When you ask the average gamer for their list of the best games they’ve ever played, there’s a high chance that Skyrim will be on it. With the game selling 10 million copies in its first month and earning around $650 million, pretty much everyone has experienced the legendary story of the Dragonborn.
Skyrim saw its release date on November 11th, 2011. On that day, Elder Scrolls fans learned more about the land of the Nords and the many issues that plague it. Around 200 years after the events of Oblivion, the Aldmeri Dominion bans the worship of Talos, and dragons return to torment the citizens of the region. One hero, the player’s Dragonborn character, finds their fate closely intertwined with these events.
The gameplay of Skyrim is fairly standard now. However, for most gamers, it was revolutionary back in 2011. With the ability to freely roam the land, experience its many random events, and take on any quest they wish. Some of the decisions the player makes can also impact the later events of the game and even completely disable some of them. All these features and a great story earned Skyrim its title of one of the greatest video games ever made.
Twelve years and a billion editions of Skyrim later, this game is still one of the best RPGs ever made. The immersion, lore, and emotions the game evokes within players is one that Bethesda has yet to match. This is true even for their recent release, Starfield. Although it’s pretty good, fans are still waiting on Elder Scrolls VI news.
Still, it has been twelve years, and it will likely be a few more before we get to experience the next installment of the Elder Scrolls series. There are lots of different ways to play Skyrim. However, veteran players have likely exhausted all these methods and are now looking for something new and exciting.
As a result, this is where they start to look for games like Skyrim. Some of those games may come from Bethesda’s different franchises while others may come from completely different franchises and developers. Either way, these games are in some way similar to Skyrim.
So, if you’re looking for games like Skyrim, consider checking out the following ones:
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Fallout 4
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Elden Ring
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Genshin Impact
- Cyberpunk 2077
- God of War Ragnarok
- Dragon Age Inquisition
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Red Dead Redemption 2
These games have all been carefully selected by our editors to help you discover your next favorite game similar to Skyrim. Their non-linear open world gameplay will draw you in and the stories they have to tell will further amaze you as you progress further through these games.
In this article, we’ll go into more detail about the 15 best games like Skyrim you can explore while waiting for TES6. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Horizon Zero Dawn
Although this game can easily fit on the list of games lookalike to Days Gone, we think Horizon Zero Dawn is a great game for Skyrim fans to enjoy, too. Coming out 6 years after Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn took players back to the days of exploring Tamriel’s coldest region. This action role-playing game focuses on the story of Aloy, a hunter who tries to uncover her past while simultaneously dealing with the various dangerous mechanical creatures that plague the post-apocalyptic United States.
Humanity now lives in small and primitive tribes scattered between the states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. The four most prominent tribes in the game are the Nora, the Banuk, the Carja, and the Oseram. Aloy was born into the Nora tribe but cast out shortly after birth. A fellow outcast, Rost, raises Aloy and informs her that the Nora may give her more information about her birth if she wins the Proving, a competition where one can earn the right to become a member of the tribe.
Although there is a main story, players can freely wander the land and take on any side quest they wish. With around 55 hours of playtime with the Complete Edition, the player doesn’t need to worry about running out of things to do in the game. You can purchase Horizon Zero Dawn on PlayStation 4 and 5 as well as Windows.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Horizon Zero Dawn?
While both Skyrim and Horizon Zero Dawn feature open world non-linear gameplay with lots to do, there are some fundamental differences. The first and most obvious difference is the setting.
While Skyrim deals with a completely new universe that has millennia of history behind it, Horizon Zero Dawn takes place in the same universe as ours. As a matter of fact, the story is set in the 31st century in the modern-day United States. Although this is true, Horizon Zero Dawn has done well for itself in carefully crafting lore that piques the player’s interest and holds it throughout the entire game.
This difference in universes, however, also presents a difference in themes. While you’ll mainly be looking at dragons and mythical creatures in Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn’s world is far more technologically advanced. With machines that roam the land and attack humans thanks to a phenomenon known as the “Derangement”, it seems the world of Horizon Zero Dawn may be more dangerous than that of Skyrim.
Overall, players who are looking for games like Skyrim and have gameplay as their main criterium will enjoy Horizon Zero Dawn. It’s true that the two stories are vastly different, but the combat may even surpass Skyrim’s. Of course, this is mainly because of the fact that Horizon Zero Dawn is a newer game and is the developers’ first intellectual property since 2004. This means they’ve had time to perfect it and make it into something gamers can truly enjoy.
Fallout 4
Fallout is yet another Bethesda franchise that has received critical acclaim, and Fallout 4 is the most recent main installment. For 8 years this game has also been on Bethesda fans’ replay list due to how long we’ve been waiting for Fallout 5. However, it seems like Fallout fans have even more waiting to do than Elder Scrolls fans, as Fallout 5 will begin development after Elder Scrolls VI is complete.
Until then, getting acquainted with the world of Fallout 4 isn’t all that bad. The game takes place in the year 2287 and follows up on the events of Fallout 3. With a post-apocalyptic setting somewhat similar to Horizon Zero Dawn, Fallout 4 puts the player in the shoes of the Sole Survivor, a human who is searching for their missing child.
However, the player character isn’t alone in their endeavor as there are several companions that can join them on this adventure. There are also four main factions the player can support throughout the story, and the choices you make can also alter your relationship with your companions. You can also romance certain companions after gaining their approval due to these actions. All these elements serve to make Fallout 4 an immersive RPG game.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Fallout 4?
Although both Fallout 4 and Skyrim are immersive RPG games coming from Bethesda, there are several differences between them. Depending on what you’re looking for when searching for games like Skyrim, you may love Fallout 4.
For example, Fallout 4 does the factions system a lot better than Skyrim. By this, we mean that Skyrim lets you join all factions, while Fallout 4 may exclude certain factions once you pick a side. Depending on what you want from your game, this may or may not be frustrating for you.
Players who like themes of nuclear war may enjoy Fallout 4. For them, exploring the open world in Fallout 4 may prove to be a lot more exciting than the cold lands of Skyrim. However, if you want a more medieval experience, you’re better off searching for it in other games like Skyrim.
Additionally, we think Fallout 4 provides a better immersive experience due to the choices the Sole Survivor can make throughout the game. Unlike Skyrim, where the choices the Dragonborn makes only really affect the story, Fallout 4 can also change your relationships with your companions. This can prove to be for better or for worse depending on each character. This also breathes more life into the Fallout 4 companions as opposed to the often one-dimensional personality of Skyrim companions.
Overall, you may want to play Fallout 4 if you’re a big fan of Bethesda games, as you’ll find many mechanics to be similar. You won’t have any trouble getting used to the UI, quest systems, and inventory, as they’ll already be familiar to you. Some Bethesda fans have even named Fallout 4 as Skyrim with guns.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
One of the most legendary video games of all time, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt may come close to scratching your itch for games like Skyrim. This game is the third installment of The Witcher video game series by CD Projekt. Like Skyrim, it also follows the open-world perspective, though you can only play it in third person. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is definitely a graphic adventure experience of a lifetime.
The story continues with the player assuming the role of Geralt of Rivia. He is a Witcher and pretty much the main character of the franchise. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Geralt is searching for his lost adopted daughter, Ciri, who is on the run from the Wild Hunt. He has a few friends helping him along the way, including his current and former love interests Yennefer and Triss. Many iconic characters such as the bard Dandelion and the dwarf Zoltan make their returns in this game.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best examples of how the choices you make throughout the game can affect your ending. Even the smallest side quests have a chance to impact the ending you get as you prepare to face off against the Wild Hunt.
What is the difference between Skyrim and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt?
The main difference between Skyrim and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is how linear both games are. While Skyrim gives you a complete sense of freedom, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt emphasizes the importance of its main story. In fact, even the side quests are more likely to somehow tie into the main story. On the other hand, Skyrim’s side quests seem inconsequential and you can do them whenever you wish.
You may also want to play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt if Skyrim’s character creation system isn’t for you. Playing a premade character that already has something to their name is what some players may prefer due to its simplicity. With that, you can jump straight into the gameplay.
When it comes to combat, it’s clear that Skyrim offers more options as you can choose to fight with melee or ranged weapons and even magic. While The Witcher 3 does offer magical abilities with the Signs, your other weapon choice is mostly swords. However, that’s not to say that this game doesn’t have some great swords to choose from!
Considering The Witcher 3 is based on Polish folklore thanks to the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, you may see creatures you’ve never encountered in other video games. Skyrim’s creatures, on the other hand, seem more familiar as they feature elves, orcs, and Draugr. The game takes most of its elements from Scandinavian mythology.
However, the main reason you might want to play The Witcher 3 is the main story. If you liked Skyrim’s main story and its intricacies, you’re going to love The Witcher 3’s ingenuity and attention to detail in both side quests and main quests.
Elden Ring
With a ten-year gap in release dates, there’s no doubt that Elden Ring showcases the best of the best in modern gaming. Elden Ring’s 2022 release date means the video game industry has had over 10 years to perfect the mechanics that Skyrim has set up. The first glimpses of Elden Ring’s gameplay already convinced fans that this is true.
Elden Ring lets you customize the player character, who is on a mission to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord. You can also choose your class and pick which weapon you want to fight with. While some weapons are better than others, none of that will matter if you don’t put time and dedication into improving your Elden Ring skills.
If you know anything about this game, you’ll also know that it fits right in with the category of soulslike games. This means that its difficulty is its main selling point, and you’ll have to redo boss fights several times to get it right. On that note, Elden Ring also has quite an interesting story which is a lot easier to follow than that of Dark Souls 3, for example.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Elden Ring?
The most obvious difference between Skyrim and Elden Ring is the fact that Elden Ring’s gameplay is a lot harder. While Skyrim aims for immersion and plays a lot on the roleplaying aspect, you can opt for lower difficulties that make it easier to progress the game. Elden Ring, on the other hand, doesn’t have a difficulty setting. The game will send you right back to the start if you make too many mistakes while facing bosses.
Elden Ring’s story is quite linear and doesn’t allow the player to make many choices throughout the game. Additionally, the game features a multiplayer aspect in which you can summon other players to help you throughout your journey. Skyrim only really has companions you can recruit to be part of your party.
Regardless, you may want to try out Elden Ring if you liked the exploration factor of Skyrim. This rings even more true if you want gameplay that challenges you and requires you to improve before proceeding to the next stage of the game.
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy was one of the most anticipated games in 2023. With Avalanche Software as the developer and Warner Bros. Games as the publisher, the Wizarding World franchise finally made fans’ dreams come true. This is because Hogwarts Legacy finally gave lifelong Harry Potter fans the chance to become a wizard themselves.
They can do this by playing a student who has enrolled in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry an entire century before the events of Harry Potter. This student is customizable and in the story holds the key to the mystery that is unravelling very quickly in the Wizarding World.
If you liked the College of Winterhold questline in Skyrim, you’re probably going to love the Hogwarts Legacy gameplay. Brewing potions and casting spells that help you defeat enemies is an integral part of the game. Additionally, Hogwarts Legacy features a familiar element of getting to know your classmates and making friends along the way. Of course, these friends will also later come to be part of the greater story of Hogwarts Legacy.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Hogwarts Legacy?
Although both Skyrim and Hogwarts Legacy feature open world fantasy elements, Hogwarts Legacy’s questline is more linear. Sure, there are a few side quests to do along the way and you can explore as you wish, but progressing the main story is crucial to unlocking some gameplay elements.
While Hogwarts Legacy offers great magical abilities to fight with, that’s about all you’ll get. If you’re someone who prefers being flexible with your builds and fighting with different weapons, this may prove to be a problem for you.
Finally, Hogwarts Legacy’s main selling point is the fact that it has come from such a famous movie franchise. Fans of the franchise may not have had the opportunity to experience anything like this, which drives most of the game’s sales. This is also why most fans will say Hogwarts Legacy is the best Harry Potter game out there. On the other hand, Skyrim is Bethesda’s own intellectual property and has a history that spans a larger period of time than the Harry Potter series. While this doesn’t make Hogwarts Legacy bad, it is a fair warning to players who want to pick up the game.
Some may say Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t belong on a list of games like Skyrim. However, it’s hard not to see a few similarities in the role-playing and genre elements of the game. For that reason, we think Skyrim fans should feel free to check out the best Wizarding World game the industry has to offer.
Ghost Of Tsushima
This 2020 action-adventure game is every otaku’s fantasy come to life. In Ghost of Tsushima, you play as Jin Sakai, a samurai who is tasked with protecting Tsushima Island from the Mongolian invasion.
The open world setting in Ghost of Tsushima lets the player explore the island freely on foot or with a horse. The game’s plotline is somewhat accurate as a Mongolian invasion did happen in Japan sometime in the 13th century. However, there is no confirmation that Jin Sakai really existed in history, so we can rule out the possibility of playing an actual historical character.
However, fans of Japanese culture and geography will be happy to know that the Tsushima island the game features is real! In fact, Tsushima island has a lot to offer in terms of tourist attractions. Seeing them in game is probably not enough for hardcore fans, so they may be looking to visit Tsushima island.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Ghost of Tsushima?
The most obvious differences between Skyrim and Ghost of Tsushima lie in the games’ themes. While Ghost of Tsushima puts a fantasy spin on historical events, Skyrim’s events and world are totally fictional. Which one is better depends on the player and whether they think reliving historical events through video games is a cool concept.
Other than that, it’s peculiar that most players have noticed a few differences in load times between the two games. For example, Ghost of Tsushima takes around 44 seconds to load into the game from the title screen while Skyrim only takes 22 seconds. When fast traveling, Ghost of Tsushima will only take 7 seconds while Skyrim will take 12.
However, it’s important to mention that once you load into the game in Ghost of Tsushima, you won’t need to load any other areas. You can explore the whole map freely. On the other hand, Skyrim takes a few seconds to load building interiors. This gives Ghost of Tsushima a bit of immersion advantage as staring at loading screens every now and then in your playthrough may remind you you’re just playing a game. Even so, some critics still seem to think Ghost of Tsushima could use a few pointers from Skyrim.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is one game you wouldn’t really expect to find on a list of games like Skyrim, but here it is. And there’s a good reason for that. Although it doesn’t have the same formula as Skyrim, Genshin Impact is still an action role-playing game that takes place in a fictional world.
In this case, the world is Teyvat, and the two protagonists we follow in the game are The Traveler, who can be Aether or Lumine depending on the player’s choice, and Paimon. The two are on a quest to find The Traveler’s twin sibling as they’ve been separated in Teyvat. To find out more, they must gather information from each nation’s ruling Archon.
Teyvat has seven different nations, and the Archons are the gods that rule these nations. Just like Skyrim, Genshin Impact is a very lore-heavy game. This means that players can expect to spend hours learning about the different characters and events that have transpired in the world of Genshin Impact.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Genshin Impact?
However, there are a few key differences that separate Skyrim and Genshin Impact.
The first one is game design. In comparison to Skyrim, Genshin Impact was designed as a mobile game. For that reason the game also plays like a mobile game. Overall, mobile games feature simpler gameplay and coding due to the capabilities of the devices they need to run on. On the other hand, Skyrim is a lot more intensive in terms of gameplay and coding.
Another difference is in playable characters. While Skyrim only has you assume control of one character, the Dragonborn, Genshin Impact has an array of characters for you to try out. You can also have up to four characters in your party that are interchangeable even during combat. This makes the combat feel a bit more complicated and dynamic, though in reality, each character has certain abilities you can use. Skyrim, on the other hand, definitely offers more flexibility with the combat style you want to take on.
Players who prefer the intensive lore aspect of Skyrim will definitely enjoy discovering more about the Genshin Impact universe. The different styles of gameplay may provide a fresh break from the hours you’ve already spent playing games like Skyrim.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk is one of the more controversial games to put on the games like Skyrim list. However, it’s also a bit fitting in a way due to its buggy reputation. Although CD Projekt keeps releasing Cyberpunk update after Cyberpunk update, there’s still a lot more work to do on the game to bring it up to players’ expectations.
However, if we stop focusing on all the various bugs you can encounter in Cyberpunk, the game is actually pretty good. It has been in development since 2012, just a year after the release of Skyrim. This, of course, gives it a big technical advantage over the Elder Scrolls game, although Skyrim’s graphics have held up particularly well over the years.
Cyberpunk’s story focuses on the player character V, portrayed by Gavin Drea or Cherami Leigh, who starts out on one of three lifepaths: Nomad, Streetkid, or Corpo. The player character’s mind starts to get taken over by the legendary rock star and terrorist Johnny Silverhand following a heist gone awry. The two must work together to be separated.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Cyberpunk 2077?
The thematic difference between Skyrim and Cyberpunk 2077 is obvious, and it only serves to further point out the difference in combat. Where Skyrim uses swords, shields, bows, and warhammers, Cyberpunk will use guns to battle enemies.
On the other hand, Skyrim is a game whose time for DLCs has long passed. Cyberpunk, on the other hand, has been consistently receiving additional free DLC as well as the recent Phantom Liberty expansion.
If you’re looking for a game that’s more recent and boasts better graphics, Cyberpunk 2077 is your game. In case the vanilla game doesn’t do it for you looking into the Cyberpunk modding community may help reinvigor the game for you.
God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok has also appeared on our list of games like Divinity Original Sin 2. Regardless, God of War Ragnarok is another solid game on the list of games like Skyrim, and a fairly recent one at that. Released in November 2022, the game is barely a year old and acts as the ninth installment in the series. The game continues the events of God of War 2018.
In this game, our protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus deal with the titular Ragnarok, the Norse version of the end of the world. In this universe, the events of Ragnarok are set off due to the death of Baldur, the Aesir god. As a result, they deal with a vengeful Freya, Baldur’s mother, and the consequences of Fimbulwinter.
What is the difference between Skyrim and God of War Ragnarok?
There are lots of differences that separate Skyrim and God of War Ragnarok. In some sense, one of the few elements they share is the genre. This is because both of them are action roleplaying games.
However, God of War places a lot of its focus on the combat. The epic battles you undergo throughout the course of the game are enough to ignite the passion within every God of War fan. On the other hand, Skyrim is a game that appreciates exploration and discovery. Its open world and non-linear storyline support the player in these endeavors.
Some fans have even taken to calling Skyrim a choose-your-own-adventure game. The player can do pretty much anything they want and barely any gameplay elements require completing the story to unlock. On the other hand, God of War is very story-driven.
Still, the focus on the story comes with a good reason. The entire God of War franchise and especially God of War Ragnarok offers some of the best storylines in videogames. For that reason, you might want to play it if you like Skyrim.
Dragon Age Inquisition
The third installment of the Dragon Age series continues a long ongoing story that many Dragon Age fans are all too familiar with. Dragon Age Inquisition is a solid contender for the top spot on the list of our games like Skyrim!
The player character is the Inquisitor, and you can customize them as you wish according to race, gender, and class. The Inquisitor’s role in the story is to stop the Breach, a mysterious tear in the sky. The Breach allows demons to pass through into Thedas, a fictional continent in the Dragon Age universe.
Much like Fallout, the player character can build relationships with their companions and even romance certain ones. The Dragon Age franchise is one of the most prominent games where the player’s choices throughout the game can heavily impact the ending.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Dragon Age: Inquisition?
Back in the days of their original release dates, Skyrim and Dragon Age: Inquisition were the two top contenders for the best action roleplay games. While some fans of each franchise insisted their game was better, others enjoyed both equally. Those fans did it for good reason as each game has something unique to offer.
One of the best parts about Dragon Age is the party system. The companions that join your adventure throughout the game are a key part of what makes it fun. Listening to your party members chat and banter with each other makes them all the more endearing. In contrast, Skyrim’s mostly silent companions rarely offer the same experience.
However, Dragon Age Inquisition doesn’t offer the same open world experience that Skyrim does. While it definitely offers an improvement from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, it still pales in comparison. Skyrim’s dynamic open world is a much better exploration experience for players who like that type of gameplay.
On the other hand, Skyrim’s storytelling can’t hold a candle to Dragon Age’s storytelling. Where Skyrim’s dialogue feels janky and awkward, Dragon Age provides a smooth and memorable experience that enamors players. Some have even gone on to say that Bioware’s storytelling is one of the best in the video game industry.
Overall, you’ll be playing Dragon Age Inquisition if you want to experience a story that will most likely change your life. With the Dragon Age franchise, you’ll probably experience emotions you’ve never felt before. There are so many companions to choose from that are so vastly different from each other that it’s unlikely you won’t find at least one that suits your fancy.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate is one of the most famous and successful iterations of Dungeons & Dragons. The fantasy tabletop roleplaying game has clearly provided a good basis for several video games that seek to fulfill every adventurer’s fantasy.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the newest games on this list and features both single-player and co-op multiplayer. The player character in Baldur’s Gate 3 has a customizable appearance and you can even select pre-made characters. With turn-based combat in the game, you can kill almost any NPC in the game regardless of their importance to the story.
The story throws us straight into the action with the player character and their companions being infected with illithid tadpoles on a mind flayer ship. These tadpoles will eventually transform them into mind flayers, but the ship crashes before the transformation can take place. With their first priority being to find a cure, the party begins to search for a ship. However, they soon learn that the evil that is starting to take over Faerûn is much worse than it seems.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Baldur’s Gate 3?
The biggest difference between Skyrim and Baldur’s Gate 3 is the fact that the latter features turn-based combat. Skyrim’s combat is more dynamic and allows players to outplay their opponents using skill and speed. Of course, that’s not to say that the combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t require any skill. However, waiting your turn to strike the opponent down is an obvious disadvantage to anyone who likes Skyrim’s combat system.
However, most players have commented that Baldur’s Gate 3 is just as if not even more immersive than Skyrim. Some have even said that the story, characters, and roleplay are much better than in Skyrim.
If you’re looking for gameplay in games like Skyrim, this game’s combat will turn you away. However, if you’re looking for the best RPG experience in recent video game history, Baldur’s Gate 3 is your choice.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Some may argue that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a better contender in the list of games like Skyrim. However, Tears of the Kingdom is inarguably the best choice between Zelda games right now. This sequel takes everything Breath of the Wild has had to offer since 2017 and improves on it. In fact, there are a good number of new features to discover and explore.
The story focuses on Link and his search for Princess Zelda after they had been separated in Hyrule Castle. Together, Link and Zelda must fight to prevent the Demon King, Ganon, from destroying the entire world.
In this iteration of the Zelda games, Link has ample land to explore other than Hyrule. Nintendo has added two new areas; the sky, and the Depths. The sky features majestic floating islands while the Depths, naturally, are underground. There are several ways to explore depending on your preferences and what the situation requires at the time.
What is the difference between Skyrim and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
Skyrim and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are two very similar games. However, some may argue that the open world exploration element is much better in Tears of the Kingdom than Skyrim. There are lots of cool and simple quests to go through and it almost acts as a sandbox RPG.
The presence of familiar characters like Link and Zelda makes the transition between the two games easier. It also helps that the characters seem more interesting and the story is more gripping than Skyrim’s.
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls Online, or ESO as most call it, is like an ongoing Skyrim adventure. The game is an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) and allows you to not only enjoy the world of Tamriel once again but to do so with your friends, too.
ESO also connects its story loosely with the other Elder Scrolls games in the series. The events of the game are set 1000 years before Skyrim and 800 years before Morrowind and Oblivion. With that, you can’t expect to see much of the Skyrim characters you’re very familiar with. However, you will come face to face with many Daedric gods from previous games.
It’s important to note that Elder Scrolls Online had been in development for around seven years before its release. However, it received mixed reactions and reviews upon its release in 2014, prompting the developers to release frequent updates. Soon after, the game rebranded as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. Those who have followed the world of MMORPGs closely will see similarities between this situation and that of Final Fantasy XIV. Both games have received negative reviews after their release.
What is the difference between Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls Online?
Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls Online have a fair bit of similarities. The most obvious one is the fact that they’re set in the same universe. This helps make an easier transition for players who yearn for more Skyrim gameplay.
However, Skyrim is an action role-playing game while ESO is an MMORPG. With that, it’s normal to assume the gameplay will be vastly different. For example, ESO eventually requires the player to interact with other players. Although there are opportunities for online solo play, it is an MMORPG after all.
Another difference is the fact that The Elder Scrolls Online provides some limitations when it comes to combat. Where you can pick up any weapon and start fighting in Skyrim, you have to choose between seven classes when creating a character in ESO. If combat is what you have in mind when looking for games like Skyrim, this may not be your forte.
On the other hand, if you’re in love with the general lore of the Elder Scrolls series and want to explore nearly all of Tamriel, you should definitely pick up ESO.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the eleventh installment in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series. The game follows the standard formula of many other Assassin’s Creed games. With that, it features a healthy variety of activities for the player to complete. It’s also the first game in the series to give the player a choice between a male or female character. Their names are Alexios and Kassandra, respectively.
The game is set in an open world and tells the story of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta from 431 to 422 BC. The main character, a Spartan mercenary, has the main goal of finding their family. Along the way, they must also eliminate the Cult of Kosmos.
It’s safe to say that the exploration in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of the best in the series. The player can travel Greece on foot or on horseback, meeting NPCs on the way. They can also complete various side quests and missions before doing the main story, making the gameplay non-linear.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey?
Skyrim definitely offers more RPG mechanics than Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Skyrim allows the player multiple choices including getting married and selecting the outcome of the story. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, on the other hand, is pretty straightforward with the story.
However, it’s a great choice for those who are fans of collecting Dragon Priest Masks and the Stones of Barenziah. Similar to these two collectibles, AC Odyssey is full of fun little secrets you will enjoy discovering.
The combat system is somewhat similar between the two games. Just like Skyrim, AC Odyssey allows you to use a variety of weapons to fight back against your opponents. The ship the player controls, the Adrestia, allows for another form of combat. While controlling the ship, you can launch javelins and arrows against enemy ships.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Very few gamers will say that there is a better and more immersive game than Red Dead Redemption 2. This masterpiece, published by Rockstar Games in 2018, is the third and best entry in the series so far. The RDR2 development period lasted well over eight years. Regardless, the game has come together perfectly thanks to the efforts of around 1600 developers.
The story of RDR2 takes place in a fictionalized representation of the US. The player controls Arthur Morgan, a cowboy who is an outlaw and a member of the Van der Linde gang. In the main story of the game, he must deal with the decline of the Wild West. His task is to fight back against the encroaching march of modern civilization.
If you haven’t had enough of the Red Dead adventure, you can also look into its multiplayer segment. This title was released as Red Dead Online and has many interesting features that keep the player entertained. These include completing daily challenges or taming your own horse, among others.
What is the difference between Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2?
Many have gone as far as to say that Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best roleplay experiences you can have in a video game. There are so many carefully crafted details in the game that make the game’s pull very understandable. By this, we mean that Red Dead has lots of animations for nearly anything. This includes eating, switching weapons, and picking up items. On the other hand, Skyrim has very few animations for things like this. As a result, it gives the feeling of a faster pace.
This is not the only aspect in which Skyrim seems like it’s going at a slower pace than RDR2. Similarly, Skyrim’s main story as well as its side missions consist of shorter quests with fewer objectives. However, the number of quests adds up to be about the same as RDR2. Still, this is the reason why you may feel like RDR2 is painfully slow in comparison to Skyrim.
You’ll definitely enjoy playing Red Dead Redemption 2 if you feel like the roleplay element in Skyrim just wasn’t satisfying enough. There are fewer characters to get to know in comparison to Skyrim’s huge variety of NPCs. However, we think these characters are more fleshed out and you’ll definitely develop an attachment for them very quickly.
Which Game Is The Most Lookalike to Skyrim?
With all these games like Skyrim in mind, it’s time to choose the best one to fulfill all your Skyrim needs. Despite our best efforts, it’s hard to pinpoint just one game that is exactly like Skyrim.
This is because all of these games are different in some aspect or another from Skyrim. While Skyrim offers a certain type of combat, other games may prefer turn-based combat. The list goes on for these sorts of differences.
There is one general consensus among the gaming community. The consensus is that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a game that is most similar to Skyrim. The two games have completely different premises, this is true. Nevertheless, there’s something about exploring the land as Geralt of Rivia while riding horseback with his trusty companion Roach that reminds us of all the hours we’ve spent in Skyrim traversing the cold northern region of Tamriel.
The Witcher is a benevolent character who aims to help those around him, albeit for a price. However, he can also choose to withhold his aid in favor of the other side. In that vein, the Dragonborn can also be a gentle beast that leaves the citizens of Skyrim to their mercy.
