{"id":3943,"date":"2026-07-12T00:36:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=3943"},"modified":"2026-07-12T00:36:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T19:36:40","slug":"2026s-most-exciting-soulslike-officially-announces-release-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=3943","title":{"rendered":"2026\u2019s Most Exciting Soulslike Officially Announces Release Date"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/tag\/mortal-shell\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Mortal Shell 2<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is a godsend because, without it, 2026 would\u2019ve been a massive letdown for Soulslike games overall. Soulslike games in general have not had nearly the same hype or ubiquitousness that they did around the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/elden-ring-2-update-gamers-react\/\" target=\"_blank\">release of <em>Elden Ring<\/em> in 2022<\/a>, which is ironic, as it felt like Soulslikes were going to dominate every other subgenre in the industry.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>A glance back at 2026 thus far will be sobering for anyone who adores traditional, <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/greatest-soulslikes-2025-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\">FromSoftware-esque Soulslike games<\/a> and realizes that it\u2019s been a torturously dry year. Thankfully, <em>Mortal Shell II<\/em> is almost single-handedly preserving the action-RPG subgenre\u2019s good name and refusing to let 2026 pass by without at least one honest-to-God Soulslike.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mortal shell 2 steam\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-steam.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\"><em>Mortal Shell II<\/em>\u00a0open-world gameplay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> It was announced on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mortalshellgame\/status\/2074841138440101928?s=46&amp;t=f1NMWVpYNiqkqqdmdCO9uA\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter\/X<\/a> recently that <em>Mortal Shell 2<\/em> will officially be released on August 20, 2026. <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/soulslike-gameplay-reveal-mortal-shell-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Mortal Shell 2<\/em>\u2019s open beta\/demo was a huge success<\/a>, with hands-on playtime demonstrating to new and old Soulslike fans alike that it is basically superior in every way imaginable to its predecessor.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/mortal-shell-dark-souls-games-compared-difference-similar\/\" target=\"_blank\">first <em>Mortal Shell<\/em> was a great Soulslike<\/a>, but it had training wheels on and was quite truncated. Now, with the training wheels removed, the beta was instrumental in showing fans how far the IP has come already (and fans can still download it if they want to try a taste of it themselves, with the ability to skip the prologue and earn a Harbinger skin for playing, as well).<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mortal shell 2 key art\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-key-art.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\"><em>Mortal Shell II<\/em> key art.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> Aside from this official release date announcement being great in and of itself, the date is celebratory for a couple of reasons: firstly, <em>Mortal Shell II<\/em>\u2019s release window of 2026 was withheld and honored without delay; and secondly, <em>Mortal Shell II<\/em> launching at the end of August allows it to narrowly evade a September where a ton of games will be brushing shoulders and gasping for air. That said, if a bit more legroom is desired, preordering <em>Mortal Shell 2<\/em>\u2019s Devout edition grants 72 hours of advanced access.<\/p>\n<section class=\"emaki-custom-block emaki-custom-note\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"emaki-custom note\" id=\"custom_block_8\">\n<div class=\"custom_block-content note\">\n<p>Plus, anyone who\u2019s a fan of both Soulslikes and <em>Star Wars\u2014<\/em>lovers of <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/easy-soulslike-video-games\/\" target=\"_blank\">Respawn\u2019s <em>Star Wars Jedi<\/em> franchise<\/a>, perhaps\u2014won\u2019t have to painstakingly decide whether to play <em>Mortal Shell II<\/em> or <em>Star Wars Zero Company<\/em> first, since the former comes out a full week before the latter.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><strong><em>Mortal Shell 2 <\/em><\/strong>already has a decent shot at the coveted title of \u2018best Soulslike of 2026\u2019 with so little competition. Nonetheless, it truly is a Soulslike game that fans should keep an eye on if they consider themselves a fan of the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/steelrising-soulslike-game-too-easy-difficulty\/\" target=\"_blank\">classic Soulslike experience<\/a>, with its gameplay, level design, and atmosphere striking notes that are far more harmonious with FromSoftware\u2019s own Soulslike games than many other comparable action-RPGs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card type-video-game large\" data-show-streamrentbuy-links=\"true\" data-include-community-rating=\"true\" id=\"9a06-4177-985e54992cae\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content\">\n<div class=\"display-card-content image-column\">\n<p>                        <!--    Rating block community and brand ratings --><br \/>\n                        <!--  Image --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-img  has-image-group\" data-stnl=\"%7B%22category%22%3A%22Click%20Interactions%22%2C%22name%22%3A%22Display%20Card%22%2C%22action%22%3A%22Fullscreen%20Image%20Load%22%2C%22once%22%3Atrue%7D\" data-stnl-group-once=\"3tP3UB1SXp\">\n<div class=\"body-img portrait \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  img-article-square\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2025\/06\/mortal-shell-2-tag-page-custom-cover-art.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!-- User Rating widget --><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"display-card-content info-column\">\n<div class=\"w-display-card-highlight-info\">\n                            <!--  Display card tags widget --><\/p>\n<p>                            <!--  Display card system widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-pills-group\">\n                                        <span class=\"pills-group-title\">Systems<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"pill-group-items\">\n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/tag\/pc\/\" class=\"pill-group-item\" title=\"PC\"><br \/>\n                                                                                                                                                                                    <img width=\"100\" height=\"100\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"PC-1\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/07\/pc-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=50&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/07\/pc-1.png?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=50&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                                        <\/a>\n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!--  Display card community and brand rating widget --><br \/>\n                                                                         <!--  Display card open critics widget --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-info main-info\">\n<dl>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Released<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t                \t\t\t\t2026<br \/>\n            \t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Developer(s)<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCold Symmetry<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Publisher(s)<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPlaystack<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Franchise<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMortal Shell<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!--  Display card media widget start --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card media widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play button preview --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play preview end --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <!-- Extra content section, display hidden by default --><br \/>\n            <input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"extra-content-9a06-4177-985e54992cae\" name=\"extra-content-9a06-4177-985e54992cae\" class=\"expand-extra-info-checkbox css-menu-checkbox\"\/> <!-- Checkbox: control the expandable behavior  of the extra info --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- Display card footer --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- PROS and CONS section --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mortal Shell 2 is a godsend because, without it, 2026 would\u2019ve been a massive letdown for Soulslike games overall. Soulslike games in general have not had nearly the same hype or ubiquitousness that they did around the release of Elden Ring in 2022, which is ironic, as it felt like Soulslikes were going to dominate&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mortal-shell-2-devout-key-art.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}