Summary
Over a decade since its release in 2011,The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis still often mentioned in conversations about the greatest open-world RPGs ever made. The world is still immersive, the gameplay is still fun, and with the multiple DLCs, fan-made mods, and re-releases over the years, it has seen upgrades in visuals, audio, and content. It set the standard for other RPGs to follow or even improve upon.
From fantasy games to sci-fi thrillers, many role-playing games have come out before and afterSkyrim, oftenimproving upon what it offered.WhileSkyrimdeserves the love and praise it continues to receive today, other, similar games—some even from the same development team behindThe Elder Scrollsfranchise—also deserve recognition for their accomplishments.
In many ways, most fans considerThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimto be the superior game, but one thing that the predecessor and its 2025 remaster did better was their environments.The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remasteredfeatures a visually upgraded version of Cyrodiil, the capital nation of the Empire.
Even in the originalOblivion, gamers were given a moreexpansive and beautiful world to explore. Not only is Cyrodiil vibrantly colored, but it’s a more coastal region with lush green fields, trees, beaches, and towns that feel like dream homes straight out of a Renaissance fair. Additionally, players can also travel to the titular world of Oblivion to fight the demonic Daedra in their hellish home turf.
Elden Ringmarks FromSoftware’s first true foray into an open-world format, building on their renowned RPG titles likeDark SoulsandBloodborne.The game presents an adventure that challenges players to their limits, featuring boss fights that can last for hours.Elden Ringexpands on its predecessors by offering a vast open world filled with optional bosses that are just as demanding as the main story bosses.
WhileSkyrimincludes challenging quests and encounters, such as battles against dragons that can resembleDark Soulsboss fights, playersseeking a more difficult RPG that will truly test their reflexes and skills will likely find a more rewarding experience inElden Ring. Additionally,Elden Ringpresents a darker narrative, blending elements of Norse and Japanese mythologies into a cohesive whole.
Drawing inspiration from sci-fi classics likeBlade RunnerandRoboCop,Cyberpunk 2077immerses players in the vibrant yet chaotic world of Night City, a futuristic metropolis rife with crime and corruption. The city is sprawling and packed with content, requiring players to navigate extensively to reachspecific locations for RPG quests, encounters, and events.
As a result of being set in a cyberpunk future,Cyberpunk 2077features a plethora of cars and motorcycles that traverse the city with ease. While there is the option of fast-travel, the atmosphere of Night City makes it reasonable to want to bypass it. A nice vehicle allows the player to be immersed in the game’s gritty, vibrant environments that often feel alive.
It’s impressive what a difference just a few years can make, as shown with BioWare’sDragon Age: Inquisition, which has become almost as famous asSkyrimover the years. From the signature story and dialogue decisions to the action-packed gameplay, BioWare made a memorable third entry in their fantasy series with the same level of dedication put into it as they didMass Effect.
When it comes toDragon Age: Inquisition, the amount ofdetail and fidelity seen in the character creatoris worthy of praise.The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimpresents an impressive character creator in its own right, especially with mods, but the visual style and details inDragon Age: Inquisitionput it to shame, with gamers able to spend hours creating the human, Elf, Qunari, or Dwarf of their dreams.
Being able to explore a land of swords and magic is much of the appeal when it comes to open-world RPGs likeThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, and it delivered. Skyrim is a massive map withmany hidden secrets and dungeonsthat can keep players entertained for hundreds of hours, but Nintendo did something similar withThe Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom.
As a sequel toThe Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild,Tears Of The Kingdomtakes Hyrule and not only expands it even more on the ground, but adds floating islands above the clouds to explore and the cavernous Depths below. Just like with the first game, there is a high chance that if a player can see it, they can travel to it, thus making it one of the largest games ever made.
Choices have become a big part of gaming, with games allowing players to affect the outcome of the story by making a simple decision during a quest or when speaking to a character.The Outer Worldshas become famous for this aspect, as it was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the team behindFallout: New Vegas.
On top of being a strong first-person shooter RPGset on visually stunning alien planetsruled by corporations, nearly every decision made matters, from small to large consequences. Even creating a character with their perks and backstory can affect gameplay and story, truly makingThe Outer Worldsinto a definitive sci-fi RPG.
Following the massive success ofSkyrim, Bethesda developed the next game in the sister franchise,Fallout 4, which centers on a lone survivor who witnessed the bombs go off and entered cryosleep. Many of the improvements made toSkyrimwere incorporated intoFallout 4in both subtle and obvious ways.
Fallout 4offersmore variety in its voice acting, with more actors voicing the NPCs and the protagonist being the first in the series to be a fully voiced character. This reduces the chances of hearing the same voice actor repeatedly, and even when it happens, the actor likely uses a different voice or accent to make their character feel distinct.
Seeing howThe Witcherseries is based on a famous series of fantasy novels, it should be no surprise thatThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntexcels at telling a good story. It stars Geralt of Rivia, who is trying to find his apprentice and surrogate daughter, Ciri. She is being hunted by multiple factions, including the titular Wild Hunt, and Geralt must get to her before they do.
The main story ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntis only a fraction of what is available. Not only are there massive expansion stories,but even side missionsthat seem like simple contracts for Geralt can evolve into complex and emotional storylines. It all helps in building a grimdark fantasy world filled with many memorable monsters and characters alike.
