Skyrim Meets Valheim In Free Open-World Steam RPG

Published Oct 17, 2026, 12:15 AM EDT

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A new free-to-play Steam game has landed, and this one looks like if Skyrim had a kid with Valheim and Runescape stepped in to help raise it. I feel like that's actually a pretty fitting description, if I do say so myself. If you're looking for a fantasy RPG to sink your teeth into over the holiday and don't want to spend any money, you could definitely do a lot worse than this one.

You may have heard of Reign Of Guilds before. This Skyrim-esque RPG is billed as a "spiritual successor" to old school fantasy games, inspired by titles like Ultima Online and EverQuest.

Reign Of Guilds Is Free To Play On Steam

Version 1.0 has been out for nearly a year

Reign Of Guilds initially launched in Early Access last April, but last year (November 26) marked the release of Reign Of Guilds 1.0. Incredibly, this is an RPG made by a team of just five people, making its scope and ambition all the more impressive. Writing on Steam ahead of 1.0 launch, developer and publisher Atlant Games warned gamers that, given the size of the team, there may be some bumps in the road with the rollout of the new update. That's not to say the devs don't plan to do what they can to fix it, mind you.

"Over the past month, we've accumulated a significant number of changes," they said at the time. "Some of these won't make it into the release version and will be rolled out in the upcoming patches. That said, the release itself still contains a substantial amount of new content. We sincerely apologize in advance for any issues or rough edges you may encounter. Please be assured that we will do everything in our power to address them promptly."

Changes to the 1.0 version include fixes to combat, tutorials, quests, and experience. A daily reward system has also been added, marking a pretty good incentive for any newcomers on the fence about trying Reign Of Guilds. Oh, and swimming has been added to the game, because the team's "internal moral standards wouldn't let us launch without it."

Updates definitely seem to have slowed in the last few months, and the game is still more than a little rough around the edges. However, as a free experience made by a small team, it's worth checking out just as a point of interest.

There's Definitely Some Skyrim DNA Here

Not a bad comparison

With the optional first-person POV and world filled with snowy ruins to explore, the Skyrim comparisons are definitely waiting to be drawn. That's an imposing bar, of course, especially for a team of just five. Don't go in expecting something quite as sprawling as Bethesda's open-world classic, but there's definitely plenty to do.

At the time of writing, Reign Of Guilds has "Mixed" reviews on Steam. A lot of players argue it's not very single-player friendly, while others have issue with the game's sluggish combat. However, the general consensus seems to be that it's a world that rewards curiosity and is fun to explore. For that reason alone, it could definitely be worth a look. Especially if you have a Skyrim itch you're desperately trying to scratch.