Since Bethesda is more than happy with re-releasing Skyrim for the next thousand years, and with the next Elder Scrolls game far out in the future, it’s time to look for some alternatives. Skyrim may have been revolutionary for 2011 (and in many ways, it still holds up splendidly) but there’s no shortage of games that trump it in terms of scale and quality.
It’s not easy branching out from Bethesda games as their style is so distinct, but it’s well worth it once you open your mind to other titles. Not all of these are RPGs, but these ten titles are games you might enjoy if you’re a fan of Bethesda’s fifth Elder Scrolls game.
10 Middle Earth: Shadows Of Mordor/War
If you’re a Lord of The Rings fan then you must play Shadow of Mordor/War. If you’re a Skyrim fan then you also must play Shadow of Mordor/War. And if you’re a fan of both, well, welcome to heaven on Earth.
Both Mordor and War feel a lot more Arkham Asylum and Assassins Creed than Skyrim, yet the atmosphere and intense action makes it an easy game to pick-up and enjoy. Plus it has so much comedy embedded into its ancient medieval world, something that Skyrim fans are sure to appreciate. Oh, and the story is fantastic, much better than Skyrim’s; sorry, not sorry.
9 Dragon’s Dogma
Dragon’s Dogma is the combination of Skyrim, Dark Souls and Eastern RPG classics like Chrono Trigger. Okay, maybe some people might take issue with that description, but Dragon’s Dogma is definitely for you if you enjoyed those games. It’s a dungeon crawler with an open world that feels reminiscent of a game like Skyrim in terms of atmosphere and structure.
It’s a great value for the money as you get a lifetime’s worth of content for $29.99 (and it goes on sale frequently). Also like Skyrim, the game feels epic from the first time you turn it on and doesn’t slow down ever, even if you’re a level 200 god among men.
8 The Legend Of Zelda Series
This is Nintendo’s Elder Scrolls – classic adventures, epic music and plenty of fun to be had – there’s not much more you could ask for as a Skyrim fan. Sure the Zelda games vary greatly, but all of them have a central theme involving a hero, a quest and some dreaded evil that stands in your way.
The recent Breath of The Wild is a great place to start to get a taste of contemporary Zelda games. If you don’t mind going back on the N64 or 3DS give Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask a spin. Truthfully though they’re all amazing, just get into the series already.
7 Mount And Blade: Warband
Mount And Blade: Warband is not the hero’s journey experience that one gets with Skyrim or the aforementioned Zelda. That said, it’s a game that’s better than any other at making you feel like you’re in an all-out war. These kinds of games exist in the FPS genre with Arma and Battlefield, but there aren’t many if any that take the idea to medieval combat. The battle sizes are truly spectacular with servers that can handle up to 200 players. Thankfully there’s an awesome community of people behind the game so while the learning curve is a bit steep, you’ll be hacking and slashing in no time.
6 Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a short, beautifully twisted mind freak of a game that will leave an impression on you for years to come. Everything about this game reeks of hard work and attention to detail – the solemn atmosphere, eerie sound design, and frighteningly unique character design all culminate to make a truly remarkable game.
It’s one of those games that had a cinematic trailer before release and somehow managed to make said trailer look worse off. So where does Skyrim come into play? It’s not an RPG or an open-world game, but trust us when we say it just feels right up your alley because it’s just so solid.
5 Thief Series
Thief was Dishonored before that game was even a thing. Unfortunately for Thief, Dishonored is the better game with its sequel being one of the most celebrated games of 2016. But where Dishonored breathes life into the steampunk world, Theif is set a few centuries back, not medieval, but not too far in concept.
Plus Theif does have some things going for it that Dishonored doesn’t. For one it’s a period piece, making it a great game for history buffs. And it focuses a lot more on stealth as it’s near impossible in some missions to come away with big loot hauls unless you’re sticking to the shadows.
4 Dark Souls Series
Ok, so most people throw their arms up in hoopla when the Dark Souls games are even in the same breath as Skyrim. These two titles indeed are night and day, but it’s perfect for when you want to play something a little more advanced than Skyrim. Let’s face it, even on it’s hardest difficulty Skyrim leans on the easy side of games. It’s just so easy to cheese everything or run away and come back with a crew or better weapons. Dark Souls is the opposite – it has the epicness and the atmosphere of Skyrim – except its ten times harder, thus a lot more rewarding.
3 Other Elder Scrolls Games
It seems like a no-brainer, but just as Fallout fans have trouble trying the older games of the series, Elder Scrolls fans seem to be of the same accord. It’s hard once you get into something later on in its life-cycle. The same can be said of younger Kanye fans, Star Wars fanatics and all the other entertainment that has a rich history.
If fans are saying the old stuff is worth it, 9-out-of-10 times it’s worth it. Oblivion, Morrowind, heck, even Daggerfall released back in 1996 has some all-time great moments in gaming. Try all the games out, and to make things easier, start with the acclaimed Oblivion.
2 Fable Series
Fable is such a fantastic, and very underrated game that most gamers would enjoy. It’s like an adult version of Zelda that sets you in a lively world just waiting for you to explore. The series started great, then got better with its sequel and ended with a mediocre third title that left many fans indifferent, but hopeful for a continuation.
Unfortunately, that day doesn’t seem likely to come, and even if it does, with Crackdown 3 as proof, who would even care at this point? Still, the first and second games are masterpieces worth playing in 2020.
1 The Witcher Series
This should always be the first game that pops into your mind when you want to try something that is like Elder Scrolls but dare we say better? Yes, better. Much, much better in almost every way imaginable. And that’s not to rack on Skyrim, that game’s great, but The Witcher 3 is The Witcher 3.
The game is immense with a world that feels rich in life at every turn but still manages to not overwhelm you. Even the second game is worth trying as it has one of the best stories ever put to game (and it doesn’t look too dated). Seriously, stop putting these games off!
NEXT: Skyrim: How To Get The Deathbrand Armor (& 9 Things You Didn’t Know About It)
