Best Games Like Skyrim

On the hunt for more open-world action RPGs? Follow along as we showcase the best games like Skyrim on Steam and other platforms.

If you’re looking to play the best games like Skyrim, we’ve got you covered right here.

While the critically-acclaimed open-world action RPG continues to live on through modding and remasters, there are also a ton of great Skyrim alternatives.

In this list, we’ll showcase the best games like Skyrim on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

So, if you’re ready to ditch the title of Dragonborn and don a new mantle, keep reading on to see the best games similar to Skyrim!

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Whether you’re a Dark Souls fan or looking for the best games like Skyrim, you’ll likely enjoy the updated remake of one of FromSoftware’s most pivotal titles.

Originally released for the PS3, Demon’s Souls sees you on a heroic quest to save the kingdom of Boletaria from an evil being known as the Old One.

Developed by Bluepoint Games, the remake adds a host of quality-of-life improvements that benefit performance and visual fidelity.

However, at its core, Demon Souls feels nearly identical to the original in regard to environment layout and the challenge posed by its combat.

Similar to Skyrim, the Assassin’s Creed games place a large emphasis on open-world exploration and action-driven combat with elements of stealth and RPG progression.

A great execution of this tried and true formula is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which casts you as a Viking raider searching for a new home in 9th-century Britain.

However, in the backdrop, a war is brewing between the Templars and the Brotherhood that causes your character to take action.

Throughout the game, you’ll go around completing quests while exploring a sprawling map, collecting gear, and establishing a network of settlements.

Valheim is an open-world survival RPG that casts you as one of Odin’s fallen Viking warriors whose soul ends up in the tenth Norse world.

Much like the region of Skyrim, this sprawling primordial pool is teeming with untapped resources, immeasurable threats, and boundless adventures.

You’ll keep your character fed, rested, and secure from enemy raids by constructing tools, weapons, and fortified camps to defend from trolls, sea monsters, and more.

Although the game is a bit light on story compared to games like Skyrim, it features an abundance of bosses to tackle, RPG progression, and robust crafting mechanics.

Next up on our list of the best games like Skyrim is Tribes of Midgard, another open-world survival RPG that supports up to 10-player co-op.

While it showcases a distinct cel-shaded art design and isometric POV, from a gameplay standpoint, the two share many similarities.

In it, you play as a Viking tasked with exploring an expansive fantasy world teeming with unique biomes, natural resources, and powerful gods and monsters.

As you create fresh tools and enhance equipment, you’ll defend your town against Giants who strive to destroy the Seed of Yggdrasil.

Like Skyrim and countless other RPGs, The Outer Worlds puts a lot of stock into player agency, with every action having its own set of consequences.

The story sees you taking on the role of a blank slate character and unlikely hero entrusted with determining the fate of a space colony and its starving citizens.

Making your way around a solar system, you’ll encounter characters, factions, and alien creatures with unique motivations that shape the narrative.

Every challenge can be tackled in a variety of ways, allowing you to talk yourself out of a jam using words or bend enemies to your will using brute force.

The Forgotten City was initially conceived as a mod for Skyrim before becoming a standalone game led by developer/writer Nick Pearce.

In it, you’re transported to an ancient city bound by the Golden Rule: a religious mandate that punishes sinful acts by turning citizens into gold statues.

The game presents many opportunities to affect the outcome of the story during NPC interactions and open-ended quests with multiple ways to achieve completion.

While it goes to great lengths to introduce its own cast of characters, environments, and even new game mechanics, the visual similarities with Skyrim persist.

If you’ve ever wanted to play a more realistic game like Skyrim, then Kingdom Come: Deliverance checks that box while still being a great medieval RPG.

Set in an open-world depiction of the Holy Roman Empire, it casts you as a blacksmith’s son who joins with rebels after his friends and family are slaughtered.

By relying on simulated systems, the game creates a distinctive survival experience where players maintain their character’s hunger, thirst, slumber, and sanitation.

While you won’t find any of Skyrim’s dragons or spells, there’s a surprising amount of depth to Deliverance’s first-person combat that can be a lot of fun to master.

Horizon Zero Dawn’s primitive post-apocalyptic setting may not be as populated as Skyrim but offers just enough lore to satisfy any Elder Scrolls fan’s appetite.

It also happens to serve as the perfect backdrop for tense stealth and action sequences that pit the player against larger-than-life enemies.

To close the gap, you’ll explore every tool at your disposal and seek out different strategies for defeating a host of mechanical monstrosities.

Although Aloy is limited to a bow and arrow, she makes up for it with an abundance of ammo types, traps, and gadgets.

If you’re looking for a satisfying fantasy RPG that shares plenty of similarities with the Elder Scrolls franchise, look no further than Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

In it, you take on the role of the Fateless One after they’re resurrected and thrust into a ravaged world on the brink of collapse.

The game features robust character customization, an expansive open world ripe for exploration, and immersive combat that emphasizes player choice at every turn.

While you’re more than welcome to check out the original, a remastered version titled Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning can be picked up for PC and modern consoles.

The feeling of being able to go anywhere at any time is hard to capture in most open-world games like Skyrim, with the exception of Breath of the Wild

Offering a fresh take on the Zelda series, the game encourages you to explore environments using satisfying traversal mechanics that let you climb any object.

While the primary quest revolves around vanquishing Ganon and revitalizing Hyrule to its previous splendor, much like Skyrim, most of the enjoyment stems from spontaneous exploration.

Both games also do an excellent job of rewarding you for your curiosity with secret areas, powerful gear, and bits of lore.

Our next suggestion for the best open-world games like Skyrim is Shadow of War, an action-adventure RPG set in the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Continuing the story of Shadow of Mordor while expanding upon the Nemesis system, it sees you contesting with powerful enemies with distinct backgrounds.

Additionally, players are bound to encounter a wide range of characters throughout Middle Earth’s open world, ranging from elves to orcs and everything in between.

There are also countless side quests and opportunities to venture off the beaten path and delve deeper into LOTR lore.

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning another fantasy RPG that’s considered a masterpiece by many, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

While more reliant on storytelling via cutscenes, The Witcher 3 is sure to scratch that Skyrim itch while telling its own original narrative.

In between important parts of the story, players can freely explore the game’s extensive open world to hunt animals, collect ingredients, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Even if magic works differently in both games, Skyrim fans will likely enjoy The Witcher 3’s emphasis on sword combat.

If you love games like Skyrim, then Conan Exiles is a great alternative that will bring you hours of enjoyment.

Set in a medieval open world rampant with monsters, it sees you carving out your path by gathering resources, arming yourself, and building bases.

While the game is primarily multiplayer, there’s also a single-player mode with Skyrim-like progression that lets you hone your skills in different areas.

This could mean exploring to your heart’s content, decking out your home with fancy furniture, or capturing NPCs to keep as slaves.

GreedFall is an indie action RPG set during a magic-infused 17th Century where players take on the role of a noble plagued by a mysterious family illness.

Desperate for a cure, they set off for a mysterious island only to be caught in a war between the island’s natives and encroaching colonists.

Like Skyrim, the focuses heavily on player freedom, allowing you to side with either faction or even remain neutral through to the end of the story.

Although GreedFall’s indie open world may not be on the same scale as Skyrim, you’ll have no shortage of beautiful vistas and unscripted adventures.

If you’re looking for games like Skyrim that draw inspiration from classics like Baldur’s Gather and Planescape: Torment, consider picking up Divinity: Original Sin II.

Much like Skyrim, it assigns unique consequences for every action taken by the player, with some having small effects and others completely reshaping the world.

This design extends to OS2’s end-game states, which include seven main endings, five character-specific ones, and many more affecting specific regions or races.

It’s the perfect game for Skyrim fans who also enjoy the rest of the Elder Scrolls series as well as traditional RPGs packed with lore and world-building.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is an action RPG developed and published by Capcom that takes place in a fantasy setting reminiscent of Skyrim.

In it, you play as a customizable hero called the Arisen as they’re assigned the monumental task of defeating a dragon, not unlike Elder Scrolls V.

However, before that, you’ll have to make it past a host of mythological monstrosities that occupy and roam the game’s open world.

The game is notable for featuring robust combat and party mechanics that let you latch onto monsters’ bodies and develop unique builds for each character.

Despite being part of one of the most beloved RPG franchises, Dragon Age: Inquisition is often overlooked and underrated by fans of the genre.

Admittedly, the game is a little rough around the edges, especially if you tried playing it back during its launch in 2014.

Similar to games like Skyrim, it starts with you picking your race and class before investigating a mystery causing demons to invade the world.

All flaws considered, Inquisition is worth checking out for its exciting blend of tactical RPG and real-time combat with a ton of flexibility for devising unique builds.

Our final suggestion for games like Skyrim is Fallout: New Vegas, a beloved RPG that transports you to a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas left-ravaged by nuclear war.

In it, you take on the role of the Courier, a mysterious stranger tasked with delivering a package across the Mojave Wasteland to the owner of New Vegas, Mr. House.

In the background, a war brews between the New California Republic and local tribes Caesar’s Legionnaires and the Great Khans, with the player caught in the middle.

Like Skyrim, gameplay centers on real-time combat, RPG leveling, and non-linear progression with countless opportunities to stray from the main path.

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Justin Fernandez

As a fan of both indie and triple-A games, Justin finds joy in discovering and sharing hidden gems with other passionate gamers. In addition to reporting on the latest and greatest titles, he manages GamingScan’s social media channels.

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