Outward is an open-world RPG that combines exploration, survival, and challenging combat, offering a unique experience for players who enjoy a more realistic and immersive approach to gameplay. If you’re a fan of Outward and looking for more games that share its core elements, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of 20 games that provide a similar sense of adventure and challenge. So, let’s embark on an epic journey through these captivating alternatives!
20 Games Like Outward
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: November 11, 2011
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing game set in a massive open world filled with diverse landscapes, dungeons, and cities. Players create their own character and embark on an epic quest to save the land of Skyrim from the threat of dragons.
Similar to Outward, Skyrim features a vast open world to explore, filled with quests, dungeons, and a dynamic environment that encourages exploration and discovery. Both games place a strong emphasis on character customization, allowing players to shape their experience and develop their skills as they progress through the game.
Dark Souls
- Publisher: FromSoftware
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: September 22, 2011
Dark Souls is an action RPG known for its challenging and unforgiving gameplay. Players navigate a dark, interconnected world filled with powerful enemies and deadly traps, fighting their way through a mysterious and decaying kingdom.
Like Outward, Dark Souls presents players with a challenging and immersive experience, featuring a dark and atmospheric world to explore. Both games require players to carefully manage their resources and develop their combat skills to overcome the numerous obstacles and adversaries they encounter on their journey.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

- Publisher: Capcom
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: April 23, 2013
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is an action RPG that combines deep character customization with an open world filled with adventure. Players assume the role of the Arisen, a customizable hero destined to face a powerful dragon and uncover the truth about their own existence.
Dragon’s Dogma shares many similarities with Outward, including an expansive open world, challenging combat, and an emphasis on character customization. Both games also feature a unique companion system, with Dragon’s Dogma allowing players to recruit AI-controlled pawns to aid them in battle, while Outward encourages cooperative play with friends or AI-controlled partners.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Publisher: Warhorse Studios
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Date: February 13, 2018
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a realistic, open-world RPG set in the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia. The game features a deep story, historically accurate combat, and a detailed, immersive world that evolves based on player choices and actions.
Much like Outward, Kingdom Come: Deliverance places a strong emphasis on realism and immersion. Both games challenge players to manage their character’s needs, such as hunger and sleep, while navigating a complex world filled with decisions that impact the story and gameplay.
Morrowind
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Platforms: PC, Xbox, Xbox One (Backward Compatibility)
- Release Date: May 1, 2002
Morrowind, the third entry in The Elder Scrolls series, is an open-world action RPG set in the fantastical province of Morrowind. Players create a unique character and set off on a journey to fulfill prophecies, navigate complex political landscapes, and uncover the truth behind their own mysterious past.
Similar to Outward, Morrowind offers a massive open world to explore, filled with quests, dungeons, and diverse environments. Both games emphasize character customization and development, allowing players to tailor their experience to their preferred playstyle. The immersive world-building and deep lore present in Morrowind resonate with Outward’s dedication to creating a rich and captivating world.
Gothic II
- Publisher: Piranha Bytes
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: November 29, 2002
Gothic II is an action RPG that takes place in a dark, medieval fantasy world. The game features a deep, nonlinear story, challenging combat, and an open world filled with diverse locations and characters to interact with.
Like Outward, Gothic II offers an immersive world to explore, complete with various factions and a dynamic environment that reacts to player choices. Both games feature challenging combat and require players to carefully manage their resources and equipment as they progress through the story.
Risen
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Platforms: PC, Xbox 360
- Release Date: October 2, 2009
Risen is an action RPG set on a mysterious island filled with ancient ruins, dangerous creatures, and warring factions. Players take on the role of a shipwrecked survivor who must navigate the island’s dangers and uncover the truth behind the strange events occurring there.
Risen shares many similarities with Outward, including an open-world environment ripe for exploration, challenging combat, and an emphasis on survival. Both games encourage players to interact with various factions and make choices that will shape their experience and the world around them.
ELEX II

- Publisher: THQ Nordic
- Platforms: PC / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One / PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X|S
- Release Date: June 15, 2021
ELEX is a science-fantasy open-world RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with mutated creatures, powerful factions, and a mysterious substance known as Elex. Players must navigate this dangerous world, making alliances, and uncovering the truth behind the world’s current state.
Like Outward, ELEX offers a vast open world to explore, complete with challenging combat and a focus on survival. Both games place an emphasis on player choice, with decisions impacting the game’s story and faction relationships.
Conan Exiles
- Publisher: Funcom
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Date: May 8, 2018
Conan Exiles is a survival game set in the brutal world of Conan the Barbarian. Players must build, craft, and fight to survive in a vast open world filled with danger and opportunity. The game features deep crafting systems, base building, and challenging combat against both human and monstrous foes.
While Conan Exiles leans more towards the survival genre, it shares many similarities with Outward, such as the emphasis on exploration, resource management, and challenging combat. Both games require players to adapt to their environments and carefully manage their resources to succeed.
Mount & Blade: Warband
- Publisher: TaleWorlds Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Date: March 30, 2010
Mount & Blade: Warband is an action RPG that combines medieval combat with sandbox gameplay. Players take on the role of a wandering adventurer, building their reputation, assembling an army, and eventually carving out their own kingdom in a dynamic, open-world setting.
Much like Outward, Mount & Blade: Warband offers a vast, immersive world to explore and conquer. Both games feature challenging, skill-based combat and an emphasis on character development and decision-making. The sandbox nature of Warband, where players can forge their own path and impact the world around them, aligns with Outward’s focus on player choice and agency.
Ashen
- Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: December 7, 2018
Ashen is an action RPG set in a mysterious, sunless world where players must forge relationships with other survivors to rebuild their shattered civilization. The game features stamina-based combat, exploration, and a unique passive multiplayer system where players can encounter other adventurers on their journey.
Ashen shares Outward’s emphasis on exploration, challenging combat, and a desolate yet captivating world. Both games encourage players to forge alliances and work together to overcome obstacles, whether through cooperative play or AI-controlled companions.
Two Worlds II
- Publisher: TopWare Interactive
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- Release Date: November 9, 2010
Two Worlds II is an action RPG set in the vast, open world of Antaloor. Players assume the role of a hero seeking vengeance and redemption while battling powerful enemies, exploring diverse environments, and uncovering hidden secrets.
Like Outward, Two Worlds II features a sprawling open world filled with quests, dungeons, and challenging combat. Both games place a strong emphasis on character progression and customization, allowing players to tailor their experience based on their preferred playstyle.
Salt and Sanctuary
- Publisher: Ska Studios
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: March 15, 2016
Salt and Sanctuary is a 2D action RPG that combines challenging, souls-like combat with deep character progression and exploration. Players assume the role of a shipwrecked survivor on a mysterious, dangerous island and must navigate treacherous environments and defeat powerful foes.
Although presented in 2D, Salt and Sanctuary shares many core elements with Outward, such as challenging combat, exploration, and character customization. Both games offer a dark and atmospheric world to explore, filled with hidden secrets, dangerous enemies, and a focus on survival.
GreedFall

- Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Date: September 10, 2019
GreedFall is an action RPG set in a 17th-century-inspired fantasy world. Players take on the role of a diplomat exploring a mysterious, uncharted island, navigating complex political relationships, and uncovering the island’s hidden secrets. The game features deep character progression, branching storylines, and tactical, skill-based combat.
Like Outward, GreedFall offers a rich, immersive world to explore, filled with diverse environments, quests, and a strong emphasis on player choice. Both games feature challenging combat and deep character customization, allowing players to shape their experience based on their decisions and playstyle.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
- Publisher: THQ Nordic
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: September 8, 2020
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is a remastered version of the original action RPG, featuring an expansive open-world and a rich, branching narrative. Players create their character and explore the Faelands, a realm filled with various races, factions, and magical creatures. The game offers deep character customization and a unique “Destiny” system that allows players to shape their playstyle based on their choices.
Similar to Outward, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning emphasizes exploration, challenging combat, and character progression. Both games feature a large, diverse world to explore, where players need to master various skills and abilities to survive and overcome the challenges they encounter.
Two Worlds II
- Publisher: TopWare Interactive
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, macOS
- Release Date: November 9, 2010
Two Worlds II is an open-world action RPG set in the vast and mysterious world of Antaloor. Players assume the role of a hero on a quest to save their sister and the land from a powerful, evil force. The game features a complex magic system, crafting, and a wide variety of environments to explore.
Like Outward, Two Worlds II focuses on exploration, challenging combat, and character progression. Both games offer players freedom in shaping their character’s abilities and require players to adapt to the game world’s challenges. The emphasis on crafting and magic systems in Two Worlds II also mirrors the importance of these aspects in Outward, providing players with a similar experience.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Date: September 30, 2014
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an open-world action RPG set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous universe. Players assume the role of a ranger named Talion, who shares his body with the wraith of an ancient elf. Together, they embark on a quest for vengeance against the forces of Sauron.
Similar to Outward, Shadow of Mordor features an open-world environment ripe for exploration, along with a challenging combat system. The game’s Nemesis system, which creates unique and dynamic enemies, adds an extra layer of depth and personalization to the experience.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Publisher: Larian Studios
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: September 14, 2017
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a turn-based, open-world RPG that features deep character customization, a rich narrative, and a vast world filled with choices and consequences. Players can create their own character or choose from pre-made origins, each with their own unique stories and abilities. The game also supports cooperative play, allowing up to four players to adventure together.
Like Outward, Divinity: Original Sin 2 places a strong emphasis on exploration, character progression, and decision-making. The immersive world, engaging story, and the freedom to shape your character’s abilities make it an excellent choice for fans of open-world RPGs.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
- Publisher: Versus Evil
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: May 8, 2018
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is an isometric, party-based RPG set in the rich world of Eora. Players assume the role of the Watcher, a character with the unique ability to read souls and interact with the spirits of the dead. Deadfire takes players on a journey through the uncharted Deadfire Archipelago, where they must navigate a complex web of factions, choices, and consequences.
Though not as focused on survival elements as Outward, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire shares a similar emphasis on exploration, character customization, and decision-making. The game’s rich narrative, deep lore, and detailed world-building make it an appealing choice for fans of open-world RPGs.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Date: September 25, 2018
Pathfinder: Kingmaker is an isometric, party-based RPG based on the popular tabletop game, Pathfinder. Players create a unique character and embark on a grand adventure, where they will navigate the dangerous lands of the Stolen Lands, uncover ancient secrets, and eventually establish their own kingdom.
While the gameplay perspective and combat style differ from Outward, Pathfinder: Kingmaker shares many similarities with its focus on exploration, character customization, and player choice. The game’s in-depth kingdom management system adds an additional layer of complexity, making it an engaging option for fans of open-world RPGs with a focus on decision-making and consequences.
Outward offers a unique and immersive experience for fans of open-world RPGs, blending exploration, challenging combat, survival elements, and deep character progression. Players looking for similar experiences can find many parallels in the games listed above, including rich, open worlds, engaging stories, and a strong emphasis on character customization and decision-making.
Each game brings its own distinct flavor to the open-world RPG genre, providing a range of options for players to explore and enjoy. From the brutal and unforgiving world of Dark Souls to the colorful and fantastical land of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, there is an open-world RPG out there to satisfy every taste and preference. So, whether you’re looking for a new challenge or simply want to dive into a fresh adventure, these games are sure to deliver memorable and captivating experiences similar to Outward.
The vast majority of these games are not anywhere near to ‘similar’ to outward. I mean, yes, they are rpg’s, but skyrim cannot be compared to outward in many ways, because outward is far harder for one thing.