5 dark fantasy RPGs to play ahead of House of the Dragon

Players explore two separate paths through a bitter wasteland, ultimately joining forces to survive fearsome adversaries called the Dredge. Choices have consequences, because the game was developed with an important philosophy in mind: “If there’s nothing at stake there’s nothing to invest in.” Not everyone will survive to see the credits roll. Who lives and who dies is largely up to the player, as well as the whims of a dangerous environment brought to life with deceptively vibrant visuals. A winter sun promises pain every bit as readily as overcast skies.

3

Elden Ring (2022)

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco

George R. R. Martin hears often from fans upset he hasn’t finished writing his main series, but some of his side projects are cool enough to inspire forgiveness. Take Elden Ring, for example.

Building on lore developed by Martin, Elden Ring features a grim world with heroes, darkness, betrayal, and renewal on an epic scale. Hidetaka Miyazaki, best known for Dark Souls, directs a game that features challenging combat and a fantastic kingdom on the brink of annihilation. Its open world gives players one reason after another to keep going, even when progression becomes maddeningly difficult.

Developer FromSoftware also released an expansion, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, providing a next-level challenge with a meaty side story that ensures fans of the base game can spend even more time diving through Martin’s unique lore.

4

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (2025)

Image: Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver

As a fantasy epic, Game of Thrones features magical creatures, like dragons. It gets the most mileage from the interactions between people, however, something it has in common with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

Developed by Warhorse Studios, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 introduces an ordinary man named Henry of Skalitz who lives in Bohemia during the 15th century. The nation struggles in the grip of a civil war, one that pushes Henry through a medieval world full of intrigue, betrayal, kings, and paupers. It benefits from many of the same ingredients that make Westeros so compelling, offering tales of adventure without the romanticized settings that make the stakes in some other RPGs ring hollow. History was messy and, playing as Henry, you will be too.

5

Dragon Age: Origins (2009)

Like the other titles on this list, Dragon Age: Origins explores dark fantasy with a side of heroic behavior. It served as a spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, which developer BioWare worked on previously.

Dragon Age: Origins features a lengthy single-player campaign focused on “The Warden,” who wanders an often oppressive environment alongside memorable companions. The story develops based on the race and character class the player selects, but betrayal and heroism are always part of the mix. Players found the package compelling enough to buy millions of copies, leading to a number of sequels that continue the story (including Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024, which focused on friend groups).

Fantasy might be bright and cheerful, grim and dark, or somewhere in between. You can engage with the tone and content that interest you, even after the Game of Thrones well runs dry. If your idea of a good time is dreary and dire, start with one of the games listed above and see what develops. You may just feel like you’re back home in Westeros.