Choose DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
Choose DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, 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 DARK SOULS™ III
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and DARK SOULS™ III both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) is 1 year older than DARK SOULS™ III (2016). DARK SOULS™ III scores higher on Steam reviews (94.1% 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 DARK SOULS™ III
Choose DARK SOULS™ III if you want the Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Stereo Sound side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94.1% positive across 105,862 reviews.
Both DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and DARK SOULS™ III sit in Action 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 |  DARK SOULS™ III | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, RPG | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 39.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 83.2% positive (33,921 reviews) | 94.1% positive (105,862 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | FromSoftware, Inc. | FromSoftware, Inc. |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) is 1 year older than DARK SOULS™ III (2016).
- DARK SOULS™ III scores higher on Steam reviews (94.1% 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 DARK SOULS™ III (39.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin vs DARK SOULS™ III — FAQ
- Which is better, DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin or DARK SOULS™ III?
- On Steam reviews DARK SOULS™ III scores higher (94.1% 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, DARK SOULS™ III 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 DARK SOULS™ III first?
- If you want chronology, DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) came out before DARK SOULS™ III (2016). 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 DARK SOULS™ III similar?
- They overlap on Action 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 DARK SOULS™ III 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; DARK SOULS™ III ships Co-op.
- Do DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and DARK SOULS™ III 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.