The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most popular action RPGs in the world and is considered nearly perfect by many RPG lovers. But no matter how good the game is, you can’t play it forever! This leaves a lot of Skyrim fans asking… “What’s next?”
We’re here to help. Let’s dig in and discuss ten games that we think could give you the Skyrim feels all over again.
Fallout 4
Let’s start off the list with another Bethesda game: Fallout 4. This 2015 action RPG set in an open-world, post-apocalyptic environment has a very similar expansive feel and style of gameplay. Built on the same engine as Skyrim, it’s no wonder why.
Fallout 4 begins in the year 2077, on the day the nukes dropped on the US. It takes place in an alternate history featuring 1940s and 1950s aesthetics. The retro-futuristic vibe is strong, with weaponry, genetic manipulation, and nearly autonomous AI. The Fallout TV series arrives soon, making now the perfect time to try this game.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Horizon: Zero Dawn is a 2017 action RPG released on PlayStation 4 and Windows. Like Skyrim, it features a vast open world to explore. This game sold over 24.3 million units and won numerous awards. It was praised for its visuals, combat, and open world.
In Horizon: Zero Dawn, you play as Aloy, a young hunter on a quest to uncover her past. The post-apocalyptic setting presents a world overrun by enemy machines and robotic creatures that you can kill in a variety of ways, using arrows, traps, explosives, and a spear. Stealth is also a weapon. There are plenty of quests and reasons to explore, so you should easily find yourself absorbed in this well-crafted experience.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game that’s also very much an RPG and survival game. During this open-world exploration, players complete objectives and side quests, solve puzzles, and collect items along the way. One of its greatest features is the story can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild is available on Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, and Wii U. With 32.85 million copies sold, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild is THE best-selling Zelda game and one of the best-selling video games of all time.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is a 2020 action RPG that’s based on the tabletop game series Cyberpunk. The plot takes place in a fictional metropolis and the milieu is a dystopian Cyberpunk universe. As such, it makes the static of the game distinctly unique. Like Skyrim, you play mainly in first-person perspective, making the game equally as immersive.
In Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll play as V, who has a “biochip” containing an engram of rockstar and terrorist Johnny Silverhand (voiced by Keanu Reeves). Silverhand’s consciousness begins overwriting V’s. You both must work together to save V’s life. There are loads of choices and quests to make. In this dystopia, body modifications are normal, thus you can customize your V to an overwhelming extent.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a 2022 action RPG that won several Game of The Year Awards and sold more than 20 million copies within a year. If you liked Skyrim’s open world, then the six main areas of Elden Rings‘ “The Lands Between” are like that on steroids.
Set in the fictional realm of the Lands Between, the goal of Elden Ring is to repair the shattered Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord. Several demigods rule now, and the player character is a “Tarnished,” an exile summoned back for the quest. Along the way, you’ll fight abominations, monsters, diabolical creatures, and disgraced gods.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon’s Dogma is a 2012 action RPG hack-and-slash video game released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. An enhanced version subtitled Dark Arisen was later released for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Windows. Critics praised its gameplay, with the original and enhanced selling 7.9 million units.
The milieu of Dragon’s Dogma is sure to please Skyrim fans, as players traverse the open world of Gransys. Players play as the Arisen, a customizable avatar who travels with Pawns, who are AI-controlled companions who learn from your behavior. Players complete quests and battle giant monsters in real-time combat. An animated adaptation was released on Netflix in 2020.
The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds is a 2019 action RPG released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, and on Nintendo Switch in 2020. Set in an alternate future that diverted in 1901, it’s a world dominated by mega-corporations and a class-centric society. Space has been colonized and planets have been terraformed.
Players create a character and unlock a ship that they don’t control directly, which serves as a fast travel point. They can also recruit companions to aid in combat. The game has sold over 4 million units.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is the remaster of a 2012 action RPG released for consoles and PC. Many players rate the combat system of Kingdoms of Amalur better than Skyrim. The game was unique in allowing players to switch destinies based on points.
Players take on the role of the Fateless One and explore the fantasy realm of the Faelands of Amalur, a vibrant and diverse land rich in lore. The popularity of Skyrim overshadowed Kingdoms of Amalur, as they were released only months apart, but we think any gamer who enjoys questing in a massive world should check out KoA.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a 2015 action RPG that follows The Witcher series of fantasy novels. It’s set in a fictional fantasy world based on Slavic mythology. Players take on the role of Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer for hire known as a Witcher. He’s searching for his adopted daughter, who’s on the run from the otherworldly Wild Hunt.
Many elements of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt surpass Skyrim, including its characters, story, and responsive combat system. Gameplay brings many side quests in addition to the main goal, which also fleshes out the game’s world. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One; Nintendo Switch in 2019; PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2022.
Dragon Age Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition is a 2014 action RPG and the third in its franchise. It was award-winning, widely critically acclaimed, and nominated for Game of the Year. It was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Like Skyrim, Dragon Age: Inquisition is an expansive tale. There are several semi-open worlds to explore. It’s a hero’s journey in which the protagonist, the Inquisitor, has two main tasks. One, closing a mysterious tear in the sky called the “Breach” that is unleashing demons. Second, to settle the civil unrest in the continent of Thedas. There are plenty of enemies and battles, including dragons.
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