Dungeons & Dragons Meets Skyrim In New Open-World RPG

Published Aug 25, 2026, 4:34 PM EDT Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Dungeons & Dragons was always going to have an incredibly high bar for any game that was bold and daring enough to follow Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3, especially if it wasn’t a turn-based RPG. Warlock, an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons game, was officially announced at The Game Awards 2025, but fans thankfully do not have to wait until this year’s Game Awards to see a lot more of it. Further unveiled at Gamescom 2026, Warlock is a third-person action-adventure game set in the rich Dungeons & Dragons world, and will boast an open world. In this way, even if it shares few gameplay similarities with Baldur’s Gate 3’s gameplay, it might scratch several itches for fans of open-world dark fantasy games, such as The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Per Warlock’s Gamescom 2026 gameplay trailer, the game has no shortage of interesting abilities and mechanics, whether its magical possibilities are put to use in combat or while solving environmental puzzles. Warlock’s protagonist is obviously representative of the iconic Dungeons & Dragons character class, and the game itself is already a massive love letter to it. Fans of the franchise will likely see the many ways that Warlock open-world gameplay honors this class’ archetypal traits, and it’s fascinating that it all takes place in an open world that may or may not have enemies roaming around at every waking moment. Mixing magic and melee combat allows Warlock’s combat to be incredibly dynamic, with few of the same attacks seen used more than once, boasting a wide move set. If nothing else, Warlock leaning a little bit more into the gameplay of a traditional AAA action-adventure game may open it up slightly to audiences who may not be intimately familiar with Dungeons & Dragons’ typical CRPG formula, or anyone who is perhaps intimidated by it. Moreover, with an open world to explore, there’s a chance that this Dungeons & Dragons game from Invoke Studios and Wizards of the Coast steps up to become a spiritual successor to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim before The Elder Scrolls 6 eventually launches. An open-world Dungeons & Dragons game could be teeming with potential, and it’s anyone’s guess how much of the franchise’s overwhelmingly storied and sweeping mythology will be present in-game. Depending on how much of the Forgotten Realms is showcased, Warlock could easily eclipse The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim in terms of sheer real estate and content. That possibility might ultimately be unlikely, but its moment-to-moment gameplay is already far more significant and elaborate. Meanwhile, Warlock currently doesn’t have a release date scheduled, but the Dungeons & Dragons game is slated for a release in 2027 and is available to wishlist now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.