If you’ve playedThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you’ve probably gotten hooked on its gameplay and are craving something similar. While there aren’t many games that let you create your own contraptions in an open-world adventure, there are similar games to scratch the itch.
TOTK | List of All Recipes in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Every Meal in TOTK, Recipe #, and how to make them in the game.
These games come from all manners of devs and platforms, and have varying levels of similarity, so I’ve compiled ten that I think are unique enough from each other to stand out, but still similar enough to Tears of the Kingdom’s endless player expression to warrant a look.
10The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Because, Like, Obviously
First up is the prequel to Tears of the Kingdom, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While it doesn’t have the samebuilding mechanics, sky islands, or terrifying depths, it still has its own unique qualities and is way more fun to speedrun because of windbombs.
This game is worth it alone for the fun interactions with the Sheikah Slate, plus if you want to make a flying machine, just stack two minecarts together and use Magnesis on the lower one. If you skipped this game because you think TOTK gives you more, it’s still worth a shot.
9Horizon Zero Dawn
Breath of the Wild, but on PlayStation
In terms of open-world games released in 2017 where a character using primitive weapons takes on big mechanical creatures, Horizon Zero Dawn is at least in the top 2. On top of similar gameplay to the open-world Zeldas, it’s got action-RPG elements, stealth gameplay and a real story.
It’s not as focused on letting every single possible interaction between two different things be unique and exciting, but it’s still a kinetic, good time if you’re looking for something similar. It’s exclusive to PS4 and Windows, though, so if you’ve only got a Switch, you’re out of luck.
8Immortals Fenyx Rising
Breath of the Wild, but Multiplatform
Immortals Fenyx Rising was actually first up to the plate on adding soaring through sky islands to the Breath of the Wild formula, and it does it with a great Greek mythology theme, cool mounts and the same “let the player roam free from the start” philosophy.
All Weapons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This is your one-stop shop to information for all weapons The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has to offer.
You can also actually customize your character, with most player expression coming down to the different weapons you can use, different approaches to combat you can take and overall freedom in every part of this game’s design. It’s also on every platform, so that’s cool.
7Elden Ring
Freedom in your Soul(slike)
Dark Souls probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Zelda, butElden Ringand Tears of the Kingdom share quite a few design decisions. Namely, both set the player free in a big open world, letting them customize just about everything to their heart’s content.
Just like with Zelda, there are linear dungeons you can explore to get key items and a bunch of different cool and unique weapons, and on top of that, it has online multiplayer and character customization.It is quite a bit harderand not on Switch, though, but if you have any other major console, go for it.
6No Man’s Sky
“It’s Good Now, I Swear!”
Alright, you’ve probably already heard about how bad No Man’s Sky was eight years ago, but the developers have been hard at work on the game ever since and they’ve cooked up an incredible meal. It’s an open-world space game with endless planets and exploring them is enjoyable.
In this game, you can explore the cosmos and fly alone or with friends, or just encounter people online. You can also build a space base, explore and do quests and missions, craft a bunch of stuff and build anything you want on whatever planet you feel, all while running weirdly well on Switch.
A Demo That’ll Leave You Sky-High
Alright, admittedly, Aloft is a game that doesn’t fully exist yet. It’s releasing later this year, but it’s a promising survival game where you fly around sky islands with friends, build whatever structures or contraptions you like and enjoy adventuring through the unique environments.
It’s less linear, more of a sandbox than a proper adventure game, but soaring through the clouds feels pretty great, and the creative aspects are similar to what you’re able to do in Tears of the Kingdom. If you’ve got a good PC,give the Next Fest Demo a shot.
4Minecraft
Less Adventure, More Creative
You’ve probably played it already, but I wanted to addMinecraftto this list for all the customizability and ways to change the experience. Some mods add Zelda items, add whole dungeons and questlines, and even the base game can be fun to adventure in.
All Zonai Devices in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This is your one-stop shop to information for all Zonai devices The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has to offer.
It’s not like it’s a perfect replica of Tears of the Kingdom out of the box, but you can have a similar experience with Minecraft, one that encourages you to explore and take control of its infinite world while having your own fun and having a Zelda-like quest on the side.
3The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt
An Expressive RPG
Released before Zelda made the shift to an open world, The Witcher 3 was letting players engage in a vast fantasy world in tons of intricate, interconnected ways before Nintendo. This game is another that runs weirdly well on the Switch, and Slavic mythology themes make it shine.
I’ve heard so many different stories about people playing this game, going on completely different routes through all its content, and enjoying every minute of engaging with its world and story. It’s not truly open-world, but it’s worth giving a shot.
2Xenoblade Chronicles
A Nintendo Cult-Classic.
Speaking of not-quite open-world RPGs that run surprisingly well on Switch and have engaging worlds and stories, Xenoblade Chronicles is up there as one of the best in the genre.You can pick any of the 3(they’re all on Switch), but I’d recommend starting with Definitive Edition.
It’s not as focused on player expression, but the large sprawling environments, intricate quests and a seemingly endless amount of stuff to do make this an easy recommendation. It’s also got the leg up of having the Nintendo charm and polish you’d expect.
It’s Like Zelda, Just Like Breath Of The Wild
This is a bit of a stretch, but Tunic is modeled heavily after the first Zelda game, and so is Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom is modeled after that, so objectively they are similar. Tunic has way more of a focus on unraveling the secrets of the big, expansive world, though.
The biggest change and focus of Tunic is writing your own manual for the game, since the manual was required in Zelda 1. It’s a fun mechanic that enhances the gameplay quite a bit, and the world design and narrative are so charming they’ll hook you in minutes. Give it a shot.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
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