Bloodborne is a 2015 action role-playing game created by FromSoftware and released by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The game follows a Hunter in the old, Gothic-style city of Yharnam, which is inspired by Victorian times. The people in Yharnam suffer from a bloodborne disease that changes them into terrifying creatures. The player’s character tries to find the cause of the illness while solving the city’s secrets and fighting dangerous beasts and mysterious creatures from space.

Players control a customizable main character and view the game from a third-person perspective. The gameplay focuses on using different weapons in smart ways and exploring the environment. Players fight many types of enemies, use items like special weapons and guns, visit different places, talk to other characters in the game, and discover the city’s hidden stories. Bloodborne started being made in 2012 under the name Project Beast. The game shares similarities with FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series and was influenced by the writing of H. P. Lovecraft and Bram Stoker, as well as the real-world architecture of places in Romania and the Czech Republic.

Bloodborne is often called one of the best video games ever made. People praise its gameplay, atmosphere, music, themes inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, and the way the game world is connected. Some problems with the game’s performance were fixed after it was released. A downloadable content pack called The Old Hunters was added in November 2015. By February 2022, the game had sold 7.46 million copies. Other media based on the game include a card game, board game, comic book series, and a movie that is coming soon.

Gameplay

Bloodborne is an action role-playing game played from a third-person view. It includes features similar to those in the Dark Souls series, which is also made by FromSoftware. Players explore different areas of the old Gothic city of Yharnam, fight enemies and bosses, collect items, and interact with non-player characters.

At the start of the game, players create their character, called the Hunter, and choose details such as gender, name, and appearance. Players also select a starting class, called an "Origin," which gives the Hunter a background and sets initial abilities. Additionally, players choose a "Covenant," a religious group that influences the Hunter’s role in Yharnam and the world beyond.

Yharnam is a map with connected areas that players can explore in any order. Some areas become available only after discovering hidden paths. Players can return to the main hub, called the "Hunter's Dream," by using lanterns placed throughout Yharnam. These lanterns also act as checkpoints; if the player dies, they restart at the last activated lantern. The Hunter's Dream is a separate area where players can buy weapons, clothing, and supplies, improve their character, upgrade weapons, or teleport to other locations.

Combat requires players to move side to side, dodge attacks, and use weapons. A feature called the "Rally system" allows players to regain some health by attacking an enemy quickly after taking damage. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained that this reflects the player’s determination to keep fighting after hitting an enemy. A "New Game Plus" mode lets players keep most of their equipment and upgrades in later playthroughs, but the game becomes harder. Players can only use one of two melee weapons in their right hand and one of two secondary weapons in their left hand at a time. Weapons can be switched during gameplay.

Many melee weapons are "Trick Weapons," which can change into two different forms with unique abilities. Some forms require both hands, meaning the left-hand weapon cannot be used. The main secondary weapon is a firearm, which can be used to shoot enemies or block attacks, temporarily stunning them. When enemies are stunned, players can perform a "Visceral attack," which deals heavy damage in one strike. These attacks can also be used after landing a charged attack from behind. Other weapons have different abilities. Players can carry extra tools, such as Molotov cocktails, throwing knives, and pebbles.

Like the Dark Souls games, defeating enemies gives players "Blood Echoes," which are used to improve character stats and upgrade weapons. If a player dies, their Blood Echoes are left at the spot where they died. They can retrieve them if they return to that location. If they fail to do so, the Blood Echoes are lost. Sometimes, enemies with glowing blue eyes can steal Blood Echoes; defeating these enemies returns the lost items. "Insight" is another type of currency earned through boss battles, story events, and multiplayer modes. It can be used to buy items or summon non-playable characters to help fight bosses. Gaining Insight unlocks new interactions, such as new dialogue and enemies.

The game includes multiplayer features. Players can team up to fight enemies or bosses, or invade each other’s worlds to battle. Players can leave notes in the game world for others to read. Other players can rate notes as "Fine" or "Foul," indicating if the note is helpful or harmful. If a note is rated "Fine," the player who wrote it gains health.

"Chalice Dungeons" are special areas that become available using specific items and materials. Each dungeon can be played in a fixed version with set layouts, items, and enemies, or in a "root" version that randomly changes its layout through a process called procedural generation.

Synopsis

Bloodborne is set in the old and run-down city of Yharnam. Long ago, the city's College of Byrgenwerth discovered the mysterious Great Ones and a substance called Old Blood, which had powerful healing abilities. This discovery led the college to split into two groups: the School of Mensis, which aimed to communicate with the Great Ones, and the Healing Church, which focused on sharing the healing powers of Old Blood. Over time, it became clear that Old Blood was slowly turning people who drank it into beasts. To avoid causing panic, the Church secretly created the Hunter's Workshop, a group of warriors called Hunters, to deal with the beasts quietly. However, when the public learned about the beasts, the Church closed the Workshop and formed a public militia. After this, the Workshop's founder, Gehrman, tried to contact the Great Ones. One of them, the Moon Presence, responded and made Gehrman the caretaker of a dream realm called the "Hunter's Dream," where he would help Hunters chosen by the Great One complete tasks that cannot be finished until they are completed.

The player character, a Hunter, receives a blood transfusion to sign a contract involving a substance called "Paleblood." After warning the Hunter that the journey ahead might feel like a bad dream, the Hunter loses consciousness and is taken to the Hunter's Dream. To find Paleblood and escape the dream, the Hunter must defeat the beasts harming Yharnam and stop the plague. In Central Yharnam, the Hunter is told to visit the Healing Church, which is connected to the source of the plague. There, the Hunter has a vision directing them to the College of Byrgenwerth, where they defeat a Great One named Rom.

After Rom's death, the Hunter sees a vision of Queen Yharnam, her child Mergo, and a realm called the Nightmare of Mensis. The Hunter travels to the hidden village of Yahar'gul, where the School of Mensis studies and worships the Great Ones. After defeating a Great One's vessel called The One Reborn, the Hunter enters the Nightmare of Mensis. There, they defeat Micolash, the leader of the School, and Mergo's guardian, the Wet Nurse. This leads to Mergo's death and the end of the Nightmare.

The Hunter returns to the Hunter's Dream, where Gehrman offers help to escape. Three possible endings depend on the Hunter's choices:

• Accepting Gehrman's help results in the Yharnam Sunrise ending: Gehrman kills the Hunter, and they awaken in Yharnam as the sun rises.
• Declining Gehrman's help leads to the Honoring Wishes ending: Gehrman fights the Hunter to stop them from being trapped in the dream but is defeated. The Moon Presence then embraces the Hunter, who takes over as the Dream's caretaker.
• If the Hunter also consumed three umbilical cords made from Great Ones trying to reproduce with humans, the Childhood's Beginning ending occurs: After defeating Gehrman, the Hunter resists the Moon Presence, kills it, and is transformed into an infant Great One.

While exploring Yharnam, the Hunter learns about another dream realm called the "Hunter’s Nightmare." Entering this realm, they find it is a prison for Hunters who lose control of their bloodlust. The Hunter fights through transformed Hunters in different layers of the Nightmare until reaching a clock tower, where they meet Maria, one of Gehrman's original Hunters who guards the deepest part of the Nightmare.

After defeating Maria, the Hunter discovers the secret she protected: the ruins of a fishing village where the people were turned into fish-like beings after being near the corpse of Kos, a Great One. The Hunter learns the Nightmare was caused by a curse placed on Byrgenwerth and its groups after they killed and experimented on the villagers. Continuing through the village, the Hunter reaches a beach and finds the source of the Nightmare: Kos’ child born after its death. After defeating the creature, its spirit returns to its mother, ending the Hunter's Nightmare.

Development

Japan Studio, a company that is part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, reached out to FromSoftware to discuss working together on a new game. The director of FromSoftware, Hidetaka Miyazaki, asked about creating a game for newer consoles called eighth-generation consoles. The idea for Bloodborne came from this discussion. Bloodborne did not have any direct links to FromSoftware's earlier games, even though Miyazaki said it "has similarities to Demon's Souls and its specific way of designing levels." The game was developed at the same time as Dark Souls II.

The setting of Bloodborne, which is inspired by Victorian Gothic style, was partly based on the novel Dracula and the architecture found in Romania and the Czech Republic. Miyazaki was also influenced by H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos stories, which are about strange and scary horror. Miyazaki wanted to create a game set in a time like that shown in those stories, but he believed such a detailed game could only be made with the power of eighth-generation consoles. Because the PlayStation 4 was introduced to the company first, Bloodborne was only available for the PlayStation 4, not for other consoles. The developers aimed for a frame rate of 30 images per second, based on their design choices.

Bloodborne has more story details than the Dark Souls games, but the team created a bigger mystery in the story to balance this. The way the story is shown to players is similar to Miyazaki's other games, especially the Souls series. Players learn about the plot through item descriptions, interactions with characters, visual scenes, and their own guesses. The team avoided making the game harder than their previous games, as they thought it would be too difficult for most players. To help balance this, they designed a combat system that focused on both action and strategy. They also changed the consequences for dying in the game, as they did not want the game to be seen only for very experienced players. One of the hardest choices the team made was including guns as weapons. Guns fit the game's setting and were less accurate than modern versions, so they were added, replacing shields from earlier Souls games.

The music for Bloodborne was created by a mix of Japanese and Western composers. The soundtrack includes over 80 minutes of original music by Tsukasa Saitoh, Yuka Kitamura, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Ryan Amon, Cris Velasco, and Michael Wandmacher. It also features a 65-piece orchestra and a 32-member choir. The music was developed over about two and a half years.

Before the official announcement, screenshots and a gameplay trailer of the game were shared online under the name "Project Beast." At the time, many people thought the leak might be connected to Demon's Souls. However, Miyazaki later said that Bloodborne was never considered to be Demon's Souls II, because Sony Computer Entertainment wanted a new game idea for the PlayStation 4.

Release

Bloodborne was announced at E3 2014, where a video was shown. In January 2015, Bloodborne was named the most exciting game of 2015 by Game Informer's readers. The game was first planned to release on February 6, 2015, but was delayed. It was released on March 24, 2015, in North America; March 25, 2015, in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand; March 26, 2015, in Japan; and March 27, 2015, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A downloadable content expansion called The Old Hunters was released on November 24, 2015. This expansion takes place in a world where past hunters are trapped and includes new weapons, outfits, and items.

A limited collector's edition of the game was released. It included a SteelBook case, a hardcover art book, and a digital copy of the game's soundtrack. The soundtrack was released separately on April 21, 2015. A European-exclusive version called the Nightmare Edition included special items like a quill and ink set, as well as all items from the collector's edition. An Asian edition included a letter opener modeled after the in-game weapon, the Kirkhammer. A PlayStation 4 bundle was also available in Asian regions. A song titled "Hunt You Down" was created by the Hit House featuring Ruby Friedman for a trailer and TV spot. The song was written by Scott Miller and William Hunt and recorded in Los Angeles and New Orleans.

Sony Denmark worked with the Danish organization GivBlod to encourage blood donations. People who donated blood on March 23, 2015, had a chance to win a copy of Bloodborne. An officially licensed card game based on the game's Chalice Dungeons was published by CoolMiniOrNot and released in November 2016. In February 2018, a comic book series written by Ales Kot and published by Titan Comics was released. The series had four volumes, each telling its own story. A fifth volume was released in July 2022, written by Cullen Bunn.

Bloodborne had been a game many players wanted to be remade for modern consoles to fix technical issues. Bluepoint Games, a studio that works for Sony, had previously remade Demon's Souls in 2020 and considered remaking Bloodborne. After a live service version of God of War was canceled in 2025, Bluepoint proposed a Bloodborne remake. However, FromSoftware, the game's original developer, was not interested in pursuing the project.

Reception

Bloodborne received very high praise from critics, according to Metacritic. Daniel Tack of Game Informer said the game’s eerie atmosphere and visual style brought horror to life. He also praised the challenging gameplay, which he compared to the Dark Souls series, the detailed story, the fast-paced combat, the way the story is told through actions, and the ability to customize weapons. He also liked the boss battles, enemy designs, and music. He said the multiplayer mode helped players enjoy the game longer and that the game allowed players to learn and improve during play. He concluded that while Bloodborne is similar to the Souls franchise, it is a remarkable game that creates both fear and triumph for players brave enough to try it.

Edge called the game a "dazzling work of dark horror" that proves Miyazaki is one of the greatest game designers. Electronic Gaming Monthly said Bloodborne is the biggest change from the Souls series so far, with many updates that make the game faster and more aggressive. Some players might not like these changes, but others might find it their favorite FromSoftware game. Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot praised the game’s storyline inspired by Lovecraftian horror, exciting boss battles, precise combat, unique art, and varied environments. He also liked the enemy sounds, the difficulty level, and the melee weapons that allow players to change tactics during battles. He said the survival horror elements made players feel uneasy, and the game’s interconnected world made exploration rewarding. Ben Griffin of GamesRadar praised the game’s detailed environments, Gothic-style visuals, strong combat, fresh challenges, and the Chalice Dungeons, which added more content. He also liked the character upgrades and how the story connected with the setting of Yharnam. However, he criticized the limited class options and the lack of magic, archery, and different weapon types, which made experimentation difficult. He also said the game forced players to upgrade weapons in specific areas.

Chris Carter of Destructoid called Bloodborne the most stable Souls game, praising its focus on melee combat, skill, and interesting NPCs and sidequests. He criticized the limited multiplayer, low replay value, and some areas that felt less open than previous FromSoftware games. He said Bloodborne combines everything FromSoftware has learned and is very satisfying. Brandin Tyrrel of IGN said Bloodborne is an amazing but challenging game that makes players feel like they are exploring a strange, beautiful world. He noted some technical issues, like long load times, but said the game is rewarding. Nick Tan of Game Revolution said the game had some issues, like limited character builds and unreliable firearms, and problems with the camera. He said the game still follows the Souls tradition of making challenging games feel achievable. Michael McWhertor of Polygon said the story was interesting, the guns felt unique, and the game’s difficulty made battles satisfying. He praised the environments, enemies, and weapons but criticized long load times, technical problems, and confusing mechanics. The New York Daily News said the game combines easy-to-learn mechanics with challenging gameplay. The Guardian gave it five stars, saying it is elegant, precise, and challenging. The Telegraph compared it to a journey through foreign lands full of excitement and fear. At launch, long load times were criticized but later improved with updates.

Bloodborne sold 152,567 physical copies in Japan in its first week, ranking first in sales. It debuted at number two in the UK, behind Battlefield Hardline. In the US, it was the second best-selling software in March. By April 2015, it sold over one million copies, and by September 2015, over two million. Sony said sales exceeded expectations. By February 2022, it sold 7.46 million copies, and by November 2025, 9.3 million. Bloodborne won Game of the Year in 2015 from several sites, including GameTrailers, Eurogamer, Destructoid, and Edge. It also won "2015 PlayStation 4 Game of the Year" from IGN. Edge ranked it the fourth greatest game of all time in 2015. A 2023 poll by GQ ranked Bloodborne the fourth best game of all time.

Film adaptation

In April 2026, Sony Pictures announced an adult animated movie based on a video game. Jacksepticeye, a YouTuber, is working as a producer. The movie will be produced by PlayStation Productions and Lyrical Animation.