WhenSkyrimfirst dropped on the scene earlier this decade, it pushed the envelope. For a good part of the early 2010s,Skyrimwas the pinnacle of gaming. The open-world, the story, and the character design were all applauded by the community. Not many games during that time were doing whatSkyrimwas doing because of the hardware limitations of theXbox 360and thePlaystation 3.
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SoSkyrimwas the gold standard for gaming, and the standard was hard to match for a time. Since then,Skyrimhas opened up the flood gates, forcing other developers to push the boundaries asBethesdadid. Since then, there have been games that have jumped beyond whatSkyrimand any otherElder Scrollsgame has done. So let’s look at the games that have done better thanSkyrimin recent years.
10Far Cry 5
Ubisoftis no stranger to the open-world genre, in fact, they’ve tried to make an open-world RPG with every genre under the sun.Far Cry 5is a really good example of years a trial and error for the developer. Offering a cohesive story and world.
In contrast to the dark tones ofSkyrim,Hope County is a bright world that makes it a better setting. Each region in Hope county has its own distinct feature that makes it stand out. Even the cast and the players will be helping compliment the world around it, and traversing through the world itself is a sight to see.It’s no wonder why it’s one of the best selling games of 2018.
9Breath Of The Wild
This isNintendo’shard push into the open-world market. They’ve done it before, butBreath of the Wildis more competitive. The art style of Hyrule alone makes it better thanSkyrim.Starting up the game for the first time and going to the first tower and looking around is a cool experience.
The snowy areas, white covered mountains, and deserts make players want to explore more. Along with flying from a really high place, the entire experience gives the player a sense of how small they compared to this world.
8Dragon Age: Inquisition
The third installment inBioware’sDragon Ageseries is on the list because it has the same themes asSkyrim.Dragon Age Inquisitionhas built on top ofSkyrim,with the world around the character being way more believable.
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Despite the fact that this game is a little old now, it still fares well in comparison. Plus it feels likeSkyrim2.0 in some ways. It’s quite unfortunate that it doesn’t get the same love asSkyrimdoes.
7Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
The Greek world has always been an interesting world to visit. WhenUbisoftdecided to take players there in historical open-world RPG, it was a no brainer. What set’s it apart fromSkyrimis that it’s more realistic and ever-changing.
The world itself is a character itself because it seems to be alive and constantly changing. Going to the highest mountain and seeing areas where the player can go is somethingSkyrimcan’t do. Even sailing the Aegean Sea at night and watching the clear sky blanket the water is truly next-gen gaming.
6Dying Light
Not many games offer the zombie-freerunning-open-world-RPG mix, butTechlanddoes. This open-world game offers a crazy amount of content, that eclipsesSkyrim.From going on a rooftop charting out a course to go exploring in this wasteland is unique toDying Light.
At night the world takes a whole new form, and the zombies get even more intense as well. The world will be different, no matter how many times it’s being played. It isn’t as big asSkyrim,but the world itself does a great job of making it feel like it is.
5Borderlands 3
Now, this looter shooter is crazy fun, not only in terms of gameplay, but the world as well. Traveling through Pandora’s emptiness can be daunting but at the same time, it doesn’t have to be. While the world ofSkyrimhas a ton of empty locations,Borderlands 3has that but still manages to keep the player engaged.
Some may argue that Borderlands 3 is better than the fan-favorite,so the setting needs to be addressed in that to. It’s the scope of the game that really sets it apart fromSkyrim,and a lot can be done inBorderlands 3.
4The Divison 2
Being one of the best looter shooters today, there’s a number of reasons why it’s on this list. A big one is the world, the post-apocalyptic Washington DC looks very familiar. A lot of the buildings look like carbon copies of the real ones.
Exploring monuments at any time feels like players are on a guided tour. The world around players is constantly changing, mainly because it’s an open-world game. It’s that changing that givesThe Divison 2an edge overSkyrimand adds more cool things to see.
3Horizon Zero Dawn
This game is basicallySony’sanswer toBreath of the Wild.Horizon Zero Dawnoffers so much in terms of the world it’s in. Players can go from region to region, exploring the weather systems. From snowy mountain tops to rich forests, the variety shows how massive the world is.
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Players would spend most of their time exploring because there’s so much going on. At night with a full moon, it lights up the player’s path and looks extremely lifelike.The scope of this game is so bigthat 3 years later people are still finding things.
The cowboy classic is sobig that players are still finding things that the developers put in.Rockstarknows a thing or two when making big games. People spend so much time looking for new things because the developer loves to put Easter eggs in random spots.
Adding to it there’s scenery is one of kind, and it changes on a dime. One second players are in a vast city the next, the next they’re in the countryside just doing cowboy things.The world is so big is that even today, players are still finding new areas.
1The Witcher 3
For a timeSkyrimwas considered the best open-world RPG, butThe Witcherhas overtaken it.Comparisons have always gone on between two, but the undeniable truth is thatThe Witcher 3is better. The world in the game is diverse and rich.
The forest areas and the sea traveling is amazing on it’s own. But being a part of the next-gen gives it the edge that it produce a massive open-world experience. WhileSkyrimlacks color and and and fleshed out world,The Witcher 3is the opposite of that. Going from city to city, players can see how much can change.
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