Best Games Like Skyrim

It’s hard to imagine that it had passed nine years since The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was released. A masterpiece in every aspect, Bethesda’s game is set 200 years after its predecessor in a place called Skyrim. It follows a Dragonborn on a quest to defeat a dragon called Alduin The World-Eater who is destined to destroy the world.

The game entertained many, both the ones hungry for a rich open-world and a good story and those just looking for pleasing graphics and casual battles with monsters and other creatures in the fantasy world. Here are the best games like Skyrim.

Updated June 15, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Bethesda’s Starfield is set to debut in September 2023, and the sci-fi RPG is arguably the company’s biggest release since Skyrim. Unsurprisingly, the game’s hype train does not look set to slow down anytime soon, and if it performs well, Starfield might keep people busy until The Elder Scrolls 6 becomes a reality. If not, fans can check out some other games similar to Skyrim.

Hogwarts Legacy

Those that dabble a lot in Skyrim‘s array of magical skill trees and spells will find a lot to appreciate in Hogwarts Legacy. This recent release gives players the chance to finally live out their Harry Potter dreams by attending the illustrious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although gamers will spend a lot of time walking the halls of the school itself, there is a larger world outside that players must explore if they want to see and do everything the game has to offer.

With an array of spells to learn, customization options, and side quests to conquer, there is a ton of content to sift through for magic enthusiasts and open-world fans alike.

Ghost of Tsushima

Although many players find themselves enamored by Skyrim‘s freedom and open-world exploration, there is an overarching storyline that can be rather engrossing once it gets going. At its core, Skyrim features a rather robust storyline that slowly unravels as players complete story missions and side quests throughout the lands of Northern Tamriel. Those looking for another tale of intrigue to keep them engaged as they make their way through an open world should consider picking up Ghost of Tsushima.

This fantastic story-driven action release follows Jin Sakai as he adventures across the island of Tsushima in hopes of liberating it from an attacking Mongol force. With amazing voice acting, beautiful graphics, and an edge-of-your-seat story, Ghost of Tsushima is the perfect release for Skyrim fans that want to wrap themselves up in another epic adventure.

Genshin Impact

There are some great open-world releases out there for fans of Skyrim that are craving another large-scale release. Some of them are even free-to-play, like the popular Genshin Impact. Players who enjoyed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild should feel right at home in the lands of Teyvat. Like Breath of the Wild and Skyrim, Genshin Impact grants players access to a wide open-world filled with various biomes that can be freely explored. They can use a variety of items to help them explore, but they can also scale mountains by hand using the climbing mechanic.

With many characters to unlock via a Gacha system, and a lengthy story flanked by sidequests, players can spend hours upon hours making their way through this free-to-play title.

Elden Ring

FromSoftware’s latest entry into the “Souls series” is perhaps their most ambitious yet. The massive open world and freedom of choice that Elden Ring gives to its players help to create an experience that feels as large as Skyrim. It’s important to note that Elden Ring, like many Souls games, is a lot more difficult than Skyrim, but learning how to survive in the punishing world is just as rewarding as it is in The Elder Scrolls.

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With a robust character creator, tons of weapons to choose from, and a wide array of playstyles, Elden Ring feels like a truly massive open-world adventure.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Those looking for a robust world that feels alive may want to check out Dragon Age: Inquisition. The third entry in the Dragon Age series, Inquisition follows players as they attempt to survive an outpouring of demons flowing into the world. Similar to the Dragonborn, players take on the role of a “chosen one,” as their character is graced with the ability to close rifts, allowing them to plug up dimensional holes and stop demons from invading Thedas.

Like Skyrim, Dragon Age: Inquisition allows players to choose from a variety of races and backgrounds. There is an abundance of skills to unlock which should give players a variety of playstyles to choose from.

Divinity: Original Sin 2

Players wanting something a little different and with heavier RPG elements should snag Divinity: Original Sin 2. It’s a much different game from a combat perspective, with a top-down view and turn-based attacking. Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a tactical title, with players having to think ahead about how their opponent would attack, similar to a chess match. It’s a rewarding and entertaining system, with a multitude of skills and classes to give players a lot of freedom and replayability.

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The world isn’t quite as open as Skyrim but there is a solid character creator and players can even choose from one of five “stock” characters, complete with their own backstory if they want something more targeted and driven.

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild & Tears Of The Kingdom

Nintendo’s attempts to breathe new life into The Legend of Zelda series led to the release of a title that most people genuinely believe to be the greatest video game ever made. Breath of the Wild is nothing short of a masterpiece and is a title that most fans of open-world action-adventure titles should definitely try out.

The open-ended gameplay of Breath of the Wild coupled with an excellent gameplay loop made for one of the best games like Skyrim. It’s a game that will take hundreds of hours to complete — a fact that Skyrim fans would absolutely adore.

Breath of the Wild‘s sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, sticks fairly close to its predecessor’s formula, making it an easy recommendation for any open-world fan. Despite many similarities, TOTK still incorporates enough new ideas to feel like a worthy successor rather than just a retread. This time around, Hyrule is also way more active since its citizens are in the process of rebuilding.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

It’s a testament to the ambition of Warhorse Studios that they decided to go all-out and develop one of the biggest open-world games of all time that is absolutely jam-packed with content across the board. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an easy recommendation for any player who wants to play games similar to Skyrim.

The combat system is easily one of the more unique aspects of the game, and mastering it can take quite some time. However, players who finally invest in their character will enjoy an excellent game that features a great story, tough combat, and memorable characters.

Gothic

Gothic is a classic open-world title that not many players might’ve heard of. However, the old-school charm of this game coupled with refreshing — and rather impressive — open-ended gameplay makes for a unique experience that most people haven’t really heard of.

It’s a shame that Gothic is such an underrated title since a ton of people are missing out on a brilliant game. It might take a while to get used to, but players seeking out games like Skyrim will be more than happy with this title.

Horizon Zero Dawn & Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, are two of Sony’s standout open-world games, and they are both fantastic on their own. Set in a distant future where Earth has become a post-apocalyptic mix of prehistoric architecture and robotic monstrosities, Guerilla’s series follows Aloy, an outcast who is dragged into a conflict that exposes the world’s history.

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Armed with melee and ranged weapons, Aloy has to take down massive mechas using bows and a stick, although she does have a couple of neat items at her disposal. Similar to Skyrim, these games are often at their best when they encourage players to explore their vast and gorgeous environments.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

Capcom is a studio known for featuring games with excellent combat systems. Dragon’s Dogma is another one of Capcom’s exciting offers, taking the form of an excellent dark fantasy action RPG that fans would absolutely adore.

The combat is not the only highlight of this series, with the exploration and story also being perfectly serviceable in their own right. Players who want a version of Skyrim with a dark fantasy setting and infinitely better combat needn’t look any further than Dragon’s Dogma.

GreedFall

Traveling to a new world across an ocean is a daunting proposition that threatens no return, yet also promises great and untold treasures. In GreedFall, the player sets out as an emissary of their noble house to a distant and little-explored land.

The prevalence of nature magic and the corruption assaulting it weaves a knot of stories like vines that pull one into a grand adventure. The combat feels more like a Dragon Age game, but the lore, enemies, and terrain feel very Nordic; not unlike the northernmost province of Tamriel. There are also a ton of fun and interesting characters with intriguing, branching dialogue.

Middle-earth: Shadow Of War

Both this game and Skyrim have orcs, though the two races are radically different for the most part. Besides this superficial comparison, there is a lot that Middle-earth: Shadow of War and the fifth Elder Scrolls game have in common. Both games do a great job of making players feel like they are progressively growing more powerful.

The Dragonborn levels up, getting deadlier with each perk, and steps through the tundra while Talion improves his abilities to dominate and slay the horrors of Mordor, either from the shadows or in open war. On top of this, the writing is fantastic, making the story and characters memorable. In Shadow of War, even the random orcs who have no significance to the main story can be unbelievably charming and star in their own bizarre adventures, which the player can manipulate at will.

God Of War & Ragnarok

Santa Monica’s God of War started as a linear hack and slash franchise, but the series took a sharp turn for its 2018 entry. While still not a sandbox like Skyrim, the newest entries take place in open areas that reward exploration. Armed with a limited supply of weapons, Kratos viciously hacks his way through a reasonable variety of enemies, and the combat system is quite satisfying.

Ragnarok expands on everything that worked in its predecessor, fine-tuning the gameplay while offering more variety in terms of enemies and locations. It is arguably the best game like Skyrim on the PS5, although newcomers should start with the 2018 release.

The Forgotten City

People acquainted with Skyrim‘s PC modding community might be familiar with The Forgotten City since the project started out as a mod for Bethesda’s RPG. The standalone game swaps Dwemer for Ancient Rome and alters quite a bit of the journey, although its Elder Scrolls origins still shine through on occasion. Players find themselves in a Roman city that has stripped away crime through a horrifying system that judges everyone for a single person’s misdeeds, dishing out punishment through sentient statues that can turn the populace into gold.

With no combat to speak of, The Forgotten City is a dialogue and exploration-driven experience that utilizes a time-loop mechanic. Players are tasked with investigating the main reason behind the golden statues, along with taking part in a slew of enjoyable optional quests.

Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning

A great variety of ways to obliterate one’s foes awaits in Kingdoms of Amalur. This is another fantasy world with cool monsters to battle and hot loot to be found. It’s one of those games in which exploring every inch of the map is entertaining. The variety of terrain and gorgeous visuals make adventuring to new areas always feel fresh and exciting.

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There are plenty of weapons and spells to choose from; one can be a warrior, rogue, or mage. Possibly a combination of those for something more specialized. The freedom to explore an open-world is liberating, just like gallivanting about the bold, brisk lands of Skyrim.

Outward Definitive Edition

Ever wondered what the average Joe might be up to while the Dragonborn is out there saving the world? Outward kind of answers that question, as the open-world game follows a rather unspectacular adventurer who is primarily driven by a desire to clear their debt. This motivation subsides relatively quickly, and the protagonist’s goal becomes to simply explore an expansive world just for the sake of it.

Outward is rough around the edges, but its ambition cannot be faulted. While the combat and presentation leave quite a lot to be desired, the game makes up for it by emphasizing player freedom. The RPG encourages players to just head out into the unknown, although they should be well-prepared as death awaits around every corner. Outward is basically a fantasy RPG with survival elements, and while not perfect, it does a serviceable job by both genres.

While a seemingly obvious recommendation, players who entered the acclaimed RPG franchise with Skyrim might feel hesitant to explore previous entries in the series. Naturally, earlier Elder Scrolls titles are considerably more dated than the 2011 entry, but their strengths are timeless. Like Skyrim, these Elder Scrolls games need to be played:

The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind

The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind was a major leap from its predecessor, Daggerfall, in terms of graphics. Aside from that, the third entry in the series is wonderful. Once again, the title refers to the place where the game is set, Morrowind. The plot revolves around an island in Morrowind called Vvardenfell where the deity Dagoth Ur tries to gain power and free Morrowind from the Imperial reign.

The game has two expansions, Tribunal and Bloodmoon, which are also worth playing. Morrowind received almost universal praise and should be a must-play for every Skyrim fan.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

The critically acclaimed predecessor of Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is considered by many to be one of the best games ever made. The entry’s title does not refer to the place where the game is set but to the main quest, which is to stop the fanatical cult called Mythic Dawn that plans to open a portal to the demonic world called Oblivion.

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Like all Elder Scrolls games, Oblivion offers many hours of gameplay. Once finished, the player can take a look at its two expansions: Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Unlike Morrowind and Oblivion, The Elder Scrolls Online debuted after Skyrim. ZeniMax Online Studios’ MMORPG had a somewhat rough birth, but it has grown into one of the better multiplayer experiences on the market. Even more than five years after its release, ESO continues to be very active, releasing its fifth expansion, Blackwood, on June 1, 2021.

By this point, the MMO has an overwhelming amount of content, so much so that newcomers might feel reluctant to jump in this late in the game. However, a great thing about ESO is that it has taken plenty of measures to make the experience accessible to new players; for example, expansions are not level-gated, meaning people can jump into their content when they feel like it. Anyone yearning for a game like Skyrim should start with ESO.

The Fallout Series

After dropping hundreds of hours into Skyrim, someone might find themselves aching for a change of scenery that also retains somewhat of a similar content loop. If that is the case, then Bethesda’s Fallout games are the way to go. While Interplay and Black Isle Studios’ Fallout and Fallout 2 are too dissimilar to Skyrim to make the cut, both of these RPGs have aged well courtesy of their writing and world-building.

Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is another open-world RPG game developed by Bethesda. While no dragons or elves will be seen here, as the game is set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2277, it nonetheless has that “Elder Scrolls feel.”

The game starts in Vault 101 where the player starts their adventure as a 19-year-old in search of his father in the ruins of the United States. The graphics were decent for the time and Fallout 3 is rich with quests and battles, offering more than 50 hours of gameplay.

Fallout 4

A sequel to the previous entry is another game worth playing. Fallout 4 is set ten years after the events of the first game; in Vault 111, the player witnesses the murder of their spouse and their son’s kidnapping. Naturally, they vow to get revenge and venture into the outside world, a region called The Commonwealth featuring places such as Boston and the surrounding area.

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This open-world RPG saga offers many hours of interesting gameplay and with several DLCs available to download.

Fallout: New Vegas

A spin-off not developed by Bethesda, New Vegas is a contender for the best entry in the acclaimed franchise. Closer in tone and structure to the series’ pre-Bethesda isometric entries, Obsidian’s game refines the dialogue and reputation systems to provide players with more leeway in how they can act, enhancing New Vegas‘ role-playing element in the process.

New Vegas plays similarly to Fallout 3, although it arguably fine-tunes most of the ideas found in the 2008 release. Like Skyrim, New Vegas has a very active modding community that has kept the game relevant for more than a decade.

Dragon Age: Origins

A spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age: Origins was released two years before Skyrim. The two games have many things in common: They are both fantasy-themed RPGs with great stories, have a lot of creatures to kill, countless quests to solve, and a myriad of items to collect.

For a game published more than ten years ago, Dragon Age: Origins‘ graphics are still amazing, but the game’s best part is definitely the dialogue and audio. Dragon Age: Origins is, excluding other Elder Scrolls games, the closest thing to Skyrim available to play.

Red Dead Redemption 2

In truth, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Skyrim share little in common. While they are both open-world, their settings are nothing alike, with Rockstar’s title taking place during the Old West. Both games emphasize exploration, but RDR2 is considerably more story-driven than Skyrim. Gameplay-wise, the Western game is a grounded third-person shooter, which obviously puts it in stark contrast with Skyrim‘s fantasy system.

Despite their differences, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Skyrim share one very important thing: they raised the bar for open-world games. That alone makes RDR2 a must-play title, and that’s before taking into account its fantastic writing, characters, and visuals.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Released the same year as Skyrim, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a fantasy-themed RPG game based on a novel by Andrzej Sapkowski and developed by Polish studio CD Projekt Red. In the third installment of the series, Geralt of Rivia is once again dragged into an adventure involving armed conflict, magic, the supernatural, and love.

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The Wild Hunt is really fantastic. The game is outstanding in every aspect, from the graphics to its story and voice acting. It offers numerous hours of good fun and riveting writing, along with some absolutely fantastic expansion packs.

Mass Effect 2

If Skyrim is the best fantasy-themed RPG game on the market, then Mass Effect 2 is the best science fiction-themed one. BioWare knows how to craft memorable characters and worlds. The game is an improvement over its predecessor in every way and experienced strong critical and commercial success.

While Skyrim has dragons, dwarfs, elves, and monsters, Mass Effect 2 has a huge variety of alien races as well as other creatures, all of which are well-designed. The Mass Effect trilogy is definitely a unique experience.

Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows Of Amn

Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn is almost as long as Skyrim. In terms of content and setting, the game is pretty similar to Skyrim; in fact, there are even a few dragons that can be killed. Unlike Skyrim, Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn is played from a top-down isometric perspective.

Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn is one of the best RPG games ever made. As it was published back in 2000, the main downside of the game is the graphics. However, the gameplay and storytelling hold up well, which is why this title is considered a classic.

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