There’s a certain flavor to Bethesda RPGs that no other studio has ever quite managed to recreate. Whether it’s the unpredictable chaos of Fallout’s wasteland or the ancient grandeur of Tamriel’s provinces,Bethesda’s formula of open-ended exploration, moral choice, and deep player customization has been setting the standard for modern role-playing games since the early 2000s.
Top 13 RPG Games like Skyrim
These worlds aren’t just big for the sake of size – they’re layered with politics, hidden quests, unscripted moments, and player freedom that can turn a single playthrough into a completely unique experience. Across both The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, and now into the stars with Starfield, Bethesda has continually shaped the genre in bold and unexpected ways.
7The Elder Scrolls Online
Tamriel’s Still Open – Just Now With Other People
Elder Scrolls Online
At launch, The Elder Scrolls Online stumbled under the weight of high expectations. A subscription fee, inconsistent voice acting and a rigid structure kept it from reaching the heights fans had hoped for.
But over time, and especially after it dropped the subscription model in 2015, ESO reinvented itself. Today, it stands as one of the mostcontent-rich MMORPGsavailable, with entire expansions dedicated to fan-favorite locations like Morrowind, Summerset, and High Isle.
While it trades the intimacy of single-player Elder Scrolls storytelling for more MMO-style design, it still lets players pick a direction and forge a path that suits their style – from Thieves Guild heists to necromancer builds.
It might not replace the solo RPGs, but it manages something they can’t – letting entire guilds dive into dungeons, fight Daedric Princes and decorate their homes across the continent.
6Starfield
A Million Worlds, But Still Looking For Home
Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years launched with sky-high expectations, and while Starfield didn’t redefine sci-fi RPGs overnight, it still carved out a unique identity.
Set in the Settled Systems, Starfield trades the fantasy of swords and sorcery for spacefaring factions, cosmic mysteries, and spaceship dogfights. Its core strengths lie in how much freedom it gives players to tweak every aspect of their playstyle – from ship design and crew selection to which planet they call home.
The game’s pacing is slower than Skyrim or Fallout, and the sense of wonder can sometimes get buried under procedural content, but the storylines in factions like the Freestar Collective or the UC Vanguard carry classic Bethesda moral ambiguity.
There’s something nostalgic about exploring dusty outposts or discovering alien ruins that hints at Starfield’s long-term potential. Like Morrowind before it, Starfield feels like a game that could age into greatness.
5Fallout 3
A Megaton Blast That Changed Everything
Fallout 3 didn’t just bring the franchise back from the dead – it helped redefine Western RPGs for an entire generation. When Bethesda took the series from isometric turn-based combat to a fully 3D open world, it was a gamble that paid off in spades.
The Capital Wasteland felt hauntingly empty but never dull, from the bombed-out shell of Washington D.C. to the underground labyrinths crawling with ghouls and raiders. This was the first Fallout to let players truly roleplay as whatever they wanted – a savior, a monster, or just a wandering scavenger.
The karma system, while simple, gave weight to even minor choices. The game’s tone veered between black comedy and bleak survival, and moments like deciding the fate of Megaton or navigating Vault 112’s Tranquility Lane stuck with players long after the credits. It’s the reason Fallout became mainstream.
4The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
A World So Alien, It Feels Like a Dream
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Morrowind doesn’t hold the player’s hand – and that’s exactly why it’s still praised decades later. Unlike later entries that offer guided quests and fast travel, Morrowind expects players to read journal entries, follow vague directions and stumble into danger.
It’s a game of strange architecture, floating wizards and giant mushrooms, where every region feels like it follows its own bizarre rules.
What makes it special isn’t just the setting – it’s the density of the world. The factions feel politically intricate, the lore is delivered through dense in-game texts, and the game rarely tells players if they’re “doing it right.” It trusts them to learn by playing.
The RPG mechanics are dated by modern standards, but the immersion it offers is something even newer titles struggle to match. Morrowind is where the series became truly ambitious, and maybe an Oblivion-style remake for Morrowind wouldn’t be the worst thing ever.
3The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Fus Ro Dah Never Gets Old
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Few RPGs have had the cultural footprint of Skyrim. From meme-worthy moments to iconic music, it became a phenomenon that’s stillbeing moddedand re-released over a decade later.
It didn’t reinvent the formula of Oblivion, but it streamlined it – smoother combat, a more accessible perk system and a world that begged to be explored.
Skyrim’s snowy mountains and ancient ruins are filled with buried stories, from the civil war between Stormcloaks and Imperials to the hidden histories of the Dwemer. The Dragonborn story, while not the deepest, gave players a power fantasy that perfectly matched the world’s mythic tone.
2The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Where Every Door Could Hide a Secret
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Oblivion might not have the graphical fidelity to impress today (unless you’re playing Oblivion Remastered), but few RPGs are as rich in variety. Whether it’s assassinating a noble while hiding in plain sight at a dinner party or getting trapped in a painting, Oblivion isn’t afraid to experiment.
The game’s questlines – especially the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild – are still considered among the best Bethesda has written. Its leveling system could feel punishing if handled poorly, but it rewarded careful planning. The world design strikes a balance between Morrowind’s mystery and Skyrim’s accessibility.
9 Best Classes In The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
A list ranking the best classes for the player to start as in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.
Cities like Bravil and Chorrol all have their own identities, and the Oblivion Gates scattered across the landscape turned even routine travel into something dangerous. It’s an RPG packed with moments that players still bring up in forums and modding communities nearly twenty years later.
1Fallout: New Vegas
War Never Changes – But It’s Never Been This Good
Fallout: New Vegas
Technically not developed by Bethesda Game Studios but published by them, Fallout: New Vegas is often held up as thebest Fallout gameever made. Obsidian, with many developers who worked on the original Fallout games, brought a level of narrative depth and faction complexity that no other entry in the series has matched.
The Mojave Wasteland is a living world where every faction, from the NCR to Caesar’s Legion, has its own goals, contradictions, and internal struggles. The player isn’t railroaded into being a hero or a villain – instead, every choice shapes the power balance of the region.
Its RPG systems are deeper than Fallout 3, its writing sharper, and the consequences of quests more impactful. Despite its buggy launch, New Vegas has become a benchmark for what an open-world RPG can be when player agency is truly prioritized.
10 Most Iconic Bugs in Bethesda Games
Bethesda and Bugs. Working together since 1986.
