The increasing size and scope of video games has led to some incredible innovations in the genre. Giganticopen-world experiencescan be intimidating to some audiences, but when they’re done properly they’re like nothing else.Skyrim, the fifth entry in the popularElder Scrolls serieshas proven itself to be one of the best examples of this type of game.
Related:10 Open Worlds Better Than Skyrim (Because They Are Nowhere Near As Big)
Skyrimhas helped establish the new standard, but there are still lots of other games that strive for something similar, whether it’s accomplished or not. Accordingly, here are 5 games to play if you likeSkyrimand 5 you should avoid.
10Play: Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Kingdom Come: Deliveranceis a thrilling and massive RPG adventure that’s set during theHoly Roman Empire. What’s so interesting aboutKingdom Come: Deliveranceis how it strips away luxuries like magic and places players in the position of a character who’s truly at the bottom rung of the ladder.
Kingdom Comeprioritizes story and paints an incredible picture that may be slow at times, but is constantly impressive. When it comes to the basics of RPGs,Kingdom Comeisn’t just exceptional, but it may even beatSkyrim.
9Avoid: Kingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoningis an impressive remaster of the original title that improves a lot of qualities of life and puts together a much more attractive package.Kingdoms of Amaluris set in a fantastical world that features magic, supernatural entities, and a vast array of species and races.
Related:10 Mods That Turn Skyrim Into A Survival Game
Kingdoms of Amalurisn’t a bad game, but it feels more like aZeldaorFabletitle than it does anElder Scrollstitle. The quests lean a little too hard in the repetitive nature of MMOs.
8Play: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisenis a robust expansion to the original open-world hack and slash action-RPG epic.Dragon’s Dogmaunderstands the glory of a rich world and the game beautifully indulges in extravagant weapons, intimidating dungeons, and a litany of troublesome monsters to fend off.
Dragon’s Dogmahas a clever AI pawn system to add some appreciated backup in battle. The game definitely focuses more on aggressive combat thanSkyrim,but the worlds are still very similar and it’s the perfect title for players who long for a rich fantasy that’s heavy in action.
7Avoid: Fallout 4
One of the biggest problems with Bethesda’sFallout 4is that it suffers the cruel fate of followingFallout 3, which kind of nailed the formula. As a result,Fallout 4is still an entertaining and impressive game, but it begins to conjure diminishing returns in this doomed world.
If no otherFalloutgames existed,Fallout 4would be a triumph, but as it stands it’s a repetitive experience that can lose the gamer in the weeds, rather than howSkyrimcaters to avoiding those dangers and never breaking the illusion.
6Play: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisitionis the third entry in BioWare’s popularDragon Ageseries.Inquisitioncontinues to throw players into a rich fantasy world that elegantly mixes magic and old-fashioned combat together.
Related:Skyrim: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Character Creator
Dragon Agehas a beautiful world and engrossing story that’s heavy with history, but it’s the large amounts of weapons, equipment, and rewards that will trigger memories ofSkyrim. It takes the game’s crafting and collecting features to bigger places and for those that aren’t crazy aboutSkyrim’sfirst-person perspective,Dragon Age: Inquisitionplays out in third-person.
5Avoid: Monster Hunter: World
Capcom’sMonster Hunterseries has taken some time to catch on with audiences, but the latest releases in the franchise have been the most popular yet and shown just how universal this series can be.Monster Hunter: Worldprovides an enormous playground to hunt ferocious beasts and craft incredible weapons and accessories.
Monster Hunter: Worldmay scratch that open-world itch thatSkyrimplayers have, but the heavy emphasis on combat and the nature of enemies might be too much for others.Monster Hunter: Worldis a glorious cooperative community experience, but it’s noSkyrim.
4Play: Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
TheLegend of Zeldatitles have turned into some of the most popular and beloved Nintendo titles, but the franchise’s debut on the Switch re-invented the series in some major ways.Zeldatitles have always been big and pushed hardware, butBreath of the Wildis a whole other story.
Breath of the Wildnails the transition into a gigantic open-world game and it’s been incredible to see just how creative players get in the game to solve problems. Open-worldLegend of Zeldahas become the new normal and the upcoming sequel should create something that could easily surpassSkyrim.
3Avoid: Phantasy Star Online 2
It’s takenPhantasy Star Online 2a very long time to finally get a North American release, but the prestigious MMO series from Sega has finally graced hungry gamers.
Phantasy Star Online 2is a satisfying follow-up entry in the series that features a full world and some truly enjoyable teamwork that’s possible with the community. However, the futuristic aesthetic, largely populated world, and how it’s more an MMO than a standard RPG might still be enough to rub hardcoreSkyrimplayers the wrong way.
2Play: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witchervideo games have always had a devoted fanbase andThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntis largely considered to be the apex of the franchise.The Witcher 3perfects everything from the previous games and gives players a shocking amount of control, whether it’s in the quests that they approach or how they negotiate relationships with other characters.
It’s so easy to just disappear in the world ofThe Witcherand it’s an immensely satisfying experience that doesn’t matter if players are fighting off ferocious monsters or just carrying out incidental quests to help those that are in need.
1Avoid: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
TheAssassin’s Creed seriesis still around and kicking, but there’s a wildly inconsistent level of quality across the titles and many try to pack in so much content that they become more of a chore than entertainment.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicateis set in London during the Industrial Revolution and revolves around a brother and sister assassin team, but other than those creative touches the title is laborious and has a combat system that’s practically broken. It’s far from the best thatAssassin’s Creedhas to offer and it has a totally different flavor and pacing thanSkyrim.
