Grab Your Axe: 15 Best Viking Games

Welcome to the Viking Age! In these 15 video games, you will take on the role of a brave northern warrior. You will explore unknown lands, build settlements, fight monsters, and conquer worlds. Get ready for raids, battles, and legendary adventures!

Valheim

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When Valheim first launched in early access, I was genuinely surprised by the game's immense popularity. At that time, the boom of survival sandbox games had already passed, yet this game found incredible success just days after its release.

In essence and core mechanics, Valheim is a classic survival game. You build bases, gather resources, fight monsters and bosses, and explore biomes in short, you survive by any means necessary, all wrapped in pleasant graphics and a Scandinavian setting.

However, the game has a certain magic, a subtle rethinking of familiar mechanics that makes Valheim extremely captivating. For example, I found it refreshing that you don't need to spend resources to repair equipment you simply build a repair station. It's great when resource grinding becomes just a bit less tedious.

God of War (2018)

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Miss the good old slaughter and destruction of divine beings? Then you definitely need to try God of War (2018). After the tragic events of the past, Kratos flees from Greece and tries to start a new life in Midgard with his son Atreus. To fulfill the final wish of Kratos' deceased wife, they embark on a dangerous journey to the highest peak across the Nine Realms. Along the way, they encounter gods, monsters, and harsh trials, forcing Kratos to confront his past once again.

The game boasts a deep narrative exploring father-son relationships. The combat system underwent significant changes, shifting from dynamic combos to a more tactical and realistic style. The game is far from historically accurate, but that's not the point we’re here to crush gods, not inspect the stitching on costumes.

Expeditions: Viking

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As a fan of the Expeditions series and a lover of the Scandinavian setting, I can't help but recommend this game. Expeditions: Viking is an isometric RPG with tactical turn-based combat. The story centers around the young heir of a Scandinavian clan and his adventures both at home and in Britain.

The game offers an engaging storyline, interesting side quests, and decent combat that requires strategy rather than mindless clicking. But for me, its greatest strength is its historical authenticity. The developers worked well with source materials, visible in quests and dialogues. Of course, it's not perfect, but Expeditions: Viking is one of the most historically grounded Viking games out there.

Northgard

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A very intriguing game that I consider a breath of fresh air for strategy lovers both real-time and turn-based fans. Although Northgard is technically a real-time strategy game, it appeals to fans of grand turn-based strategies due to its unique combination of mechanics and unhurried gameplay.

Unlike most real-time strategies, Northgard offers a calm, relaxed experience. You can leisurely explore the map, enjoying its pleasant art style and meditative soundtrack.

The game has long since left early access, but I was ready to recommend it even back then, so well did the developers manage the project and its support. In addition to a story campaign and solo mode, it features a very good multiplayer.

The Banner Saga Trilogy

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This series won players' hearts from the very first screenshots. Although the game world is fictional and only loosely connected to a Scandinavian setting, the spirit of it is captured perfectly. The visual style, music, and most importantly the gripping story, which hooks you to the screen and compels you to read every line of dialogue, create deep immersion.

Believe me, you’ll tear your hair out trying to make the right decisions and then weep bitterly over their consequences. Besides managing a caravan fleeing disasters (and occasionally fighting in turn-based battles with some unique mechanics), the focus is squarely on story and character development.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

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This game fills me with wildly mixed emotions, torn between disappointment and enjoyment. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an excellent entry in the series in terms of mechanics and gameplay. It's engaging to play, battles are thrilling, and riding a longship is aesthetically pleasing.

Graphically, it’s gorgeous thanks to talented level designers. But when you remember it’s supposed to depict the Viking era, you might feel a lump rise in your throat. Valhalla has collected every cliché imaginable about medieval Scandinavians: giant axes, loads of fur, fantasy armor fit for Skyrim’s Nords, and trendy hairstyles with eyeliner.

The story and everything happening in the game have almost no connection to the actual Viking Age. Nevertheless, it’s still highly enjoyable if you can turn a blind eye to the inaccurate setting.

Bad North

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Stylish minimalism probably the best way to describe Bad North. It’s stylish because every visual element, from the islands and units to the menu art, is beautifully designed. It's minimalist because everything is simplified: small islands, few units under your control, and streamlined gameplay.

At its core, Bad North is a real-time strategy game without resource gathering or construction. You simply defend your islands from Viking attacks and upgrade your troops. It may seem boring, but it’s actually highly dynamic and tactically rich. Plus, procedurally generated islands add plenty of replayability.

Viking: Battle for Asgard

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Remember the era of nonstop hack-and-slash action games? Viking: Battle for Asgard hails straight from those times. It’s a classic bloodbath where you’ll mostly be slicing enemies to pieces and enjoying gory finishers but in a Scandinavian setting.

Note: the game is not about historical accuracy the connection to Viking lore is mostly in names. The plot feels straight out of a Viking story generator: yes, Midgard is in danger again, and Ragnarök must be stopped. Still, it’s recommended, especially if you love chopping up hordes of foes.

Niffelheim

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When I first tried Niffelheim, I was so hooked I lost an entire weekend and the next and the next. It's a side-scrolling survival game, and though it initially seemed odd to combine 2D art with survival gameplay, it works wonderfully.

The standout feature is the art a detailed 2D style that perfectly conveys the eerie underworld setting. Gameplay-wise, it’s standard: build, upgrade, travel, and fight. And yes, there’s a cooperative mode, so grab a friend and embark on your adventures.

Rune

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A game from the era when the grass was greener and gods walked the earth. At the time, Rune amazed with its epic bloody battles and sometimes tricky progression puzzles. Nowadays, its graphics are terribly outdated, but if retro 3D games don't make your eyes bleed, it’s definitely worth playing.

The plot isn't the game's strong suit: save Midgard, help Odin, avenge your enemies you know the drill. But that doesn't matter; you play for the juicy combat severing limbs, picking them up, and throwing them at enemies. If you’re not afraid of retro games, give it a shot.

Tribes of Midgard

And here’s another survival game on the list. Maybe it’s because I’m a big fan of the genre. And of Vikings. This time, survival mechanics are combined with classic action RPG elements and even a bit of tower defense. A pretty intriguing mix, right? Plus, there’s multiplayer just perfect.

The story you play as a member of a Viking tribe. In your village, there is an artifact that the local giants really don’t like, and they do everything they can to destroy your village.

Besides exploration and battles, you and your friends will plan the village’s defense and repair damaged buildings. By the way, one of the game's resources is souls, which drop from defeated enemies. Sound familiar?

Dead in Vinland

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Dead in Vinland is a mix of survival sim and RPG with elements of a visual novel. The story follows a Viking family that crashes on an unknown island. The core gameplay revolves around survival and managing the needs of your people.

In fact, the gameplay is pretty hardcore, especially at the start when players are still getting used to the idea that no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to manage everything perfectly. You will always have to choose what to sacrifice.

Another gameplay pillar is the relationships between characters. After a hard day, your group gathers around the campfire and talks. Here too, it’s impossible to please everyone just like in survival mechanics.

You can find new community members by exploring the procedurally generated island, which is divided into locations. Exploration is spiced up with random events and turn-based battles not award-winning, but enough to diversify the gameplay.

Unto The End

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As with The Banner Saga, this game is not directly tied to a Scandinavian setting, but it definitely has the right vibe. Unto The End is a side-scrolling action-adventure game where you guide the hero through dark mountain caves and icy passes, back to the warmth of his home and family.

At first, combat may seem difficult, but once you learn to spot enemy attack patterns, everything gets smoother. The game features high-quality hand-drawn art, and the storytelling deserves special praise: the entire story is told without a single line of text.

The developers put great effort into conveying the narrative through the environment, animations, and silent scenes involving the hero and NPCs. Fun fact: the game was developed by a husband-and-wife team. Sweet, isn’t it?

Total War: Britannia

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Total War: Britannia is one of the narrower-focused entries in the series, set in a specific historical period and a relatively small geographical region. Specifically, it’s about the Viking Age and the conquest of Britain.

Visually, the game is very well-crafted, and it’s hard to nitpick historical inaccuracies in costumes and armor.

Gameplay is standard for the series, with no major innovations: you develop cities, move armies, enjoy the tricks of diplomacy on the global turn-based map, and command troops in real-time battles.

Overall, Total War: Britannia isn’t the standout title of the series. It feels more like a large DLC for Total War: Attila than a fully separate game. However, fans of the genre, the series, and the Viking setting will definitely enjoy it.

Sons Of Valhalla

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A fairly recent release set in a Scandinavian setting. If you’re a fan of the Kingdom game series from which this title borrows the best mechanics or if you’re looking for some relaxing gameplay wrapped in charming pixel art and authentic music, don’t miss Sons Of Valhalla.

One note: the game is relatively short, so don’t expect to sink dozens of hours into it. But for some players, that’s a plus. Personally, I now prefer shorter games over 200-hour epics.

Gameplay-wise, it’s a standard side-scroller, but you only move forward to the right. You return to the left only to build new structures or reinforce your squad. It might seem like Sons Of Valhalla is a direct clone of Kingdom, but it’s not. The game introduces its own unique mechanics that deepen and expand the gameplay. The story isn’t groundbreaking but is solidly built and engaging.

From brutal action games to thoughtful strategies, from surviving wild lands to epic role-playing adventures the Scandinavian setting offers an incredible variety of gaming experiences.

We hope our review has inspired you to don your chainmail, grab your trusty axe, and venture into the worlds of the northern gods!

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