The 10 Best Bethesda Video Games of All Time, Ranked

1 week ago 16

Published Aug 29, 2026, 5:41 PM EDT

Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.

Bethesda is one of the greatest video game companies of all time, becoming world-renowned because of its many gaming franchises, including The Elder Scrolls. Not all of their titles are hits, such as Starfield, but they have still maintained a good favor with their fans because of the immersive games they produce. Gamers are especially excited about The Elder Scrolls VI, which could be the biggest video game of the generation.

However, instead of looking to the future, this list will peek into the past and rank Bethesda's ten best video games of all time based on aspects such as design, gameplay, visuals, narrative, influence, originality, entertainment value, fan opinion, critical acclaim, and overall quality. Please note that this list will include games that Bethesda developed and published, even if that includes other studios such as Arkane.

10 'Fallout 4' (2015)

Fallout is one of Bethesda's biggest franchises, especially after the TV adaptation, but it is hard to beat the vibe of the games, especially Fallout 4. Players are the sole survivors of Vault 111, but now they must venture out into the wasteland in order to find their captured son. However, as tensions rise between humans and synthetic beings, wandering this world is even more dangerous.

It isn't the best Fallout game, but it is one of the most popular, and with modern design, controls, and graphics, it is the easiest to digest, especially for new gamers. Fallout 4 is a definitive title in the franchise that streamlined the gameplay, making it easier and more engaging to play. However, the best addition was by far the base building, adding immense replay value that gamers still enjoy today.

Bethesda has two big franchises; the first was just mentioned in Fallout, and the second is The Elder Scrolls. A remaster was recently released for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, proving how good a game it is. Players choose who they want to be in this adventure, helping the recently passed king deliver an heirloom to his secret son and aid in the fight to close the gates of Oblivion.

All the previous games in The Elder Scrolls are fantastic, one of which is even featured later in this list, but Oblivion pushed the franchise to new heights with its expanded open world and full voice acting. The remaster is the definitive way to play Oblivion, but both have their unique charm, which creates an immersive fantasy world that lets players be whoever they want to be in this massive video game.

8 'Prey' (2017)

Man holding a gun while a dark creature approaches in Prey

As mentioned in the introduction, not all the games on this list are developed by Bethesda; some are published, such as Prey, which was made by Arkane. Humanity has been experimenting on a hostile alien life form that has the ability to transform into anything. However, when it escapes, the player is the only person left alive, needing to run, hide, and do whatever they can to survive.

Prey is the complete package of sci-fi, mixing horror elements with immersive sim gameplay and sandbox world qualities that result in systemic gameplay. This unparalleled freedom is what makes this such an incredible game, not to mention its incredible power system and design further enhance it, proving why it is among the best sci-fi games.

7 'Dishonored 2' (2016)

A first-person perspective of Corvo extending his hand and summoning rats to attack an enemy in Dishonored

Fans will notice a handful of Arkane video games on this list, and that is because they are such a renowned studio, also delivering Dishonored 2, which is arguably better than the first game. When a witch stages a coup and dethrones the princess, players embark on a journey into the sun-soaked city to defeat the evil witch and restore the natural order of the world.

Dishonored 2 and its predecessor both feature one of the best power systems in video games, but that isn't rare for Bethesda, which is dedicated to delivering the best gameplay possible. It boasts some of the best stealth combat in the medium, and when paired with the many abilities, the immersive sandbox world is open to explore, with the tight level design accentuating this.

6 'Indiana Jones and the Great Circle' (2024)

Indiana Jones in the video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Bethesda usually sticks to a certain type of game, but they tried something new with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which became 2024's biggest gaming surprise. When a seemingly minor artifact is stolen from the college, Indy must go on a globe-trotting adventure in order to get it back. However, the connection seems to grow, revealing itself to hold the secrets of the titular Great Circle.

Bethesda hasn't been at the top of its game, with Starfield and Fallout 76 both disappointing. However, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle brings the studio back on track as one of the most underrated video games of the 2020s. The clever puzzles add to the intrigue and engagement of the game, not to mention the combat, which makes the adventure even better, showcasing that Bethesda still has it.

Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars

Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive.

💊The Matrix

🔥Mad Max

🌧️Blade Runner

🏜️Dune

🚀Star Wars

TEST YOUR SURVIVAL →

You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.

APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it. BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don't keep you alive. CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who's pulling the strings. DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it. EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can't fix a broken galaxy alone.

NEXT QUESTION →

In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.

AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don't need resources — you can generate them. BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it. CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity. DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on. EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely.

NEXT QUESTION →

What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.

AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant. BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left. CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you're a problem, you're already out of time. DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn't even know I was playing. EThe Empire tightening its grip until there's nowhere left to run.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.

ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it. BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better. CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy. DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can't beat a system you refuse to understand. EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen.

NEXT QUESTION →

Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.

AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters. BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest. CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions. DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand. EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire's attention rarely reaches.

NEXT QUESTION →

Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.

AA tight crew of believers who've seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose. BOne or two people I'd trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks. CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice. DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last. EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts.

NEXT QUESTION →

Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of.

AI won't harm the innocent — even the ones who'd report me without hesitation. BI do what I have to to protect the people I've chosen. Everything else is negotiable. CThe line shifts depending on who's asking and what's at stake. DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people's future, even if it'd help now. ESome lines, once crossed, can't be uncrossed. I know which ones they are.

NEXT QUESTION →

What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.

AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it. BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving. CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out. DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations. EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else's boot.

REVEAL MY WORLD →

Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…

Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.

The Matrix

You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things.

You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door.

Mad Max

The wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you.

You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.

Blade Runner

You'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.

You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either.
In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything.

Dune

Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.

Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it.

Star Wars

The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way.

You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

5 'Doom Eternal' (2020)

First-person view of the player shooting a monster in doom-eternal

Reviving a dead franchise is very risky, but it worked out for Bethesda when they reimagined Doom in 2016 and further improved on it with Doom Eternal in 2020. Players return as the Doom Slayer, this time needing to embark on a blood-fueled quest through Earth, Hell, and Sentinel Prime in order to defeat the Khan Maykr before it harvests all of humanity.

Doom Eternal upgraded the rushed gameplay and fast-paced progression to make an even more exhilarating experience with some of the most engaging and tense gunplay. This adrenaline-pumping masterpiece is one-of-a-kind, earning it the status as one of the best modern video games and a unique entry into Bethesda's renowned catalog.

The Elder Scrolls innovated the fantasy genre in gaming, but it really picked up the pace with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the oldest game on this list. Vvardenfell is an alien-like island, and players set out there in order to fulfill the prophecy as the hero who will defeat Dagoth Ur, the demigod who has corrupted the land.

As the oldest Bethesda game featured, Morrowind has established its position as an influential title that paved the way for the franchise, fantasy in general, and the studio. This was the game that really separated Bethesda from the rest, defining its iconic formula with absolute immersion and open-ended freedom. Not only that, but the sheer possibilities of exploration and magical experimentation were endless.

3 'Fallout: New Vegas' (2010)

The Courier in front of the New Vegas sign.

Many people claim that Fallout: New Vegas is the best in the franchise, but many don't realize it was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, not Bethesda, even though Bethesda did publish it. Players are a courier in the unforgiving wasteland, and when their wares are stolen, they set out on a quest for revenge that brings them into a territorial war for the Hoover Dam and New Vegas.

From a narrative standpoint, Fallout: New Vegas might be the best, especially considering its eccentric characters and lore-packed world that is ripe with storytelling possibilities. With some of the best sci-fi worldbuilding in video games, it creates a lived-in and engaging world with even weirder characters, which help the journey become a compelling masterpiece.

2 'Fallout 3' (2008)

A man and a dog walking away from the camera in Fallout 3

This list has featured a lot of Fallout games, and the final one is also the best: Fallout 3. Players were born in an underground vault, raised with everything they could ever need. However, when that is all taken from them, they need to set out into the post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of their father, who mysteriously disappeared.

It is a toss-up between Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3 for the title of best Fallout video game, but considering this is a list of Bethesda's best games, the latter will place higher since they developed it. The first two games were good, but Fallout 3 redefined the franchise in 3D, using its open-world, side quests, and captivating storyline to create an immersive 3D action RPG.

Morrowind brought the franchise to new heights and established much of its style, and Oblivion polished and expanded on these mechanics, but The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim perfected the franchise. After barely escaping an execution, players roam around the titular province on a journey to defeat Alduin, the World Eater, a dragon that is prophesied to destroy the planet.

Skyrim is the definitive Bethesda game, becoming a quintessential title of the studio by remaining relevant for over a decade without a sequel simply because it is that good. Not only is it a defining Bethesda game, but Skyrim is a cultural landmark that is the best of the medium. With some of the best fantasy video game worldbuilding, intuitive progression, immersive landscapes, fun gameplay, and endless modding possibilities, Skyrim is Bethesda's best video game, so far.