The Right Games Like Elden Ring for a Busy Month
Games like Elden Ring don’t all take its roughly 60 hours. Six soulslikes from about 10 to 40, with sourced figures and weeks at your pace.
Table of Contents
🎟️ How we got it: No copies were bought or supplied for this roundup, and our team did not play any of the six for it, so no entry carries a played mark. Hour figures come from the sources named beside them, read on 10 October 2026.
The short answer: which one to start with
Insider Gaming estimates Elden Ring’s main story at about 60 hours, so most “games like it” lists quietly ask for another month. These six run from about 10 to 40, and none needs Elden Ring finished first.
⚖️ The Verdict: Start with Lies of P, reported at about 25–35 hours. Want shorter, take Mortal Shell (about 10–15 hours, base game); want the closest FromSoftware feel under 40, take Sekiro (about 30). Skip Bloodborne and Black Myth: Wukong if 40 hours is a hard limit, because sources put both at or near it.
At five hours a week, Lies of P is about six weeks; with one free weekend, only Mortal Shell fits.
How long Elden Ring takes, and what “under 40” means here
Elden Ring has no single length.
| Source | Main-story hours | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| FromSoftware producer, via Game Informer | about 30 | Pre-release target, not measured play |
| Insider Gaming | about 60 | Estimate for beating the core bosses |
| WePC | about 58 | Average across publications’ playtests |
| Shacknews | 40–50 | Steady-pace estimate |
Our cutoff is a first playthrough of the main story, using the community-reported figure (how it holds up at five hours a week). We dropped Dark Souls and Dark Souls II (about 42 and 45 hours, per Den of Geek’s 2022 report of HowLongToBeat averages) and Nioh 2 (GameSpot: 40-plus). We sort every “games like” pick by hours to finish; none of these figures are our own timings.
Games like Elden Ring under 20 hours
Mortal Shell: the short one
Mortal Shell is a compact soulslike. GameSpot put the base game at 12–15 hours and Prima Games at 10–15; GameSkinny reported the developer’s 15–20. For weekends, see short games that fit a 4–8 hour weekend.
⚠️ Watch Out: The Digital Deluxe Edition bundles the Virtuous Cycle expansion, and a community listing of HowLongToBeat data shows about 25 hours for it. Only the base game fits 10–15.
Why Mortal Shell II isn’t ranked yet
Press coverage reports a 20 August 2026 launch. Reported lengths run from about 17 hours (allthings.how) to 30–40 (developer-attributed, Insider Gaming), so we haven’t ranked it.
Games like Elden Ring around 30 hours: Sekiro and Lies of P
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
⏱️ Time Check: HowLongToBeat’s figure of about 29–30 hours, as cited by PCGamesN and Looper in 2022. A GamesRadar writer reported 23 hours from their own save, and Twinfinite says 30–40.
The spread comes from optional bosses and time spent stuck on one fight. GamesRadar’s roundup calls it harder than Elden Ring, which is a time driver, not a verdict.
Lies of P
Lies of P sits in the same band: GGRecon says about 30 hours, Gfinity about 35, and Samurai Gamers 25–30. The game’s director has said about 30 hours at minimum, per PCGamesN. Both games finish inside 40 hours on community figures.
Borderline picks: Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, Black Myth
Bloodborne and Dark Souls III
Den of Geek’s 2022 report of HowLongToBeat averages gives Bloodborne about 34 hours and Dark Souls III about 32. A game database lists Bloodborne’s Game of the Year edition, which includes The Old Hunters, near 40, so it can tip over.
Black Myth: Wukong, the widest spread
Sources for Black Myth: Wukong disagree more than any other entry here: Gfinity says 20–25 hours, PCGamesN 25–30, Sportskeeda 30–35, and The Outer Haven about 40. Treat it as borderline, and if 40 hours is a hard ceiling, check these three against the table below first.
How many weeks each one takes at 5, 10, or 15 hours a week
Weeks equal hours divided by weekly hours, rounded up.
| Game | Hours used | 5 h/week | 10 h/week | 15 h/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortal Shell (base game) | 12–15 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Sekiro | 30 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Lies of P | 30 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Dark Souls III | 32 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Bloodborne | 34 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 20–40 | 4–8 | 2–4 | 2–3 |
Weeks are our arithmetic from the community figures above, not a playthrough.
Seven weeks at five hours a week is a normal pace, not a failure, and community times come from real runs, so retries are counted.
✅ Do This: If you’re ten hours in and not enjoying it, it’s okay to quit a game and move down the table.
Where to buy or play them, and when to wait
🔄 Last Verified: 10 October 2026. Prices, platforms and subscription details change often; check the store before you buy.
Bloodborne has been listed for PlayStation 4, and PlayStation’s own listing is the place to check it. For the rest, confirm the platform and edition on the store page.
Before paying full price, check whether a catalogue you already pay for carries it, and compare what each hour costs against waiting for a sale. If you’re undecided, wait, and skip any title whose weeks don’t fit your month.
Games like Elden Ring: quick answers
1. Is there a shorter game like Elden Ring?
Yes. Mortal Shell’s base game is reported at about 10–15 hours, and Sekiro and Lies of P sit around 30.
2. How long does it take to beat Elden Ring?
Estimates run from FromSoftware’s pre-release 30-hour target to community figures near 58–60 hours, depending on what each source measures.
3. Is Lies of P shorter than Elden Ring?
Yes. Press and community estimates put Lies of P’s main story at about 25–35 hours, roughly half of Elden Ring’s community figures.
4. Is Mortal Shell shorter than Elden Ring?
Yes. The base game is reported at about 10–15 hours, though the Deluxe Edition with its expansion is listed nearer 25.
5. What game like Elden Ring can I finish in a weekend?
Only Mortal Shell’s base game is a realistic weekend finish; the others run past 20 hours on community figures.
6. Do I need to finish Elden Ring before these?
No. None of the six needs Elden Ring finished first, so you can start with any of them.
7. How many weeks does Lies of P take at 5 hours a week?
About six weeks, using a 30-hour main story; that’s our arithmetic from community figures, not a playthrough.
8. Why do hour estimates for the same game differ?
Developer targets, press timings and community averages measure different things, and optional bosses and edition content change the total.
9. Is Black Myth: Wukong under 40 hours?
Usually, but sources span about 20 to 40 hours for the main story, so treat it as borderline.
10. What does “main story” mean in these hour counts?
A first playthrough of the main route, without chasing optional bosses or full completion, using the community-reported figure.
Pick one and start the clock
Start with Lies of P: about 25–35 hours on community estimates. Multiply your weekly hours against the table above, and pick Mortal Shell if that number is small. If 40 hours still feels like too much, it’s the one to start tonight.
