There are tons of video game locations you’d probably love to visit if you could, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if some of your top picks were fantasy settings. There’s just so much to love about a beautifully crafted fantasy world and all the rich history and lore that can be found all around only makes things all the better.
Even within the fantasy genre, the different settings can seriously vary. While some games will aim for a classical fantasy setting, others may add in a few twists of their own or even turn to the sci-fi genre to make things even more stylized. Here are some of the best of the best when it comes to fantasy settings.
10 Genshin Impact
In what is easily one of the most stunning fantasy settings in recent years, the shockingly free-to-play Genshin Impact has amazed people since its launch. The vibrant world may not be the most populated on the list, but it’s one of the nicest to look at.
You can stop at just about any cliff and be amazed by the beautiful mountain, towns in the distance, and new plains to explore. Every area feels like classic fantasy with a bit of an anime-inspired twist, making each and every location pop out at you.
9 The Witcher 3
The world you get to explore in The Witcher 3 may not be one of the biggest around, but there sure is a lot to do and a lot to find. There are a number of regions you can explore but Velen, The Skellige Isles, and Novigrad have to be some of the best.
Rather than trying to present itself as a brighter world, The Witcher 3 is filled with dreary stories, and the setting matches that. Plenty of players will notice the Hanged Man’s Tree quite quickly, and that’s a perfect representation of what the rest of the world will be like.
8 Oblivion
It shouldn’t surprise you to see Oblivion on a list like this. While the game has become a subject of many memes over the years, tons of people still go back to this gem of the RPG genre when they get their fill of Skyrim.
It’s not as pretty as some other worlds from a graphical standpoint, but the game does the classic fantasy setting perfectly. Adventuring around on foot rarely feels as good as in Oblivion and a large part of that is the sprawling world of Cyrodiil.
7 Final Fantasy 7 Remake
The original Final Fantasy 7 absolutely has an incredible and unique fantasy setting, but the remake takes things to a whole new level with just how beautiful the world looks. Exploring the slums was everything you could have hoped for when playing the original version of the game.
The unique and dreary atmosphere never makes the game feel bleak, and instead, the entire world feels unique to explore. With heavily populated areas and dangerous paths to travel, it’s hard to imagine anyone not loving this game’s world.
6 Tales Of Symphonia
The thing that makes Tales Of Symphonia’s world so much better than many others, even others in the same series, is the duality of the worlds in the game. You don’t just get to explore the slowly dying Sylvarant, you also get to explore the thriving Tethe’alla.
You get to experience a quite typical fantasy setting before the world gets a lot more technology mixed into things, and that’s before you ever manage to step foot in Derris-Kharlan. You get a lot of variety here, and that makes traveling all over feel new every couple of hours.
5 Bloodborne
The incredibly gothic-inspired Soulslike game Bloodborne was an absolute gem of the series, and still remains a favorite in the entire Souls line-up of games to many people. Every street and corridor in this game feels creepy in entirely different ways from ordinary creepy.
The game often looks as if someone horribly misread Alice In Wonderland and decided that a world like that should be translated into Victorian England. It’s a haunting joy to experience, but one that is likely to scare you as much as it will amaze you.
4 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
Many fantasy games offer expansive worlds with tons of different towns and regions to explore, but the classic Metroidvania Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night takes a different approach by locking you inside a single gothic castle.
That may sound a bit bland for someone who’s never played it, but exploring Dracula’s castle is one of the best experiences you could have had on the original PlayStation. Every inch of the castle drips with charm, and things only get more interesting if you figure out how to invert the castle.
3 Dark Souls
It would be impossible to create a list like this without mentioning Dark Souls. It may be one of the bleakest and most challenging games in all of fantasy, but its world is one of the most impressive ever put on home consoles.
Nearly the entire world is completely interconnected only serving to make the entire experience all the more immersive. The world covers just about every theme you could think of in some way, allowing for variety while adhering to some of the biggest fantasy classics.
2 Chrono Trigger
You can debate about whether or not Chrono Trigger counts as a fantasy game, but even if you only count a few of its eras as true fantasy locations, the game would still make the list. Chrono Trigger has some of the best and most unique locations in any game.
Traveling across time to explore the same world has never been as exciting as it is in Chrono Trigger, and the many things to do and find help with that fact. It’s not every day that you can fight a giant skeleton and then go back in time to cut up some dinosaurs.
1 Skyrim
It would be impossible to overlook Skyrim at this point. The game has become a staple on pretty much every modern console despite it being over a decade old at this point. The home of the Nords might sound like it would get boring thanks to all that snow, but it’s surprisingly varied.
Whether you prefer exploring forests, vast expanses, dank caves, or beautiful cities, there is something for everyone in this fantasy setting. Things are only made better by the fact that Dragons are flying around the whole time just waiting for a good slaying.