Elden Ring vs Skyrim: An Open World Face-Off

Choosing a side in the Elden Ring vs Skyrim debate can be tricky, especially if you’re gaming on a budget. After all, both are genre-defining titles with massive fan bases and a lot of content. However, picking out the right one between the two is tougher, as we’re essentially comparing apples and oranges.

Hence, this breakdown. To help you make your choice, we’ll go through the different aspects that make up an open-world RPG, and compare and contrast how both Elden Ring and Skyrim handle them. Hopefully by the end, you’ll have enough information to pick out which of the two best fits your playstyle.

Elden Ring vs Skyrim: Overview

Before we begin a dive into these two excellent titles, let’s take a quick overview of both.

Elden Ring was released in 2022. It was developed by FromSoftware, the same studio that gave us the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows die Twice, and Armored Core, among others.

This difficult dynamic action game and open world RPG won a ton of awards, too many for me to list here. It was also Bandai Namco’s fastest-selling game of all time, with over 30 million sales in 2025. Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4/5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Switch 2.

Skyrim is the fifth main entry in Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls series. Even though there’s more than a ten-year gap since its release (2011), Skyrim is still a fantastic open-world RPG slash sandbox, where players embark on an epic quest at their own pace. Coincidentally, Skyrim’s age also means that you don’t need a premium gaming PC to enjoy it.

As with Elden Ring, Skyrim is both massively popular and fun, and tons of people still play Skyrim today. Skyrim also won a ton of awards and was rated one of the best video games of all time by several publications. Skyrim is available on PC, PS3/4/5, Xbox 360/One/Series X/S, and Switch.

It’s worth noting that both Elden Ring and Skyrim are playable across a range of consoles, which makes them two of the best cross-platform games available today.

Do note, however, that while I’d personally pick Elden Ring, both are 100% worth playing, as you’ll see below.

Elden Ring

Our Score	Enebameter ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
Platforms	PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Year of Release	2022
Developer	FromSoftware
Publisher	Bandai Namco Entertainment
Average Playtime	~80 hours per character, dependent on player skill
Metacritic Score	96

I don’t mean to oversell it, but playing Elden Ring is an experience that changes you, and that’s not just a meme. Elden Ring is the current magnum opus of the Soulslike genre, and while there are many games like Elden Ring, nothing else comes close.

As a Tarnished of no renown, a literal nobody, you’ll need to dive deep into the Lands Between and square off with monstrosities, demigods, and pantheons of old. Your ultimate goal in this endeavor will be to become the new Elden Lord by assembling the many runes that comprise it.

Make no mistake, this is not an easy task. The denizens of the Lands Between are more than ready to kick your ass, and you’ll need to not only level up your character, but your skill at the game as well. Luckily, there’s a vast array of tools to help you get ahead, such as consumables, equipment, magic, and more that are ready to help you seize victory.

While Elden Ring iterates on much of its predecessors’ mechanics, where it truly shines is in its story and massive open world. 

This handcrafted world, built by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding assistance from George R.R. Martin, is lush with flavor and history no matter where you travel. The Lands Between lacks nothing in terms of scale, and due to just how big it is, you’ll always feel like a badass underdog hero whenever you claim a major victory. 

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Our Score	Enebameter ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
Platforms	PC, Nintendo Switch, PS3/4/5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Year of Release	2011
Developer	Bethesda
Publisher	Bethesda
Average Playtime	Variable (moddable)
Metacritic Score	96

Skyrim is probably the textbook definition of “old but gold”. Despite it being released over a decade ago, Skyrim is still immensely popular.

In Skyrim, you’ll start the game as a mere prisoner about to be executed for a crime you may or may not have committed. Luckily for you, your execution was delayed by a dragon attack, and luckily for the world, you survived. As the mythical Dragonborn, you alone have the power to permanently slay these dreadful monsters.

In Skyrim, you are the hero of legend. Chief among the Dovahkiin’s abilities is their unparalleled mastery of the Thu’um, the language that dragons use to command their awesome powers. Couple that with the ability to develop your character any way you wish across 18 skill trees, and you’ve got a match made in heaven.

But while you are the Dragonborn, and are treated as such, there’s barely any railroading in Skyrim. The baleful Alduin will patiently wait as you take the game at your own pace, whether it’s because you’re deep in its “learn by doing” style leveling, exploring the vast plains, picturesque valleys, deep dungeons, ancient ruins, and impossibly steep mountains of Skyrim.

All of this to say that Skyrim boasts unparalleled open world freedom, making it one of the best open world games you can pick up. I’d argue that it’s almost as much a sandbox as it is an RPG since you can play Skyrim however you wish.

Elden Ring vs Skyrim: Gameplay & Mechanics

I prefaced the comparison of these two masterpieces as apples and oranges, and nowhere is this more visible than in their approach to combat and game mechanics.

Let’s break down how both of them challenge the player to survive in their respective worlds.

Elden Ring

As I mentioned earlier, Elden Ring is a Soulslike. FromSoft did start the genre, and Elden Ring is the pinnacle of Soulslike combat, as you’ll see below:

• Combat in Elden Ring is swift and brutal, but methodical, While it’s not at the mechanical precision of Sekiro (and Sekiro vs Elden Ring is a whole other debate), the FromSoftware standards hold true. As with previous titles, use your head, observe your foe, and don’t blindly attack lest you want to get sent back to the last Grace you touched.
• This means that there’s a large emphasis on player skill. Mastering the game’s many offensive and defensive layers, such as jump attacks, guard counters, dodge rolls, and the game’s precise hitboxes, among others, is a core part of the game loop.
• Learning to manage your resources is also key. Regardless of whether it’s choosing to use your stamina for defense or offense, drinking your last flask while dungeon diving, or selecting FP-efficient magic spells for exploration, you will need to learn to pace yourself.
• Lastly, there is both co-op and PVP, though both are optional. Whether it’s tackling fierce foes together with friends or randoms, or invading another Tarnished’s world, you can choose when to engage with others or if you want to do it at all.

Elden Ring Nightreign

Our Score	Enebameter ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
Platforms	PC, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Year of Release	2025
Developer	FromSoftware
Publisher	Bandai Namco Entertainment
Average Playtime	Variable
Metacritic Score	77

If you ever wished that Elden Ring was a much bigger multiplayer game, let me introduce you to Elden Ring Nightreign.

This spin-off condenses the Elden Ring experience into a roughly 40-minute package. In Nightreign, you’ll team up with 2 other Nightfarers to face off against the Night, a dangerous phenomenon that came about as a byproduct of the Shattering, and all the lore implications that have. No spoilers from me. Go watch YouTube videos.

Make no mistake: yes, Nightreign has a very different structure from Elden Ring, but it’s just as hard. You’ll find that Nightreign also demands that you learn new skills, such as maximizing your very limited time per day and adapting to the shrinking ring of rain that forces you to certain map zones. Remember: be willing to learn.

Each of the 8 playable Nightfarers has their own character skills, Ultimate Arts, stat spread, and weapon preferences, and you’ll need to learn how to maximize each of them. You’ll also have to learn how not to loot goblin every single piece of gear you see and analyze which of your team members would best benefit from this item.

Like every FromSoftware video game, with patience and persistence comes mastery. While you’ll be flailing about and likely dying to everything at the start, you’ll slowly but surely git gud together, which makes this one of the best co-op games to play if you and your friends like a challenge. The feeling of being a core part of a smooth, powerful team is second to none.

Skyrim

Skyrim, on the other hand, is much more forgiving than Elden Ring, and has a different approach to combat as you’ll see below:

• Skyrim’s combat is closer to traditional RPGs. In Skyrim, enemies are much more forgiving, and non-boss foes are typically just chaff for you to cut down. Note that you can tweak the difficulty settings if you’re looking for a harder or easier challenge, though this is the typical health and damage multiplier for foes.
• Skyrim’s combat is way more accessible compared to Elden Ring, and is less skill-dependent. You’ll always feel like a powerful hero in Skyrim, and unless you really foul up your build, which is hard to do, you typically won’t run into any trouble.
• There’s no need to carefully manage your resources in Skyrim. While things may be tough at the start, all you need to do is grab a healing spell, nab some food and alchemy ingredients, go to a town, and bam: theoretically infinite consumables.
• Finally, there’s no built-in co-op mode in Skyrim, though you can get NPC companions to help you. However, there is a mod that allows you to play together with friends.

Skyrim Anniversary Edition

Our Score	Enebameter ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
Platforms	PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Year of Release	2021
Developer	Bethesda
Publisher	Bethesda
Average Playtime	Variable (moddable)
Metacritic Score	84

With so many Skyrim editions floating around (thanks, Todd Howard), you might be at a loss as to which version to get. I’d strongly suggest getting Skyrim Anniversary Edition, simply because it’s the definitive collection of all Skyrim’s official content, as well as Creation Club content. 

Each of the Anniversary Edition’s 3 DLCs adds new content in the form of new areas to explore, new gear to get, more questlines and stories to untangle, and a deeper dive into the lore. Apart from this, you get even more free content in the form of 74 free Creation Club mods. All told, this totals about 500 new gameplay elements for Skyrim.

Last, but definitely not least, is that Anniversary Edition is version 1.6, compared to the Special Edition’s final version of 1.59. This means that Anniversary Edition has gotten an extra stability and next-gen improvements patch, especially since it was compiled in a later version of Visual Studio. It’s still Bethesda, though, so do expect some hilarious bugs down the line.

Elden Ring vs Skyrim: World Design & Exploration

Both Elden Ring and Skyrim are open-world games, but they handle this aspect differently.

Elden Ring

If you’ve played any previous FromSoftware titles, you know the drill by now:

• While Elden Ring is an open-world game, much of its exploration is driven by player agency and natural exploration. The desolation of the Lands Between is such that it encourages you to pick a direction and wander, and the world map has no labels, just figures that might indicate a point of interest.
  
• There’s extremely minimal handholding in the Lands Between. Some areas have visual cues and landmarks to help you find them, but many areas and even side areas in legacy dungeons will go unnoticed if you don’t pay attention.
  
• Design-wise, the Lands Between is an incredibly vertical map. Jumping around and looking for places to safely drop will lead you to a lot of bonus areas.
  
• Lastly, Elden Ring’s map is surprisingly interconnected, with dungeons leading to out-of-reach treasures, waygates to ports to far-off areas, and a healthy dose of “oh, that’s how I get here.” But despite this size, the game’s programming keeps unrendered areas in low resolution, which means you don’t need a top-tier gaming laptop to enjoy this title.

Skyrim

Skyrim takes a much more proactive approach to exploration.

• Tamriel’s iconic landscapes are much more lived-in than the Lands Between, and as such, exploration is driven both by player agency and direction offered by the game’s many quests and NPCs.
  
• Some handholding is available in Skyrim. Not only is the world map more informative, but there are also quest markers to point you towards points of interest, where you can find anything from environmental skeletons to some of the most iconic weapons and relics in the Elder Scrolls series, the Daedric Artifacts.
  
• While there is some handholding in Skyrim, ultimately, it’s your choice whether you want to follow markers or explore and stumble on new content on your own. Yes, dialogue options may reveal quests and points of interest, but it’s your choice whether to do that or find stuff more organically.
  
• Skyrim features a blend of horizontal and vertical exploration. But even though it’s not on the “micro” scale like Elden Ring, there are mysteries and loot aplenty to be found both on vast taigas and frozen peaks.

Elden Ring vs Skyrim: Story

When it comes to telling a tale, Elden Ring and Skyrim couldn’t be more different. Let’s run through how each video game immerses you in its narrative.

Elden Ring

As expected from a FromSoftware game, Elden Ring bears their signature style of storytelling:

• Elden Ring utilizes a fragmented narrative to deliver its story. While you are given the premise and ultimate goal at the start of the game, much of the story must be deciphered on your own.
  
• This leads to a breadcrumbs-like design where you must seek out information through tertiary information. Playing Elden Ring for the story means you need to carefully examine item descriptions and pay attention to its environmental storytelling.
  
• While there is a small cast of NPCs in the game, remember that just as you, they may or may not be lying to move you towards aligning your goals with your own. Throughout the whole game, objective information is hard to come across, and the ambiguity that NPCs offer via dialogue can both help and hinder.
  
• Lastly, since much of the information you get is filtered through NPCs and item descriptions, Elden Ring encourages you to come up with your own interpretation of what is “right” and “wrong”.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (DLC)

Our Score	Enebameter ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
Platforms	PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Year of Release	2024
Developer	FromSoftware
Publisher	Bandai Namco Entertainment
Average Playtime	~50 hours
Metacritic Score	94

FromSoftware gave us the much-awaited Shadow of the Erdtree in 2024, and while it helped clarify some things in the story, in the end, it gave us more questions than answers.

In Shadow of the Erdtree, the Tarnished embarks on a new journey to the Land of Shadow in pursuit of the demigod Miquella. What nobody expected was just how massive this new area would be. Miyazaki frequently claimed that, “It’s about the size of Limgrave”, but the truth is it’s a dense and huge video game map with multiple layers to dissect.

Shadow of the Erdtree gave Elden Ring players more of what they wanted. The Lands of Shadow are chock-full of new, fearsome foes, high-quality gear, more sorceries and incantations, and big, big lore drops.

Without spoiling too much, Shadow of the Erdtree recontextualizes much of what you think you know about Queen Marika. Many things are touched on as well, such as St. Trina, the jar warriors, other Tarnished followers of the Demigods, and ultimately, what it means to claim the title of Elden Lord.

Skyrim

Skyrim takes another approach:

• Unlike Elden Ring, Skyrim utilizes the traditional approach to storytelling. There’s a clear main questline to follow, as well as well-defined substeps to achieving this goal.

• Additional information is readily available. Not only are there a wealth of NPCs with extensive, voiced dialogue (as well as your own dialogue options) to help clarify the world of Skyrim, but there are also history books and other reading materials to enrich your experience. And no, you don’t need to have played the other The Elder Scrolls games to appreciate Skyrim.

• Side quests are more apparent. Instead of digging through item descriptions and trying to match things with the game world in Elden Ring, each side quest in Skyrim is its own self-contained pocket, with notes, visual cues, and other environmental storytelling elements helping you understand what’s going on.

Skyrim: Dragonborn

Our Score	Enebameter ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
Platforms	PC, Nintendo Switch, PS3/4/5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Year of Release	2012
Developer	Bethesda
Publisher	Bethesda
Average Playtime	~20 hours
Metacritic Score	82

As if base Skyrim wasn’t enough of an incredible open world RPG, along came the final expansion, Dragonborn. This DLC completes the Skyrim DLC package, and in my opinion, completes the heroic role-play fantasy that Skyrim does so well.

In Dragonborn, you’ll need to sail to the island of Solstheim, a hybrid settlement featuring both Skyrim’s Nords and the Dunmer, and yes, it’s basically a love letter to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. On this island, you’ll be able to fight new foes, forge (or scavenge) more gear, meet new NPCs, and delve into new dungeons.

Befitting its name, the Dragonborn DLC further augments your draconic strength with new Dragon Shouts: Cyclone, a stronger version of Unrelenting Force, Dragon Aspect, which turns you into a powerful dragon hybrid, and Battle Fury, which augments nearby allies’ attack speed.

However, the most prominent Dragon Shout in the DLC has to be Bend Will, which does exactly as its name suggests. The best part, however, is once you have all three words, in which case, Bend Will allows you to temporarily tame and ride dragons. What better way to show them that humanity won’t take things lying down?

Elden Ring vs Skyrim: Visuals and Art Style

Now, let’s talk about the visuals in both Elden Ring and Skyrim. Each of them has its own philosophy when it comes to how they present the world, as you’ll see below.

Elden Ring

If you’ve played any of the Dark Souls series, Elden Ring’s aesthetics should come as no surprise to you:

• Elden Ring’s visual style is best described as a blend of high fantasy and gothic or cosmic horror. But no matter where you go in the Lands Between, playing Elden Ring always inspires a feeling of majesty.
  
• Alongside this regal feeling is a pervading melancholy. From crumbling castles to desolate forts and even the much-touted capital of Leyndell, everything says, “there was something beautiful here once, but now it’s gone.”
  
• Complementing this feeling of something missing is the minimalist but impactful sound design. Music is scant, save for boss fights and key moments. Only legacy dungeons have a dedicated soundtrack, and even then, these tracks are muted and serve to highlight Elden Ring’s story rather than convey a feeling.

Skyrim

Skyrim, on the other hand, could be seen as taking the opposite stance:

• Skyrim’s visual design is straight-up fantasy. Rooted in real-world history, it may be, but what you get here is straight out of epics of yore. When you play Skyrim, you feel like you’re in a living, breathing fantasy world.
  
• As Skyrim is the province of the Nords, there’s a very Nordic aesthetic in everything: from rustic log cabins to grandiose yet practical hill forts. The natural environment is just as impressive, from snow-capped peaks, lush forests, foggy marshes, and rocky hills. It’s tempting to play Skyrim just to freely roam and take in the scenery, especially if you’ve got a great gaming monitor to go along with it.
  
• Unlike Elden Ring, Skyrim’s sound design is more overt. From the iconic main theme to the booming chants of “One They Fear” and the relaxing strings of “The Streets of Whiterun”, there’s a perfect mix of epic and ambient soundtracks, all of which help fully immerse you in this hero’s tale. 

Elden Ring vs Skyrim: Progression & Customization

No RPG is complete without a way to get stronger, and thankfully, both Elden Ring and Skyrim have unique ways to make your characters stronger.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring’s character development is as follows:

• There’s room for character growth. Each felled foe drops runes, which are both experience points and money. Even if the technical skill required might be on par with some fantastic fighting games, you can always grind to become stronger.
• You can level up once you get enough runes. Each level allows you to put one point in a stat of your choice: Vigor (HP), Mind (FP/MP), Endurance (Stamina and equip load), or one of the five damage stats: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane.
• The freedom to choose which stats to level up means that there are a lot of playstyles in Elden Ring. Whether you want to be a sword and board knight, a bastion equipped with a pike, a mage that flings sorceries from afar, a priest who calls on the divine, or a hybrid, there are no defined roles in the game.
• You can also respec in Elden Ring, though it requires both a limited item (18 per playthrough) and defeating an early game major boss.
• Finally, the level cap in Elden Ring is 713. You’re unable to level stats past 99 (and buffs beyond that point have no effect), so once all stats are capped, that’s it.

Skyrim

Now, on Skyrim’s side:

• Skyrim eschews the traditional experience point system for “learning by doing”. Swinging a one or two-handed weapon raises the corresponding skill, crafting raises their respective profession, and practicing magic from a school improves your ability. This is frequently referred to as skill experience/XP.
• Once you get enough skill XP, you level up. Leveling up not only lets you choose to raise your HP, MP, or Stamina by 10 points permanently, but also lets you pick a permanent perk on one of the 18 skill trees.
• The freedom to choose which skills to train means that Skyrim espouses a freeform playstyle. Regardless of whether you want to be a hulking fighter, a peerless mage, a stealth archer, or something in between, it all depends on your choice of which skills to practice in and what perks to pick. Once again, freedom in role-playing is emphasized.
• Skyrim does have a respec system, but it’s a lot more restrictive. To respec perks, you’ll need to own the Dragonborn DLC and complete its main quest, then offer a Dragon Soul for each skill tree you want to respec. You cannot respec your choice of more HP/MP/Stamina.
• Lastly, Skyrim has no level cap. Once a skill hits level 100, you’re given the option to make it Legendary. Legendary skills are reset to level 15, which allows you to grind them up again. Try not to Legendary your combat skills, though.

Final Verdict

Now, let’s summarize what we’ve gone over.

• Elden Ring emphasizes harsh, skill-based combat, free exploration with minimal handholding, a sad yet regal art style with minimalistic sound design, and traditional RPG progression. In short, if you want to struggle and grow as a result of the challenges you overcome, Elden Ring is probably what you want.
• Skyrim has more lenient combat, with an emphasis on player choice and freeform character progression via its skill level-up system. It also has more guided exploration while allowing the player the choice of tackling the map on their own, all backed with a powerful, evocative soundtrack and a Nordic aesthetic. If you want a more traditional power fantasy with the freedom to choose how you play, you should get Skyrim.

Like I said at the beginning, the debate of Elden Ring or Skyrim is comparing apples and oranges. However, if you have to play just one, I’d 100% recommend Elden Ring.

---

FAQs

Which is better, Elden Ring or Skyrim?

Personally, I prefer Elden Ring. However, this is a matter of personal taste, and you’ll find that both offer a unique experience.

Is Elden Ring bigger than Skyrim?

In terms of playable area, yes, Elden Ring is bigger than Skyrim. This is further compounded by the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which adds a ton of vertical layers.

Are Elden Ring and Skyrim connected?

No, Elden Ring and Skyrim aren’t connected. There are no cross-game references either, and connecting the two requires a massive leap in logic.

Is Elden Ring world bigger than Skyrim?

Lore-wise, Skyrim’s world is bigger. Elden Ring is a standalone IP, while Skyrim comes from the The Elder Scrolls series, which has been around since The Elder Scrolls: Arena in 1994. However, both have excellent world-building.

Is Elden Ring more difficult than Skyrim?

Yes, Elden Ring is much more difficult than Skyrim. Thanks to skill-based combat and high damage from both player and enemy sides, combat in Elden Ring is a much more rigorous challenge.