The Mount & Blade series, developed by TaleWorlds Entertainment, are RPG games that pride themselves on their focus of realism. With open-world environments and weapon-based combat, Mount & Blade gives players the ability to face off against armies with historical accuracy.
The first game in the series was released in 2008, sparking an expansion (Mount & Blade: Warband—released in 2010) and a stand-alone spin-off expansion based on With Fire and Sword, a book written by Henryk Sienkiewicz (Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword—released in 2011). A prequel to Mount & Blade: Warband—Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord— is set to be available in early access by March 2020. If you’re looking for games like Mount & Blade to hold you over until the release of Bannerlord, or if Bannerlord was released and you somehow have played too much of it (impossible), be sure to check out the following 10 games you are sure to enjoy!
1. Life Is Feudal: Your Own
Life is Feudal: Your Own is an RPG game similar to the Mount & Blade series, particularly the upcoming Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, in its environment—a medieval-themed world. Additionally, Life is Feudal: Your Own incorporates crafting, combat, and an explorable world similar to the function and appearance of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s pre-release screenshots. Unlike Mount & Blade, Life is Feudal: Your Own utilizes an alchemy system to assist with crafting items, building structures, and even digging tunnels.
2. Gloria Victis
Being an MMORPG, Gloria Victis emphasizes multiplayer gameplay, which Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will include as an option for players alongside single-player gameplay. Gloria Victis has Online PvP and Online Co-Op options. Set in a medieval world with a focus on realism, like Mount & Blade, the gameplay, graphics, world exploration, and combat are all within the comfort zone of players who enjoy the Mount & Blade series. Additionally, the Steam page for Gloria Victis mentions Mount & Blade as its inspiration.
3. Blade & Sorcery (VR)
Despite being a VR-only game, the fluid character motions, battle environments, and combat-based aspects of Blade & Sorcery draw similarities with the Mount & Blade series. While Blade & Sorcery is strictly first-person, its focus on weapons and an open world land it a place in this list. Fantasy elements play a part in Blade & Sorcery since you can play as a sorcerer, while the Mount & Blade series emphasizes realism. Nonetheless, the customizable characters players can create add to the similarities between the Mount & Blade series and Blade & Sorcery.
4. Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
After its release in April 2019, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator quickly became a popular fighting game with its battle tactics, colorful visual style, blocky forms, and combat physics. Like Mount & Blade, TABS utilizes an open world and pits the player’s army against an AI army in an epic battle. Complete with character and world customization, TABS differs from Mount & Blade by allowing players to face off against mammoths, flying soldiers, and more.
5. War of Rights
Despite taking place in a different time period, War of Rights has similar gameplay, graphics, and focus on realism as the Mount & Blade series. War of Rights takes place during the American Civil War but utilizes a combat system (albeit of a different era), character interaction, and graphical style similar enough to Mount & Blade and the other games on this list. Alongside Mount & Blade, War of Rights uses multiplayer gameplay and strategy to defeat armies of great numbers, though multiplayer is an option in the Mount & Blade series. With expansive worlds to explore and plenty of violent combat, it’s no surprise action enthusiasts love both War of Rights and the Mount & Blade series.
6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Easily one of the most popular RPG games of the 2000s, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is known for its graphics, fantasy elements, and even the occasional hilarious glitch. Simply known as Skyrim, this game allows players to customize characters, fight strong enemies, craft the essentials (houses, damage upgrades, weapons, and more), and roam a seemingly-endless world of graphically-pleasing proportions. While less focused on the fantasy elements, the Mount & Blade series relies on weapons—and horseback riding skills—while Skyrim explores the magical lands filled with fierce monsters.
7. The Guild II
Out of the other games in the series, The Guild II is set in a medieval era with a Sim-based gameplay mechanic. The graphics in The Guild II resemble the beginning style of the first Mount & Blade game, and with good reason. Coming out in 2006, nearly two years before Mount & Blade was first released, The Guild II combines RPG and a simulation experience that features multiplayer gameplay that unfolds in real-time. A sequel to another medieval sim game, Europe 1400, The Guild II allows you to choose the type of character you would like to play as and customize them—like the Mount & Blade series! While this game does lack the brutal combat of our beloved Mount & Blade, it still deserves a spot on this list due to the great RPG and political aspects it has.
8. Total War: Medieval II
With your army at the click of a mouse, Total War: Medieval II allows players to command a whole army at once. This game uses more strategy than the Mount & Blade series but neither ignores the intensity of any valiant army’s crusades. The graphic style of Total War: Medieval II is even similar in both appearance and function to Mount & Blade, not to mention the single-player ‘story mode’ with multiplayer accessibility. Though more limited in customization, Total War: Medieval II prioritizes your army’s size, durability, and terrain over visual combat. If you prefer to outsmart your enemies, Total War: Medieval II is a good choice, but Mount & Blade can give you the satisfaction of watching the blood flow from your defeated enemies.
9. Battle Brothers
If chess pieces were whittled into miniature people wearing chainmail and colorful clothing, that’d be what you could find in Battle Brothers—a medieval tactical RPG game by Overhype Studios. Battle Brothers joins games like the Mount & Blade series in strategic, weapon-based combat. While this game takes a board game-like visual style, the violence of combat isn’t lost as you get to see your opponents’ blood stain the green grass as you take your sweeping victory. Where other games in this list show your characters’ customizable options, Battle Brothers is a level-up based game that prioritizes weapon and army upgrades. What makes Battle Brothers even more different from other games in this list is that each character has their own backstory and unique traits.
10. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Battle your enemies, explore an open world, and get lost in the historical accuracy of Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Though it may sound like nearly every game on this list, particularly the Mount & Blade series, the biggest difference is the linear storyline. Playing as a blacksmith’s son who seeks vengeance for the death of his family, the player can’t customize their character as freely as the other games on this list. Instead, Kingdom Come: Deliverance uses RPG gameplay and crisp visuals alongside content that rates this game as Mature—for ages 17 and up. For anyone younger, the Mount & Blade series is a perfect alternative!
In conclusion, there are many games out there that utilize the medieval theme in different ways—all of which make them similar to the Mount & Blade series in some way. From being a simple medieval RPG, graphically pleasing gorefest, or by having historical-based combat, the games on this list allow players to demolish their enemies with strategy and offensive power. Whether players choose to outsmart their opponents in a game like Battle Brothers or bulldoze their way through armies in Total War: Medieval II, both are options for players of any kind. Do you love medieval times? Would you like to slash through enemies one by one? Check out Mount & Blade or any one of the games like it on this list!