Best Games about Vikings to Play In 2024

The Scandinavian chill crept down the spine, and the sea wind nipped at the face. Wooden ships have landed on the shores, and sturdy, bearded warriors bring forth the TOP Viking-themed games you can play right now in 2024!

The aesthetic of cold-blooded, brutal heroes of their people captivates with a combination of masculinity and historical adventure. Among our selection, you'll find games of various genres, from turn-based strategies to adventure RPGs. Settle in comfortably with a hot drink – Viking cold might burn you.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an action-adventure game centered on a hero raised on tales of battles and warrior glory. Explore a vibrant open world set in the Dark Ages of England. Raid enemy territories and expand your settlement to secure your place among the gods in Valhalla.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is an action RPG where players take on the role of Eivor, a Viking raider leading their clan against Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. You can play as a male or female Eivor, customize their appearance, and wield a variety of weapons, including dual-wielding shields and greatswords. The game blends combat, exploration, and stealth, featuring mechanics like "Odin Sight" for scouting and "social stealth" for blending into crowds. If you like the look of the characters, check out Battlemerchant shop, where you'll find many themed leather goods to make you feel like a true inhabitant of Valhalla. With a rich open world, dynamic raids, and a focus on Viking culture, Valhalla offers both epic battles and immersive storytelling.

God of War: Ragnarök

Many years have passed since Kratos sought vengeance against the gods of Olympus. Now, he lives as a mortal in the realm of Norse gods and monsters. To survive in this harsh and unforgiving world, he must fight – and teach his son to do the same.

The game features combo-based combat, puzzle-solving, and RPG elements. Gameplay has been updated compared to the previous installment: alongside Kratos's signature weapons – the magical Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos – he now wields a magical spear, and his shield offers greater versatility with different types providing unique offensive and defensive abilities. To immerse yourself in the atmosphere, try on armor and weapons from Battlemerchant.com – you'll definitely find an axe just like Kratos'. His son Atreus, along with other characters, assists in battles and can be passively directed. For the first time in the series, players can fully control Atreus during specific story missions. His gameplay is similar to Kratos’s but focuses on his magical bow as his primary weapon.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim, a game that has earned over 200 "Game of the Year" awards, immerses players in a richly detailed fantasy world. Its atmosphere, steeped in the perilous beauty of nature, invites players to forge their paths toward thrilling adventures. Special attention goes to the Original Game Soundtrack, starting with the iconic Dragonborn theme, which exudes a strong Viking vibe. Tracks like Secunda and Winter's Tale add a cozy atmosphere, perfect for diving into a good fantasy adventure book.

Skyrim retains the open-world concept typical of The Elder Scrolls series, allowing players to freely explore the vast landscapes of Skyrim, including wild lands and towering mountains. Players can engage in activities like cooking, farming, smelting ores, or blacksmithing, and find teachers in cities to improve skills. The game offers about 300 hours of gameplay. As the player develops skills, their character levels up, with new items and stronger monsters appearing based on their level. There are no class systems; instead, players gain abilities through a constellation system. With 252 abilities across 50 levels, players can continue to level up beyond level 50 with certain patches removing the level cap entirely.

Tribes of Midgard

Tribes of Midgard is a fast-paced, Norse-inspired action RPG that blends survival elements with RPG action, offering an exciting experience for 1–10 players. Team up with friends to craft legendary items, build and upgrade your base, and venture through procedurally generated realms. Fight powerful creatures threatening to bring about Ragnarök in this thrilling and chaotic adventure.

Players explore a procedurally generated world, gather resources, and craft weapons and defenses during the day. At night, enemies attack, and players must collect their souls to sustain Yggdrasil. The game offers eight classes with unique abilities, runes for stat boosts, and two modes: the story-driven Saga mode and the open-ended survival mode.

The Banner Saga Series

The Banner Saga is an interactive story-driven game where players control a caravan on a journey, making decisions that affect its state, morale, and resources. Players can stop to rest, train warriors, or buy equipment in cities. The game features turn-based battles inspired by Final Fantasy Tactics, where up to six characters can be sent into combat. Characters have various stats, including strength, armor, willpower, and break, affecting their attacks and defense. Combat takes place on an isometric grid, and characters can gain experience and upgrade abilities after battles. Decisions and battle outcomes impact the caravan’s supplies, morale, and character development.

The game also includes dialogue choices that affect relationships and decisions within the caravan, such as how to handle rulebreakers or whether to recruit new members. The world map is only informational, showing the caravan's movement and offering brief details about the surrounding areas. As the journey progresses, the player must manage the caravan's morale and resources, balancing the needs of survival with the challenges of combat and exploration. The Banner Saga combines strategic combat, narrative-driven choices, and resource management to create a deeply immersive experience.

Valheim

Valheim stands as a shining example of the survival crafting genre, seamlessly blending stunning visuals and an evocative soundtrack to create an immersive Norse-inspired world. Its genius lies in its simplicity, where a handful of core mechanics give rise to countless memorable adventures, offering players endless opportunities to craft their epic sagas.

Valheim is an open-world survival game that immerses players in a third-person perspective as they take on the role of fallen Vikings striving to endure the challenges of a harsh, untamed world. Players gather resources to craft tools, construct shelters, and fend off dangerous foes in a dynamic environment that blends low-resolution, stylized 3D graphics with action-inspired combat mechanics. The game also supports co-op gameplay for up to ten players and offers optional PvP for those seeking competitive encounters.

Northgard

Northgard is a critically acclaimed strategy game set in Norse mythology, where you control a Viking clan striving to conquer a newly discovered continent. Uncover its secrets, expand your territory, and defeat rivals to claim the Throne!

Northgard is a real-time strategy game inspired by Nordic mythology, where players control a Viking clan seeking to dominate a wild continent. With both single-player and multiplayer modes, the game features a story-driven campaign where the player takes on the role of Rig, a prince seeking revenge for his father’s death. The game’s dynamic seasons, resource management, and fixed building limitations add layers of complexity. It also offers multiple victory conditions in its standard play mode. Northgard received positive reviews, praised for its unique gameplay systems, though its story was considered less compelling. It was nominated for "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year" at the D.I.C.E. Awards.

Land of the Vikings

Land of the Vikings is a survival colony sim where players take on the role of a Jarl, tasked with building and leading a new Viking village. As the Jarl, you must manage resources, survive harsh conditions and enemy raids, and navigate social conflicts to guide your people towards unity and prosperity. Expand your village into a thriving city, ensuring your fellow Vikings work together to overcome the challenges they face. Skál!

In Land of the Vikings, each villager is unique, with over 20 characteristics that influence their abilities and effectiveness in various tasks. As your settlement grows, more Vikings will join, forming families and creating new generations that strengthen your community. However, you'll face harsh weather, natural disasters, and seasonal challenges, requiring careful management of resources like firewood and food to keep your people warm and fed. You can trade with neighboring villages or send out your missions, while also raiding foreign settlements to gain gold, silver, and Fame points. As your village thrives, Viking heroes may pledge their valor to your cause, leading troops into battle and providing valuable bonuses. Customize your settlement with no grid limitations, building monuments, personalizing houses, and using the Building Editor.

Thrones of Britannia: A Total War Saga

From the multi-award-winning Total War series, A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia blends massive real-time battles with a captivating turn-based campaign set during a pivotal moment in history. Anglo-Saxons, Gaelic clans, and Viking settlers battle for control of Britannia. The campaign is relatively short but engaging, though only half of its new features truly stand out. What kingdom will you build?

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia combines turn-based strategy with real-time tactics, set in the British Isles in 878 AD, following Alfred the Great's victory over the Danes at the Battle of Edington. Players control factions like Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, and British clans, competing to become the new king. The game allows players to command military units, manage characters, fund research, and engage in diplomacy. While it received positive reviews with an aggregated score of 75 on Metacritic, it faced criticism for a simplified campaign, combat issues, and limited faction variety compared to previous titles.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a dark fantasy psychological horror action-adventure game where Senua embarks on a brutal journey of survival through the myths and horrors of Viking Iceland. Set in the aftermath of her previous trials, Senua faces a battle against the darkness both within and without, aiming to save those oppressed by tyranny. The game delivers a cinematic experience, continuing the intense and immersive saga set by its award-winning predecessor, though it doesn't fully surpass the high bar it set.

It is a third-person action-adventure game that continues the story of Senua, featuring puzzles, runes, and a focus on her mental state. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is one of the winners at The Games Awards 2024. It introduces a revamped combat system with more fluidity, strategic moves, and time-slowing mechanics. The game includes dynamic weather and realistic physics, affecting both exploration and combat. Players navigate dangerous terrains and encounter varied enemies, each with unique attack patterns. Exploration and environmental puzzles are key, with hidden lore to uncover. Psychological horror elements – players experience Senua's psychosis and the voices guiding her journey.

Games inspired by ancient Scandinavian times combine cold-bloodedness and a prosaic worldview – only the strongest survive. Pagan gods don’t require moral choices or self-sacrifice; they demand sacrifices that the Warrior brings to their altar. The best defense is attack, and the best Viking is the one who fears neither winter nor the sword.