Like Skyrim, it was a huge first-person open-world RPG.

Like Skyrim, it was the highly anticipated next game from a beloved RPG studio.

Like Skyrim, it was a game that millions of us couldnt wait to play.

Baldur’s Gate 3 humanoid spider monster holding a lantern in Act 2.

Fallout 3andThe Witcher 3share some similarities in that they both set the stage for whereBethesdaandCD Projekt Redwould go next.

Baldur’s Gate 3 took 2023 and 2024 by storm, but who will take the crown this year?

Skyrim has lived on for 14 years, in part, because its a great RPG.

Female V from Cyberpunk 2077 and Ciri from The Witcher 4.

The fanmade Oblivion remake,Skyblivion, was created using Skyrim’s mod tools.

People treated Skyrim as a platform, not just a game.

I fully expected Cyberpunk to snatch this crown.

Wyll pointing a sword forward in Baldur’s Gate 3.

So Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t get the same kind of modder attention that Skyrim did.

Neither was Bethesda’s own big PC RPG,Starfield.

But Baldur’s Gate 3’s differences are part of what helped it succeed.

A kid holding a toy gun and wearing a VR headset in Cyberpunk 2077 as Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3 sneaks up behind him. Astarion’s head is photoshopped onto Jimmy Hopkins' body from Bully.

Seven years passed between Cyberpunk’s first CG trailer and its full release.

Triple-A Games

Baldur’s Gate 3

Cyberpunk 2077