English Steam reviews
Mostly Positive. 73% of 15,726 English reviews. The last 30 days were Mixed: 53% of 213.
Comparison · checked 2026-10-20
Outward as a Skyrim alternative
Outward is a strong Skyrim alternative when you want every trip to cost something. It is a poor one when you want a quicksave, a fast travel point, and a character who becomes unstoppable.
Play Outward if Skyrim was too safe and you want the road, the cold, and a fight you cannot reload. Stay with Skyrim if saving whenever you like, and being the hero of the epic, is the part you actually like.
Outward and Skyrim, side by side
Outward cells follow the Definitive Edition store page checked on 2026-10-20. Where that page is silent, the row follows the comparison pages currently ranking for this search. Skyrim cells use the Special Edition store page the same way.
| Topic | Outward | Skyrim Special Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are | An ordinary adventurer. The store page calls you an everyday traveler, not the chosen hero. | The hero of an epic fantasy. That is how the Special Edition store page sells the game. |
| Getting stronger | The store page points at gear and enchantments. It never mentions an experience level. | The guides ranking for this search describe skills that rise as you use them, and perks that arrive when you level. |
| Needs | Night cold, an infected wound, missed sleep, and thirst are part of staying alive. | The Special Edition store page does not list hunger, thirst, cold, or sleep. |
| Magic | Spellcasting is a ritual you prepare one step at a time. | Spells are something a character learns and casts. The store page does not describe a ritual. |
| Fighting | You are told to hide or defend when you cannot win. The environment is as dangerous as an enemy. | The game is built so you grow into the fights. A loss is not the point of the store page. |
| Finding the way | The guides for this search say the map does not mark your position. You match landmarks. | Those same guides describe quest markers, and fast travel back to places you have already found. |
| Saving and death | The game autosaves. A loss plays out as a defeat scene, and you live with what happened. | The store page lists Save Anytime. A bad fight is a reload. |
| Playing together | One friend, on the same screen or online. Split-screen co-op is listed on the store page. | Single-player. Co-op is not in the store categories. |
Who it is for
You will want Outward if…
- Skyrim felt too easy, or you wanted a trip to cost you something.
- Packing for cold, thirst, sleep, and a wound sounds like the game, not like chores.
- You want one other person in the same world, including on one screen.
- You would rather play nobody important.
Skip Outward if…
- You save before every fight. Outward autosaves, and a loss becomes a scene.
- You want to feel powerful in the first few hours.
- You are here for a chosen-hero epic, and the walk is something you would rather skip.
If you are coming from Skyrim
These are the points both the ranking comparison and the Outward store page actually spell out.
- 01
Treat the weather as a fight
The store page puts night cold, an infected wound, sleep, and water next to the predators. Ignore them and the trip stops you before an enemy does.
- 02
Assume it already saved
Outward autosaves and then plays a defeat scene. You do not get Skyrim's Save Anytime. Decide before the fight, not after the reload that will not be there.
- 03
Prepare the spell
Spellcasting is described as a ritual you build step by step. Set it up before you need it.
- 04
Bring one friend
The store page offers local split screen and online co-op with a friend. That is the whole multiplayer offer: two of you, not a party of strangers.
What is true on Steam today
Checked 2026-10-20. Prices and review totals move, so the store page wins if this disagrees.
US price
$1.99, down from $39.99. That is 95% off on the Steam price API for the United States.
Outward 2
Early Access, so it is unfinished. The store page lists February 7, 2027. The studio's Steam news headline says February 8th.
A public review
Outward Review 2024: Is It Still Worth Playing? by Baldard Gaming. The player is YouTube's. This page does not host the footage.
If Outward is not the Skyrim alternative you wanted
These are the names that show up both on games-like guides and in player threads or store roundups for Outward. Each card is the overlap, and the part that game drops.
Also namedSteam page
Ashen
- What it shares
- Open-world action RPG with online co-op and stamina-based fighting. The store page tells you to plan the trip, because the wildlife can end it.
- What it drops
- Co-op is meeting other players in the world, not a locked two-player split-screen campaign. The store page does not list hunger, thirst, or temperature.
- Play it if
- You want a co-op souls-like wander, and you can give up Outward's survival clock.
Also namedSteam page
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- What it shares
- A story-driven open world where you are not a legend yet. Players on the Outward subreddit name it for that ordinary-person opening.
- What it drops
- Single-player only. The store page sells medieval Bohemia, not spells, and it does not list a survival clock or co-op.
- Play it if
- You want to feel unprepared, and you can leave the fantasy map and the friend behind.
Also namedSteam page
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
- What it shares
- A large fantasy world and action combat. Games-like lists put it next to Outward for the journey and the monsters.
- What it drops
- Steam lists it as single-player. There is no co-op category, and the short description does not mention hunger or sleep.
- Play it if
- You want the fantasy trip, and a human partner is not the requirement.
Also namedSteam page
Dragon's Dogma 2
- What it shares
- A fantasy action RPG where you choose a vocation and a party, and the store page stresses deciding how to approach each situation.
- What it drops
- Steam calls it single player. No co-op, and no survival needs in the store description.
- Play it if
- You want a newer fantasy map and a party of companions, not Outward's split screen or its hunger.
Also namedSteam page
Remnant: From the Ashes
- What it shares
- You go alone or with up to two other people, and the fighting is the point. Outward players bring it up when they want co-op that stays hard.
- What it drops
- The store page does not sell an open-world camping trip. Co-op is online, not split screen.
- Play it if
- You want co-op fights more than a hike.
Also namedSteam page
Valheim
- What it shares
- Exploration and survival for 1 to 10 players. Outward players point at the long haul home: food matters, and a heavy cargo run is the journey.
- What it drops
- It is a Viking survival sandbox, not a fantasy RPG story. Co-op is online. Split screen is not in the store categories.
- Play it if
- The friend and the meals are the part you refuse to drop.
Also namedSteam page
Hellpoint
- What it shares
- An action RPG with local and online co-op. The store page says to bring a friend when the fights are too much, which is the couch-co-op reason Outward players mention it.
- What it drops
- The setting is a dead space station. The store page does not list hunger, thirst, or weather.
- Play it if
- You want split-screen fights, and the survival clock is optional.
Also namedSteam page
Risen
- What it shares
- A fantasy RPG where the store page says every action has a consequence, and you make your own path on an island. Games-like lists and Outward players both put it in this conversation.
- What it drops
- Single-player only. No co-op and no survival clock on the store page.
- Play it if
- You want an older European RPG island, and you do not need a friend.
Also namedSteam page
Fade to Silence
- What it shares
- A survival adventure with online co-op, set in an endless winter. Outward players name it when the cold and a partner are the overlap they want.
- What it drops
- It is a frozen post-apocalypse, not a fantasy campaign. The store categories list online co-op, not split screen.
- Play it if
- The cold and a partner matter more than Aurai.
Questions this search usually means
Is Outward like Skyrim?
Partly. Both are fantasy RPGs about crossing a large world. Outward's store page makes you an ordinary traveler dealing with cold, infection, sleep, thirst, autosave, and defeat scenes, and it adds two-player co-op. Skyrim Special Edition is single-player, lists Save Anytime, and sells you the epic.
Is Outward harder than Skyrim?
Outward is sold as the harder trip. Its store page says no remarkable journey happens without effort, and that the cold of the night or an infected wound can be as dangerous as a predator. You are told to hide or defend. Skyrim is sold as the epic you grow into, with a save whenever you want.
Does Outward have co-op?
Yes. The Definitive Edition store page lists online co-op and shared or split-screen co-op, and the description says you share the journey with a friend, locally or online. Skyrim Special Edition is single-player.
Does Outward have mods?
Steam's category list for Outward Definitive Edition does not include Steam Workshop. Do not expect the mod browser Skyrim players are used to on that store page.
Should I buy Outward or wait for Outward 2?
Outward 2 is Early Access, which Steam marks as unfinished. On October 20, 2026 the store page lists a planned date of February 7, 2027, and the studio's Steam news headline says February 8th. If you want the finished game, the Definitive Edition is out now. The US Steam price that day was $1.99, down from $39.99.