Not many could have predicted just how big The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim would become in the last decade. Through Bethesda's incredible attention to detail and continuously hard work, the fifth installment of an ever-popular franchise became easily an iconic game that defined a whole decade.
However, Skyrim's position as one of the top games hasn't remained uncontested. Plenty of other titles have chipped away at its popularity and even pointed out where its greatest weaknesses lie when compared to other, similar titles. While it definitely holds as a great game, there's also a few other games that put up a stiff competition for the game of the decade.
Updated November 12, 2021 by Josh Davison: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim remains a beloved and popular game ten years on. It's received three acclaimed pieces of DLC, received a next gen update across all platforms, and has been re-released several times, so it's no suprprise that it has so much staying power. Many have understandably refered to it as the greatest game of the last decade. There are plenty of arguments in favor of that assertion, but many other truly great games came out in the 2010s that could easily stand up to Skyrim in terms of quality and influence.
14 Skyrim: Ample Player Freedom
As soon as the Dragonborn leaves Helgen in Skyrim, they are free to do virtually whatever they want across all of the map. Leveling and equipment may be a bit of a consideration, but there is little else holding the player back from trekking all the way across the map to Solitude. Going to Riverwood and Whiterun is still a solid way to get some easy items and direction, but it's far from necessary.
Everything in Skyrim is built from the ground up to give the player nearly boundless freedom. Sure, there are plots and sidequests to follow across the continent, but players can easily shirk all of that and begin living their own violent fantasy as a bandit lord terrorizing the wilds of the Reach.
13 Deserves It More: The Last Of Us, An Emotional Masterpiece
The Last of Us has delivered some of the best storytelling and strongest emotional catharsis of any video game in the past decade. With compelling characters, memorable side characters, a brutal environment, and satisfyingly violent gameplay, it's hard to get much better than Naughty Dog's Last of Us.
The Last of Us Part 2 is a controversial entry for many players, but it still doesn't overwrite the brilliance of the original entry for those who didn't like the sequel. The first Last of Us remains an all-time great action-horror game that could easily still be lauded as a stand-alone story.
12 Skyrim: A Tight, Satisfying Close Combat System
One of the things that makes Skyrim so approachable is how simple and enjoyable its close combat system is. Whether the Dragonborn is swiping at a Draugr with a shortsword or trying to brain a dragon with a warhammer, there are plenty of ways to enjoy some good old-fashioned violence across Skyrim. The slow-motion execution scenes add even more bloody excitement to the combat system in this game.
Close combat is specified here, as, even though the ranged combat of bows and crossbows are still intuitive and fun, the magic system is one of the weakest aspects of the game. It can still be fun to ignite a giant with a fireball, but it's far from the most finely-tuned aspect of the game.
11 Deserves It More: Dark Souls Spawned A New Subgenre
The sleeper success of Dark Souls provided a counterargument to the easily-accessible and more advertised Skyrim. Both are action-RPGs with an extreme focus on combat, and both came out in 2011. While Skyrim has definitely sold more and made more money, it's Dark Souls that seemed to have more influence on the gaming market in the decade that followed.
There are countless games from other studios such as Code Vein, Surge, Nioh, and Lords of the Fallen that took strong inspiration from Dark Souls' signature difficult and tactile combat set in a desolate world. It's worth mentioning, of course, that Demon's Souls was Fromsoftware's first attempt at a game like this. However, it didn't ignite the fervor for this style of game in the same way that the first Dark Souls game did.
10 Skyrim: Vast, Enjoyable Downloadable Content
The base game of Skyrim provided quite a bit of entertainment and adventure, even for the most demanding player. However, Bethesda wasn't short-sighted on its game, and gathered much of the unused content into DLCs which actually improved the base game experience quite a bit.
Dawnguard and Hearthfire are generally thought to be the weaker DLCs due to the lack of new areas. The Dragonborn DLC, however, is continuously one of fan favorites, most likely because it brought back elements from Morrowind which many appreciated.
9 Deserves it More: Grand Theft Auto 5, Beloved Open-World Crime Sim
In the category of open-world games where players have as much power over their environment and their actions as possible, Grand Theft Auto 5 has been continuously able to put up a tough fight against Skyrim's popularity.
GTA 5's legacy has been almost as long-lasting as Skyrim's, and with similar consequences. It spawned GTA Online, while Skyrim was followed by The Elder Scrolls Online. However, where Skyrim has begun to show its age, GTA 5 still looks and feels great and continuously offers something new for players, regardless of interest and background.
8 Skyrim: A Huge & Active Modding Community
A game's popularity is often reflected in how powerful its community is. From fan art to modding, these all influence the way other fans experience the game and how much they feel like going back and sharing their experiences. Skyrim's modding community has had a tremendously positive effect throughout the years.
Not only have mods improved and patched many of Bethesda's mistakes, they've helped keep Skyrim as a modern and vibrant open-world game through the passing of time. Without them, Skyrim wouldn't still be a viable game today.
7 Deserves It More: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Is An FPS Titan
Open-world and adventure aside, there are other kinds of games that have left an even deeper imprint on the gaming industry and culture in general. FPS games have always had a very powerful position in the industry, and there's nothing quite as big as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
This is the ultimate point-and-shoot, competitive FPS experience. No other game has been able to finesse the art to such perfection as CS:GO, and the sheer size of its competitive scene and its prestige are a constant testimony to that. Whether Skyrim has had a similar effect on its own genre, or such a widespread effect on gaming and esports in general is debatable.
6 Skyrim: Multiple Platform Releases Across The Decade
Throughout the years, Skyrim has become the subject of countless memes. One of the most popular jokes is how the game has been released on every possible platform: every console, VR and even a smaller console like the Switch. For all we know, Skyrim is even playable on a fridge these days.
Due to how widely Skyrim is available, Bethesda has ensured no one can escape its influence. Everyone has tried the game at least once in their lives in the past ten years, and that alone shows it has had a profound influence on popular culture in a way no other game has. Its reach is simply unmatched by any other major game.
5 Deserves It More: The Witcher 3 Is An Incredible Fantasy RPG
If there is one franchise entry that actually can compete with Skyrim's ridiculous number of releases, it's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This game is so widely spread on every possible platform that it's beginning to reach Skyrim's levels of ridiculousness, but it's all for good reason.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gives Skyrim a bit of a trashing. It looks better, feels better and is bigger. While it lacks the freedom of creating one's own unique character, everyone's Geralt still ends up being a bit different depending on their character build. In terms of worldbuilding, The Witcher 3 is equal, if not better, than Skyrim.
4 Skyrim: Expansive & Flexible Character Creation
Freedom and creativity are often aspects of gameplay that players like. It lets them experience the game's world in a way they want. That's one of the major strengths of Skyrim over other major gaming titles, like The Witcher 3 for instance. There's no default character. The Dragonborn can be anyone.
After character creation, the choice of one's skills and character build is also incredibly flexible. You can pick and choose freely from a large skill tree with powerful perks. There's no right way to do things, and that's why Skyrim wins over other games, because players keep on coming back and starting over to experience it all from a different perspective.
3 Deserves It More: Fortnite Is A Cultural Juggernaut
Multiple releases, huge world and great cosmetic customization, even between Skyrim and a battle royale game like Fortnite there are some common features. However, in terms of visibility, player base and profit, Fortnite has become an absolute sensation in the last decade.
In fact, the game is so big it could be easily argued it was responsible for the big boom in similar battle royale titles, spawning games like Apex Legends and Realm Royale. Its esports side is massively popular, and it continues to receive an immense amounts of viewers on streaming sites.
2 Skyrim: Immersive Open World To Get Lost Within
The open-world genre has been present for years, and existed well before Skyrim's arrival to store shelves. However, Skyrim really revolutionized the idea of a world that could be explored freely, and with loading screens introduced only when accessing indoor areas or sub-locations.
The vast, gorgeous plains and mountains of Skyrim, all freely available for players to explore, create a sense of freedom and excitement almost no other game has been able to replicate. Even better, a horse can climb almost any cliff, a feature which was definitely meant to be there from the start.
1 Deserves It More: Minecraft Is The Defining Survival Crafting Game
Although Skyrim has seen a release on almost every platform, it remains a game that still needs quite the system to run it. It's not without its bugs and complications, and years after, there haven't been any major changes or DLCs from Bethesda to make the game feel fresh and interesting.
The same can't be said from Minecraft, which has retained a steady and huge player base for years. Despite a simple concept, it's a game that can be run on almost any PC and console (even VR), and even has an educational version. Mojang has been extremely proactive with listening to fans and the community, which has made it into a game largely shaped by the opinions of fans. The best part? It still holds up today, and will most likely continue into the future, which is what drastically sets it apart from a game like Skyrim, that might just be pushed aside by The Elder Scrolls 6.