Brutal New Soulslike Looks Like It Might Give FromSoftware a Run for Its Money

During The Game Awards 2025, developer CI Games gave players a fresh look at gameplay for the upcoming Soulslike title Lords of the Fallen 2, which is slated to release in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Lords of the Fallen 2 is a direct sequel to 2023’s Lord of the Fallen, a Soulslike that tasked players with both surviving and navigating dual worlds filled with challenging obstacles and lethal enemies.

This isn’t the first time CI Games has shown off the upcoming Soulslike, as Lords of the Fallen 2 was revealed at another one of Geoff Keighley’s shows, Gamescom’s Opening Night Live. The event took place back in August, and CI Games introduced the title by debuting a visceral, action-packed cinematic trailer designed to keep players on the edge of their seat. While many fans were excited to learn that a sequel would be coming out in the relatively near future, a large portion of the community was also eager to see some actual gameplay. Fortunately, the developers seem to have been listening and have given players exactly what they were asking for.

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Lords of the Fallen 2 Reveals Official Gameplay

CI Games has released a new trailer for Lords of the Fallen 2 at The Game Awards, giving players a glimpse of what gameplay will look like in the highly anticipated Soulslike. Gamers familiar with the first title may notice that they will be tasked with traversing the dual worlds of the living and the dead once again, but there will be plenty of new features to look forward to as well. CI Games is adding all new executions to the title, as well as a dismemberment system that promises to deliver an even more brutal experience than the first game. In the trailer, CI Games gave players a first look at three bosses, the metal-encased Heartroot Warden, Koydreth striking from his rune-etched mirror, and the colossal dragon Lingao the Souring Storm. While some fans were hoping to see a specific release date at the end of the trailer, CI Games did reaffirm its commitment to launching the title in 2026.

While few Soulslikes have managed to match or exceed the best of FromSoftware’s growing roster, there are some notable titles that have given games like Bloodborne and Elden Ring a run for their money. 2023 was a big year for Soulslikes, as both Lords of the Fallen and Lies of P made a splash when they first released. It seems as if CI Games is looking to double down on its initial success, as Lord of the Fallen 2 looks to have even more enemies, refined combat, and unique bosses ready to intimidate even the most grizzled Soulslike players.

Fans may be happy to learn that CI Games has also launched a final major update for 2023’s Lords of the Fallen, which should give players some fresh content to enjoy while they wait patiently (or impatiently) for the highly anticipated sequel. Lords of the Fallen‘s 2.5 update comes with some big changes, including a new Veteran Mode, which should prove to be an intense challenge for even the most experienced players. In Veteran Mode, bosses have evolved to utilize faster transitions, new attack patterns, and they’ll be even more aggressive than they were in the game’s Legacy Mode. Players can only gain access to Veteran Mode by starting a new save file, and once selected, that save file will be unable to transition to Legacy Mode. Gamers looking to engage in some co-op play may want to note that they will only be able to join fellow players in the same mode as themselves. With fresh content to enjoy and a whole new experience coming in 2026, it seems as if fans of Lords of the Fallen have a lot to look forward to.