The best games like Skyrim

Guide by Lauren Aitken Former Guides Writer

Published on April 26, 2019

Skyrim is still popular with PC and console players alike, but what else could you be playing?

It’s been eight years since The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was released, but it’s still popular due to mods now being available on console and recently being released for the Nintendo Switch.

There are of course many other fantasy games you could be playing instead, whether that's more recent titles or games that are equally as old.

We’ll take a look at similar RPGs, as well as a few other types of fantasy games to help you bide your time until The Elder Scrolls 6 is released.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

If you haven’t played CD Projekt Red's masterpiece yet, then what have you been doing since 2015?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a massive fantasy RPG that focuses on the story of Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher with a big heart and an even bigger sword, as he searches for his ward.

It’s a tale with many highs and lows, exceptional combat and some of the best design and vistas we’ve seen in this generation. Its DLC, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine add over 40 hours of gameplay, as well as adding new weapons and gear, new areas to explore and some short-lived romances.

It’s the third instalment in The Witcher trilogy and I’d highly recommend taking your time to play through them all while you wait for the next Elder Scrolls game.

Fallout series

If you love Skyrim, why not try another successful Bethesda franchise? Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 are both excellent RPGs that have engaging stories and a karma system that lets you play as the ultimate goody two shoes or be an absolute bastard.

Fallout 4 expands on this by telling you when people do or don’t like your actions, such as planting crops or creating havoc with a flamethrower.

I’d also throw in Fallout: New Vegas, the spiritual successor to Fallout 3, that was developed by Obsidian Entertainment. It comes with a hardcore mode and an even better story that both Fallout 3 and 4 if you can believe that.

While it’s definitely not a fantasy RPG, it’s still worth a go if you like a good main story with lots of branching, interesting side quests. Fallout 76 is the latest iteration that players have a love/ hate relationship with, but we'll let you make up your own mind about it.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

The Dragon Age franchise is the other main RPG from Mass Effect creators BioWare. If you like looting things and rich lore, then this is definitely a fantasy RPG you should dive into.

It plays solely in third person view, however, you can switch your party lead fluidly and there’s a sort of MOBA element to the combat, as it’s partially turn-based. You can also freeze time and command your party to attack specific enemies with certain moves, which can feel a little overwhelming at times.

You can also romance the pants off almost everyone if you’re so inclined. Dragon Age: Inquisition is the third part of the Dragon Age trilogy, so there’s a lot of smooching and fighting to be getting on with.

So who will you pick: the Mages or the Templars?

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is supposed to be as realistic a portrayal of 15th Century Eastern European life as possible. You play as Henry, a Blacksmith's son, who is thrown into a hero's role after his home is attacked and family slaughtered.

You can learn usual RPG tropes like drinking, lockpicking, and throwing punches, as well as genuinely useful skills like reading, how to talk to women and how to wash.

NPCs will pass comment on you if you are absolutely covered in blood and s**t, and if you try and sneak around while wearing something too brightly coloured then you’re screwed.

It’s got a bit of an Oblivion vibe too it, has a lovely soundtrack and a really good story, as well as seemingly endless side quests and things to do. There are a lot of quests that involve getting drunk, which makes controlling Henry even more difficult.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Bethesda successfully launched The Elder Scrolls Online a few years back and it’s still very popular with MMO fans. The most recent expansions, Morrowind and Summerset, have revived the title and if you’re looking for near endless Elder Scrolls based fun, this should be your next stop.

If you’ve never played an MMO, or have been avoiding them after spending way too much time on one in your youth, Elder Scrolls Online is the perfect mix of everything that made Skyrim great, coupled with some new features in an MMO context.

There’s no subscription fee, either, so all you need is a PS+ account or Xbox Live.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is the sequel to Shadow of Mordor and is perhaps the best LOTR game since Return of the King.

You play as Talion, as you go behind enemy lines to the city of Mordor to defeat Sauron. There are huge fortresses to conquer, a wealth of interesting new characters. The Nemesis system creates unique orc commanders you can challenge, and depending on the results of their encounters, different outcomes can play out over the course of the game, like an orc chasing you down to bully you.

Dark Souls 3

Are you a glutton for punishment? Then maybe you should give Dark Souls a try. There’s seemingly endless lore, challenging bosses and you can even leave tips for fellow players to help them.

Or, you can trick them into jumping off cliffs or fight them in PvP, robbing them of any honour.

Dark Souls games are notoriously difficult but the rewards are worth it. The series has some of the richest find-it-yourself lore available and you get out of it exactly what you put in.

Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are also a good shout if suffering through the Dark Souls trilogy wasn’t enough for you.

Dragon’s Dogma

Though Dragon’s Dogma originally released in 2013 for the previous generation, an enhanced edition with extra content, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen was released for the current gen of consoles and PC.

It has a huge open world where you can pick and choose quests at your leisure and operates a party system somewhat similar to Dragon Age: Inquisition.

There are loads of different factions to choose from that open up new unique combat systems and having some pals to help you with quests makes a big difference.

It’s a bit older but definitely worth a huge chunk of your time.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn follows the story of Aloy, a young woman who’s been outcast from a society who rejected technology long ago.

Weird robotic beats roam the Motherlands and Aloy discovers a technology that will let her tame them and find their weak spots in order to defeat or control them.

It’s one of the few open world RPGs with a female protagonist and it has a beautifully written story as well as a really good photo mode.

Red Dead Redemption 2

While definitely not a fantasy game, Red Dead Redemption 2 and its predecessor are massive, open world games set in the Wild West with two of the most engaging and loveable protagonists in RPG history.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel of sorts, where we follow Arthur Morgan and his gang lead by the nihilistic Dutch van der Linde. It’s probably the best looking game out there right now, with an incredible cinematic camera mode to show off the painstaking attention to detail put into creating it.

The Honor system returns, so you can transform Arthur into as good a Samaritan an outlaw can be, or let him rob, kill and pillage every other building and person he comes across.

Houses stay burned down, those you save will remember your face and your horse is your new BFF.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

I’m going to be honest, here: I prefer Oblivion to Skyrim. If I could take Skyrim’s lockpicking method and using Shouts and put it into Oblivion, you’d have the perfect game, OK? Good.

After the death of the Emperor, you’re charged with finding his illegitimate heir to the throne and helping him close shut the Oblivion doors opened all over Tamriel. It still looks good despite being 13 years old and there are loads of interesting side missions and faction quests to be getting on with.

The Shivering Isles DLC is one of the biggest and best DLCs around, where you need to assist Sheogorath in all sorts of mischevious errands.

Dragon Quest 11

Originally released in Japan for 3DS and PlayStation 4 in 2017, Dragon Quest 11 stars a hero trying to discover the mystery of his fate alongside a cast of supporting characters.

After a series of unexpected events, our hero learns he is the reincarnation of a legendary hero from a forgotten age. After confiding his identity to the King, he is labelled “The Darkspawn” and hunted by a relentless army.

You'll find companions along the way who believe in your cause, and you'll embark on a quest that will take them across continents and over vast oceans as they learn of an ominous threat facing the world.

Dragon Quest 11 is a standalone game in the franchise and comes with a tonne of new lore, personality and a unique background story. If you're a fan of JRPGs, then you'll want to check it out.