Fantasy games are all about transporting players to a brand new world teeming with unique monsters and exciting areas to explore.
Whether you enjoy the traditional Dungeons & Dragons style of fantasy or the more recent gritty take on the genre, there is surely a game out there for you.
Below, we’ll be taking a look at some of Steam’s best fantasy games.
10. South Park Franchise
| Genre: | RPG |
| Developers: | Obsidian Entertainment and Ubisoft San Francisco |
| Release Date: | March 4, 2014 and October 16, 2017 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | N/A |
| Average Playtime: | 11 hours and 17 hours |
The South Park games are far better than they have any right to be. Usually, games based on TV shows or movies are made to simply generate as much revenue as possible by cashing in on the famous property.
However, it is clear that so much love and passion went into making the two South Park RPGs, and we commend Matt Stone and Trey Parker for going the extra mile for their fans.
The gameplay of both South Park: The Stick of Truth and South Park: The Fractured But Whole don’t break new ground when it comes to turn-based RPGs.
However, where these games shine is with their comedy and visual humor. The effects in these games are great. Each character will have a different animation if they are afflicted with Poison or Burned debuffs.
Little things like this go a long way to making the game feel more authentic. Additionally, the dialogue is top-notch, and we would expect nothing less from the comedic geniuses behind the hit show.
Both these games go above and beyond regarding fourth-wall breaks as well. Cartman will actively berate you as a player for trying to input cheat codes, and we all know about the infamous character creation/difficulty selection combination by now.
If you’re looking for more of a pure fantasy game, South Park: The Stick of Truth leans more into a typical fantasy aesthetic. However, both these games are great, and we recommend checking them out.
9. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age
| Genre: | RPG, Adventure |
| Developers: | Square Enix |
| Release Date: | December 4, 2020 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | N/A |
| Average Playtime: | 58 hours |
Dragon Quest is one of the most popular franchises of all time.
Dragon Quest XI delivers more traditional JRPG turn-based goodness in this latest installment because if the formula isn’t broken, there’s no reason to change it.
The beautiful art style explodes with color and makes for a nice change of pace when compared to more modern fantasy games like Dark Souls.
The gameplay is easy to pick up and fun to execute, making Dragon Quest super accessible for both newcomers to the franchise and veterans alike.
This goes doubly so for the story. Curious onlookers should not be deterred just because this is the eleventh game in the franchise.
The story here is brand new, and no prior knowledge of Dragon Quest is needed to enjoy it. For a more lighthearted fantasy game, be sure to check out Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age.
8. Okami HD
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developers: | CAPCOM Co., Ltd. |
| Release Date: | December 12, 2017 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | N/A |
| Average Playtime: | 33 hours |
The original Okami was a cult classic game. Utilizing traditional Japanese calligraphy as a means of combat was an ingenious decision by the developers.
Playing the entire game as a wolf was a unique experience and made combat that much more interesting.
The art style was gorgeous and perfectly integrated traditional Japanese art and brushstrokes into its world.
Okami HD is more of what you know and love, just given a fresh coat of paint. Okami was already a gorgeously vibrant game that made a name for itself because of its amazing visuals.
Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the PlayStation 2, we could never experience the true vision the developers intended for us.
Thankfully, the HD remake solves all of these problems allowing us to play the game as intended.
Okami is a fantasy game, but one that borrows a lot from Japanese mythology. Most of the enemies will be inspired by some form of Japanese traditional monster or Yokai.
Okami is a great game and definitely deserves to be checked out.
7. Undertale
| Genre: | RPG |
| Developers: | tobyfox |
| Release Date: | September 15, 2015 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | N/A |
| Average Playtime: | 6 hours |
There isn’t much to say about Undertale that hasn’t been said already. The game is a masterpiece of both game design and storytelling.
Taking inspiration from the popular Earthbound and Mother games, Undertale takes players on a crazy journey through a unique fantasy land.
Over the course of this journey, you will have the option to spare or slaughter each enemy you encounter.
Depending on your choices, you will arrive at one of several different endings, some of which host the most difficult boss battles in the entire game.
Where Undertale truly shines is in its avant-garde storytelling. Players that have experienced Mother games before will know just how crazy things can get, and Undertale is no exception.
The dialogue here can make you laugh, cry, and question your sanity in a single playthrough. The fantasy elements of Undertale don’t fall into a traditional Dungeons & Dragons mold, but the game has a unique identity because of this.
Undertale is a game that needs to be experienced to get the full effect of what makes it so special. We highly recommend checking it out if you have yet to play it.
6. Monster Hunter World
| Genre: | Action, RPG, Adventure |
| Developers: | CAPCOM Co., Ltd. |
| Release Date: | August 9, 2018 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online Co-op |
| Average Playtime: | 48 hours |
Monster Hunter is a franchise built around its unique monsters and brutal difficulty. The game isn’t that accessible to new players as not only are the bosses tricky to take down for veterans, but the multitude of game mechanics make it near impossible for newcomers.
That being said, those who stick with the game will be met with one of the deepest and most fun game franchises out there.
Monster Hunter is a gauntlet of increasingly difficult boss battles, each creature taking inspiration from various Japanese and otherworldly mythology.
There are tons of weapons for you to try out to suit your play style better. If you enjoy fast-paced combat where you can dish out as many hits as possible, the dual blades are for you.
However, if you prefer landing one meaty hit, maybe try out the katana. Tons of quality-of-life improvements have been added to the newer generation of Monster Hunter games to make things more accessible to new players.
Grappling and mounting help to speed up boss fights by dealing extra damage while also keeping gameplay fresh. Additionally, a canine companion has been added to reduce the tedium of walking between each numbered zone.
Monster Hunter is a hard game to get into but one that is very satisfying once you master the controls.
5. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
| Genre: | MMO, RPG |
| Developers: | Square Enix |
| Release Date: | February 18, 2014 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online Co-op, Online PvP |
| Average Playtime: | 106 hours |
Final Fantasy XIV is currently the go-to MMORPG for pay-to-play fans. The game had been in the shadows of World of Warcraft since its release (toted as WoW for anime fans).
However, as World of Warcraft started to fall off, Final Fantasy XIV continued to make improvements and listen to its player base.
What makes Final Fantasy XIV such a good game is that it manages to strike a perfect balance between hardcore endgame raids and casual idle content.
There are tons of late-game things to do in Final Fantasy XIV, with the true endgame raids often requiring tons of practice with each player in some kind of voice call.
However, there is also so much to do if you don’t enjoy questing, and this is why Final Fantasy XIV has such a large player base. Lots of players continue their subscription to the game and log in every day just to chat with their friends.
Constructing the perfect outfit for your character is considered by many players to be the true endgame of Final Fantasy XIV. Additionally, decorating the interior of one’s house can also be very time-consuming.
Lima Lominsa makes for a great hangout spot where you can chat with the locals or engage in some roleplay.
Another great thing about Final Fantasy XIV is the ability to play every job on a single character. If you feel like healing on a particular day, switch to your White Mage. Or, if you feel like tanking, change to your Paladin.
For this reason, Final Fantasy XIV is almost infinitely replayable. Even if you manage to create the perfect armor set and defeat every dungeon or raid, you are free to do all of these things again as a different job.
Each job comes with unique abilities and cooldowns that need to be mastered, making the game that much more satisfying once you are in full control.
Final Fantasy XIV is the go-to MMORPG at the moment, and while it does cost a monthly subscription fee, it is more than worth it.
4. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
| Genre: | Action, RPG, First-Person |
| Developers: | Bethesda Games Studios |
| Release Date: | October 27, 2016 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | N/A |
| Average Playtime: | 34 hours |
Skyrim is a game that just refuses to die. Having been released on so many different platforms since its debut, there is no excuse for having not played this game before.
What’s great about Skyrim is its vast open world filled to the brim with things to do. Some people have logged 1000 plus hours into Skyrim who still manage to come across NPCs or hidden grottos they have never found before.
The game incentivizes exploring its sprawling world and rewards you with even more content. A small cave as part of a seemingly unimportant sidequest may lead you to an entire underground kingdom filled with mini-bosses and a rare weapon at the end of it.
The reason Skyrim has been released again and again is that the game is almost infinitely replayable.
Not only are there tons of different endings to certain questlines, but the various classes make the game a different experience each time through.
Playing through Skyrim as an Archer, for example, is much different than playing through as a Mage.
Furthermore, if you somehow manage to unearth every last pixel of content programmed into the base Skyrim game and its multiple DLCs, the game has a huge modding scene that introduces tons of new quests and mechanics for you to check out.
These mods are purely community-driven, meaning that the only limit to available content is the free time of players across the globe.
Skyrim is the epitome of fantasy. Ogres, dungeons, and dragons are common enemies waiting to be felled by a mighty warrior clad in armor.
3. God of War
| Genre: | Action, RPG |
| Developers: | Santa Monica Studio |
| Release Date: | Jan 14, 2022 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | N/A |
| Average Playtime: | 20 hours |
The newest God of War game is very different from the original God of War trilogy or even the several spinoffs.
God of War has always been a game about dishing out violent combos on a blood-soaked quest for revenge. The game never shied away from its gore and raunchier elements, even going so far as to include a QuickTime event in which you participate in a threesome.
Naturally, a game like this thrived in a fast-paced narrative with witty dialogue and high-octane gameplay.
The newest God of War is almost the complete opposite. In this game, you play as a matured Kratos. Kratos and his son must travel to the top of a large mountain in order to spread his deceased wife’s ashes as per her dying wish.
This type of story is a huge departure from what we’ve seen previously, and many fans were worried about the game’s success because of it.
Luckily, now that the game is here, we can confidently say that this shift in direction was a fantastic choice.
This slower-paced and deeper narrative suits a more mature Kratos. No longer is he hellbent on revenge; he is now grieving over his lost wife and must take care of his son.
The gameplay here also reflects this. No longer are we in a top-down hack-and-slash. Instead, we play in the third person over the shoulder and don’t even receive the patented God of War chain blades until about halfway through the game.
The new God of War is very different from its predecessors. However, if you can overlook the change in direction, there is a great game to be found here, and we highly recommend checking it out if you have not done so already.
2. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
| Genre: | Action, RPG |
| Developers: | Square Enix |
| Release Date: | June 17, 2022 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | N/A |
| Average Playtime: | 33 hours |
Final Fantasy VII is one of the greatest fantasy JRPGs ever made. It revolutionized the JRPG genre and turned a generation of gamers onto similar types of turn-based games.
Naturally, when it came time to create a full HD remake of an old-school Final Fantasy title, there was really only ever one game in the running.
Final Fantasy VII Remake includes everything fans loved about the original while modernizing things about the PlayStation classic that haven’t aged too well.
Let’s start off with the gameplay. The traditional turn-based combat found in most JRPGs is replaced in the remake with real-time action combat. Turn-based games more than have a place in the modern era, but they aren’t for everyone. Real-time action has also become the standard of modern Final Fantasy games since Final Fantasy 15.
The combat in Final Fantasy VII Remake is great, and switching between characters on the fly switches up the gameplay a lot. You can still use a menu to select different abilities or magic, which is a nice nod to the fans of yesteryear.
The story is where a lot of people would start to complain about this remake. The game heavily leans into its anime aesthetics which not everyone loves. However, we think it’s great that once forgotten characters like Jessie, now receive tons more backstory and dedicated voice actors.
Also, it should be stated that this is not the full Final Fantasy VII game. This remake only captures the first section of the original game. The reason this is only half a game (aside from money reasons) is that there is so much new content here.
As mentioned, Jessie is now a fully fleshed-out character, and we spend a lot of time getting to know her. Yes, there is an argument to be made that this pads the game, but we are all for expanding the world of Final Fantasy VII, considering how amazing that world is.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a great game and honors the source material as best as it can. We are excited for the follow-up and look forward to hopefully completing this saga.
1. Elden Ring
| Genre: | Action, RPG |
| Developers: | FromSoftware |
| Release Date: | February 24, 2022 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP, Online Co-op |
| Average Playtime: | 56 hours |
Elden Ring is a hard game. Even the most seasoned of video game warriors will struggle to make it through this game without dying at least a couple dozen times.
However, those that persevere to the very end will have experienced one of the greatest games in recent memory and one of the strongest contenders for the game of the year 2022.
Let’s start off by praising the aforementioned gameplay of Elden Ring. As a From Software title, this game was designed from the ground up to be as brutally difficult as possible.
Not only can bosses kill you in a single hit, but random enemies roaming about the overworld can also pose a significant threat if you aren’t prepared.
Each boss has a select number of attacks and movement options, and through your many deaths, you will need to devise the best strategy for taking them down.
Much like Dark Souls but unlike Bloodborne, Elden Ring leans heavily into its fantasy aesthetic. Hulking knights, dragons, and demons can all be found throughout the world of Elden Ring, waiting to be slain.
Additionally, the NPCs all feel fantastical as well, and the game encourages you to follow NPCs you connect with to one of several final endings.
Elden Ring is very replayable as well. Not only are there several different endings for players to see, but several different classes and weapons to try out as well.
Experiencing Elden Ring as a swordsman, for example, is completely different from experiencing it as a mage.
It is very fun to go back and take on bosses again as a different class. All in all, Elden Ring is the most fantasy-like game in recent memory.
Elden Ring more than lived up to the immense hype surrounding its inevitable release, and gaming masochists around the globe will continue to sing its praises until the end of time.
There should be no shame in looking up Elden Ring guides as you play through the game, and we highly recommend those yet to check it out to do so at their earliest convenience.
