Dragons, Magic and Ridiculous Armor
Fantasy games in a nutshell. These games are the perfect escape from the drab, dreary world we live in, where things like magic are only real in our dreams. Now we can pretend a little bit better.
Here’s 25 of the best fantasy games you can play right now:
25. Elder Scrolls Online (2014)
Elder Scrolls Online gameplay
ESO is an MMORPG set in the world of The Elder Scrolls games, envisioned by Bethesda but developed by Zenimax. It’s not Skyrim online (if you’re looking for that there’s a mod for the actual Skyrim). Think of it as an MMO that’s borrowing the world and the lore of the TES games. The beta was rocky but many issues have been since addressed and if you can pick the game up for sale on Steam or on a site like GreenManGaming or BundleStars it’s worth the price. Plus, it’s buy to play, so no subscription needed. Explore the world of Tamriel to your heart’s content.
Khajiit has wares if you have coin.
If it looks like Skyrim...
24. The Witcher 3 (2015)
35 glorious minutes of gameplay
The only fault I really have with The Witcher 3 is that modding can be a pain, especially since there’s technically two different versions of the game (Steam and GoG goty). Witcher 3 is the quintessential fantasy game with a gorgeously realized world built on the lore from a series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski. The games are not a continuation of where the books end, but a new story with familiar characters all the more enriched if you know the background. The story and gameplay are both fantastic and if you’re a fantasy fan you’re selling yourself short if you haven’t played this game yet.
Your game won't ever be this pretty.
Or have hunts this satisfying.
23. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
An iconic Skyrim bug video – “Team Rocket’s blasting off agaiiiiinnnn!”
If I tell you how much time I’ve spent with this game you’ll probably think me incredibly sad (1000+ hours between PC and Xbox). It may not be the best TES game (many would argue Daggerfall is the pinnacle and Morrowind takes the spot for me) but it’s definitely better than Oblivion. It has to be good if someone can spend as much time in its world as I have and still find new things to discover, even in an unmodded game. Speaking of mods, there’s mods for everything including an online mode in the works if ESO isn’t your thing. PC players who already owned Skyrim and its 3 DLC packs got the remastered Skyrim Special Edition for free when it was released in 2016, so it’s the perfect time to get back into it or start exploring the world if you’ve yet to dip your toes.
I don't think that shot's gonna hit.
Horses in Skyrim do not care.
22. Divinity Original Sin 2 (Early Access, 2017)
Divinity Original Sin 2 gameplay
Divinity 2 builds on the mechanics and story of the first allowing character customization and dialogue and quests that change depending on the player character’s backstory. A skill crafting system will allow the player to mix and change their skills and a cover system has been introduced into the combat. A system called “Love & Hate” is also new to Divinity 2, allowing the player to establish many different kinds of relationships with other characters. A competitive multiplayer mode, currently only an arena team deathmatch, has also been included in edition to the single player campaign.
That's a lot of items to sort through.
I don't know what that is but I'm regretting everything right now.
21. Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor (2014)
Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor gameplay
Shadow of Mordor is a fairly dark open world action RPG set in the most iconic fantasy world of all time; Tolkien’s Middle Earth. It takes place in-between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in which the player takes up the role of Talion, a ranger killed by the Black Hand of Sauron and possessed by the wraith of Elf Lord Celebrimbor. Together, using their combined powers, Talion and Celebrimbor set out to avenge the death of their loved ones and kill the Black Hand. Melee combat is quick and based on a system of combos and parries, much like the combat in the Arkham series of Batman games, along with stealth and magic. The game features a unique Nemesis system. Characters you fight will remember you, and if they kill you they’ll rise in the ranks of Sauron’s army and become your nemesis. A sequel called Shadow of War is set for release this year.
Stealth kill.
This looks unpleasant.
20. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (2013)
Second look gameplay – MMOs.com
A Realm Reborn is exactly that. The original Final Fantasy 14 MMO received incredibly negative feedback, so much so that then Square Enix president announced that a new team would take over development of the title. This resulted in “Version 2.0”, or A Realm Reborn, with a new engine, improved servers, a revamped UI and gameplay and a new story. The very first patched introduced player housing, PvP, new quests and a 24 player raid. Final Fantasy is a hugely popular franchise with many different timelines and settings. A Realm Reborn takes plays in the Eorzea region of a planet called Hydaelyn. Fans of the over-the-top FF style will certainly feel right at home. Especially with their own home.
This doesn't look like FF.
Now it does.
19. Kingdom/Kingdom: New Lands (2015/2016)
Part 1 of an LP by Baertaffy
Kingdom and Kingdom: New Lands (a free expansion of the original) bring some of the most gorgeous pixel art I’ve ever seen and interesting and unique gameplay, bundled together in a small indie game that used to be a free online project.
You are the king (or queen) of a desolate kingdom that you must build up from the ground, all the while making sure you have enough money to keep those walls strong and piled high with archers to protect your crown from the demons that have come to steal everything shiny, including it. Kingdom: New Lands expands on the gameplay, adding an island system and boat building to progress the game, while still fighting off the monsters. After all, no crown, no king (or queen).
The queen looks out from her kingdom.
When one kingdom ends, another must begin.
18. Baldur’s Gate 2 Enhanced Edition (2013)
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition Gameplay Trailer
The Enhanced Edition of Baldur’s Gate II is a remake of one of the most popular RPGs in the D&D video game world and includes the original game as well as its expansions under the Infinity Enhanced Engine. The most notable features are higher resolution and widescreen viewings as well as tablet compatibility. The original characters from BG II are back, but the Enhanced Edition also brings in those from the first Baldur’s Gate remake and two new characters unique to the Enhanced Edition. Gameplay and story remain otherwise unchanged, for the most part. It’s a classic fantasy game in a classic fantasy world (try singing that to the tune of Barbie Girl).
Love that widecreen.
Doesn't it make everything look so pretty?
17. Owlboy (2016)
Owlboy gameplay
This game was in development for almost 10 years. 10. Years. And it shows. Owlboy is an action platformer with a unique, beautiful world set in the sky. The protagonist is Otus, a member of a hybrid owl-human race who must save his village when its attacked by a band of pirates. The gameplay is reminiscent of many platformers like Super Mario Bros., with the base flying and carrying objects inspired by a reverse Tanooki Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3. The gameplay might be true to the game’s creative roots, but the experience of playing it is something new and exciting.
Handrawn pixel art.
Otus' home.
16. Hollow Knight (2017)
Let's Play Hollow Knight - PC Gameplay
Hollow Knight somehow manages to be beautiful and dark and adorable all at once. The game is full of unique and different characters and enemies, extremely varied locations and dozens of objects to collect, from charms that buff the little hero to caterpillars. Yes, caterpillars, and they are adorable. The game follows the classic Metroidvania style with certain areas of the (very large) map being inaccessible until specific items or abilities are acquired. There’s bosses and mini-bosses, two different fast travel systems, and just an overall solid atmosphere. I never thought I could find bugs adorable.
The hubtown of Dirtmouth.
Please don't hurt me I'm only little!
15. Banner Saga (2014)
Banner Saga gameplay
The Banner Saga is the first game in a story driven RPG with difficult, tactical combat and meaningful choices that affect not only how your group and others feel about you but also who lives and who dies. The game animation is rotoscoped, a rare thing to see in games, and something that gives it a very real feeling. There is a separate multiplayer game called The Banner Saga: Factions, but the main game is single player only. A game that is, as the developers put it, a “mature game for adults in the vein of Game of Thrones or The Black Company.” The sun has stopped moving, the Dredge are back, and they’re killing everything in their path. Basically it’s Ragnarok. Not as cool as it sounds.
See that little red thing? Yeah, that's you.
See those black things? They wanna kill you.
14. Darkest Dungeon (2016)
WTF is Darkest Dungeon?
I’ve been with this game since its early access days. It’s dark and gritty and it still hates you and your family and your cow. Even on the new Radiant mode (a lower difficulty designed for new players) with all the extra options like corpses and heart attacks turned off the game is still going to kick your ass.
Your home... or what's left of it.
This is a whole lot of nope.
13. Undertale (2015)
Brief look at Undertale
Undertale is a game where your choices actually matter, and not in some arbitrary paragon/renegade way. It’s a retro pixel RPG adventure where the player controls a human child who has fallen into a secret world under the surface of the Earth, inhabited entirely by monsters, whom the player meets in his/her quest to return to the surface. Uniquely, it is entirely possible to take a completely pacifist route through the game. That’s right; you don’t have to kill a single monster, and many would argue that that’s the way the game is meant to be played. It feels like an old-school Zelda or FF games, complete with puzzles and random encounters. The big selling point is the story and the real impact that player choices have. Also cow mom.
What're you gonna choose?
This seems pretty peaceful. Maybe I'll just stay here for a while.
12. Mount and Blade 2 (TBA)
All released gameplay footage so far
I have over 250 hours in Mount and Blade: Warband. That’s a lot of time killing bandits and building empires, and I’m still going. I’ve been anticipating M&B II: Bannerlord for a long time now, soaking up every bit of news I can get. It promises to be the M&B I love to bit for its truly one of a kind mix of medieval simulator and action RPG and make it even better, with better graphics, better AI, and more complex systems. There’s no official release date yet, but hopefully there’ll be an early access build, if nothing else, sometime this year.
Already looking better.
And promising to be badder.
11. Jotun (2015)
Jotun: Valhalla Edition gameplay highlights
You, the player, must help Thora, a recently deceased shieldmaiden, impress the gods by defeating them in combat so that you might enter Valhalla, the hall of warriors that acts like the Norse heaven. There aren’t many battles aside from the bosses, but with each boss Thora defeats she gains new powers. Between these large fights the game is mostly puzzle solving and exploration. The melee combat is simple, but it’s backed up by the powers Thora is gifted and the hand drawn, frame by frame art style makes those giant bosses all the more threatening. Norse mythology isn’t explored as much as other pantheons (like the Greeks or the Romans), so it’s nice to see game developers paying more attention to a very individualistic culture.
Don't tell me that's not gorgeous.
Go forth and earn your place in Valhalla.
10. Endless Legend (2014)
Review with gameplay by MandaloreGaming
It’s like Civilization but with fantasy and better. The game mechanics really won’t be anything new to people familiar with 4X strategy games. There’s a few different mechanics but nothing really different except for the in-game quests (one of the ways to win the game). It’s the story and the lore that make Endless Legend really stand out (that and it’s totally gorgeous in a way that even Civ VI isn’t). Civ VI improved on what Civ V was lacking (without mods), but Endless Legend was already doing it. It received positive reviews across the board and if you’re sick of Civilization, Endless Legend (and the other games in the series) are an incredibly refreshing change.
Already looks better than Civ's map.
Battles can be resolved automatically, but they can also be fought strategically.
9. Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide (2015)
Boom go the demon rats.
A multiplayer only game with various ways to kill demon rats set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, another incredibly popular world. It’s Left 4 Dead with rats instead of zombies, unless you wanna say the rats are zombie rats which is an acceptable alternative to demon rats (they’re actually called Skaven but demon rats is cooler). The player can team up with three other people to shoot, hack and slash his/her way through said demon rats. If you want Left 4 Dead but in a fantasy universe here’s the game for you.
Slashy, slahy.
Boomsticks are never not fun.
8. Magicka (2011)
Magicka HD Adventure Mode Four Player Gameplay
What is Magicka? Magicka is doing the wrong spell combination and blowing up your friends, then resurrecting them, then doing the wrong spell combination and blowing yourself up and taking them with you. There’s a lot of pop culture references, a vampire that just will not leave you alone, a joke about bananas and a ridiculously funny language of gibberish in a vaguely Nordic setting. It can be a bit frustrating and difficult to play alone, even with a fairy to bring you back to life, but with friends it’s a rip-roaring good time that can’t be passed up.
The proper way to cross the beams.
Also there's a machine gun.
7. Shovel Knight (2014)
Let's Get Shoveling
I’ve never tried bouncing on a shovel but this game makes me want to give it a go. Shovel Knight is a 2D side-scrolling platformer in the Metroidvania genre with 8-bit graphics (which is a pretty nice change from just flat out pixel graphics). That shovel isn’t just good for bouncing on top of your enemies’ heads either, oh no; there’s plenty of treasure for you to dig up as well, and secret areas in each level to find with a handy salesman to buy secondary items from. Unusual for games of this nature, Shovel Knight also has a NG+ mode with higher difficulty and a limited number of checkpoints (although you keep any upgrades you earned the first time around). There’s also a nice old-school code/password system to unlock various cheats.
Old-school 8 bit graphics.
Is that Mr. Krabs?
6. Black Desert Online (KR 2014, EU/US 2016)
First impressions gameplay
As I’ve said before, this game has the best character creation system of any game (and certainly of any MMO) in addition to having photo-realistic graphics. Seriously, this game looks good, and no two player characters are going to look the same. It was one of the most highly anticipated MMOs and is still insanely popular. Again, a buy to play model means no subscription. Combat is action based with manual aiming, not the usual skill cooldown of other popular MMOs like WoW. Healing is limited. You need to have skill to make sure you get through fights without taking too much damage. But seriously, if you want a good looking, deep MMO, this is the one for you. There isn’t another one like it out there.
High fantasy.
With a unique flavor.
5. Total War: WARHAMMER (2016)
Battle of the Black Gate - Total War: WARHAMMER Gameplay
Total War: Warhammer is no different from the other Total War games as far as surface mechanics go; you have two fronts to work on, a kingdom and tactical combat. The player can take control of several different races including Dwarves, Humans, Greenskins and Vampire Counts, either to play nicely with alliances, or to just bowl over absolutely everyone. Total War games are known for their historical accuracy (mostly) and have some pretty good mods with them, but total conversion mods are nothing compared to simply having a game based on the world that you want. The campaign map is huge and there’s plenty to see and do in your quest to take over the world (just like Pinky and the Brain).
It's a bird, it's a plane! It's a griffin!
Get ready to die.
4. Tyranny (2016)
Tyranny Gameplay
Obsidian is on a roll with their RPGs, isometric and otherwise, from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II to Pillars of Eternity (featured next on this list). Tyranny builds on the engine and gameplay of PoE allowing the game to offer more meaningful choices over the course of the player’s story. The setting of Terratus is a high fantasy world transitioning from the Bronze to Iron age, ruled by an evil overlord named Kyros whose persona is so secretive that it is unknown who exactly Kyros is or is not. The player, a Fatebender (a high ranking member of Kyros’ regime), must travel across the world to help restore order to Kyros’ new domain.
I'm sure we can all resolve this peacefully.
I said peacefully!
3. Dark Souls 3 (2016)
Dark Souls III - Ashes of Ariandel DLC Gameplay
The Dark Souls games are known for their difficulty first and foremost and it’s a reputation they certainly deserve. Even the weakest enemies can kill you if you aren’t paying attention and those big bad bosses are exactly as dangerous as they look. Add to that unmatched atmosphere and rich lore and you’ve got yourself one heck of a fantasy game. Dark Souls 3 takes the best of the first two games and combines them into the best of the trilogy with all the difficulty you can dream of. It’s a shame Bloodborne is only for PS4 or else it would have earned a spot on this list, too.
The best looking DS game yet.
But why does it always have to be spiders?
2. Pillars of Eternity (2015)
Pillars Of Eternity gameplay
Pillars of Eternity has an incredibly thought out and deep fantasy world, Eora, which takes place mostly inside the nation of Dyrwood, which is plagued by a recent curse where infants are born with no soul, thus becoming “hollowborn.” At the start of the game the protagonist survives a supernatural event and becomes a Watcher, a person who can see souls and interact with past lives. Their journey through the game has the goal of why exactly they are a watcher, and what’s causing all these babies to not have souls (which seems like a pretty big problem). The viewpoint is top down in one of the best looking games I’ve seen, with difficult, tactical combat and a beautiful, living world to explore.
Okay everybody now let's get in formation.
I regret everything.
1. Dragon Age: Origins (2009)
DA:O gameplay
Look, Inquisition is good, but Dragon Age: Origins is one of a kind with branching storylines and quests, multiple companions and several locations to explore in the country of Ferelden in the world of Thedas. At launch it was toted as a “dark” fantasy game, and while games to follow have been darker it lived up to expectations. Even on easy combat it is a challenging experience and if you’re not careful you’ll end up aiding the enemies in cutting your party down. DLC brought new companions and new missions with the Ultimate Edition bundling everything up into one. There’s also a wealth of mods available, with everything from multiple romances to new quests and difficulty mods. The sex scenes still look awkward, though. They did not age well.
He killed me the first time.
So did she.
Sometimes you just need an escape
There’s a game on this list to scratch everyone’s itch, be it punching dragons or sinking deep into a rich story. The real world may be full of disappointment, but the realms of fantasy are never far away.
You may also be interested in:
Top 11 Games like Dark Souls, Ranked Good to Best
Top 10 Fantasy Strategy Games for PC
Top 10 Best Paradox Entertainment Games, Ranked Good to Best
