The Dark Souls games in order of release are Dark Souls (2011), Dark Souls II (2014) and Dark Souls III (2016), and that is also the order most players should follow. Each has a definitive version you will actually buy today: Dark Souls Remastered (2018), Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) and Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition (2017). Demon's Souls (2009) came first as a spiritual predecessor, but it is not part of the trilogy's story. Below are the exact dates, every edition, how the games connect, and the honest answer on whether a fourth game exists.
We checked these dates and details against Wikipedia's pages for the series and each game, the official PlayStation Store listings, FromSoftware's own games site and recent news on the series' online servers, in November 2026.
The Three Main Games by Release Date
Dark Souls launched first in Japan on September 22, 2011 for PS3 and Xbox 360, reaching North America on October 4 and Europe on October 7 that year. Hidetaka Miyazaki directed it, and it is set in Lordran, a decaying kingdom near the end of the Age of Fire.
Dark Souls II followed on PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 11, 2014 in North America, with the Windows version on April 24, 2014. It moved the series to the fallen kingdom of Drangleic. Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura directed it while Miyazaki supervised, which makes it the only main game in the trilogy he did not direct, a fact that partly explains why it feels the most different of the three.
Dark Souls III arrived in Japan on March 24, 2016 for PS4 and Xbox One, then worldwide on April 12, 2016, including Windows. Miyazaki returned as lead director, with Isamu Okano and Yui Tanimura as supporting directors. By May 2020 it had sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
Every Edition and Re-Release
Each game was reissued at least once, and the reissues matter because they are the versions on sale now. Here is the timeline:
- Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (2012). The PC release, which reached North America and Europe on August 24, 2012, bundled the Artorias of the Abyss expansion. Console owners got the same DLC in October 2012.
- Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015). All three Lost Crowns expansions plus remixed enemy placement and a new ending, released April 7, 2015 in North America on PS4 and Xbox One, with versions for the older platforms too.
- Dark Souls III expansions. Ashes of Ariandel came in October 2016 and The Ringed City in March 2017. The Fire Fades Edition, which collects the base game and both expansions, followed on April 21, 2017.
- Dark Souls Remastered (2018). Released May 25, 2018 on PS4, Xbox One and Windows (May 24 in Japan), with the Switch version on October 19, 2018. It includes Artorias of the Abyss and runs at 60fps on PlayStation.
Japan also got a box set on May 24, 2018 with enhanced PS4 versions of all three games and their soundtracks. For anyone buying now, the practical shopping list is Remastered, Scholar of the First Sin and the Fire Fades Edition (or Dark Souls III plus its season pass).
If you are picking up the second game, our breakdown of what Scholar of the First Sin changed explains why it is the version to own, and how its two endings differ.
Story Order: How the Trilogy Connects
The numbering also works as a story order. Each game is set in its own land and era, but they share a single idea: an age kept alive by a fading First Flame, and a cursed undead hero who must decide whether to rekindle it or let it go out. You do not need lore knowledge to enjoy any of them, yet the payoff of the third game lands much harder if you have played the first.
The connections are easy to spot once you look. Dark Souls III has you fight Aldrich, Devourer of Gods, in Anor Londo, the same city where the first game hands you the Lordvessel. The first game's finale asks you to link the fire or walk away and become the Dark Lord, and the third game's endings return to that exact choice with more options. Dark Souls II sits between them with a more self-contained story about Drangleic and its king, and its throne-based ending is the most ambiguous of the three.
Spoiler warning for the rest of this paragraph: the trilogy's three finales together form one long argument about whether the cycle of fire should end. If you want to see how each game handles that question, our guide to every Dark Souls ending compares them side by side.
Which Order Should You Play Them In?
For almost everyone, release order is right: Remastered, then Scholar of the First Sin, then Dark Souls III. The difficulty curve rises sensibly that way, the returning locations and ideas in the third game make sense, and the controls feel more modern as you go.
- Short on time? Play Dark Souls Remastered and Dark Souls III. They share the most story threads, and many players treat the second game as optional.
- Coming from Elden Ring? Dark Souls III will feel closest. Its speed and boss design are the nearest match; our full list of Dark Souls 3 bosses shows what you are in for.
- New to the genre? Start with Remastered anyway. Lordran's interconnected map is the series at its most distinctive, and learning its boss order teaches you how these worlds are built.
The expansions fit naturally inside each game rather than after the trilogy. In Remastered, the Artorias of the Abyss door opens in Darkroot Basin once you have the Broken Pendant from the Duke's Archives and have freed Dusk of Oolacile, so it slots into the late game. In Dark Souls III, Ashes of Ariandel starts from the Cathedral of the Deep and the wiki suggests at least level 60 to 70, while The Ringed City is meant for levels 80 to 100 and is best played after Ariandel. Plan to play them before each game's final boss, though: in the first game, beating Gwyn drops you straight into New Game+ with tougher enemies.
Demon's Souls is a separate question. Wikipedia describes it as the spiritual predecessor to Dark Souls: the trilogy borrows its use of souls as currency, but the stories do not canonically connect. Bluepoint Games and Japan Studio remade it for PlayStation 5, and the remake launched with the console on November 12, 2020 in North America. It is a great game, but it is not required reading for Dark Souls.
Is There a Dark Souls 4?
No. As of November 2026, FromSoftware has not announced a fourth Dark Souls game. Its official site lists the Dark Souls series as a body of work without any new entry, alongside Elden Ring, Elden Ring Nightreign, Armored Core VI and Sekiro. The only upcoming title it shows is The Duskbloods, a multiplayer action game listed for 2027.
That fits what the studio said at the time. In 2015, Miyazaki said Dark Souls III would likely be the last game in the series and that FromSoftware planned to move on to new projects. Bloodborne, Sekiro and Elden Ring share the series' design DNA but are separate worlds, so they are not Dark Souls sequels either. Any "Dark Souls 4" rumor you see online should be treated as speculation until FromSoftware or Bandai Namco say otherwise.
Where You Can Play Them in 2026
The series has sold more than 39 million copies worldwide as of 2025, and all three games are still easy to buy on current hardware. On PlayStation, the PS4 versions of Remastered and Scholar of the First Sin both run on PS5, according to their store listings. The original PS3 and Xbox 360 release of Dark Souls II lost its online features on March 31, 2024, though it still plays offline.
Online play is the bigger caveat right now. On October 30, 2026, FromSoftware suspended online services for Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III on all platforms, later citing security vulnerabilities, with no return date given. Both games still work offline, and Dark Souls Remastered was not named in the notice. Our update on the Dark Souls 3 servers covers the details. The 2012 Prepare to Die Edition on PC is a different case: its servers never came back after a 2022 shutdown, so Remastered is the PC version to buy.
| Game | First release | Original platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Demon's Souls (spiritual predecessor) | 2009 | PS3 |
| Dark Souls | September 22, 2011 (Japan) | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition | August 24, 2012 (NA and Europe) | Windows |
| Dark Souls II | March 11, 2014 (NA) | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin | April 7, 2015 (NA) | PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Windows |
| Dark Souls III | March 24, 2016 (Japan) | PS4, Xbox One |
| Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition | April 21, 2017 | PS4, Xbox One, Windows |
| Dark Souls Remastered | May 25, 2018 | PS4, Xbox One, Windows |
| Dark Souls Remastered (Switch) | October 19, 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Demon's Souls (remake) | November 12, 2020 (NA) | PS5 |
Picking Up a Save for Any of the Three
Whichever game you start with, the store's Dark Souls section collects modded save services for the PS4 and PS5 versions of all three: a Remastered starter save, Scholar of the First Sin saves and a Dark Souls III ultimate starter save. Each one requires that you already own the game, since only the save file is sold, and none of them covers the Xbox, Switch or PC versions.
They suit players who have already finished a game and want to test builds or replay a favorite area with everything unlocked. Browse them all in the Dark Souls store section, or go straight to the Dark Souls Remastered modded save if the first game is where you are starting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I play Dark Souls 1 before 3?
It helps. Dark Souls III revisits places and ideas from the first game, including Anor Londo and the choice to link the fire, and those moments mean more if you have played Remastered.
Can I skip Dark Souls 2?
You can. Its story is the most self-contained of the three, so many players go from the first game straight to the third. It is still worth playing for its sheer amount of content.
Is Demon's Souls part of the Dark Souls series?
Not in story terms. It is the 2009 spiritual predecessor, and the 2020 PS5 remake is a separate purchase.
Is Elden Ring a Dark Souls game?
No. It is a separate FromSoftware world with similar combat and structure, listed on its own on the studio's site.
Which Dark Souls should I start with?
Dark Souls Remastered. It is the first story chapter, it includes the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, and it is available on PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC.
How long is the Dark Souls trilogy?
It depends heavily on skill and how much optional content you do. Each game is a long action RPG with DLC on top, so expect the trilogy to take many dozens of hours on a first run.