Choose DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
Choose DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin if it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 33,921 Steam reviews back the pick.
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin vs ELDEN RING
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and ELDEN RING both land in Action, RPG on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, RPG on Steam. DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) is 7 years older than ELDEN RING (2022). ELDEN RING scores higher on Steam reviews (94.3% positive) than DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (83.2% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose ELDEN RING
Choose ELDEN RING if you want the Online PvP, Online Co-op, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94.3% positive across 426,636 reviews.
Both DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and ELDEN RING sit in Action and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin |  ELDEN RING | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, RPG | Action, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 39.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 83.2% positive (33,921 reviews) | 94.3% positive (426,636 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | FromSoftware, Inc. | FromSoftware, Inc. |
Side by side
- Both share Action, RPG on Steam.
- DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) is 7 years older than ELDEN RING (2022).
- ELDEN RING scores higher on Steam reviews (94.3% positive) than DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (83.2% positive).
- DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than ELDEN RING (39.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin vs ELDEN RING — FAQ
- Which is better, DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin or ELDEN RING?
- On Steam reviews ELDEN RING scores higher (94.3% positive) than DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (83.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, ELDEN RING is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin or ELDEN RING first?
- If you want chronology, DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) came out before ELDEN RING (2022). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and ELDEN RING similar?
- They overlap on Action, RPG on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and ELDEN RING have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin ships Co-op; ELDEN RING ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Do DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and ELDEN RING both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.