HBO's prequel to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, has indeed moved out of its predecessor's shadow, having nothing but positive ratings since its first episode was released in August 2022. House of the Dragon is an adaptation of George R. R. Martin's novel Fire & Blood and scrutinizes the legendary House Targaryen history in depth. The show features a nation on the brink of civil war with political intrigue, brutal violence, and dragons to reel viewers in.
Since fans of the show now have to wait over two years for the second season in 2024, numerous video games can fill this void. These games hover around the fantasy/medieval RPG genre and embody several well-loved themes in House of the Dragon, from varying portrayals of mystical dragons to wide-open and dark fantastical landscapes.
7 Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition
- Available to play on PC.
With the dramatic conclusion to Season One, House of the Dragon is now edging towards full-scale war, so fans of the show have all the turmoil and strategic scheming to look forward to. While they await House of the Dragon's return, players can experience all of these themes by playing Age of Empires.
Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition reinvigorates the classic strategy genre, as it is a real-time strategy game with medieval warfare. Players can embark on a quest for world domination with 35 different civilizations to choose from by gathering resources and creating armies to quash their opponents' forces.
6 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Available to play on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an open-world historical RPG set in the era of the Holy Roman Empire. Players take control of Henry, the son of a meager blacksmith, as his peaceful life is shattered by a mercenary raid resulting in the deaths of his friends, family, and village. This brutality occurred due to the death of the previous patriarch, Emperor Charles IV, plunging his empire into chaos and corruption.
Without a home or decidable future, Henry ends up in the service of a resistance group as the two groups battle to decide the fate of Bohemia and the next rightful ruler. Although it is a far cry from the mystical world of dragons in Westeros, House of the Dragon lovers will still enjoy Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It is centered around civil war, political strife, and heartbreak, similar to the HBO series events.
5 Dragon Age: Origins
- Available to play on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Dragon Age: Origins creatively combines classic fantasy RPG elements set in the fictional open world of Ferelden, allowing players to have total immersion. It was the first entry into the Dragon Age franchise, released in 2009, but it still remains the superior Dragon Age game.
Players can choose which role they would like to play, whether that be a fierce warrior or a stealthy rogue. Despite the title alluding otherwise, the dragons in Dragon Age: Origins remain an omnipresent yet subtle background threat. They are sparingly used. The main plot only features three intense battles against dragons.
4 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Available to play on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt indulges in several fantasy RPG tropes like mystical creatures and combat, so House of the Dragon fans will feel right at home. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt excels in its intense yet intimate storytelling as players journey across the lands of The Continent, battling incredible monsters along the way.
Players take on the role of Geralt, a witcher searching for his surrogate daughter Ciri before the prophetic Wild Hunt capture her to abuse her telekinetic powers and magic. The expansive and layered open world of The Witcher 3 will leave players in awe with a myriad of side-quests to complete. It is the perfect game to fill the absence House of the Dragon leaves behind in its two-year hiatus from television screens.
3 Elden Ring
- Available to play on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
House Of The Dragon has shown how dragons became an everyday occurrence within the world of Westeros. The normalization and downplaying of mystical creatures like dragons are also a key feature within FromSoftware's recent release, Elden Ring, with a whopping 13 dragon bosses for players to encounter.
Elden Ring is a dark fantasy landscape filled with eldritch horrors in The Lands Between. The player takes on the role of a Tarnished, beckoned back to life by the Golden Order to restore prosperity and laws to the world and become Elden Lord. The fantastical world of Elden Ring and its lore was also partly written by George R. R. Martin, the author of Fire & Blood, which is the book behind House of The Dragon.
2 Game Of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series
- Available to play on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Android, and iOS devices.
Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series is an episodic narrative-driven adventure game based in the same universe as HBO's groundbreaking and successful Game of Thrones series. It introduces a new family into the fray with House Forrester. These new playable characters are interwoven into familiar House Of The Dragon settings and locations, like the iconic Kings Landing.
Familiar faces from HBO's Game Of Thrones also make an appearance, like Jon Snow, Margaery Tyrell, and Cersei Lannister, among others with whom the player can interact. Players get to experience and play the vicious Game of Thrones themselves, where they will win...or die.
1 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
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- Available to play on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS3, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
Bethesda's fifth entry into The Elder Scrolls fantasy RPG series is Skyrim, one of the most replayable and enjoyable RPGs of all time, even over a decade later. Fans of House of the Dragon should have no issues immersing themselves in this single-player medieval fantasy open world, set in a similar backdrop of political strife and turmoil and the resurgence of draconic threats.
Players can customize their Skyrim experience to suit their individual playstyles, thanks to the variety of weapons in the game and the multitude of skills in the character progression system. Their Dragonborn protagonist must embark on a fated journey to become stronger and stop the legendary dragon Alduin from unleashing chaos upon the world of Tamriel.