Founded in 1986,Bethesdahas been making games longer than I’ve been alive. While they have some humble beginnings with games like Wayne Gretzky Hockey and IHRA Drag Racing, one of their flagship IPs,The Elder Scrolls, got its start early on in Bethesda’s history, first releasing in 1994.
Since then,Bethesda has expanded its portfolio of games as a publisher and a developer, launching new worlds while taking over already established game franchises. You’d be hard pressed to find someone, gamer or not, who isn’t aware of DOOM, Fallout, or The Elder Scrolls. Hey, there’s a reason people kept asking Todd Howard about Elder Scrolls VI!
There are well over 20 IPs in Bethesda’s portfolio, ranging from these iconic franchises to cult classics. Which ones are the best of the best, though? Given Bethesda’s expansive history as a developer and a publisher, there’s a lot to take in. But don’t worry, we have you covered.
We’re here to recap the ten best Bethesda franchises, ranked worst to best. From its newer IPs to the long-established games, here is the very best Bethesda has to offer.
10Starfield
Aiming For The Moon
Fextralife Wiki
I don’t blame Bethesda for trying something new rather than solely developing Fallout and Elder Scrolls games, even if that would make us happy.
As a concept,Starfieldis a great idea: what if we got to experiencea Bethesda RPG in space? It’s an easy slam dunk, right? Sadly…no.
Former Bethesda Designer Thinks Starfield 2 Will Be “One Hell of a Game” Since It’ll Address Issues From the First Game
Former Bethesda game designer Bruce Nesmith thinks Starfield 2 will be “one heck of a game.”
Starfield has some good ideas, but is bogged down with far too many design issues. We’ve been here before with one of the most popular buzzwords in the late 2010s:procedurally generated worlds. It doesn’t matter how many planets we can explore if there’s nothing interesting waiting for us.
Furthermore, Starfield introduces a problem with the open-world RPG experience: Is it really an open world if we can’t seamlessly traverse from one planet to another? I’d say no, it most certainly isn’t, and the result is a shallow experience that has us wondering what went wrong.
Starring…John Goodman?!
A lot of people had super high expectations for the originalRAGEgame, comparing it to a hybrid of Borderlands and Fallout. Personally, I never understood those, as the game felt more like an outdoor version of DOOM.
That’s what I expected, and that’s what I got, which meant I enjoyed my time, even if it didn’t exactly blow me away.
The 2019 sequel, RAGE 2, went all in on style and personality, but ultimately fell flatin this regard. There’s nothing worse than when jokes don’t land, which was the biggest issue with RAGE 2. It didn’t do enough to push gameplay forward, ironically getting a lot of inspiration from 2016’s DOOM reboot to try and stand out.
I’d love to see some hypothetical world where someone gets another crack at Rage and delivers DOOM-style gameplay with stronger worldbuilding, but given the state ofAAA gamedevelopment, I doubt that will ever happen.
8The Evil Within
Tangoing With Survival Horror
The Evil Within
If you ask me, all you need to do to sell asurvival horrorexperience is tell me that the game is directed by Shinji Mikami, creator of the Resident Evil series.
The Evil Withingames are solid survival horror experiences that are entertaining even if they aren’t revolutionary.
One thing they have going for them is releasing when the Resident Evil series was floundering and losing the plot. Of course,we now live in a world where Capcom righted the ship with Resident Evil 7 and Village, which makes The Evil Within feel a little dated today.
At the time, it was nice to see the games take a more old-school approach to survival horror, but they could have done without the more frustrating aspects the genre was known for.
Rebooted And Forgotten
The biggest issue withPreyis how forgettable it is. Ironically,it feels like a spiritual successor to System Shock 2 and BioShock, which are timeless games.
With Prey, though, it fails to stick the landing while failing to deliver any memorable moments. System Shock 2 has SHODAN. BioShock has Rapture, that mid-game twist, and Big Daddy fights. Prey has solid gameplay, good theming, and a bad ending.
Being a good game can only take you so far, which is probably why Bethesda hasn’t ordered a sequel. It didn’t sell well, nor did it generate enough buzz to warrant a follow-up.
It’s a shame because there’s a lot that can be done within this universe, and I would have much rather seen Arkane follow up on it than develop a looter shooter, but alas, here we are.
6Dishonored
Definitive Stealth Action
Dishonored
Before working on Prey, Arkane burst onto the scene with the Dishonored franchise, offering an excellent take on the stealth action genre.
TheDishonoredgames draw you in with their visual art style. Eschewing the bland aesthetics of most 2010 games, they delivera bright, vibrant world that feels more like a watercolor painting come to life.
It’s the core gameplay loop that keeps you coming back for more and helps keep things fresh and innovative. Your in-game actions dictate how the world around you reacts; if you’re being quiet as a mouse, the world will remain unaware of your existence. However, if you decide to shoot first and ask questions later, you’re going to run into a much larger enemy presence.
Dishonored is a unique idea that’s an absolute blast to play, combining the best of stealth and theaction RPGgenres, and I have no idea why it’s been nearly 10 years since we’ve seen a game release in the series. What gives, Bethesda?
Fast-Paced FPS
Following the release of DOOM, id Software followed it up with another FPS:Quake, which is also the final collaboration between John Romero and John Carmack.
For those that thought DOOM’s gameplay was too slow, Quake is here, ready to deliver the fast(er)-paced action you all crave.
One of the things that helped Quake stand out at first was its setting, delivering a more gothic horror vibealongside its impressive, for the time, 3D visuals.
Over time, Quake ditched that and embraced a more sci-fi feel to its overarching narrative, which has spanned several disappointing games since Quake II.
For whatever reason, I never got into Quake like the other id Software titles, but I can still respect what it’s done for the genre.
It’s an important piece of gaming history that, for some reason, has been dormant for quite some time, other than remasters. Probably because there’s more interesting content with DOOM and Wolfenstein. Maybe that’s why they’re the superior Bethesda franchises.
4Wolfenstein
Punch Your Local Nazi
Castle Wolfenstein
For many, DOOM is the “granddaddy” of the FPS genre, but in reality, you can make the case forWolfenstein. Yes, Wolfenstein 3D is the original 3D FPS shooter, butfor whatever reason, the franchise never took off in popularity like DOOM did.I’ve never been sure why; killing Nazis is always in style.
What has made Wolfenstein so enjoyable throughout the years, aside from that terrible 2009 release, is how it’s always adapted to the times.
Wolfenstein: 10 Best Games In The Series, Ranked
A song and dance that never gets old, blasting the Axis powers has never been as fun!
There’s the old-school boomer shooter that is Wolfenstein 3D. Return to Castle Wolfenstein is an excellent 2000s-era FPS experience, hallmarked by the highly addictive (and free-to-play without microtransactions) multiplayer expansion Enemy Territory. Then, of course, it helped usher in a return to old-school FPS design with The New Order and The New Colossus.
Bethesda has done an excellent job with the modern Wolfenstein games, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for the franchise, given the recent popularity of the DOOM reboot.
The Man, The Legend
Doom (1993)
Speaking of that DOOM reboot, it was exactly the breath of fresh air the franchise needed.
That’s saying something considering how remarkably well the original MS-DOS games hold up today, butI cannot understate what a huge tonal shift DOOM 3 was.It had more in common with a survival horror experience than the originalDOOM.
I don’t know about you, but I play these games to shoot first, ask questions later, and then shoot some more when I don’t get the answers I like.
Bethesda deserves a lot of credit here. It was under their watch that DOOM got the reboot it desperately needed, delivering a trilogy (DOOM 2016, Eternal, The Dark Ages) that helped change the landscape of the FPS genre today. It turns out that playing fast-paced, high-octane games with over-the-top action is still in style.
2The Elder Scrolls
The Premiere Fantasy RPG
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
I thought long and hard about how to rank the final two Bethesda franchises, both of which are worthy of taking the top spot. The one thing that pushed things over the edge is that I’d argue the Fallout titles have a stronger main narrative compared toThe Elder Scrolls.
That’s not to say that The Elder Scrolls is lacking in their narratives; The Dark Brotherhood storylines in particular are almost always a winner.
I enjoy these titles the most when Iget lost in the worlds of Tamriel, venturing off the beaten path, and stumbling upon organic moments within the game.
Another point in favor of The Elder Scrolls is that Elder Scrolls Online is a fantastic single-player MMORPG experience. I realize that’s a bit of an oxymoron, but as someone who doesn’t normally enjoy the leveling/questing part of an MMO, I loved my time with it, even dating back to release.
I can’t wait for Bethesda to finally deliver a modern Elder Scrolls game, but honestly, if they wanted to skip it and release a new Fallout instead, I’d be a-okay with that. Please put your pitchforks down.
War Never Changes
Yes, Bethesda’sFalloutgames are nothing like the original titles from Interplay, but honestly, that’s okay. There are those, myself included, who feel like Fallout 3 is the best in the franchise.
The biggest reason is that it combines everything that makes The Elder Scrolls so great with the style and personality of Fallout.
Few moments in gaming rival taking those first steps into the Wasteland, especially in Fallout 3, and experiencing everything that awaits you, and oh boy, if you only knew what awaited you.
Like many,Fallout 3was my first experience with the franchise, and when I realized the possibilities that awaited me, I was absolutely giddy with excitement. This iswhat we’ve wanted from an open-world gaming experience, not the copy-and-paste objective point-oriented gameplay loopsthat certain other developers love to focus on.
Yes, you can argue that Fallout 4 was made a little more “mainstream,” but I’m okay with that sacrifice because it’s still a Fallout game and represents the very best of Bethesda’s design, a crowning achievement that few games can match. That’s why I firmly believe Fallout, not the Elder Scrolls (as much as it pains me to say), is the best Bethesda franchise.
Of course, that can all change when Elder Scrolls VI releases in 2031.
