Dark Souls games in order: the short answer
The Dark Souls games in order of release are Dark Souls in 2011, Dark Souls II in 2014 and Dark Souls III in 2016. Remasters and complete editions sit between them: Prepare to Die Edition in 2012, Scholar of the First Sin in 2015, The Fire Fades Edition in 2017 and Dark Souls: Remastered in 2018. Demon's Souls, from 2009, is the spiritual predecessor rather than a numbered entry.
For a new player, play them in release order if you want to see the design evolve, or start with Dark Souls III if you want the newest entry, because the stories are loosely linked rather than a continuous plot. This guide lays out every release, what each edition adds, and what is worth knowing about the series right now, including the online outage that began on October 30, 2026.
Every Dark Souls release in order
The main line, as listed on Wikipedia's Dark Souls entry, runs like this. Dark Souls arrived in 2011 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition followed in 2012 for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and includes the base game and the Artorias of the Abyss expansion. Dark Souls II came in 2014 on Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin followed in 2015 for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, bundling The Lost Crowns DLC.
Dark Souls III released in 2016 for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition followed in 2017, adding the two story expansions Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City. Dark Souls: Remastered arrived in May 2018, and a Japan-only Dark Souls Trilogy box set for PlayStation 4, released May 24, 2018 after an announcement on January 11, 2018, bundled enhanced versions of all three games with soundtracks, art prints and other extras.
“Due to a server issue, the game servers for the following titles will be temporarily unavailable on all platforms.”
Do you need to play Demon's Souls first?
No. Demon's Souls was released in 2009 for PlayStation 3 and is described as the spiritual predecessor to Dark Souls, not part of it. It shares the series' structure of punishing combat, interconnected danger and sparse storytelling, but it is a separate world with separate rules. A remake followed in 2020. Some guides include it at the head of a Dark Souls list, and others leave it out, which is why the answers you find online differ.
Our approach is simple: treat it as optional background. If you finish the three Dark Souls games and want more of the same design lineage, it is the natural next step. If you want to play only what the series name covers, it can wait.
Does the Dark Souls story order matter?
Less than most people expect. Each game is set in a different kingdom, Lordran in Dark Souls, Drangleic in Dark Souls II and Lothric in Dark Souls III, and the connecting thread is the First Flame and the cycle of linking it. Dark Souls III is widely treated as the closing chapter, with the Age of Fire nearing its end, but you do not need earlier knowledge to follow what happens in it.
That said, the third game rewards players who know the first. Characters, names and ideas return, and the sense of an ending lands harder when you have seen the fire burn for two earlier games. If you care about lore, release order is also the story order. If you care about being able to enjoy the game without homework, any entry works as a starting point.
A practical reading order for lore-minded players is therefore: Dark Souls (or Remastered), then Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, then Dark Souls III with its expansions last, since The Ringed City is positioned as the final chapter of the saga. We flag the 'final chapter' framing as common interpretation, not an official statement.
Dark Souls II: the entry with a different director
Hidetaka Miyazaki is the series creator and directed Dark Souls and Dark Souls III. On Dark Souls II he did not reprise the director role, staying involved in a supervisory capacity, according to Wikipedia's Dark Souls entry. That is the reason many fans talk about the second game as a distinct experiment, with different level design and combat feel from the two games either side of it.
The 2015 re-release, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, is the version most players should pick, since it includes The Lost Crowns DLC and also reached PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If you are thinking of this series as a trilogy, this is the middle game and the one most often recommended after you have played the others.
Remastered, Fire Fades and the editions worth buying
Three editions matter. Prepare to Die Edition is the Windows version of the first game with its Artorias expansion; Dark Souls: Remastered (May 2018) is the modern version of the same game with updated visuals; and The Fire Fades Edition (2017) is the complete Dark Souls III with both expansions. Scholar of the First Sin completes the set as the enhanced Dark Souls II.
Availability and prices change, and we have not verified current store listings, so check your platform's storefront. As a rule, buy the complete edition of each game rather than the base game plus DLC separately, and pick Remastered over the original release of the first game unless you specifically want the older version. Be aware that online features are affected by the server outage described below.
The expansions are the other reason to buy complete editions. Artorias of the Abyss comes with Prepare to Die Edition for the first game. The Lost Crowns, which bundles three DLC episodes (Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King and Crown of the Ivory King), comes with Scholar of the First Sin. Dark Souls III's Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City are in The Fire Fades Edition. If you want everything in one purchase, those are the three editions to look for.
Spin-offs, the board game and the comic
A handful of products sit outside the main games. Slashy Souls, a free-to-play mobile endless runner, appeared in February 2016 to promote Dark Souls III and was poorly reviewed. Dark Souls: The Board Game from Steamforged Games was funded on Kickstarter within the first three minutes and released in April 2017. Titan Comics published a comic book that debuted in 2016 alongside Dark Souls III.
None of these is necessary to understand the games, and the board game and comic are collectors' items rather than story entries. They are mentioned because search results often list them as part of the franchise, which can send a new player down the wrong path.
How big the series is, and the October 2026 server outage
Dark Souls has sold over 39 million copies worldwide as of 2025, according to the Bandai Namco Fact Book 2025 as cited on Wikipedia. Dark Souls III alone passed 10 million by 2020, per PCGamesN, which made it Bandai Namco's fastest-selling game at that point until Elden Ring overtook it in 2022. The numbers show why the games stay in conversation more than a decade after the first one.
The online side is currently unavailable. On October 30, 2026, FromSoftware took the Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III game servers offline on all platforms over an unexplained server issue, with no return date, according to Inven Global. The last big outage, in January 2022, lasted months: Dark Souls III on PC returned August 25, 2022 and Dark Souls II on October 25, 2022. Check our server-outage report before buying for co-op or invasions.
Where to start: our recommendation
If you are new, begin with Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition for the newest on-ramp, or Dark Souls: Remastered if you want the original design. Players who want to see the series develop should go in release order: the first game, Scholar of the First Sin, then Dark Souls III. This is our editorial opinion rather than a fact from the sources, and other guides rank them differently, with sources disagreeing on which is hardest.
Whichever you pick, expect a steep learning curve and plan for single-player first, given the current online outage. And if you finish all three, Demon's Souls and the later FromSoftware games are the natural next steps.
Frequently asked
What are the Dark Souls games in order?
In release order: Dark Souls (2011), Dark Souls II (2014) and Dark Souls III (2016). Editions fall in between: Prepare to Die Edition (2012), Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015), Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition (2017) and Dark Souls: Remastered (May 2018). Demon's Souls (2009) is the spiritual predecessor, not a numbered entry in the series.
Do you need to play Dark Souls in order?
No. Each game is set in a different kingdom and the connecting idea is the First Flame, so you can start with any entry. Dark Souls III is treated as the closing chapter and rewards players who know the earlier games, but nothing is required. Playing in release order shows how the design evolved, and most guides suggest it for players who want the full story.
Is Demon's Souls part of Dark Souls?
No. Demon's Souls, released in 2009 on PlayStation 3, is described as the spiritual predecessor to Dark Souls. It shares the punishing design and sparse storytelling but is set in a separate world. A remake followed in 2020. Some guides include it at the start of a list, and others do not, so it is best treated as optional.
Which Dark Souls game should I play first?
Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition is a common recommendation for newcomers, because it includes both expansions and is the newest entry, while Dark Souls: Remastered suits players who want the original design. Playing in release order, starting with the first game, also works. This is editorial opinion, and guides disagree, so choose based on how much you want to see the series evolve.
What is Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin?
It is the 2015 enhanced version of Dark Souls II for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It includes The Lost Crowns DLC. Because Hidetaka Miyazaki supervised rather than directed the second game, many fans treat it as a distinct entry, and Scholar of the First Sin is generally the version to buy.
Are the Dark Souls servers down in 2026?
Yes. FromSoftware announced on October 30, 2026 that the Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III game servers are temporarily unavailable on all platforms because of a server issue, with no return date. The January 2022 outage lasted until August to November 2022 depending on the game, so online play could be unavailable for a long time.