Two more years of waiting for TES6, and the shelf is not empty
Polygon reported this week that Elder Scrolls VI is still at least two years away from release, per an Xbox development source. The game entered pre-production years ago, and every quiet-year update from Bethesda has been the same message: soon, but not yet. Any player who has been holding for TES6 since Skyrim launched in 2011 is now 14 years into the wait.
The seven open-world fantasy RPGs on this list are what desktop players actually pick to fill the gap. Some are direct Skyrim descendants. Some are close-but-different takes. Two are on a scale Skyrim never reached. Every game here runs on Windows in 2026, most are on macOS through Whisky or the Apple Games layer, and every entry has an active modding or DLC pipeline as of this month.
What to look for in an open-world fantasy RPG
Four things matter when you actually put ten hours into a fantasy RPG.
- Genuine exploration, not a checklist. Skyrim rewarded you for going the wrong way.
- Meaningful side quest writing. Filler quests destroy a 100-hour game.
- Combat that stays interesting past hour 20.
- A modding scene, or DLC roadmap that keeps content coming.
Every pick below covers at least three.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Base price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyrim Special Edition | The direct nostalgia pick | Windows, Mac (via layer) | $39.99 | 15 years of mods |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Story-first alternative | Windows, Mac (native) | $39.99 | Best side quests in the genre |
| Elden Ring | Combat and world design | Windows | $59.99 | Open-world FromSoftware |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Historical realism | Windows | $59.99 | No fantasy, all history |
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | Party turn-based depth | Windows, Mac | $59.99 | Full D&D 5e conversion |
| Enderal: Forgotten Stories | Free Skyrim overhaul | Windows | Free with Skyrim | Total conversion, new story |
| Dragon’s Dogma 2 | Pawn-driven exploration | Windows | $69.99 | Party AI you can share online |
The games
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, the direct nostalgia pick
Skyrim Special Edition is the honest first answer. It is the game people are waiting for TES6 to replace, and the modding scene on Nexus keeps it visually and mechanically current. Enderal, Beyond Skyrim: Bruma, Skyblivion (still in progress), and thousands of quality-of-life mods put the 2011 game closer to a 2026 experience than most releases from this year.
Where it falls short: the vanilla combat and menu UI are showing their age. A meaningful mod list requires an evening of setup.
Pricing: $39.99 base, frequent sales at $19.99. Includes Anniversary Edition content.
Platforms: Windows, macOS via Whisky or Wine layers.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick if what you actually want is TES6 and you have already put 200 hours into Skyrim. Install a starter modlist like Wildlander or Lorerim and go back for another 200.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, story-first fantasy
The Witcher 3 is the fantasy RPG that outclassed Skyrim on writing when it launched and still owns that crown. The Bloody Baron questline alone is more memorable than most main quests in the genre. The 4.0 next-gen update rebuilt lighting, added ray tracing, and cleaned combat pacing.
Where it falls short: movement is heavier than Skyrim. Geralt is a specific protagonist, so character creation is not part of this experience.
Pricing: $39.99 base, complete edition often at $19.99.
Platforms: Windows, macOS (native port).
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick if you want a fantasy story that stays with you and can accept a fixed protagonist.
3. Elden Ring, open-world FromSoftware
Elden Ring answered a different question than Skyrim’s, but the exploration verb is the same. Ride to the horizon, find something odd, decide whether to fight it or come back later. Shadow of the Erdtree pushed the world size to a scale Skyrim never approached.
Where it falls short: combat is punishing. Skyrim’s forgiving encounter design is exactly what Elden Ring is not.
Pricing: $59.99 base, Shadow of the Erdtree DLC at $39.99.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick if you want to explore a hand-crafted world at Skyrim’s scale and are okay with a much steeper combat curve.
4. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, historical realism
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is the anti-fantasy fantasy game. No magic, no dragons, no fireballs. 15th-century Bohemia, historically documented armor and weapons, dialogue that respects the period. The exploration and quest freedom sit close to Skyrim’s without the high fantasy layer.
Where it falls short: the systems demand attention. Reading, cooking, save mechanics all require the player to learn a specific ruleset before the game opens up.
Pricing: $59.99 base.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick if you liked Skyrim’s exploration and quest freedom but the dragons never mattered to you.
5. Baldur’s Gate 3, party turn-based D&D
Baldur’s Gate 3 turned Wizards of the Coast’s D&D 5e ruleset into a full open-world turn-based RPG, and it swept awards in 2023 for a reason. Character choice, party composition, dialogue reactivity, and encounter design all hold up 500 hours in.
Where it falls short: turn-based combat is a bigger change from Skyrim than either of the FromSoftware options. Act 3 has some late-game pacing issues.
Pricing: $59.99 base.
Platforms: Windows, macOS (native port).
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick if you always wanted Skyrim to give you a party, and you can adjust to turn-based combat.
6. Enderal: Forgotten Stories, the free Skyrim total conversion
Enderal is a full-length total conversion of Skyrim with a new world, new story, new soundtrack, and a completely reworked skill system. It runs on the Skyrim engine so any Skyrim owner already has 80% of what they need to play it.
Where it falls short: requires a legitimate Skyrim install to run. The English voice acting is community-driven and quality varies by NPC.
Pricing: free. Steam listing requires ownership of Skyrim.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick as the second Skyrim playthrough you never had. It is free, and it is a different game.
7. Dragon’s Dogma 2, pawn-driven exploration
Dragon’s Dogma 2 brought Capcom’s cult classic system back with a bigger open world and the same asymmetric pawn co-op. Your AI companions can be shared across other players’ games. Combat rewards climbing giant enemies, casting long-tell spells, and improvising when a pack of hobgoblins ambushes you mid-quest.
Where it falls short: the world is dense but smaller than Skyrim’s. Fast travel is deliberately gated, which some players find refreshing and others find punishing.
Pricing: $69.99 base.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the pick if you want the closest thing to a modern Skyrim in tone (traversal, class fantasy, physical combat weight) but from a different developer entirely.
How to pick the right one
Pick Skyrim Special Edition if you have not modded it in five years and are willing to spend an evening building a modlist. Pick The Witcher 3 if the story part of Skyrim was always the weak point for you. Pick Elden Ring if the exploration and world-building were the point. Pick Kingdom Come: Deliverance II if you want the exploration without the magic. Pick Baldur’s Gate 3 if you always wanted a party and are open to turn-based combat. Pick Enderal as the second Skyrim playthrough you did not know you needed. Pick Dragon’s Dogma 2 if you want a full modern fantasy RPG with the closest feel to Skyrim’s physical combat.
If TES6 is your only real goal and none of these will scratch the itch, go replay Morrowind through OpenMW instead. That is a joke, but only barely.
FAQ
When is Elder Scrolls VI actually releasing? Bethesda has not committed to a release window. Xbox development sources put the game at least two more years out, meaning 2028 or later for the earliest realistic release.
Which of these is the closest to Skyrim in feel? Enderal, because it runs on the same engine, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, because of how it treats exploration and quest freedom.
Does Skyrim Special Edition run on Steam Deck? Yes. Skyrim SE is Steam Deck Verified. Most mods work but a heavy modlist can trigger stability issues.
Is Elden Ring an RPG in the same way Skyrim is? Elden Ring is closer to a hand-authored open-world with FromSoftware combat than a systemic RPG like Skyrim. The verbs (exploration, discovery, character building) overlap; the pacing and combat do not.
Are any of these fantasy RPGs free? Enderal: Forgotten Stories is free with a legitimate Skyrim install. Everything else is paid, though frequent Steam sales bring most into the $15 to $30 range.
