Word.ws English Dictionary

Soulsborne

Soulsborne proper noun: a loose series of dark fantasy action role-playing video games developed by FromSoftware, generally held as including Demon's Souls (2009), the Dark Souls trilogy (2011–2016), Bloodborne (2015), and Elden Ring (2022).

soulsborne: a loose series of dark fantasy action role-playing video games developed by FromSoftware, generally...
Image: Pikawil from Laval, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Proper noun

Soulsborne

  1. (slang) A loose series of dark fantasy action role-playing video games developed by FromSoftware, generally held as including Demon's Souls (2009), the Dark Souls trilogy (2011–2016), Bloodborne (2015), and Elden Ring (2022).
    • As the director of each of the Soulsborne games, Miyazaki is a strong influence on all aspects of the final product, including visual design, gameplay, and narrative content.2019, “Introduction”, in Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, editor, Narrative Design and Authorship in Bloodborne: An Analysis of the Horror Videogame, page 4
    • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was created by FromSoftware, the developers behind the Soulsborne titles.2020, James Palmer, "Why did UK games sales drop in 2019?", The Boar (University of Warwick), 13 February 2022, page 32

Noun

Soulsborne (countable and uncountable, plural Soulsbornes)

  1. (slang, uncountable) A video game subgenre influenced by this series, characterized by high difficulty, trial-and-error progression, esoteric enemy movesets, environmental storytelling, and complex lore.
    • Because FromSoftware's Demon's Souls is the granddaddy of the soulsborne genre, and one of the PlayStation 3's overlooked classics.2020 October, “Have Your Say: Demon's Soul”, in PlayStation Official Magazine, page 27
    • “Blasphemous” is a masterfully crafted game that would entice hardcore fans of Soulsborne and Metroidvania games.2022, Gabrielle Cabello Torres, "From The International: Video Games From Different Cultures", Mace & Crown (Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA), Spring 2022, page 36
    Synonyms:
    Soulslike
  2. (countable, slang) An individual game of this genre.
    • Do you have room for another Soulsborne in your life?2018, "Team Ninja's Nioh 2 is back for more", PlayStation Official Magazine (UK), August 2018, page 11 (image caption)
    • Diagrammatics allows us to properly think about how something like a “soulsborne” can be created: It is a set of mechanics, modes of storytelling, and player expectations that branch out and proliferate from the original object.2020, Cameron Kunzelman, "How we deal with dark souls: The aesthetic category as a method", in Hybrid Play: Crossing Boundaries in Game Design, Players Identities and Play Spaces (eds. Adriana de...

Examples of Soulsborne in a sentence

  • The Soulsborne formula has been imitated countless times but mastered by few apart from FromSoftware, the original pioneers.2022 December 29, Cameron Rasmusson, “Elden Ring recaptures magic of video game discovery”, in Reader, page 17:
  • Lee confirms it offers the challenge of a soulsborne but with a greater level of flexibility in how you approach that challenge.2020 December, “Godfall”, in PlayStation Official Magazine, UK, page 56:

Synonyms of Soulsborne

Forms of Soulsborne

Proper noun
alternative formSoulsBorne
alternative formsoulsborne
Noun
pluralSoulsbornes

Origin of Soulsborne

Blend of souls + bloodborne, after the Dark Souls trilogy and Bloodborne.

Questions about Soulsborne

What does Soulsborne mean?
Soulsborne means a loose series of dark fantasy action role-playing video games developed by FromSoftware, generally held as including Demon's Souls (2009), the Dark Souls trilogy (2011–2016), Bloodborne (2015), and Elden Ring (2022).
How do you use Soulsborne in a sentence?
The Soulsborne formula has been imitated countless times but mastered by few apart from FromSoftware, the original pioneers.
What part of speech is Soulsborne?
Soulsborne can be a proper noun or a noun.

Words near Soulsborne in the dictionary

  1. soulmates
  2. soulrending
  3. soulrendingly
  4. souls
  5. soulsaving
  6. Soulsborne
  7. Soulsbornes
  8. Soulsby
  9. Soulsbyville
  10. soulscape
  11. soulscapes

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Soulsborne (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “Soulsborne.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/soulsborne. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.