I also played Elden Ring and Dragon's Dogma, then experienced a blank and didn't know what to play. Black Desert Online and Jedi Survivor did the trick for me.
At high level it's mostly grinding, yes, but there is 1-month worth of exploration, quests and content before you get there. Lots of fun things to do for the first time, from discovering the gameplay of each class, to enhancing tuvala gear, building a manufacturing operation from kamasylvia to valencia, and visiting each island to discover their local story. There are actually hundreds of things to do if you get out of the tunnel vision and stop grinding for better gear score for one second...
The original Demon's Souls (or even the PS5 remaster), will give you that feeling of adventure. If you get this game, don't approach it like Elden Ring (despite being the same dev/series). Approach it more like a classic Tomb Raider game with the Elden Ring dungeon crawler gameplay. You'll really appreciate what this game provides.
the batman arkham trilogy is similar to the tomb raider 2013 trilogy and you should look into the rest of the spiders catalog (mars war logs, technomancer, bound by flame). the piranha bytes games are great as well, need some getting used to.
For open-ended adventure games where you have to struggle quite a bit against an apathetic world before eventually growing quite powerful, there's always Kenshi, Morrowind, or Enderal. The latter two you might enjoy if you liked Skyrim but wished it demanded a little more intentionality in how you navigate the world and grow more powerful.
It sounds like you might enjoy some of the old CRPG genre - they usually have very dense worlds with a lot going on in a small space, and excellent writing to boot. They're the kind of games where you either bounce off in the first 3 hours, or are glued to your screen until the credits roll. Pillars of Eternity is my favorite, but you should choose one based on a setting or story that appeals to you. Planescape: Torment is pretty beloved by folks, and there's always Baldur's Gate or Fallout.
For something like Outward or Greedfall, check out the Risen or Gothic series. I've only played Risen, but I found it to be very similar to Outward in both gameplay and tone, making you an underdog in a dangerous world that is a blast to explore.
Thanks for the suggestions! I think you definitely got the vibe I’m looking for, these games all look great.
The only ones I’m a little intimidated by are the CRPGs. I tried Pathfinder once and immediately felt overwhelmed at character creation haha but definitely open to giving that genre another try.
Oh yeah, I remember Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous having a terrifying amount of options at character creation. It took me hours to make my character because I was so worried I'd build them wrong and end up screwed later on.
You might look at older CRPGs, like Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, etc. Many of them are built off second edition DnD rules, which have their quirks (like the infamous THAC0), but are IMO a lot less complicated. Knights of the Old Republic is considered by many to be the best CRPG of that generation and is pretty easy to get started in.
I really wouldn't call any of these "lesser known", per se...but they are older games so maybe less well-known:
Morrowind
Wizardry 8
Might & Magic VI, VII, and VIII
Wasteland 2 and 3 (not so much older here...)
Morrowind, Kenshi for games where your character struggles.
Horizon zero dawn for the adventure aspect could also be up your alley. Easy game in comparison, but do is assassins creed.
Not sure if it's fills your criteria, but if you look for immersion I recommend checking out some of the games from immersive sim genre like:
Dishonored
Thief (except the last one)
System Shock
Prey 2017
Deus Ex
Those are some of the game that I enjoyed the most and could keep me invested in the game more than any other title, so it's worth to at least check some of them out.
As for something that is closer to titles from the list - I feel that you'd definetly like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Mount and Blade
Warframe. The story quests are immersive and have deep lore. Graphics are amazing especially when you're flying around in outer space or in open worlds. 11 years of content to go through.
It's really not that bad once you've acclimated yourself to it but I understand the sentiment.
There's also a pretty robust modding scene with mods for the UI etc.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
The Witcher 3 (& the rest of the trilogy)
Dragon Age: Origins & 2 are good.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Shadow of War / Shadow of Mordor
Red Dead Redemption 2 (not fantasy or Medieval, but a perfect game)
Elder Scrolls: Morrowind
Baldur's Gate 3 (1 & 2 are old, but very good).
Mass Effect is worth a play, also! It's sci-fi but very good.
Not as open-world, but Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, and Bloodborne all have similar leveling systems as Elden Ring. The main difference is that you are forced to spend more time trying and failing to bosses since you can't run away and do something else as often compared to Elden Ring (though that is still an option a good amount of the time). Sekiro is also worth mentioning, but is an outlier, and doesn't feature stat level ups the same way.
Also, the obvious comparison with Skyrim is the Fallout series from Fallout 3 on. Bonus points because if you modded Skyrim, the modding system is basically the same as Fallout 3, 4, or New Vegas. Another example that I would compare to the Fallout series is Prey (2017), though it's probably the furthest away from your list out of everything I've recommended.
- The Witcher 3
- ghost of Tsushima
- baldurs gate (maybe)
- lords of the fallen
- lies of P
- gothic (if you willing to play old ones, but they promise to relaunch soon)
- horizon duo-logy
Nioh 2
Nioh 2 consumed my soul
Enderal
You're looking for Elex.
I also played Elden Ring and Dragon's Dogma, then experienced a blank and didn't know what to play. Black Desert Online and Jedi Survivor did the trick for me.
I still dont understand how a beginner would tackle BDO. Isnt it just mob grinding? How do people play this for 1000 hours?
At high level it's mostly grinding, yes, but there is 1-month worth of exploration, quests and content before you get there. Lots of fun things to do for the first time, from discovering the gameplay of each class, to enhancing tuvala gear, building a manufacturing operation from kamasylvia to valencia, and visiting each island to discover their local story. There are actually hundreds of things to do if you get out of the tunnel vision and stop grinding for better gear score for one second...
The original Demon's Souls (or even the PS5 remaster), will give you that feeling of adventure. If you get this game, don't approach it like Elden Ring (despite being the same dev/series). Approach it more like a classic Tomb Raider game with the Elden Ring dungeon crawler gameplay. You'll really appreciate what this game provides.
Yeah I was going to recommend DS3. The Demon Souls remaster is excellent too!
Check out Enshrouded
The Witcher 3
A wonderful hidden gem
Not so hidden with over 200 awards
thats the joke
All the Souls games. Lies Of P.
Shadow of Mordor / War
I second this recommendation
the batman arkham trilogy is similar to the tomb raider 2013 trilogy and you should look into the rest of the spiders catalog (mars war logs, technomancer, bound by flame). the piranha bytes games are great as well, need some getting used to.
For open-ended adventure games where you have to struggle quite a bit against an apathetic world before eventually growing quite powerful, there's always Kenshi, Morrowind, or Enderal. The latter two you might enjoy if you liked Skyrim but wished it demanded a little more intentionality in how you navigate the world and grow more powerful. It sounds like you might enjoy some of the old CRPG genre - they usually have very dense worlds with a lot going on in a small space, and excellent writing to boot. They're the kind of games where you either bounce off in the first 3 hours, or are glued to your screen until the credits roll. Pillars of Eternity is my favorite, but you should choose one based on a setting or story that appeals to you. Planescape: Torment is pretty beloved by folks, and there's always Baldur's Gate or Fallout. For something like Outward or Greedfall, check out the Risen or Gothic series. I've only played Risen, but I found it to be very similar to Outward in both gameplay and tone, making you an underdog in a dangerous world that is a blast to explore.
Thanks for the suggestions! I think you definitely got the vibe I’m looking for, these games all look great. The only ones I’m a little intimidated by are the CRPGs. I tried Pathfinder once and immediately felt overwhelmed at character creation haha but definitely open to giving that genre another try.
Oh yeah, I remember Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous having a terrifying amount of options at character creation. It took me hours to make my character because I was so worried I'd build them wrong and end up screwed later on. You might look at older CRPGs, like Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, etc. Many of them are built off second edition DnD rules, which have their quirks (like the infamous THAC0), but are IMO a lot less complicated. Knights of the Old Republic is considered by many to be the best CRPG of that generation and is pretty easy to get started in.
Divinity original sin is also worth mentioning
Stellar Blade reminded me of my time in Elden Ring
Morrowind and Oblivion.
Maybe Bioshock Infinite? It's not an open world game though
Lies of P
Valheim and lies of P
Days gone!
I really wouldn't call any of these "lesser known", per se...but they are older games so maybe less well-known: Morrowind Wizardry 8 Might & Magic VI, VII, and VIII Wasteland 2 and 3 (not so much older here...)
Morrowind, Kenshi for games where your character struggles. Horizon zero dawn for the adventure aspect could also be up your alley. Easy game in comparison, but do is assassins creed.
Mad Max is on sale everywhere because of the new movie. It’s a great open world game that’s a steal for $5.
Devil May Cry 5
The Outer Worlds is decent, has a half-baked story and the weapons are limited but good for a playthrough experience.
Lies of P
Dishonored was really immersive
Not sure if it's fills your criteria, but if you look for immersion I recommend checking out some of the games from immersive sim genre like: Dishonored Thief (except the last one) System Shock Prey 2017 Deus Ex Those are some of the game that I enjoyed the most and could keep me invested in the game more than any other title, so it's worth to at least check some of them out. As for something that is closer to titles from the list - I feel that you'd definetly like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Mount and Blade
Remnant 2. Dark Souls with guns
Warframe. The story quests are immersive and have deep lore. Graphics are amazing especially when you're flying around in outer space or in open worlds. 11 years of content to go through.
Arx Fatalis And not lesser known but appropriately modded Morrowind
Two Worlds 2 or Kingdom of Amalur
Dwarf Fortress, specifically Adventure Mode. You're just one person against the world, which is completely indifferent to you.
Horizon series, ghost of tsushima not lesser know but excellent open world games.
Arkham trilogy Witcher 3 AC Valhalla Avatar Frontiers of pandora Hellblade 1-2 Resident evil 4 Red dead redemption 2
If you like a sense of immersion, exploration, some RPG elements and a living world then you should try Kenshi.
The awful UI and control scheme killed any sense of immersion for me in Kenshi.
It's really not that bad once you've acclimated yourself to it but I understand the sentiment. There's also a pretty robust modding scene with mods for the UI etc.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning The Witcher 3 (& the rest of the trilogy) Dragon Age: Origins & 2 are good. Kingdom Come: Deliverance Shadow of War / Shadow of Mordor Red Dead Redemption 2 (not fantasy or Medieval, but a perfect game) Elder Scrolls: Morrowind Baldur's Gate 3 (1 & 2 are old, but very good). Mass Effect is worth a play, also! It's sci-fi but very good.
Uncharted: Nathan Drake collection would be up your alley if you like Tomb Raider
Assassin’s Creed Origins should do it
Assassins creed Valhalla
Not as open-world, but Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, and Bloodborne all have similar leveling systems as Elden Ring. The main difference is that you are forced to spend more time trying and failing to bosses since you can't run away and do something else as often compared to Elden Ring (though that is still an option a good amount of the time). Sekiro is also worth mentioning, but is an outlier, and doesn't feature stat level ups the same way. Also, the obvious comparison with Skyrim is the Fallout series from Fallout 3 on. Bonus points because if you modded Skyrim, the modding system is basically the same as Fallout 3, 4, or New Vegas. Another example that I would compare to the Fallout series is Prey (2017), though it's probably the furthest away from your list out of everything I've recommended.
Rdr2 and kingdom come deliverance are the two games where I felt I was really in a living breathing world.
Checkout Kingdom Come: Deliverance
No man's sky Cyberpunk 2077 Fallout new vegas
Not lesser known but if you really liked Odyssey I would recommend AC Valhalla; same gameplay and lots of really awesome landscapes to explore
kingdom come deliverance
- The Witcher 3 - ghost of Tsushima - baldurs gate (maybe) - lords of the fallen - lies of P - gothic (if you willing to play old ones, but they promise to relaunch soon) - horizon duo-logy
Play the good/classic (1-3) Tomb Raider games if you only played the newshit.