Dark Souls is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games. A spiritual successor to FromSoftware's Demon's Souls, the game is the second installment in the Souls series. Dark Souls takes place in the fictional kingdom of Lordran, where players assume the role of a cursed undead character who begins a pilgrimage to discover the fate of their kind.

Dark Souls has been cited as one of the best video games of all time. Critics praised the depth of its combat, intricate level design, and use of flavor text. However, the game's difficulty received more mixed reviews, with some criticizing it for being too unforgiving. The original Windows version of the game was less well-received, with criticism directed at several technical issues. By April 2013, the game had sold over two million copies worldwide. The game saw two sequels released in the mid-2010s, while a remastered version was released in 2018 for PlayStation 4.