10 Games Like Skyrim to play before Elder Scrolls 6

Bethesda made an absolute classic when it released Skyrim back in 2011. The fifth Elder Scrolls RPG is one of the biggest, best selling, and most played games ever launched. With all its VR, Special, Game of the Year and whatever other editions available, it well and truly spans the generations. However, for all its appeal and replayability, there is only so much Skyrim a person can take. So, if you are looking to scratch that Skyrim itch, here are 10 games like Skyrim to pass the time with until Elder Scrolls 6 makes an appearance.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is one of EA and Bioware’s best selling RPGs. The game is the third in the Dragon Age series, featuring a world on the brink of destruction. In a way, it is similar to Skyrim due to important player decisions impacting the game’s narrative. For example, Skyrim offers you the choice to join the Stormcloack or the Imperials. The decision heavily affects the storytelling, who interacts with you and what happens to cities in the game. A decision in DA: Inquisition carries a similar weight, as it could reshape the Dragon Age world of Thedas (no spoilers).

Dragon Age: Inquisition uses a blend of action and tactical combat elements, which is a step up from Skyrim’s combat system. However, you get to bring companions with you on your journey, so Skyrim has some similarities here. If you fancy elevating your gameplay experience up a notch with more tactical combat, DA: inquisition is a worthy option.

Dragon’s Dogma is an open-world RPG that takes a little while to get going compared to Skyrim but rewards those that stick with it. In the game, you take centre stage with up to three “Pawns” accompanying you. These NPC characters have their own progression and can become very powerful, lending the game a similar feel to the classic party-based D&D RPGs of years gone by.

Compared to Skyrim, Dragon’s Dogma takes a different approach to combat, with intricate ranged combat and magic systems, with fast and fluid melee encounters. It also has a unique mechanic that allows you to share AI companions with other players, which you could almost get away with calling “single-player co-op”. All in all, if you want a living breathing world, akin to the vibe that Skyrim’s map gives you, then Dragon’s Dogma might be the game for you.

Oblivion takes place in the heart of the Imperials home of Cyrodil, a region plagued with competing factions and invading Daedra. The Daedra are Oblivion’s hellish main foe, which pour through Oblivion gates, bringing wrath and ruin to the heart of the Empire.

In Oblivion, you take control of a ragtag hero who has miraculously found their way out of the Imperial City’s jail. With your newfound freedom, your destiny is your own, allowing you to join guilds, fight monsters and follow the game’s epic questline to save Cyrodil from ‘oblivion’. You can level up, unlock fancy weapons and armor, and buy real estate across various cities as you play the game. Together with its DLCs Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine, you can be sure you’ll bel occupied for a rather long time. Oh, and don’t forget its vast quantity of mods to reshape the game.

If you are one of those gamers that found themselves stumbling upon the Elder Scrolls franchise through Skyrim, then be sure to go back and enjoy Oblivion. It is essentially the same game (albeit with aged graphics), with all the things you love about Skyrim’s core gameplay present and correct. Hence the need to include this timeless classic in our games like Skyrim list.

If you ever wanted to explore the world of Tamriel with your friends, then you’ll be pleased to know Elder Scrolls Online makes those dreams come true. Elder Scrolls Online is ZeniMax Online Studios’ fully fleshed out MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) and features almost every single region of Tamriel. You can quest, buy property, and explore from the home of the High Elves, all the way to the mountains of the Orc homeland. If you’ve been a fan of Elder Scrolls since the days of Arena and Daggerfall, ESO offers much the same scope, but with a very modern take. With the game’s many different expansions, player’s have finally been able to see a modern take on Morrowind, home to the Dark Elves, along with visiting the Khajiit’s ancestral home.

For the more story orientated, Elder Scrolls Online takes place a thousand years before the events of Skyrim and uses a truly epic quest system, focusing on elements of the lore behind the Elder Scrolls franchise. At the time of writing, a year-long storyline is being played out that focuses on the Oblivion gates appearing across Tamriel. You can also go back and work through the old yearly storylines, which have focused on,  among other things  Vampires in Skyrim and Dragons in Elsweyr.

As for its direct comparisons with Skyrim, ZeniMax has split its version of Skyrim into two separate zones, with the experience of exploring both akin to playing an MMO prequel. The accessibility of exploring Skyrim for the first time on a different game makes it easy to include this in the games like Skyrim list! Go and see how both the maps compare; you may find a surprise or two. Also, the font style feels very much Skyrim. It is a nice touch to one of the series’ most influential games.

Fallout New Vegas is considered one of the best RPGs that Bethesda has ever published. The game also shipped at a similar time to Skyrim, creating a recognisable crossover between the two titles. You play as a lone hero, with the option to pick and choose sides you want to ally with in the Nevada wasteland. It isn’t exactly like fighting for the Nords to liberate Skyrim from the Imperial’s grasp, but there are certainly no-go zones and fights with other factions to look forward to.

However, there is an entirely different mood to Fallout New Vegas than Skyrim, and it might not be up to your taste. If you fancy giving it a go, you will not be disappointed. Do be aware you will be exchanging Skyrim’s snow-covered peaks for an irradiated desert wasteland occupying Las Vega, Nevada.

Gothic is a very old (2001) open-world RPG set in a medieval fantasy world. While the first Gothic game suffered for clunky control schemes, it was one of the first RPGs to feature an open world design traditionally reserved for MMOs. Once you got past the clunkiness, it very much felt like you’re navigating a thoughtfully designed, living breathing world, rather than completing a series of unconvincing checklists. Sure the game was janky then and is jankier still now, but it was every bit the equal of Morrowind. If you’re keen to experience an RPG that continues to go under the radar, then go ahead and give it a try. Or wait for the Gothic 1 Remake that’s in development.

Greedfall is Spiders’ and Focus Home Interactive’s RPG returning to an old-school RPG feeling. You can start the game with no intention of playing any sort of class, adapting and specializing on a whim, just like Skyrim. In addition, Greedfall has no set way of dealing with its quests. You’ll find yourself using your persuasion, sneaking, or combat skills to complete a variety of content, as Greedfall puts creative and role-playing approaches first. With its gunpowder firearms and colonial period vibe, Greedfall might be a worthy game to while away the hours until New World launches. Either way, the way you play the game makes it a reasonable addition to the games like Skyrim list.

THQ is making another appearance on this games like Skyrim list, only with Risen 3 – Titan Lords. The story’s basic premise is that the Gods have abandoned Humanity, allowing the Titans to conquer the material world. In Titan Lord, you play a ragtag hero that can use a mixture of weapons and crystal magic to define your playstyle. Not to mention it has the Piranha Bytes stamp of no hand-holding, allowing you to explore the game’s sidequests and main story at your pace while offering guilds to join that are more than recognizable to Elder Scrolls fans. For these reasons, Risen 3 makes the games like Skyrim list as it offers features known all too well by the Elder Scrolls fanbase.

While The Outer Worlds is not high medieval fantasy, with magic, dragons, sword fighting and the like, it is still worth mentioning. The Outer Worlds is developed by Obsidian, the legendary studio behind Fallout New Vegas and other legendary RPGs. Like New Vegas, Obsidian lets you explore the world and narrative at your own pace. Every decision you make and the factions you align with all affect the way the game plays out. Unfortunately, the game has a space sci-fi setting, so that you will have to replace your steel longsword with a plasma gun.

The game is also filled with interesting side characters. As you go out and explore the fringe colonial world of Halcyon, you will come across numerous NPCs, each with their own backstory, motivations and purpose. Some elements of the RPG community even reference The Outer Worlds as “Skyrim with guns” – high praise indeed! In some ways, the game offers a core RPG experience that is more reminiscent of New Vegas rather than Skyrim.

In The Witcher 3, you play Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher, who goes out and hunts monsters and evil creatures for the Human population. As you fulfil quests and objectives, you’ll begin to follow the main storyline, leading through an overarching plot. While on that quest, you’ll take on monsters and beasts of myths, making your fights action-packed and tactic filled. When you finish the main story, you can even grab yourself some very expansive DLCs that return Geralt to what he loves doing, killing monsters and collecting coins. If you enjoy the game that much, these DLCs will put even more hours into your playthrough.

While the story is unique to the Witcher setting, there are a few similarities. The first is that Geralt uses an interesting form of magic, casting special powers that only he and his kind have. In that regard, it feels very similar to the Dragon Shouts your Skyrim character unlocks and uses for various encounters. Also, The Witcher 3 is one of the most beautiful RPG ever made. If you are a fan of exploring mystical and medieval settings as you did with Skyrim, then The Witcher 3’s exploration is nothing to scoff at.

 

This concludes our ten picks that we feel give you the most accurate recreation of Skyrim, whether that is because of its world exploration, mechanics, narrative or combat. Do you think another game should be on our games like Skyrim list? Perhaps you disagree with a pick? Let us know in the comments below! If any of these games take your fancy, why not check out Eneba for deals on these games and the DLC for your platform?