The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most popular open-world game of recent years. With an enormous, sprawling world for players to explore, filled with dragons, draugr, and all manner of other enemies, players are pretty much free to tackle whatever they want in whatever order they wish. However, if you’ve exhausted everything you can do in the game, you might be looking for other games like Skyrim to scratch that itch. Fear not, we’ve got you covered down below.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Looking for some games like Skyrim? Let’s kick this list off with a game from the big N. Nintendo has a knack for putting its own special magic into popular experiences.
Splatoon showed that team-based shooters didn’t have to be super mature or full of gore to be major hits, and Switch launch title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, showed that the company is more than capable of creating massive, memorable open worlds.
It’s a Hyrule that will draw you in. Nintendo takes exploration a step further, by allowing you to walk/run/swim/glide/climb throughout the world with ease.
Wonder what adventure you’ll find on top of that mountain? Go climb it. Curious about those ruins in the middle of the lake? Swim over. Feel like flying? Hold on tight to your hang glider.
You do as you please, just like in Skyrim (though it’s a bit more family-friendly).
Related: Elder Scrolls Board Game on Destructoid
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Following up Breath of the Wild is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom which features the same Hyrule map with some key changes, along with two whole new regions in the sky and in the underground. This is the biggest Zelda game we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing, and it’s honestly impressive that Nintendo has somehow found a way to top their own efforts in Breath of the Wild.
The new powers that Link has at his disposal are also way more streamlined than that of Breath of the Wild. For instance, Magnesis has been replaced by Ultrahand, which essentially lets you manipulate any object in the open-world, and not just metal or magnetic items. The world is truly your oyster in Tears of the Kingdom, and Skyrim fans would be remiss to skip out on this one.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
This should be one of the obvious games like Skyrim, right? If you played the most recent mainline Elder Scrolls game, take one step back and play number four: Oblivion.
Unlike Morrowind which has a much different feel than Skyrim, Oblivion has a lot more in common especially when it comes to modern amenities. It’s honestly a lot like Skyrim just a little rougher on the eyes.
What it lacks in visuals, it makes up for in deeper guild quest lines and role-playing. Instead of being thrust into the spotlight of the main four main guilds, you actually need to work your way up through the ranks before you start getting to the real world-changing stuff.
Also, Oblivion contains one of the finest expansions ever added to an Elder Scrolls Game: The Shivering Isles.
The Shivering Isles will take you to the mad Daedric Prince Sheogorath’s domain, and it’s an experience that shouldn’t be missed.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
When it comes to amazing open-world fantasy RPGs and games like Skyrim, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt currently sits among the best that video gaming has to offer.
You have sprawling locations full of secrets and opportunities for adventure. Around every corner lurks a new threat ranging from mischievous humans to powerful beasts.
Your choices help shape the world and the experiences around you, and it all invites you in before grabbing hold of your attention as you go on hunts, complete quests, seek out your loved one, and deal with all the hurdles that romance brings along.
Where The Witcher 3 really goes the extra mile is in its story, or stories we should say. Side quests feel like full, main affairs that have their own characters, plots, and heart-wrenching endings.
NPCs have full lives that you can see unfold, and the main story will pull your emotions in every single direction.
And this is all before you even dive into Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, two expansions that can easily outclass some full games out there.
If you’re looking for games like Skyrim, look no further than The Witcher 3. It developers on the stellar open-world foundation that Skyrim laid back in 2011 in many ways, and must be played.
Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord
Games Like Skyrim
If what you like about Skyrim is the medieval setting and combat, then Mount and Blade might be right up your alley. It is grounded in realism, and at least initially, just lets you kind of figure out your own path similar to what Skyrim allows you to do.
Keep in mind though that Mount and Blade lacks the heavy story elements that Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls games feature. You’re not playing it for the plot.
To fully appreciate Mount and Blade, you need to fall in love with its very nuanced and deep combat system which includes horses. Hence the “mount.” However, what Mount and Blade does have is an extensive multiplayer mode, something you won’t find in Skyrim.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Kingdom Come: Deliverance might ditch fantasy for historical realism, but it’s clearly heavily inspired by Skyrim with respect to its open-world design, and the branching dialog of its many, many quests.
One of the game’s most unique features is its very realistic combat system that requires patience and carefully calculated attacks instead of the flailing around that Elder Scrolls veterans are used to.
Again, unlike Skyrim, the game is based on real-life events, taking place in Bohemia in 1403, and its main and side quests are centered around events during that time period. Various DLC expansions have been launched since its initial release in 2018. As such, it is a big, time-consuming but hugely rewarding Skyrim-like, right down to the plethora of bugs that fans of Bethesda games know all too well — though, to be fair, it’s a much-improved game now (technically speaking) than it was back in 2018.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Although a little dated, Morrowind is still every bit the classic that it once was. If you’ve graduated from Oblivion and Skyrim, and want something more challenging that doesn’t hold your hand, Morrowind is the way to go. No fast travel and no quest markers.
You need to pay attention to all of the details from quest givers and follow their directions carefully to figure out what you’re supposed to do next. Or, if you prefer, don’t listen to anyone, and just go out on a grand adventure doing whatever you please.
Although there are lots of differences, the heart and soul of the series are there: exploration, story, lore are all still very much intact.
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas, sandwiched in-between Fallout 3 and 4, kind of gets overshadowed a bit by its younger and older brother. It is just as much the open-world RPG as those two games are, and Skyrim, as well.
Like all of the other Bethesda RPGs on this list, Fallout: New Vegas features all the bells and whistles you would expect. Side quests, plenty of optional places to explore and characters to meet.
The journey in New Vegas is more personal, and you’re not thrust right away into being this super important hero on a clearly morally “good” quest like all of those are games usually do. Consider New Vegas if you want more Bethesda-style gameplay but with a different tone.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
Even though it’s an awesome game, Skyrim is starting to run its course, but many gamers out there are looking for something similar, and it turns out there are several games that may fit the bill. Games that we’ll be getting into today.
And to keep going down our post of the best games like Skyrim, we have another one straight from its own series, The Elder Scrolls Online. Normally I’d say it’s cheating to just play another game in the series, but ESO is different.
It takes the openness of its predecessors and the progression system that rewards you for what you actually use, and mixes it with an MMO, letting millions of other players join in on your adventure.
It brings life into the world in a way the previous games lacked while still allowing you to explore and experience that sense of discovery that you may have fallen in love with in Skyrim.
Yet it’s different enough to feel like an entirely new game thanks to its class system and a massive pool of abilities that you can shape to your liking.
Thanks to the recent Morrowind expansion, the world is even bigger than before and rife with adventure opportunities for you and your friends.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PC, PS3, 360)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was an action-RPG/hack-and-slash game developed by 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. It was the only game to come out of 38 Studios due to financial woes, and that’s a damn shame because the game was legitimately good.
Players took on the role of the “Fateless One” who is killed at the beginning of the game and must set out on their own to find out what happened and to save everyone by altering fate itself.
What follows is a massive game that grants a high level of freedom to players in how they shape their own character and deal with the world around them.
Like in Skyrim, there are plenty of towns, cities, and NPCs to deal with, each with different quests, choices, and even consequences. Making it obviously among the best games like Skyrim.
It shares that same sense of adventure that makes Bethesda’s fantasy RPG so loved, and it even has some big names behind it such as R. A. Salvatore (Forgotten Realms series, Corona series) as one of the writers, and Todd McFarlane (creator of Spawn, and has worked on numerous major comics and video games).
It has a dash of that Skyrim flair and enough style to keep you locked in.
Fallout 3
Games Like Skyrim
Despite being a little bit dated when compared to Fallout 4, Fallout 3 is still very much an excellent open-world action RPG that has plenty of Skyrim vibes with the most obvious difference being the setting.
Like Fallout 4, you’ll have a huge open map that you can explore, and side quests and dungeons that can keep you distracted from the main quest for hundreds of hours if you so choose.
Just for your own sake, get a version of the game with all the DLC, so you can experience getting abducted by aliens (yeah) and an ending that isn’t frustrating.
Dragon’s Dogma
Dragon’s Dogma is a massive, challenging action RPG that drops players into a large, open world full of different monsters, demons, and other powerful threats.
You play as an individual who has their heart stolen by a dragon (feeding into the whole start game after having your life completely changed by a freak event) and spends your time seeking out your heart.
While the story lets you know the main focus right from the onset, you can pretty much ignore it if you’d like and throw yourself out into the world to explore dungeons, towns, and cities as you take on different creatures and recruit powerful Pawns to aid you in your journey.
Dragon’s Dogma shares its open nature with that of Skyrim, but it ups the ante by adding much more strategy and dynamic fights (you can target specific parts of bosses and even climb onto them).
It’s by far a tougher game, though it’s one of the games like Skyrim because of the aesthetic. If you were into the exploration and discovery aspect of Skyrim but wanted something with more challenge, this should be right up your alley.
Just don’t expect the game to take it easy on you.
Dragon Age Inquisition
There are actually three Dragon Age games (Origins, II, and Inquisition), but either of the three may scratch that Skyrim itch you may have — even though we’d go for the most recent. The first two games are available on PS3, 360, and PC, while the latest installment in the series, Inquisition, is available on current-gen consoles as well (excluding the Switch).
In each game, you play an individual who is tasked with saving the world from utter destruction, and you must rely on your abilities and party to take down all the threats that loom before you. The structure of the game is admittedly more rigid than that of Skyrim, or any other Elder Scrolls for that matter, but it still provides beautiful areas to explore, and tons of decisions to be made as you form your character into the type of warrior you want.
Also, there is no shortage of enemies to be slain. Unfortunately, there is no Fus Ro Dah action to partake in; but hey, it’s still a great series that will give you some Skyrim vibes (and the first game is actually older).
Neverwinter
Neverwinter is another MMO that may be to your liking if you’re a huge fan of Skyrim. Also, to make it even more appealing, it’s completely free to play, though you can pay actual money for certain things (you really don’t have to, though). Its draw is that it offers a grand fantasy narrative (based on Dungeons & Dragons) that has you dealing with different races and clans as you explore dungeons and kill powerful enemies.
There’s a ton of exploration, too, which is to be expected, as well as several classes to play as which alter the way you experience Neverwinter. Gameplay wise it’s much more similar to ESO than Skyrim, but they both offer a lot of the same experiences.
Fallout 4
This one is to be expected as Fallout 4 comes from the same studio as Skyrim and even has the same Director. Still, you may look at the above image and notice that this game seems to be lacking in the fantasy department. You won’t find any magic here, nor will you find elves, demons, gods, and other spirits (at least not without mods).
Instead, you’ll be thrown into a post-apocalyptic world that was ravaged by nuclear war as you use science and technology (as well as a bit of radiation) to become powerful, help those in the Wasteland, and solve a few mysteries while you’re at it. All of the gameplay elements you’d expect from an Elder Scrolls game are present, though. You’re free to go anywhere you want and deal with NPCs as you please (helping, robbing, and killing on a whim).
Certain quests have multiple paths which will change who rises to power and how the world views you, and there is plenty of lore to dig up on your journey. Heck, you can even loot every person and place to your desire, stripping bandits naked as you don their clothing and pocket their weapons. It’s all entirely up to you.
Just set out and do as you please, making the Wasteland your oyster. We’re sure you’ll get to the main story eventually.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Since we’re discussing games with a more modern flair, another open-world experience that may just appeal to your inner Dragonborn is Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2.
This particular title catches the spirit of Bethesda’s fantasy RPG more in its freedom than its story (actually, completely in its freedom). This prequel title sees you play as Arthur Morgan, an outlaw along with his fellow crew of nomads roaming around the far west and out the reaches of the law. The game that grows out of that is celebrated as one of the best open-world titles to ever be released, making it clearly among the games like Skyrim.
Of course, you won’t be battling dragons and demons. And while there’s quite a bit of yelling, none of it will send enemies flying off of ledges or bursting into flames. However, you will uncover tons of secrets, ride horses, engage in fun combat, and find tons of different things to do out in the wild west. You can very much so create your own experiences just like you would in a fantasy RPG (just minus the RPG).
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
The original Assassin’s Creed games are very different than The ES games, but the more modern ones, such as Valhalla, are more or less full-scale RPGs that bring the two series much closer. There’s branching dialog, a huge number of quests, third-person combat, and even a fantasy element to the story.
As you’re probably aware, the game mostly takes place in Ancient Britain, a land inhabited by Celts and Saxons, and now Viking settlers of whom you are a part. Playing the male/female (optional) role of Eivor, you are tasked with building a settlement and questing across the British Isles (and several other bonus areas) as you piece together a compelling story about warring Kings and the mysteries their lands ide. As is typical of the series, Valhalla features a massive open world for you to explore with optional tombs, dungeons, towns, cities, and more.
There are plenty of side quests to sink your teeth into, and lots of things to do besides completing the main quest. The story is excellent, and the side quests are well-written and interesting to complete, unlike some in Skyrim. Just keep in mind, the story is very much about Eivor, not you, and because of that, it lacks the same role-playing possibilities that Skyrim has.
Final Fantasy XV
While ES is one of the kings of western-RPG style games, Final Fantasy is the undisputed face of Japanese RPGs.
However, with Final Fantasy XV, Square Enix drove the series in the direction of western style RPG games like Skyrim. FFXV is a massive open world filled with side quests, optional dungeons, and villages and towns to explore.
The best part is, instead of cruising around in a dopey horse, you get a sweet luxury car that lets you play some of the best music of not only mainline Final Fantasy games but some of the spinoffs as well. If more open-world RPG goodness is what you want, it will deliver, with impressive visuals to boot.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2 has more in common with classic isometric RPG games like Baldur’s Gate; however, the vast amount of content in a fantasy RPG setting, means it makes it onto our posting of games like Skyrim.
There is just a ridiculous amount of content and freedom in DOS2, and unlike some of the more narrative linear games on this list, this game heavily encourages role-playing. Either through making your own character or stepping into the shoes and eyes of one of the game’s pre-made characters that each have their own perspective on the game’s world and events.
Plus, with the game’s GM mode, you can get your friends into the mix as well, creating scenarios for them to play through and emulating the freedom for creativity that Skyrim’s mods inject into the game.
Horizon Forbidden West
If the reason you gave Skyrim a shot was less because you’re a big Elder Scrolls fan and more because you felt compelled to play a great open-world RPG, then look no further than Horizon Forbidden West for PS4/PS5. This is the sequel to 2017’s superb Horizon Zero Dawn, which you should probably tackle before taking this one on.
As for its likeness to Skyrim, it’s similarly played from a third-person perspective and features role-playing mechanics, though the depth of those mechanics isn’t anywhere near the extent of Skyrim. It does, however, feature a wonderfully vibrant open world, and whisks you away on a sci-fi adventure that makes it a shoo-in for games like Skyrim. Forbidden West has plenty of quests that will further flesh out the game’s universe, lore, and mysteries. And, of course, it’s a big beautiful space for you to explore at your leisure. Just keep in mind you’ll be playing out the story of Aloy, and it’s her tale, instead of acting as the anonymous hero that you inject yourself into.
Published: Jul 25, 2023 07:31 am