike with guns | Windows | $49.99 | Procedural biomes, third-person shooting |
| Salt and Sanctuary | 2D pixel-art take on the formula | Windows, macOS, Linux | $17.99 | Local couch co-op, faster runs |
Why people want a Bloodborne PC port
Reddit’s r/bloodborne surfaces the same three complaints every month. The base game runs at 30 fps with a variable frame pace that looks worse on modern OLED TVs than it did in 2015. The shadPS4 emulator has made real progress but still hits shader compilation stutters that ruin boss attempts. And every time a rumored port leaks, it turns out to be either a fan mod or a misread of a shareholder statement. Sony has never officially spoken about a port on any earnings call.
The umbrella merchandise is the pattern people call out. FromSoftware and Sony keep the IP visible with capsule collections and figures while the game itself sits on aging hardware. If you’ve waited long enough to have played through it once on PS4 and want something new that shares its DNA, the seven picks below are the ones players consistently return to.
The alternatives
Lies of P — Best for the closest Bloodborne feel
Lies of P was pitched as “Pinocchio soulslike” for a reason. It clones the Bloodborne rally system almost exactly: take a hit, counter-attack fast enough, get some health back. Combat is faster than Dark Souls, weapons split into handle and blade so you can build a heavy-scythe-with-a-fast-handle without a mod, and the Krat setting looks like Yharnam in a Belle Époque wig. Round 8 Studio also released the Overture DLC with a new weapon type and a hardcore mode.
Where it falls short: The story is thinner than a From game and the cast is smaller. Some late-game bosses lean hard on delayed attacks the way Elden Ring did, and if that pattern already annoys you, it will annoy you here.
Pricing: $59.99 base, $29.99 for the Overture DLC. Regularly discounted 30–40% during Steam sales.
vs Bloodborne: Runs at your monitor’s refresh rate on any half-decent PC, has trick-weapon-adjacent handle swapping, and the rally system works the same way. The setting swaps Victorian London for a fake Naples, but the mood carries.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: If you only try one of these, try this one.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — Best for aggression
Sekiro is what happens when FromSoftware drops the stamina bar and tells you to deflect instead of dodge. There is no build variety, no armor swaps, one weapon. What you get instead is the tightest melee combat From has ever shipped, boss fights that read like duels, and a grappling hook that turns exploration into parkour.
Where it falls short: No character building means the whole game rides on your ability to click when a boss winds up. If deflection timing frustrates you in the first hour, that feeling does not improve in hour 40.
Pricing: $59.99 base. Bundled with the Game of the Year edition that includes Reflections (boss rush) and the Gauntlet of Strength.
vs Bloodborne: Faster than Bloodborne, more punishing on defense, no build variety. Aggression is even more rewarded because posture damage snowballs when you press an opening.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The one to pick if the parry felt like the best part of Bloodborne’s charged R2s.
Dark Souls III — Best for the original formula
Dark Souls III is the direct spiritual sibling to Bloodborne. Miyazaki was directing both around the same time, and it shows in the pacing, the enemy density in the Grand Archives, and the way the Ringed City DLC leans on gothic imagery. This is still the entry we recommend for anyone who bounced off Dark Souls II and wants to see why the series matters.
Where it falls short: The base game has stamina management that feels slow after a hundred hours of Bloodborne. Weapon variety exists but no trick weapons — the closest are the paired swords, which do not transform mid-swing.
Pricing: $59.99 base, $24.99 for The Ringed City / Ashes of Ariandel DLC bundle. Frequently on sale for under $15.
vs Bloodborne: Slower, more defensive, and covers ground Bloodborne skipped: shields, magic builds, longer boss lists. Same director, same team, same feel underneath.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The lineage pick. Also the cheapest way into the FromSoft catalogue.
Nioh 2 — Best for weapon and stance variety
Nioh 2 is Team Ninja’s take on the format, and it goes wide where Bloodborne went deep. Eleven weapon classes, three stances per weapon that swap on the fly, and a yokai transformation meter that turns your character into a demon with three moveset variants. Missions are shorter and self-contained, which suits people who want to grind loot in half-hour bursts.
Where it falls short: The loot system is closer to Diablo than Dark Souls, with rarity colors and set bonuses. Cluttered menus. The tutorial takes a while to teach you the systems that matter.
Pricing: $49.99 for the Complete Edition on Steam, which includes all three DLC campaigns.
vs Bloodborne: Faster attacks, more weapons, more build depth. Less atmospheric — Sengoku Japan is beautiful, but it does not have the same dread as Yharnam at 3 a.m.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Best pick if the trick weapons were what kept you playing Bloodborne.
Elden Ring — Best for open-world soulslikes
Elden Ring is the current benchmark. It took the Dark Souls formula and stretched it across an open world, added a proper jump button, and put you on a horse. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC ships with some of the hardest bosses FromSoftware has designed.
Where it falls short: Not gothic. The Lands Between are golden and sun-lit for most of the map, which is a very different mood. Some of the reused mini-boss encounters in the open world feel padded.
Pricing: $59.99 base, $39.99 for Shadow of the Erdtree.
vs Bloodborne: Bigger, slower to start, more forgiving. Loses the tight vertical level design Bloodborne used, gains a scale nothing else on this list matches.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The obvious pick if you want the biggest possible game and do not need the horror atmosphere.
Remnant II — Best for co-op with guns
Remnant II is the outlier and the surprise. Gunfire Games took the FromSoft template and swapped melee for third-person shooting, then wrapped it in procedural biomes so your friend’s run through Yaesha looks nothing like yours. Boss weapons unlock crafting recipes, dodge rolls have I-frames, and three-player co-op works out of the box.
Where it falls short: Randomization can hand you a boring biome layout on a fresh run. The class system is more like a specialization than a full identity, so builds converge in the late game.
Pricing: $49.99 base, $29.99 for the DLC season pass that adds three campaigns.
vs Bloodborne: Guns instead of trick weapons, but the loop of learning a boss’s tell and punishing an opening is intact. Best on this list for a Friday night with two friends.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The one to grab when you want a soulslike but everyone in your Discord already owns Elden Ring.
Salt and Sanctuary — Best for a 2D take
Salt and Sanctuary is what a 2D Dark Souls looks like, drawn in murky pixel art with a full skill tree, covenants, and NG+. It runs on anything, including a modest MacBook Air, and supports local couch co-op — which nothing else on this list does.
Where it falls short: Sprite hitboxes are less generous than they look. The art style is intentionally rough, and the sequel, Salt and Sacrifice, split the fanbase over its monster-hunter loops.
Pricing: $17.99 base. Frequently on sale for under $5.
vs Bloodborne: Nowhere near the same production value, but the mechanical loop and the tone are closer than the pixel art suggests. Runs are also much shorter — a full playthrough is 20 hours, not 60.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The one for a low-spec machine or a couch co-op night.
How to choose
Pick Lies of P if you want the closest thing to Bloodborne without emulating a PS4. It even copies the rally system, which no other game on this list does.
Pick Sekiro if the parry timing was the part that clicked for you. Nothing else feels as clean when the deflect lands.
Pick Dark Souls III if you want to see where Bloodborne came from and you missed it the first time. It is the cheapest and one of the deepest.
Pick Elden Ring if you want the biggest experience on this list and you can live without the gothic atmosphere.
Stick with waiting for a Bloodborne port only if you refuse to touch anything else FromSoft has made. shadPS4 keeps improving, but “playable” and “as intended” are still different things, and the wait is not close to over.
FAQ
Is there a Bloodborne PC port in 2026? No. Sony has never announced one. The shadPS4 emulator has made progress but is not stable enough for a full playthrough at 60 fps yet, and there is no legal way to buy Bloodborne on PC.
What is the closest game to Bloodborne on Steam? Lies of P. It copies the rally counter-heal system, has weapon assembly that mirrors trick weapons, and its Belle Époque setting reads as a stylistic cousin to Yharnam.
Can I play Bloodborne on Steam Deck? Not officially. The only way to run it is via a PS4 emulator, which is technically feasible on Deck but produces frame pacing that is worse than the original PS4 hardware.
What did the Bloodborne developers make next? Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Elden Ring. Miyazaki directed both. Sekiro is closer to Bloodborne’s combat aggression; Elden Ring is the more expansive game.
Is Elden Ring easier than Bloodborne? The open world lets you level up and change strategies before returning to a boss, which makes early Elden Ring easier than early Bloodborne. Late-game Elden Ring bosses (Malenia, Radahn in the DLC) are harder than anything in Bloodborne outside the Chalice Dungeon superbosses.
Is Lies of P made by FromSoftware? No. It is made by Round 8 Studio, a Neowiz subsidiary in South Korea. FromSoftware has no involvement with it.
