Updated at: 04-01-2023 - By: Leo Hall
The best medieval games available right now are included on this list, which is sure to please any fan of medieval gaming, new or old.

If you’re a fan of chivalry, mead, and swordplay, then you’ll love our recommendations for the best medieval games.

The best Steam, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch games that take you back in time to the Middle Ages are featured here.

Both fantastical takes on the Middle Ages and more realistic recreations of the period are fair game.

Check back later for updates, and please let us know if we’ve left off any of your all-time favorite medieval books.

Going Medieval

Windows Is The Operating System

During the “Dark Age” of the 14th century, you play as a leader trying to restore order after a global pandemic has killed 95 percent of the population.

With most of the land having been reclaimed by nature after humanity’s collapse, the stage is set for the establishment of a brand new civilization.

Here’s where you come in: helping the remaining survivors build a new community free from disease, criminals, and zealots of all stripes.

From simple wooden shacks to elaborate stone castles and underground strongholds, you will plan, construct, and grow your very own settlement.

Spellcaster University

Windows and Mac OS X

Spellcaster University is the best game ever made if you’ve ever wanted to be the headmaster of a magical university like Hogwarts.

Save 35% on Spellcaster University on Steam

In it, you’ll be in charge of establishing a medieval school of magic, staffing it with professors, and distributing tuition.

Different schools of magic, such as necromancy, demonology, and everything in between, are represented by different decks of cards in the game.

You’ll also need to come up with plans to deal with encounters that happen at random, like an orc tribe attacking or a nosy professor showing up unexpectedly.

Castle Flipper

Windows Is The Platform

In Castle Flipper, you play the role of a medieval royal craftsman who dreams of constructing their own kingdom.

You clean, repair, and rebuild various parts of huge, open-world castles as part of your restoration quests.

Customization and individual expression are highly possible, from the choice of courtyard plants to the style of flags and pennants.

The developer of Castle Flipper also has a new game in the works called Ironsmith Medieval Simulator, which you should play if you liked the first.

Dark Souls Remastered

All major consoles and computers (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch) are supported.

Dark Souls Remastered, arguably the best remaster of all time and one of the best action role-playing games, is up next.

It improves upon FromSoftware’s original classic by adding online multiplayer and high-definition graphics running at 60 frames per second.

The game takes place in the forbidding medieval kingdom of Lordran, and the protagonist must endure a dangerous pilgrimage full of hideous and lethal monsters.

The Dark Souls Remastered edition features the full original game plus the Artorias of the Abyss add-on.

Kingdoms and Castles

Windows, Linux, and Macintosh are all platforms that can be used.

Despite being set in a medieval era, Kingdoms and Castles belongs to the city-builder genre of video games.

As the game’s protagonist, you take charge of a small settlement and must oversee its expansion into a thriving kingdom complete with a plethora of buildings such as inns, churches, and castles.

To prevent the Vikings from plundering your villages, you’ll need to fortify them with cannons, walls, and guard towers.

The game’s vibrant “blocky” art style fits in with the medieval theme, and laying down blocks has a satisfyingly quick feel.

Crusader Kings III

Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X

Crusaders Kings is an excellent grand strategy game on par with Total War, Imperator: Rome, and Stellaris.

In this series, you’ll rule a dynasty through the Middle Ages, expanding your realm while ensuring the safety of your subjects.

You have the option of being a god-fearing, righteous king who brings together all the religious powers, or you can go off in a different direction.

There’s also the usual royal drama, like peasant uprisings, pilgrimages to unconquered lands, Viking invasions, and so on.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Microsoft Windows

The highly anticipated sequel to Mount & Blade from 2008, Bannerlord, is here.

It’s based on the same systems-driven medieval sandbox as the original, allowing you to play as a wide variety of character classes.

There are many avenues open to you, whether you want to become a well-known jouster, a wealthy merchant, a sword-for-hire, a thief, or something else entirely.

In nearly every way, this sequel enhances the original game.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

Windows, Xbox One, the Platforms

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is one of the finest medieval strategy games available.

It has been updated with new campaigns and civilizations from the The Last Khans expansion, as well as support for 4K resolution displays, HDR graphics, and a remastered soundtrack.

In this timeless classic, you play a pivotal role in the evolution of humankind over the course of a millennium.

Despite maintaining a similar gameplay style to the original, the RTS’s 20th anniversary edition features a number of quality of life enhancements that significantly improve the experience.

Bad North: Jotunn Edition

Windows, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, and Android are the supported platforms.

In Bad North, you’ll be tasked with fending off waves of Viking raiders from your tiny medieval kingdom.

You don’t take part in actual combat, but rather organize the deployment and movement of troops to counteract various enemy invasions.

The islands’ random generation and distinct topography make them ideal training grounds for seasoned warriors who can finally put an end to the Viking threat.

The learning curve is steep, but with time and effort, you’ll be able to compete successfully.

Northgard

Hardware: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Linux, and Mac

Many games have you fighting off Viking invaders, but what about a medieval game where you get to be the invaders?

Northgard is a real-time strategy video game in which you take command of a Viking tribe as they establish a settlement on an uncharted continent.

In addition to the standard fare of gathering resources, constructing settlements, and managing villagers, Northgard also features a unique campaign system.

You’ll need to learn the ins and outs of six distinct clans before you can progress through the game’s eleven chapters and uncover the truth.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One

An open-world take on the Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a story-driven medieval role-playing game.

You play as Henry, the son of a blacksmith who, after witnessing the slaughter of his family and village at the hands of raiders, decides to join a band of rebels and protect their fellow citizens.

As a realistic take on a medieval simulation, Deliverance places a premium on tried-and-true survival mechanics like food, water, rest, and cleanliness.

Though there are no dragons or magic in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the game’s medieval-style combat can be rewarding after you get past the initial learning curve.

A Plague Tale: Innocence

Microsoft Windows, Sony Playstation 4, and Microsoft Xbox One

Cast in a fictional version of Medieval France, In A Plague Tale: Innocence, you play the roles of two orphaned children whose parents were killed in an English army raid on their rural estate.

Due to the historical context of the game, you’ll have to fend off both human foes and swarms of diseased rats.

You’ll have to use special tools to decipher puzzles, sneak by enemies, and fight when necessary as you make your way through dingy sewers, crumbling city streets, and thick forests.

For a more in-depth analysis, check out our full review, where we also gush over the game’s excellent voice acting and fascinating plot.

Chivalry 2

Windows Is The Platform

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare 2, developed by Torn Banner Studios, is Epic’s newest first-person swordfighting game.

Players once again take part in horrific medieval battles, complete with screams and beheadings.

Chivalry 2 amps things up by introducing horseback riding, improved animations, and intense 64-player battles.

The game’s combat system has also been updated to give players more leeway and inspire a wider variety of unique strategies when using the game’s wide variety of medieval weapons.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

PC, PS4, and XB1

Vermintide 2 is a fantastic cooperative experience that delves into the realm of medieval fantasy and pits up to four players against waves of rat-like creatures called Skaven.

During gameplay, you’ll venture through swampy areas and verdant forests, all the while fending off Skaven enemies and accomplishing goals.

Because of the game’s intensely meaty and visceral combat, players will want to hunt down and kill every enemy they come across.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch

Mods for PC make it so that Skyrim can feel very different from how you remember it.

There are a number of things that can be done to make the game feel new and exciting even after a decade, such as fixing the most annoying bugs, updating the visuals, or adding new areas to explore.

The game takes place 200 years after the events of Oblivion, and tasks the player with slaying Alduin the World-Eater, a fearsome dragon who is widely believed to usher in the end of days.

As a Dragonborn, you have access to a wide range of magical abilities as well as standard medieval weaponry like bows, swords, shields, and axes.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

All major consoles and computers (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch) are supported.

The Witcher 3’s fantasy-driven medieval open world is too alluring to ignore, with seemingly endless opportunities to go off the beaten path and discover new things.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Official Gameplay (35 min) - YouTube

Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter on a mission to find his adopted daughter, is the protagonist.

Geralt isn’t just a swordsman; he also has magical abilities that enhance combat and make killing foes more than just a chore.

You can take a break from monster killing to explore the game’s vibrant cities, war-torn swamps, thick forests, and vast cave systems.

Darkest Dungeon

Hardware: Microsoft Windows, Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux, and Apple iOS

Darkest Dungeon is a turn-based role-playing game that combines elements of Lovecraftian horror and medieval dungeon crawling. The game tasks you with assembling and preparing a group of heroes to face off against a variety of physical and mental threats as they make their way through a variety of dangerous environments.

The game presents a disturbing world full of supernatural horrors in a style that is clearly inspired by gothic literature and art.

Difficult turn-based fights are amped up with features like permanent death and an affliction system that penalizes players’ minds.

Conan Exiles

Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One

In Conan Exiles, you’ll have to survive in a hellish medieval open world teeming with monsters and resources to craft weapons and shelter.

Multiplayer is the main draw, but solo play is an option. It gives you the freedom to play the game how you want to and concentrate on the parts you enjoy the most.

This could mean anything from collecting every piece of lore in the game to adorning your base with expensive furnishings and decorations to enslaving random non-player characters.

Styx: Shards of Darkness

Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One

When it comes to stealth games set in a medieval fantasy world, the Styx games are criminally underrated.

Take control of Styx, the foul-mouthed goblin assassin, once more as he infiltrates the city of Körangar and learns of a mysterious alliance between the dark elves and dwarves in this sequel.

Styx can clone himself, become invisible for a short time, and make lethal traps on the fly thanks to his wide range of powers.

His diminutive stature makes him a formidable foe in situations where he must hide from his attackers, as he can do so by hiding in drain covers, barrels, and other concealment areas.

Medieval Dynasty

Windows Is The Platform

Another open-world survival game that takes place in the early Middle Ages is Medieval Dynasty.

In this game, you’ll found a colony with the intention of making it into a powerful family line.

You’ll be responsible for protecting your people from hostile wildlife, providing for their basic needs, and growing your settlement into a thriving community.

This is on top of caring for your protagonist’s needs and equipping them adequately to survive encounters with bears, wolves, and anything else the game throws at them.

Graveyard Keeper

Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android

Graveyard Keeper is a simulation game where you manage a cemetery in the Middle Ages and eventually branch out into other areas of business.

You can continue to dig graves or you can start making money by selling the bodies to the local butcher.

At times, it may be necessary to reduce expenses in order to keep the company operating.

This can force difficult moral decisions, such as whether to buy high-quality ingredients for potions or to use whatever can be scavenged from nearby caves and creeks, potentially poisoning the entire village.

Besiege

Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X are all platforms to choose from.

Besiege swings the pendulum in the opposite direction of T.A.B.S., which uses exaggerated physics for comedic effect.

To complete the game, you must use the game’s customizable medieval siege engine to complete 54 single-player scenarios.

There’s a lot of room for innovation given that medieval contraptions can be of varying sizes and shapes, and armed with a wide variety of cannons and giant flails.

In the online mode, you can face off against other players in unique arenas or form alliances to take on the computer.

Graveyard Keeper

Created by: Lazy Bear Games
TinyBuild, an imprint of.
Video game consoles and mobile operating systems supported include but are not limited to: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, and Android

Graveyard Keeper, a quirky management sim, will remind you that the Middle Ages were about more than just swordplay and kingdom building.

In Graveyard Keeper, you play the role of a young man who is tasked with maintaining the cemetery adjacent to a church. This entails cleaning off the tombstones and clearing out plots for the recently deceased. Although the pay is low and the hours long, those with an entrepreneurial spirit can make a killing if they put in the effort.

Graveyard Keeper is Stardew Valley as a medieval black comedy, asking questions like, “Do the dead really need all their organs?” It’s revolting and charming in equal measure. And with all these dead bodies lying around, why is burger meat so expensive? Your play and the lives of the villagers around you will be influenced by your decisions in response to these and other ethical dilemmas.

Stronghold Crusader 2

FireFly Studios, the creators
FireFly Studios is the publisher.
Personal Computers

The original Stronghold Crusader was a medieval real-time strategy game released in 2002 that focused on the Holy Roman Empire’s many holy wars for conquest in the Middle East. The series’ title, “Stronghold,” alludes to the series’ focus on the difficulties of siege warfare, including the long, stalemated battles that can last for months.

This game straddles the line between a traditional “castle manager” and a “tactical action” game, requiring just as much attention to economic stability as it does to attacking the enemy’s stronghold. Because of the maps’ smaller sizes, players are forced to compete with one another for scarce, strategically placed resources that are essential for mounting an effective assault on the enemy castle.

Stronghold Crusader 2 shines during sieges. As the defender works to keep the castle’s infrastructure in working order and ensures there are enough resources to keep training defenders, the attackers must probe and probe to find chinks in the castle’s ramparts, replenishing the troops lost after each assault.

Anno 1404

Ubisoft Mainz, the developer
Ubisoft, Inc., Publisher
The Personal Computer

In Anno 1404, the goal is not military supremacy but economic prosperity. Because of this, you can expect to spend a significant portion of your time establishing a reliable trade network, planning your routes, and organizing your ports to maximize your economic growth.

The city and trade management are difficult but not insurmountable, and 1404 does a fantastic job of gradually increasing complexity as the player masters its various mechanics. The game emphasizes passive income more than previous Anno games by letting the player set up automated buy orders in their ports.

In this way, the player can put their attention toward expanding their city rather than worrying about day-to-day commerce with NPCs. Anno 1404 is the most accessible game in the series and a great introduction to the slow, cerebral strategy genre because it is set in a pre-electric world and players don’t have to worry about the power grid optimization that dictates city planning in later installments.

Life is Feudal: Your Own

Bitbox Ltd., the developer.
Bitbox, Ltd., is the publisher.
The Personal Computer

An innovative sandbox game set in the Middle Ages, Life is Feudal: Your Own adheres to a simple, if divisive, philosophy: make solo play so realistic that it becomes tedious. The point is to encourage group work by eliminating all other options for producing useful results.

Building a log cabin out of wood is one of the first things to do. The next step in most survival games is to fell some trees and amass enough logs to construct a shelter. The Feudal Way of Life: Your Own, logs are huge and wouldn’t fit in your meager supplies; you’ll need to slowly haul the log to where you want to start building your home. Repeat this process until you have enough materials to construct a safe haven.

There can be up to 64 players on a single server, and they’ll likely all be collaborating on a cool project. There is nothing quite like Life is Feudal: Your Own if you appreciate a more leisurely pace of development.

Knights of Honor

Black Sea Studios, Ltd., the developer
Paradox Interactive, the publisher
System(s) Requirement(s): Personal Computer

The strategy game Knights of Honor is criminally underrated, considering it combines the kingdom-building of Crusader Kings over multiple generations with the real-time tactical battles of the Total War series. It’s not quite as complex as the former but also not as combat-focused as the latter, so it falls somewhere in the middle of the two series.

In Knights of Honor, your only objective is to conquer all of Europe and assume the throne. Conquest and diplomatic alliances are two ways to increase your territory and power. Other, more subtle strategies for toppling rivals include sending members of your family to infiltrate enemy courts or inciting riots in neighboring kingdoms. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll achieve absolute power in your lifetime, so you’ll probably spend a good chunk of it setting up political marriages to produce a heir who can carry on the quest.

Knights of Honor is one of the few grand strategy games that manages to be both complex and approachable. If you’re looking for a lighter take on the Crusader Kings formula, this hidden gem is for you.

Gloria Victis

Black Eye Games, the creators
Black Eye Games, Inc.
The Personal Computer

This massively multiplayer online sandbox game drops you off in a town that could be anywhere in southern Europe and, after a brief explainer tutorial, lets you do, well, whatever you want (though its quests certainly steer you toward a life of violence, you are free to ignore them).

Gloria Victis’s lack of handholding will appeal to players who enjoyed classic MMOs from the late ’90s and early aughts, such as RuneScape and Ultima Online. Because of the game’s mechanics and economy, non-combat professions are just as viable as killing cutthroats and thugs, and players are given the freedom to pursue whichever path they find most interesting.

Those who seek more than just personal success can learn more about the ongoing global metagame involving the world’s nations at war. If you venture beyond the new player hubs, open PVP rules apply, and the more loyal players can join the never-ending conflict by laying siege to and seizing enemy buildings and strategic sites.

Conqueror’s Blade

Prototype: Built by Exploding Technology
My.Games, Inc. is the publisher.
Technology Requirements: PC

Essentially a multiplayer Dynasty Warriors with the simplistic tactical controls of Mount & Blade, this free-to-play medieval tactical action game is a blast. In these intense 15v15 PVP skirmishes, you play the role of a commander leading a squad of up to 40 AI soldiers into battle.

In Conqueror’s Blade, as in any good free-to-play game, there is an incredible depth of customization to be unlocked. Your battle unit’s composition is up to you, and you can choose from a wide variety of foot soldiers and siege machines to assemble a force that’s optimized for the kind of conflict you intend to enter. The character creation process is flexible enough to accommodate a wide variety of play styles, from support roles in the backline to tanky brawlers in the vanguard.

Conqueror’s Blade stands out among the other team-based PVP games on this list due to its focus on long-term character growth. Over the course of several weeks or months spent with Conqueror’s Blade, your character will slowly gain strength and access to better armor and weapons. With this feeling of perpetual improvement, even the game’s more tedious moments are always satisfying.

For Honor

Ubisoft, the creator
UBisoft is the publisher.
PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One

For Honor captures the essence of what makes the Middle Ages so appealing by pitting player-controlled champions in full plate armor against one another in melee combat.

When playing as a viking, knight, samurai, or Wu Lin warrior in For Honor, you’ll engage in point capture team clashes that feel chaotic and massive thanks to the inclusion of NPC armies that march relentlessly forward in the style of a musou. And for some extra dramatic flair, when two players collide, the AI warriors will form a rough circle, allowing for some epic one-on-one duels reminiscent of a spaghetti western (or a schoolyard brawl).

For Honor offers modes that are solely focused on player versus player contests of skill if you’d rather not deal with the capturing and defending of points. Be warned, though, that if you’re new to the game, you’re in for a steep learning curve because you can’t just spam buttons to win.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Author: Warhorse Studios
Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver is the publisher.
PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One

To play Kingdom Come: Deliverance is to know the rare joy of being an illiterate peasant youth in 15th-century Bohemia. With a fresh take on character growth that prioritizes more than just making you a better fighter, it spins a nuanced tale of working-class disempowerment.

In order to find and kill the noble villain who killed his family, the peasant protagonist in this tale of vengeance must mingle with the upper class. As a prerequisite to joining the upper class, he must acquire the skills of reading, riding, and swordplay. We also recommend that you take a bath every day.

The only way for our hero to improve as a fighter is for you to improve as a player, as the combat system in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is complex, punishing, and almost entirely skill-based. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of the best and most immersive medieval games you’ll ever play because of how well you can relate to your character as he changes from a naive countryman into a scholar warrior.

Medieval II: Total War

Creator: the Creative Assembly
Deep Silver Games and Warhorse Studios are the publishers.
The Personal Computer

Start your gaming career with Medieval II: Total War if you’ve never experienced a game of this scale. It has the trademark blend of real-time tactical action and strategic scope of the series’ other entries, but with fewer playable units. That allows new players to focus more on equipping their troops with armor and spears rather than trying to figure out how to build the best army possible.

The complexity of Medieval II is lower than that of some of the other games in the series, but that doesn’t make it a breeze to beat. You still have a hundred and one balls in the air, including diplomatic negotiations, border expansion, military training, and resource acquisition. Even if you only pay lip service to one of these concerns, it can have a snowball effect on the others, sending your kingdom into a slow decline over the course of several game years.

If you’ve never felt comfortable with grand strategies, Medieval II’s accessible controls and focus on combat make it the ideal introduction to the genre. Also, after this, you should check out the other Total War games.

CRUSADER KINGS 3

The grand strategy games from Paradox Interactive have a bad rap for being unapproachable, but we’d be willing to bet our favorite heirs that’s about to change with the release of Crusader Kings 3. It’s one of the best medieval games because it’s not only the most immediately playable of Paradox’s oeuvre, but it does so without sacrificing any depth.

Crusader Kings 3 stands out from other medieval games because it focuses on its characters rather than on conquering territories. An average session of Crusader Kings 3 is as much an RPG as it is a statistic-laden map painter (perhaps more so), focusing on the successes, failures, victories, and heartbreaks of a single ruler and their immediate court. It’s akin to a magic box, where the contents will be awesome stories if you just press a button.

On any given day, you could order your spymaster to create evidence your second cousin is a witch so you can throw them in jail, take their land, and take their titles. Or, you could devote your life to your religion, only to start your own nature-worshipping offshoot and spend your old age as a bare-naked dictator, save for a gilded imperial crown. If you’re looking for some deceit, backstabbing, and betrayal, this book has you covered.

Assassin’s Creed

If you’ve seen Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from the first Assassin’s Creed. It transported the player to the Levant during the Crusader era, giving them the ability to don the white robes of the assassin Altar Ibn-La’Ahad.

The game’s open world included the cities of Masyaf, Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus, and it was a stealth game that spawned one of the best-selling video game franchises ever. The historical Order of Assassins served as inspiration for the plot, which was spiced up with elements of science fiction conspiracy.

The Xbox 360 and PS3 version of the game looks a little dated now, despite having been developed as a “next-gen” title. Its vivid, climbable environments and epic historical content continue to impress.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

The most recent installment, Assassin’s Creed, moves the timeline back a couple hundred years. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla features the most detailed world in the series to date, taking players from Viking-era Scandinavia to the shores of East Anglia and West Francia. It removes the iconic stealth dynamics of the original and replaces them with combat centered on abilities and big axes.

Save 67% on Assassin's Creed Valhalla on Steam

The game has never felt so much like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as it does now. The Anglo-Saxon England of Valhalla is a rich environment full of new people and monasteries to loot.

FAQS:

What game did they play in the Middle Ages?

Archery, jousting, hammer throwing, and wrestling were all part of these competitions. Some regions even had their own versions of football (soccer), cricket, bowling, and golf. In Medieval churches, monks were known to sing.

Is Kingdom Come deliverance the best medieval game?

The Greatest Medieval Role-Playing Game Is Here: Kingdom Come, Deliverance
While the story itself is entirely made up, the historical period setting is perfect for it. In this game, you’ll be immersed in the historical setting of the Holy Roman Empire, which included the Bohemian Imperial State. In any case, it does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit and operation of the Holy Roman Empire.

What game is like dominoes in the medieval times?

Dominoes are used in the game known as Mexican Train. The goal of this game is to place all of your tiles from your hand onto a chain or trains that leave from a central “station.” A unique, non-required train is the inspiration for the game’s most well-known moniker, and it belongs to every player.