5 open-world games like Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls franchise is one of the most-beloved gaming franchises in history. As one of the best Western-RPG games, this series has seen a lot of success, especially with the fifth installment: Skyrim.

Released in 2011, Skyrim was one of Bethesda Softwork's most treasured games, and one that still continues to attract new fans. It is a testament to how far Western-RPGs have come, fully utilising the open-world structure.

Here are a few games with similarly rich open worlds that encourage the player to explore, like Skyrim does.

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5) Kingdom Come: Deliverance

One of the most-challenging action-RPG games of the last decade, Kingdom Come takes realism to a whole new level. The game is set in similar medieval times, but without the fantasy elements of Skyrim.

Think Game of Thrones, but players get to play as Hotpie instead of someone like Sandor Clegane. The character isn't a knight of the realm with sword skills to kill dragons, but rather, someone who must learn combat from scratch and not get their butt kicked in every combat encounter.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance teeters on the borders of not being fun, but the game is at its finest in these moments of authenticity.

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4) Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age is simply one of the best action-RPG game series in modern gaming, and one that never loses steam throughout its considerable runtime. Inquisition gives players unprecedented amounts of control, and their choices and decisions weigh heavily on the story.

Each decision has overarching effects on the story, and thus, players are wary of every move they make. Dragon Age: Inquisition remains one of the best RPG games players can pick up today.

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3) Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Perhaps the most criminally-underrated game of the past decade, maybe even in the history of gaming, it is a crying shame that Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning did not get the recognition it deserved.

However, the good news is that the game is indeed getting a remaster, which is fantastic news for players who never got to play it, and for fans of the title as well.

The game has one of the best combat systems in any RPG game and deserves a better reception from fans this time around.

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2) Fallout Series

There has been a tonne of debate as to which game in the Fallout series is truly the best. Some fans claim Fallout: New Vegas, while others say Fallout, but be sure that nobody is saying Fallout 76.

Also developed by Bethesda, the Fallout franchise is as enjoyable as they come, with what is perhaps one of the most interesting open-world areas ever. The game is rich with lore, interesting characters, and some mind-blowing story moments.

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1) The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

There are only a few things in life as fulfilling as preparing for a dragon hunt and vanquishing the winged beast with your bare hands. While Geralt doesn't kill dragons per se in The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, there are plenty of other mythical monsters and creatures to slay in this game.

Given that killing monsters isn't just an op activity, but Geralt's actual profession, a lot of time in The Witcher 3 is spent hunting monsters. It is truly one of the best open-world games ever created, and one that will go down in history as perhaps the best action-RPG of this generation.