Skyrim’s Open World has more content to offer than most other games do, with hundreds of NPCs to interact with, surprisingly long side quests to complete, and deep dungeons to explore. However, it often does not feel like enough.
While not many projects manage to build a world that can rival the in-depth lore and RPG elements that Skyrim brings to the table, this list of the best games like Skyrim includes a few titles that come pretty close. These games have various elements that make Skyrim enjoyable, along with a few additional ones of their own that make them worth a shot.
Open World Games like Skyrim
The following games have well-developed open worlds as Skyrim does, each with its own set of themes and game mechanics. You can browse through them to find the one that works best for you.
Witcher 3: Wild hunt
Often seen as one of the best open-world RPG titles, The Witcher 3: wild hunt might be the most Skyrim-like game on this list. Exploring the world of this game can easily take several hours before you even dabble into the DLCs available.
The Witcher 3 not only includes an epic main story that can keep you engrossed until its completion but also boasts hundreds of side quests, each with an intriguing plot. If you happen to want even more content than that, you could take up witcher contracts to slay large beasts that are much more difficult to deal with than regular encounters.
The title is also famous for its mini-game Gwent, which has spun off into a game of its own. As you adventure through the world, you will be able to collect Gwent cards that can be used when you challenge opponents to matches in taverns or other places.
Reasons to play Witcher 3:Wild Hunt
- A huge world with hundreds of quests to complete.
- A fun combat system that lets you alternate between swords and magic.
The Fallout Series
The Fallout Series is Bethesda’s Post Apocalyptic version of The Elder Scrolls, so the parallels are not hard to find. Unlike Skyrim, the Fallout games focus on modern weapons and buildings, while still maintaining the same level of faction choices and NPC interactions that a game like Skyrim Would offer you.
Fallout 4 might be the most similar to Skyrim as it was released just a year before Skyrim’s Special Edition. It is also the game that comes closest to Skyrim in terms of Mod support, which is no easy feat to achieve.
Reasons to play The Fallout Series
- An alternate theme to Bethesda’s Skyrim Formula.
- A ton of character builds to explore.
Check out our list of the best games like Fallout 4!
Horizon: Zero dawn
Taking place around a thousand years ahead of our time in a reality where huge mechanical beasts walk the lands, Horizon: Zero Dawn is an open-world RPG that you can sink a lot of time into.
The game has an incredible story that helps you deeply explore the lore of its world. You will spend most of your time hunting down various animal-themed machines, each with unique weaknesses that can be exploited by using specific weapons you find along the way.
In addition to the main questline, Horizon: Zero Dawn has a ton of side quests and other missions to complete. You will often find yourself exploring the wild, finding new ways to deal with the marvelous machines, and even leveling up so you can tame some of them.
Reasons to play Horizon Zero Dawn
- An interesting concept of a vast world filled with mechanical animals, each with unique attributes.
- A fluid combat system that requires you to find the best way to deal with each enemy.
Oblivion and other Elder Scrolls games
Even with the release of Skyrim, a large chunk of Oblivion’s player base stayed with it due to its ability to let them create exactly the character they wanted. With Skyrim Simplifying the character creation process, a lot of nuances it had was lost.
Besides that, Oblivion and the other Elder Scrolls games work in a very similar way to Skyrim. You will find an open world to explore, and fun NPCs to interact with while completing a story that adds to the lore of the world.
The Elder Scrolls Online is also a great option if you want to experience a multiplayer version of the game.
Reasons to play The Elder Scrolls games
- As predecessors to Skyrim, these games will make you feel right at home.
- A more complex character creation process that lets you adjust a lot of its attributes.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the wild
Breath of the Wild is probably one of the best open-world games like Skyrim available for the Nintendo Switch right now.
With several hours of content, this Legend of Zelda game is full of puzzles, mysteries, and side quests that do not feel like side quests. The world around you is beautiful and a true testimony of what Switch Games can be.
Reasons to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the wild
- A well-created open-world game that never feels empty.
- Unique puzzle, beautiful locations, and a lot of fun quests.
Elden Ring
Even as the most recently released title on this list, Elden Ring has made enough of an impact on the gaming community to be considered one of the best open-world RPG alternatives to Skyrim.
It will not take long for anybody that plays the game to realize that Fromsoftware took everything that made the Dark Souls series special and embedded it into a surreally beautiful open-world setting.
With well-designed bosses and a good learning curve (for a Fromsoftware game), Elden Ring is as fun and challenging as you would expect it to be.
Reasons to play Elden Ring
- A beautiful open world with a ton of unique boss fights.
- Enough variation within character builds, weapons, and powers to make you want to keep replaying the game.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Shadow of Mordor will not just appease fans of the Lord of the Rings, but anybody looking for a good action RPG.
While the game is everything you want the genre to be with a ton of built-in lore, powerful character upgrades, and moves that make you feel you feel way too overpowered, it is so much more.
You will find yourself facing off against clans with hierarchical positions. You can use these structures to your advantage by slowly tearing them down, or just using brute force to beat everybody in your way.
Reasons to play Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Powerful upgrades that make you want to level up.
- A ton of LOTR lore to be found in various areas of the game.
The Dragon Age series
The lore of the Dragon Age runs deep through the lands of Thedas. The series is well known for its expansive open-world design and RPG elements that let you choose exactly how you want the game to be played.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is a good starting point to dive into the series and has a lot of the elements that you might love about Skyrim. The civil war taking place in the game is reminiscent of Skyrim’s Civil war in terms of the quests that you can participate in through it and your ability to influence its outcome.
Reasons to play Dragon Age
- A ton of freedom to create your own adventure with a character build of your choice.
- Dragon Age Inquisition‘s civil war plotline will make you feel right at home after spending hours replaying Skyrim.
Outward
If you’re looking for an open-world experience like Skyrim’s with a higher difficulty of Survival, this might be the game for you. Outward sends you on a journey through beautiful scenic locations filled with powerful enemies that become even more challenging to deal with when you go on for too long without rest.
Outworld is best enjoyed with a friend through the online multiplayer or split-screen co-op modes. Going through the world with a buddy can make the game feel significantly easier and much more well-balanced.
Reasons to play Outward
- Beautiful scenic environments make traveling through the world enjoyable.
- An interesting magic system that elevates the RPG elements of the game.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark arisen
With the main story of the game heavily involving dragons, Skyrim fans will find Dragon’s Dogma just familiar enough to get attached to it. The game starts off with your character’s heart being eaten by a dragon and sends a reawakened version of yourself to retrieve it.
Dragon Dogma’s combat system is one of its biggest selling points. You begin the game with 3 broad classes and then find new alternations of them as you progress through it. These various character build options combined with an extensive set of unique monsters should do a good job of keeping the game fresh throughout your journey.
Reasons to play Dragon’s Dogma
- Great combat with a wide variety of character builds to switch between
- A world full of interesting fantasy-themed enemies, both large and small.
Divinity: Original Sin 2- Definitive Edition
One of Skyrim’s most popular facets is its ability to change the course of the game depending on your actions and decisions. This aspect is equally prevalent in Original sin 2 as it lets entire storylines perish with the untimed death of NPCs.
Divinity: Original sin 2 is a role-playing game that starts you off in the prison of Fort Joy and sends you on to experience some of the best storylines found in the genre. Its campaign that can be played solo or with companions will feel similar to D&D campaigns with its fantasy settings and high stakes plot.
Even with significantly different camera angles, Divinity Original Sin 2 has some of the most similar RPG elements compared to Skyrim. It allows you to choose between various playstyles, each with its advantages.
Reasons to play Divinity: Original sin 2
- An extremely engrossing plot that will keep you hooked for longer than you would think.
- RPG elements with enough variation to make one playthrough just not feel enough.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
If Skyrim’s civil war questlines ever made you wish you had more control over the strategic planning involved in it, Mount & Blade II may offer you something of interest with its open-world sandbox gameplay letting players take charge of entire armies.
The open-world design of the game is not only used to give players the freedom of travel but also as a means of showing you the kingdoms available for you to conquer. The battles for these kingdoms are some of the best parts of the game as they combine strategy with combat in a way that requires you to be proficient in both to be victorious.
Reasons to play Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
- An open-world sandbox that is full of opportunities for conquest.
- A gameplay system that seamlessly integrates strategy and combat to make them both vital aspects of it.
Cyberpunk 2077
While Cyberpunk 2077 may have not had the best launch, it has been continuously worked on since its release. The current version of the game is not only playable but may be one of the best titles to jump to after spending several hours in an Elder Scrolls game.
Night City’s futuristic environment makes for a good change from Skyrim’s fantasy world. The open world is packed with a bunch of activities to try out as you travel the streets as a Cyberpunk mercenary.
The game’s character creation process is one of the most in-depth ones you will find. In addition to several physical traits that you can customize, Cyberpunk makes you choose between 3 life paths: Corpo, Nomad, and Street kid. Each of these options will give you a significantly different experience from the others.
Reasons to play Cyberpunk 2077
- A visually appealing environment with a ton of stuff to do,
- Strong RPG elements give it a lot of room to be replayed.
Watch Dogs 2
Watchdogs 2 is another open-world game that revolves around futuristic tech, with a slightly different approach. It hyper focuses on abilities revolving around hacking devices to create a unique experience that manages to blend stealthy strategic gameplay with action that can keep you on your toes.
Even as a game with a Distinct theme, Watch Dogs 2 provides a ton of variations with its playstyles. Each task can be completed through various means, letting you choose the method that fits your character build the best.
Reasons to play Watch Dogs 2
- Incorporation of popular playstyles with an additional layer of hacking mechanics.
- Various character builds that let you choose how you wish to tackle each mission
Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain
There aren’t many games that succeed in adding a layer of strategy to a first-person shooter as this one does. Phantom pain provides players with a wide variety of equipment to carry out calculated plans of infiltrating enemy bases.
In addition to amazing story missions that put you through all sorts of stealthy scenarios, Metal Gear 5 has a lot of optional things to do. The open-world map is full of outposts and bases that can not only be taken over to reduce the enemy’s influence on the area but also to use their resources to upgrade your own.
This game may look remarkably different from Skyrim, but the level of variations available with the way you can go about with things can easily be compared to The Elder Scrolls series.
Reasons to play Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain
- Access some of the best tools to execute calculated plans.
- An engaging story that will make you want to stay on track despite having a lot of other fun things to do.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
The Assassin’s Creed games have always done a good job with open-world settings. However, Valhalla steps it up a notch with stunning environments full of secrets to explore. Areas in the game with unique weapons have been known to be discovered months after its initial release.
Exploring these locations feels incredibly rewarding as it not only lets you experience the beauty of its environment but also gives you access to resources that can help you build your base and expand your combat options.
Reasons to play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- A large map full of hidden secrets, stories, and encounters to explore.
- A combat system that gets increasingly complex as you find more additions to it.
Other PC games like Skyrim
The following titles are not all exclusive to PC but are some of the best ones available on it with details that will often remind players of Skyrim. Games like this include similar combat mechanics, RPG options, and other features like it.
Darksiders 3
Darksiders 3 may not have great RPG features or a deeply engrossing storyline, but it does what it is supposed to better than most other games- Hacking and Slashing.
The game constantly provides you with rewards that keep you hooked, making it as simple as it comes. You beat down your enemies and collect the loot they drop. This may not require a lot of thinking, but it sure is fun.
The bosses of the Darksiders series have always been incredibly challenging and Darksiders 3 is no different. Most of these major enemies require you to learn their attack patterns, making beating them all the more satisfying.
Reasons to play Darksiders 3
- Some of the best hack-and-slash gameplay with a ton of rewards to collect.
- Challenging but fun boss fights with fluid combat mechanics.
The Dark Souls series
Dark Souls is often known by its ‘You Died’ screen for a reason. It is one of the more difficult games available to date. However, most of the bosses that make it challenging have movement patterns that can be learned over time, making it a fair fight, and thus attracting players that are up for the challenge.
If you are not interested in experiencing the story of the series in the order that it was published, Dark souls 3 is a great place to start your journey. It has the most polished combat and some of the best graphics in the trilogy.
Reasons to play Dark Souls
- Some of the most challenging bosses with moves that can be learned over time.
- A ton of variation in character builds including stats and weapons.
God of War
The latest addition to the God of War series pits Kratos against Gods from Norse Mythology.
2018’s God of War includes everything you knew from all the games that came before it and throws it into a semi-open-world setting. It takes you on a journey through several mesmerizing locations, full of dangerous enemies and fun puzzles.
After you complete the amazing story it has to offer, the post-game content continues to entertain you with some of the best boss fights the series has to offer.
Reasons to play God of War
- Includes all the puzzles and fun fights that God of War has been known for.
- An upgrade system that lets you choose the abilities that fit your playstyle.
MASS EFFECT: LEGENDARY EDITION
The Mass effect series does not need much of an introduction as its reputation often precedes it. The game’s classic storylines, legendary characters, and well-executed world-building make it worth a shot no matter what you’re looking for.
What Mass Effect lacks in a fully fleshed-out open world, it makes up with the liberty of RPG choices that have heavy consequences on the story.
The Legendary Edition of Mass effect combines the original trilogy to let you experience the whole story with remastered graphics that make it the best way to experience this classic.
Reasons to play Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
- The ability to make important story choices that can have a lasting impact on how your adventure goes.
- An incredibly engrossing plot with memorable NPCs.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
This hack-and-slash RPG by no means looks like most modern games of its kind. However, Kingdoms of Amalur still does a great job giving the player base some great single-player gameplay with the core mechanics of RPGs intact.
Reasons to play Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
- Fun combat that is easily reminiscent of Skyrim,
- An interesting story with RPG choices.
Greedfall
With a blend of magic and politics, Greedfall is a unique single-player RPG adventure. It lets you customize your character to a surprising degree before letting you explore the beautiful land of Teer Fradee.
Reasons to play Kingdoms of Greedfall
- A fun single-player campaign with a unique combination of politics and magic.
- Lots of character customization options.
PS4 Games like Skyrim
A lot of PS4 exclusives like Horizon: Zero Dawn and God of War have recently been released on PC. However, the following games are still exclusively available on Playstation.
Bloodborne
Bloodborne is Fromsoftware’s take on the horror genre, with all the elements that players loved from Dark Souls. The game takes starts off in the city of Yharnam which is plagued with a curse that affects those that roam around its spooky streets. In true souls fashion, you will face off against stunning bosses that might make you want to break your controller.
Shadow of Colossus
Shadow of Colossus may not have complex character customization options or hundreds of NPCs with side quests, but if what you liked about Skyrim was traveling across a beautiful land on your horse and taking down beasts, this game will give you more of that than you could imagine.
Ghost of Tsushima
With breathtaking visuals and iconic NPCs, Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world stealth/fighting gaming that takes place in Japan during the Kakamura Period. It takes you through a story worth experiencing, in addition to the plethora of fun side quests that you can partake in.
This Skyrim ‘Games like’ list includes some of the best alternatives to this Elder Scrolls game. While not all of them are games that will suit everybody’s tastes, you can pick out the ones that work well for you while you wait for Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls 6, because you might be waiting for a while.
Don’t forget to check out other Skyrim videos and guides!
Do you agree with this list? Do you know of any other fun games that Skyrim Fans would appreciate? Let us know in the comment section below.