Skyrim had a huge impact on the gaming industry when it was released back in 2011, and has further gotten multiple re-releases as well throughout the years.
It is no secret that it is hailed as one of thegreatest open-world gamesof our time, but throughout the years,open-world titles have come out that have not only beaten Skyrim in most aspects but even made it look basic in comparison.
So, if you are looking for some new games to satiate your inner Dragonborn, I will be listing all the best open-world games that beat Skyrim in nearly all aspects.
8Cyberpunk 2077
The Future is Neon
Cyberpunk 2077
Fextralife Wiki
The difference in the setting of Cyberpunk 2077 and Skyrim is very apparent. While one is set in a futuristic dystopian city, the other has a medieval fantasy setting, but at its core, both are open-world RPGs.
If the open world, random interactions, and the diversity in combat style were what captivated you in Skyrim, thenyou will find a much more refined version of all those elements in Cyberpunk 2077as well.
Overall, if you don’t mind the full 180 on the setting and are willing to go headfirst into dystopian horrors beyond your comprehension, then Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best alternatives to Skyrim that you can find in today’s market.
7Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Skyrim, But Without The Fantasy
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2shares the same spirituality and setting as Skyrim but prioritizes realism instead of fantasy, which is why it couldn’t be in the top 5.
However, despite you not having the options to fight dragons or cast spells,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers a masterclass of world design, filled with beautiful locales, and is one of the best open-world andhyper-realistic RPGsthat you can play right now.
KCD 2 beats Skyrim in almost all aspects; the only thing that players will find lacking is, of course, the fantasy aspect. But if you are willing to look past that, then Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 should be the next game on your list to play.
6Baldur’s Gate 3
Experience Skyrim Through A CRPG Lens
Baldur’s Gate 3
If what you are looking for isa fantasy open world, compelling characters, and a fantastic plot, then you have to come to the right place. Although there is a catch, asBaldur’s Gate 3offers the classic CRPG top-down camera view and turn-based combat.
Even though Baldur’s Gate 3 combat is implemented perfectly and works like a charm, it is still a huge turn-off for a lot of people. Try to stick through the learning phase, as the gameplay grew on me very quickly.
If Baldur’s Gate 3 were released as a standard RPG with first/third-person camera view, then it would be featured as the number one game on this list, as it would beat Skyrim in all aspects, and make it obsolete.
5The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Link’s Legendary Journey Through Hyrule
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Wildly hailed as one of the best open-world games ever made, bothThe Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wildand The Tears Of The Kingdom are fantastic alternatives to Skyrim if you have a Nintendo Switch.
Breath Of The Wild took the open world blueprint laid by Skyrim and perfected it, as the exploration aspect of Breath Of The Wild is second to none. I personally have spent hundreds of hours justtaking in its beautiful worldand uncovering every secret I can find. ThoseKorok Seedsaren’t going to find themselves!
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While there are a few differences between the two titles, like Skyrim having a leveling system and more focus on character customization, overall, it just can not compete with Breath Of The Wild as an open-world game.
4Dragon’s Dogma 2
Hunt Monsters In An Epic Fantasy World
Dragon’s Dogma 2
The best way to describe this game is that it is a mixture of all, a bit of Skyrim here, a bit of Monster Hunter there. The one aspect whereDragons Dogma 2really excels is how open-ended the world and the quest are.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 features a compelling world with day and night cycles that affect enemy encounters. It also emphasizes different fighting styles and abilities, soplayers have full control over how they want to approach the situation,further enhancing its RPG aspect as well.
While I agree that Dragon’s Dogma 2 combat feels really janky at times, its performance is subpar at best, and some quests are as barebone as they come, the openness of the world itself, withthe variety of monsters and how you fight them, is really where this game shines the most.
3Elden Ring
Skyrim: Prepare To Die Edition
Elden Ring
Fextralife
2022’s Game of the Year enters the arena for games that make Skyrim look basic. After Dark Souls and Sekiro, From Software decided to dip their toes in the open world genre withElden Ring, taking clear inspiration from Skyrim and Breath Of The Wild.
Not only does Elden Ring offer everything that Skyrim fans love, from fighting dragons to designing your own unique builds, butit also perfects its own “soulslike” genre in the process. Although killing dragons in Elden Ring is not going to be as easy as it was in Skyrim.
There is not a single aspect of Elden Ring I can highlight that Skyrim does better, and it is a very easy contender for the top 3 in this list.
2The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
The Cooler Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
What better way to make Skyrim look basic than to revisit the game that inspired Skyrim in the first place? Oblivion was one of Bethesda’s first 3D RPGs and has a cult following to this day.
While Skyrim is supposed to be a spiritual successor of Oblivion, many Oblivion fans were not satisfied, as Skyrim didn’t exactly hit the mark for them due to its more desolate environments and simplified mechanics.
With Oblivion Remastered shadow dropping out of nowhere,it made its well-deserved comeback and has exceeded Skyrim in all its respects.
With everything that Oblivion is offering, from a more vibrant open world to overall better writing, it is safe to say that withOblivion Remasterednow onXbox Game Pass, RPG fans won’t be going back to Skyrim anytime soon.
1The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red’s Magnum Opus
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3 is one of the most influential and well-known open-world RPGs of our time. There is rarely an instance where a new open-world RPG isn’t compared to The Witcher 3.
From offering ahuge and vibrant open world, with unique monsters, to a compelling narrative, The Witcher 3 perfects the genre and has everything a Skyrim or RPG fan needs.In terms of open world, from the visual vibrancy to the amount of content the Witcher 3 offers, it makes Skyrim look basic in all aspects.
It doesn’t shy away from immersing you fully in its medieval world, where you will be forced to wonder whether humans are indeed the real monsters. The Witcher 3 is easily the best alternative to Skyrim that you can play today.
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