Players traverse the map between plot points, able to hunt wildlife and gather ingredients for alchemy and health restoration. Rather than the wide, open-world sandbox of Skyrim, this game is story-driven in a way Bethesda’s title isn’t. While there isn’t as much flexibility in character customisation and there are many, many more cutscenes, The Witcher still fits in this list very well. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is stacked with Skyrim-worthy moments. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. Save civilians, dress up in funky little outfits to protect yourself from the extreme climates, and ignore everything bad in the world as you try to figure out how to cook something that won’t just turn out as more Dubious Food. Run, ride horses, and glide across Hyrule as you take down monsters and complete quests at your leisure – as long as you can ignore Zelda’s frequent distress signals.
Many, many side quests to lose yourself in while you stubbornly ignore the looming main quest? You know it. One of the top picks on this list is Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Aside from the fact that the game is absolutely stunning with amazing gameplay, Breath of the Wild has fantastic similarities to everything we know and love about Skyrim. Open-world? Check.
