Let’s be honest, few games capture that feeling of boundless exploration, deep lore, and true player freedom quite like Skyrim, right? It’s a game many of us have sunk hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into, wandering the vast snowy landscapes, delving into ancient tombs, and maybe accidentally (or intentionally) shouting Fus Ro Dah at innocent villagers.
But eventually, even the Dragonborn needs a new quest. If you’ve thoroughly explored every nook and cranny of Tamriel and are yearning for that same kind of open-world fantasy RPG fix, you’re in the right place.
We’re diving into some fantastic Games like Skyrim that offer similar sprawling worlds, compelling stories, and that sweet, sweet sense of adventure. Get ready to find your next obsession!
Top 10 Games Similar to Skyrim Summary
| Game Title | Key Features | Genre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Story-driven, vast open world, monster hunting | Action RPG |
| 2 | Fallout 4 | Post-apocalyptic, base building, crafting | Action RPG |
| 3 | Elder Scrolls Online | MMO, expansive world, player interactions | MMORPG |
| 4 | Dragon Age: Inquisition | Tactical combat, character customization | Action RPG |
| 5 | Kingdom Come: Deliverance | Realistic medieval, historical accuracy | RPG |
| 6 | Horizon Zero Dawn | Robot dinosaurs, open world exploration | Action RPG |
| 7 | Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | Nemesis system, combat, Tolkien lore | Action RPG |
| 8 | Divinity: Original Sin 2 | Turn-based combat, deep RPG mechanics | RPG |
| 9 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Open world, immersive story, western theme | Action-adventure |
| 10 | Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | Viking era, open world, settlement building | Action RPG |
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – A Masterclass in Storytelling
When talking about Games like Skyrim, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is almost always the first title that comes to mind for many players, and for good reason!
While Skyrim gives you immense freedom to forge your own path with a largely silent protagonist, The Witcher 3 puts you firmly in the boots of Geralt of Rivia, a gruff but deeply complex monster hunter with a defined personality and a rich backstory.
This difference in protagonist approach is key. The Witcher 3 shines with its incredibly mature and branching narrative, where almost every side quest feels like a mini-story with meaningful choices and consequences that ripple through the world.
The world itself is massive and stunningly beautiful, filled with diverse landscapes, hidden secrets, and terrifying monsters to track down. Combat is more action-focused and requires strategic use of signs (magic), potions, and oils, offering a different but equally engaging challenge compared to Skyrim’s system.
If you crave a game with a living, breathing world, unforgettable characters, and a story that will grip you from start to finish, The Witcher 3 is an absolute must-play alternative.
Fallout 4 – Post-Apocalyptic Exploration and Building
Alright, shifting gears slightly from high fantasy, let’s talk about Fallout 4. While the setting is drastically different – a retro-futuristic post-apocalyptic wasteland rather than a medieval-inspired realm – the core loop and sense of freedom make it a strong contender when exploring Games like Skyrim.
Like Skyrim, Fallout 4 drops you into a massive open world filled with locations to discover, enemies to fight, and countless side quests and stories waiting to be unearthed.
You’ll spend hours just wandering, scavenging for resources, and stumbling upon unexpected encounters. The character progression system, while using Perks instead of skill trees in the same way, still allows for significant customization of your playstyle, whether you prefer sneaking, talking your way out of trouble, or going in guns blazing.
A major difference, and a big draw for many, is the robust settlement building system, allowing you to literally rebuild parts of the world. If you love the exploration and freedom of Skyrim but fancy swapping dragons for Super Mutants and magic for plasma rifles, Fallout 4 offers a similarly deep and rewarding experience.
Elder Scrolls Online – Returning to Tamriel, Together
If what you truly miss is the world of Tamriel itself, but you’re looking for a different way to experience it, then Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is definitely worth considering. While it’s an MMORPG, it retains much of the exploration-focused, quest-driven gameplay that makes its single-player siblings so beloved.
You can wander through familiar (and not-so-familiar) regions of Tamriel, taking on hundreds of quests that delve deep into the lore of the Elder Scrolls universe. Character progression offers a lot of flexibility, allowing you to build your character through skills and abilities in a way that feels reminiscent of the main games, even within the class system.
The freedom to just pick a direction and see what you find is very much present here, and while there’s multiplayer content, you can absolutely play a huge amount of the game solo, treating it almost like a never-ending single-player adventure with the option to group up if you choose. It’s a fantastic way to get that Elder Scrolls fix with a slightly different flavor and an ever-expanding world.
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Leading the Charge in a Realm of Conflict
Now, let’s venture into the world of Thedas with Dragon Age: Inquisition. While it features a party-based combat system and a more directed main narrative compared to Skyrim’s lone-wolf approach,
Inquisition offers a vast, explorable world broken into large, distinct zones filled with quests, lore, and secrets. The sense of discovery as you uncover new areas and complete objectives to gain “Influence” and unlock more of the world is incredibly satisfying and scratches a similar itch to Skyrim’s exploration loop.
Where Inquisition truly shines is in its rich world-building, complex political landscape, and incredibly well-written companions. Building relationships with your party members and making impactful decisions that affect the fate of the world provides a different but equally compelling form of player agency.
If you enjoy deep fantasy lore, tactical combat (with the option to pause and issue commands), and leading a band of heroes through an epic story, Dragon Age: Inquisition offers a grand adventure with plenty to see and do.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance – A Gritty Slice of Realistic History
For those who love the open-world exploration and RPG progression of Skyrim but crave a more grounded, realistic experience, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an absolute standout. Set in a historically accurate depiction of 15th-century Bohemia, this game foregoes magic and dragons for a gritty, challenging, and deeply immersive simulation of medieval life.
Like Skyrim, you’re given a vast world to explore, filled with towns, forests, and historical landmarks, and you’re largely free to approach quests and challenges as you see fit. However, Kingdom Come’s realism is its defining feature.
Combat is based on realistic sword fighting techniques, your character needs to eat, sleep, and maintain their gear, and skills improve based on actual practice (the more you read, the better you get at reading, for example). It offers a different kind of freedom – the freedom to live and survive in a believable historical world.
While it lacks the high fantasy elements, its deep simulation, open-world exploration, and skill-based progression make it a compelling entry in the realm of Games like Skyrim for players seeking something more authentic.
Horizon Zero Dawn – Hunting Mechanical Beasts in a Lush Future
Switching gears to a truly unique setting, let’s talk about Horizon Zero Dawn. While it trades medieval fantasy for a stunning post-apocalyptic world overrun by incredible robotic creatures, the core pillars of open-world exploration, deep lore, and engaging combat are very much present and might appeal to fans of Skyrim.
You play as Aloy, an outcast hunter with a compelling personal journey, exploring a vast and breathtaking landscape that feels alive with both nature and dangerous machines. The game excels in its world-building, slowly unraveling the mysteries of how this world came to be.
Combat is a tactical dance of analyzing and exploiting the weaknesses of different machine types, utilizing a variety of weapons and traps. Like Skyrim, there’s a strong sense of discovery as you climb tall “Tallnecks” to reveal sections of the map or delve into ancient ruins to uncover secrets.
If you enjoy exploring a richly detailed world, mastering a unique combat system, and uncovering a fascinating story, Horizon Zero Dawn offers an unforgettable adventure.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Unleash Your Inner Ranger in Mordor
Stepping into the dark and dangerous lands of Mordor might not sound like the cozy fantasy of Skyrim, but Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor offers a surprisingly similar sense of open-world freedom and character progression that makes it a worthy mention among Games like Skyrim.
While the map might not be as sprawling as Tamriel, it’s dense with activities, collectibles, and, most importantly, Orcs to dominate. You play as Talion, a ranger with wraith-like abilities, seeking vengeance against Sauron’s forces.
The combat is fluid and satisfying, focusing on brutal melee encounters and stealth. What truly sets it apart, and provides that unique hook, is the groundbreaking Nemesis System. This system creates a hierarchy of Uruk captains and warchiefs who remember your encounters, gain strengths and weaknesses based on your actions, and create dynamic, personal rivalries.
This adds an incredible layer of emergent storytelling and makes every enemy encounter feel meaningful. If you enjoy exploring a fantasy world, deep character abilities, and a combat system that makes you feel powerful, Shadow of Mordor offers a darker, more action-packed take on the open-world RPG formula.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – A Deep Dive into Tactical RPG Freedom
For those who appreciate the sheer depth of role-playing and the freedom to approach challenges in countless ways, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a powerhouse.
While its combat is turn-based and party-focused, a significant departure from Skyrim’s real-time action, the open-ended nature of its quests and world interaction will strongly resonate with fans of Bethesda’s epic.
The game world is incredibly reactive to your choices and actions, allowing for creative solutions to problems, often involving manipulating the environment and combining character abilities in unexpected ways.
The freedom to build your character and party members with a vast array of skills and spells is immense, offering a level of customization that rivals even Skyrim’s flexible system. The narrative is rich and complex, with compelling companion stories and main quests that can be tackled in numerous orders.
If you love getting lost in a detailed fantasy world, engaging with deep lore, and having unparalleled freedom in how you role-play and solve problems, Divinity: Original Sin 2 offers a truly rewarding experience, albeit with a different combat style.
Red Dead Redemption 2 – The Wild West, Untamed
Trading fantasy landscapes for the rugged beauty of the Wild West, Red Dead Redemption 2 might seem like an unusual comparison, but it shares a fundamental design philosophy with Skyrim: a massive, detailed open world begging to be explored at your own pace.
As Arthur Morgan, you’re part of a gang of outlaws, but the game gives you incredible freedom to deviate from the main story and simply exist in its stunningly realized world. You can hunt, fish, track bounties, play poker, interact with a huge cast of memorable characters, and stumble upon countless random events and hidden locations.
The sheer level of detail and interactivity in the environment is astounding, making the world feel incredibly alive. While it lacks the magic and dragons, the deep RPG elements in character progression, the emphasis on player choice and consequence, and the unparalleled sense of freedom to roam and discover make it a compelling option for those seeking Games like Skyrim but with a different setting and a more grounded, narrative-driven experience.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – Raiding and Exploring in the Viking Age
Stepping into the boots of a Viking raider in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla offers another open-world experience that shares some key DNA with Skyrim, particularly in its focus on exploration, combat, and building up your character and settlement.
While the parkour and stealth elements are distinctly Assassin’s Creed, the vast, explorable maps of Dark Ages England and Norway, filled with secrets, wealth, and mysteries, will feel familiar to any Dragonborn.
You have the freedom to tackle objectives in various ways, and the skill tree and gear system allow for significant customization of Eivor’s combat style. A notable parallel is the emphasis on discovering and clearing out locations on the map, whether they are bandit camps, ancient ruins, or hidden treasures, much like clearing dungeons and discovering points of interest in Skyrim.
The settlement building aspect, where you grow and customize your Viking home base, also provides a satisfying sense of progression outside of the main quest. If you enjoy exploring a historical open world, engaging in visceral combat, and building up your character and community, Valhalla is a strong contender among Games like Skyrim, offering a rich historical fantasy setting.
Also check our article: Best games like Call of Duty
