The European Middle Ages are perhaps the most romanticized period in human history. There was everything: noble knights and beautiful ladies, crusades, assassins, Templar treasures, sorcerers and witches, the Inquisition, alchemy, and the birth of modern technology. All of this provides an endless source of game plots that, even before their release, capture the attention of the target audience of personal computer users.
It doesn’t even matter that some authoritative scientists today question the adequacy and reliability of modern ideas about the Middle Ages because the only sources of information about that time period were and still are European adventure and pseudo-historical novels based on unknown sources.
As a result, it turns out that the history of the Middle Ages that we know is largely fiction because we simply have no source for accurate information. However, this situation provides computer game developers with a limitless space for creativity and experimentation. They can come up with any event, and the players will still believe it to be true.
Throughout the history of video games, the best medieval games have drawn millions of fans and generated enormous profits for their creators.
Top 10 Medieval Games of 2023
All people are different, which is why any of the existing genres of video games find their audience. Young people who dream of knights and beautiful princesses, for example, appreciate role-playing games. Middle-aged people who are interested in power technology enjoy playing strategy and open-world games. People with a technical mindset prefer stories about alchemists who laid the groundwork for chemistry or blacksmiths who pioneered the heavy industry.
That is why the latest list of the best medieval games includes projects of all popular genres and their integrations.
- Blight: Survival. This is a recent project which has a lot of potential despite its small budget. Its plot can be described as a 14th-century “uprising of the living dead,” with impressive slaughter and excellent graphics.
- Inkulinati. It is an ink-based strategy game with characters inspired by medieval manuscripts. All of the characters in this story are animals dressed as knights and princesses, nobles, and peasants.
- Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. This is a medieval-themed arcade game with fantasy and RPG elements. The game has a diverse cast of characters to suit every taste.
- Yes, Your Grace. This is a game with a non-linear storyline for anyone who wants to fully experience the weight of the royal crown. Players will have to deal with the endless intrigues of the courtiers and family, as well as the struggle for power. Moreover, despite all the problems, they will have to manage the state, defend it from external enemies, and possibly take someone’s land.
- The Golden Horde. This is a strategy game set during Genghis Khan’s invasion, where the Teutonic Knights, Templars, and Jesuits fought.
- The Cursed Crusade. The Middle Ages are impossible without crusades, and the latter is impossible without the Knights of the Temple. The game has a lot of mysticism (thanks to the Saracens and Templars), as well as nobility, holy faith, cunning, and love.
- Stronghold 3. Another strategy game set during the Crusades, with King Richard the Lionheart, the noble Saladin, and Middle Eastern military ventures. Perhaps the latest version even outperformed its extremely popular predecessors.
- Mordhau. It is a fast-paced action game with massive battles and a full arsenal of medieval melee weapons. From time to time, players can take a break from all the intrigues and “dance” from the heart on a dashing stallion with a heavy sword in hand.
- Assassin’s Creed. It is one of the parts of the well-known franchise. This time it focuses on the epic battle between the powerful orders of the Templars and the Assassins.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The plot of this game can be summarized as “from rags to riches.” A young commoner witnesses the nobility’s powerlessness in the face of external conquerors and decides to seize the sword and command the army for himself. Will he win? Will he ascend to the throne? It depends on the players’ actions.
Is it really that important that modern people know almost nothing about the true Middle Ages? The main thing is to believe that loyalty, nobility, valor, and courage were once valued.
And medieval games are a great way to do that.
