It is astounding how few Game of Thrones video games there are. While the likes of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and even Dune continue to get an abundance of games in all genres, Game of Thrones has seen very few actually released, and those that have been are critically panned mobile games or a bizarre RPG on the Xbox 360 that no one dares to remember. Fortunately, there are several passionate developers inspired by it who have created games that, while not technically set within Westeros, offer an experience akin to GoT.
One such game like Game of Thrones is a new, completely free, open-world RPG that brings together the atmosphere and grand scale of George R. R. Martin’s epic with the sandbox survival gameplay of the critically acclaimed Valheim. It is a great combination in theory that appears to have been executed well, as fans are already very positive about the new free RPG. At the very least, it’s yet another chance of immersing oneself in a very Game of Thrones-esque world.
It isn’t terribly surprising to see a developer attempt to marry the worldbuilding and atmosphere of Game of Thrones with Valheim’s survival sandbox gameplay. There have been several games like Valheim that have been released over the past few years, all of which are attempting to capitalize on and build upon its genre-defining approach to the survival crafting genre, much in the same way there was when Minecraft first launched. Valheim’s fantastical yet surprisingly grounded aesthetic already felt akin to elements of GoT, so it isn’t so great of a stretch to further elevate that facet of its design.
Winds of Valen, a free-to-play MMORPG, is the aforementioned game attempting to combine Game of Thrones with Valheim, and, so far, it has succeeded rather well. It’s a predominantly sandbox-driven experience, one largely devoid of a central narrative that focuses on player-led discovery, crafting, resource management, and combat. This will all sound very familiar to fans of Valheim, as will Winds of Valen’s stylized visuals, epic boss battles, and progression systems.
Its medieval fantasy setting will appeal to those looking for a world akin to Game of Thrones to immerse themselves in once rolling credits on the series or closing the final book. While there are notable differences between Winds of Valen and GoT’s setting, namely Valen’s veers more into the realm of high fantasy, there’s more than enough here for fans to latch onto, and it is certainly an easy recommendation for those looking for free Steam games akin to Game of Thrones.
Winds of Valen is available right now on Steam. It is free-to-play, although there is a membership subscription for those who feel like paying more for the unlockable premium content. Of course, it isn’t advisable to pay for the subscription unless you’re already certain you love the game, and there is more than enough free content to get through to help discern whether that is the case. At the very least, it is a fun way for Game of Thrones and Valheim fans to spend a few hours.
- Cast
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Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D’Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey
