The 8 Greatest Sword-and-Sorcery Video Games of All Time, Ranked
Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.
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The fantasy genre is one of the most popular and renowned, not only for its legacy and influence but also for its critical acclaim. It's especially true for video games, with many of the greatest video games ever being fantasy titles, such as The Legend of Zelda and God of War. While the genre is mostly represented by high fantasy, there are plenty of engaging sub-genres that focus on particular aspects of what makes fantasy so good, such as sword-and-sorcery.
The sword-and-sorcery subgenre is defined by its usually morally grey protagonist who wields their weapon on a personal adventure against evil. This often includes romance, magic/sorcery, and a personal battle rather than world-ending threats. That is why this list will rank the greatest sword-and-sorcery video games of all time based on aspects such as gameplay, design, narrative, visuals, originality, personal battles, the protagonist, critical acclaim, fan opinion, and overall quality.
8 'Pillars of Eternity' (2015)
Sword-and-sorcery is a bit of an obscure genre, yet it contains some widely known masterpieces and other lesser-known classics, like Pillars of Eternity. Taking place in the dark world of Eora, this fantasy game follows a party and their adventure across the world in the middle of a technological renaissance. As a watcher, the player can see souls, which are slowly driving them insane, leading them to understand the inner workings of the system to solve an ancient conspiracy.
Pillars of Eternity builds itself around one of the most unique worlds in video game history, and soul science is one of the greatest concepts in the medium. This approach creates intriguing worldbuilding that helps make the journey even more riveting. The blend of sword combat and the in-depth magic system is more than enough to classify it as a sword-and-sorcery video game, especially since it is so good. Pillars of Eternity is rather underrated, but it is only a matter of time until it gets the recognition it deserves.
7 'Dark Messiah of Might and Magic' (2006)
Pillars of Eternity is lesser known compared to most, but Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is arguably the least popular video game on this list; that doesn't mean it is any worse. Sareth is a young but powerful sorcerer who goes on an adventure in order to retrieve a powerful artifact. Alongside his companion, Xana, this adventure gets them involved in a grand necromancy war, now requiring them to maneuver the political landscape and do battle at the same time.
This game would place a lot higher if not for a couple of aspects, such as the fact that the main conflict is grand in nature and there is more sorcery than swords. But outside the pedantry, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic captures the classic sword-and-sorcery feelings that original fans of the genre appreciate. Every enemy encounter is a new time to try something new, allowing players to experiment with their magic or melee combat. It's not only a great sword-and-sorcery game, but also boasts some of the best fantasy worldbuilding in video games.
6 'Diablo II: Resurrected' (2021)
Remakes and remasters are very hit or miss, with plenty of games missing the point of what made the original good or adding extra details that take away the previous charm. On the other hand, sometimes they become the definitive version of the game, like with Diablo II: Resurrected. After the previous game, the hero becomes corrupted and aims to free his brothers, the Prime Evils, making the world in dire need of another hero, which is where the player comes in.
Some of the gameplay will feel dated compared to future titles in the franchise, but it is hard to beat this remaster that gives fans an upgraded version of a timeless experience. Diablo II: Resurrected has a bleak tone that fits the sword-and-sorcery subgenre perfectly, letting loose the horrors of the world as the player does everything they can to stop it. With a detailed and customizable skill tree, players are free to invest in what they like to create their ideal gaming experience.
The Elder Scrolls is arguably the best fantasy video game franchise of all time, and as players wait for the sixth entry, they can replay The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the one hundredth time. Saved by a dragon before execution, the player now sets off on a quest in the titular province to kill Alduin the World Eater, a dragon that is prophesied to destroy the planet unless the chosen one intervenes.
Again, Skyrim could go higher if not for the small aspect that the story is grand in weight, following a potential apocalyptic event if the player doesn't save the day. Still, this intelligently designed video game creates one of the best worlds to explore and packs it with side quests to do and lore to experience. Combat is clunky, but that is part of the Bethesda charm, and the overall vibe is the definitive sword-and-sorcery style that earns it a place on this list.
4 'Castlevania: Symphony of the Night' (1997)
When fans think of sword-and-sorcery video games, they often imagine open-world RPGs, but that doesn't have to be the case; a game like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night fits the genre perfectly. Years after Richter defeats Dracula, the former disappears, and the latter's castle suddenly reappears. This prompts Dracula's son, Alucard, to venture into the eerie castle and navigate its shifting halls in order to defeat the resurrected evil.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night doesn't feature much sorcery, but it has just enough to qualify as a sword-and-sorcery video game, especially since everything else perfectly encapsulates the subgenre. This 2D masterpiece stands at the pinnacle of Metroidvania games, using its exploration and shifting dungeons to elevate the sense of curiosity. On top of this, the vibe is delightfully '90s and gothic, which is a blend often used by sword-and-sorcery video games.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes What Fantasy World Do You Belong To? Middle-earth · Grand Line · The Continent · Camp Half-Blood
Pick your magic, your crew, where you want to wake up and who you would rather be fighting, and we will tell you which world you actually belong in. Four are open to you: an ancient kingdom living through its last good age, an endless sea full of pirates, a continent that pays people to kill monsters, and a summer camp where the Greek gods are extremely real and mostly a nuisance.
💍Middle-earth(Rings of Power)
👒Grand Line(One Piece)
🐺The Continent(The Witcher)
🔱Camp Half-Blood(Percy Jackson)
01
What kind of power do you want? Every one of these worlds runs on a completely different sort of magic.
02
Who is travelling with you? Nobody gets through any of these stories entirely on their own.
03
Where do you want to wake up tomorrow? The best fantasy is usually just somewhere you would genuinely like to live.
04
How are you making a living out there? Even in fantasy somebody has to pay for the horse.
05
There is something in the woods. What do you do about it? All four of these worlds keep something unpleasant out there in the dark.
06
Who is the villain of your story? The enemy tells you far more about a world than the hero ever does.
07
What do you actually believe in out there? Every world hands its heroes one rule and asks them to hold onto it.
08
A thousand years from now, how are you remembered? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your world.
The Map Is Drawn Your World Is…
Four worlds and four completely different ideas of what a good life looks like. This is where you belong, what it would ask of you, and what you would get back in return.
Middle-earth
You belong somewhere old enough that the mountains have names and somebody can still tell you who gave them. Middle-earth is for people who think the right thing is worth doing even when it will not be finished in their lifetime.
- This is the only world on the list where doing good is understood as a very long defeat, fought anyway, by people who will never see how it ends.
- You are drawn to grandeur, to white cities and deep forges and the sense that almost everything you touch is older than your entire family line.
- The Rings of Power is set in the last good age before it all goes wrong, which gives every quiet scene in it a slightly unbearable weight.
- You would take the hard road, and you would take it on foot.
The Grand Line
You want the sea, a crew, and absolutely nobody telling you where you are allowed to go. The Grand Line is the world for people whose main ambition in life is finding out what is over there.
- One Piece has run for decades on one very simple engine, which is a group of people who each want something impossible and have decided to go and get it together.
- You collect people. Your ideal crew is a set of misfits who were each written off somewhere else before you turned up and offered them a better idea.
- The world is enormous and deliberately ridiculous, and the emotional gut punches land harder because of that rather than in spite of it.
- You would set sail knowing the map runs out, which is more or less the entire point of it.
The Continent
You would rather be feared and useful than liked and useless. The Continent is a world where the monsters are the straightforward part of the job and the people are where it all gets complicated.
- Witchers get paid to do what nobody else will and resented for existing at all, which is a trade most people would refuse and you would probably accept.
- You have no real illusions about which side is the good one, largely because on the Continent that question tends to have a disappointing answer.
- The best of these stories are not about the fighting. They are about somebody with a rigid code being repeatedly cornered into caring about people.
- You would take the coin, finish the job properly, and be out of town before the story got told wrong.
Camp Half-Blood
You want the myths to be real and loose in the actual world, and you want to find out at about thirteen that you were never anywhere near as ordinary as everybody kept telling you.
- Percy Jackson takes the oldest stories we have and drops them into car parks and diners, which makes the gods considerably funnier and a great deal worse.
- You would be the kid every school gave up on, who turns out to have been built for something nobody thought to test for.
- The series is genuinely about friendship rather than destiny, and it says so out loud every time a prophecy tries to get in the way.
- Camp Half-Blood is the real fantasy here: a place where the thing that made you difficult everywhere else is the thing that makes you belong.
3 'Dragon Age: Origins' (2009)
Some video game franchises die off unexpectedly, and others have a slow decline. Dragon Age is somewhere in between, but that doesn't take away from the many flawless games, including Dragon Age: Origins. As a horde of monsters invades the nation of Ferelden to initiate their apocalypse, the player and the party of adventurers set out across the region in order to stop them. They do this by uniting the fractured nations and the races to fight against this world-ending event.
Like many games on this list, Dragon Age: Origins features a world-ending event, but it's hard to find a fantasy video game without one. Regardless, the game possesses that indistinguishable feeling that sword-and-sorcery titles are known for, also boasting a fantastic atmosphere with incredible worldbuilding. Dragon Age: Origins is one of the best fantasy video games of all time, and that naturally extends to sword-and-sorcery.
2 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' (2015)
After the free remastered version was released, the upcoming expansion and new sequel were announced; now is the best time to play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, but he must put aside his usual monster-hunting gig in order to save his adoptive daughter, Ciri, from the dreadful force known as the Wild Hunt, which plans to capture her and use the young girl's powers for evil.
The main story has some larger implications, but for the most part, Geralt is doing this for personal reasons, like saving Ciri. The Witcher 3 embodies the subgenre flawlessly through its gameplay, giving each aspect equal attention and importance and letting players switch between different blades and plan ahead with various potions and spells. Geralt is also a perfect sword-and-sorcery protagonist, which makes it an essential entry in this subgenre.
1 'Baldur's Gate 3' (2023)
A couple of the games featured have won the illustrious Game of the Year award, and the most recent on this list to do so is Baldur's Gate 3. After the player is infected by a mind flayer, they will turn into one unless they find a cure. Adventuring off into the world alongside others in your situation, gamers have a harder time than usual since they are caught in a war between mortals and gods.
Every video game has its haters, but one of the few that may not is Baldur's Gate 3, which proves why it is the best sword-and-sorcery effort thus far. It has the pulpy feel of the genre, and while the narrative stakes are high, the story centers on the protagonist's quest to find a cure for themselves. Baldur's Gate 3 is a passion project of epic proportions, creating a flawless game where players use steel and spell to defeat everyone in their way.
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