Vikings are one of the most recurring themes in the video game industry. Especially during the last few years, where we have had great successes as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, God of War: Ragnarok either valheimwhich despite not having major campaigns behind it, proved to have enough qualities to be one of the greatest successes of its premiere.
This setting has led to much more in the industry, which is why at the end of this post we present a list of some of the most interesting Viking games you can find on the market, with examples for all tastes and stylesfrom the classic The Lost Vikings, with which Blizzard began to make a name for itself in the sector, to more recent releases.
The prominence of this setting is not only given in video games, but also in movies and series, with 2022 in which The Northman made it clear to us that there is still room for great epic stories in theaters. In addition, since January 12, subscribers to Netflix you can watch the second season of Vikings: Valhallathe spin-off of the stupendous Vikings.
Top with the best viking games
Ancestors Legacy
- Destructive Creations, 2018 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox)
As the old adage goes, here we have a game that is the same, but different, but the same. The work of Destructive Creations (authors of Hatred), Ancestors Legacy is also a strategy game that spans historical chapters with a healthy dose of Vikings, but unlike Thrones of Britannia, it’s a smaller-scale proposition that is somewhat reminiscent of a Company of Heroes.
For Honor
- Ubisoft Montreal, 2017 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox)
It is not a video game focused on the Viking culture as such, but one of its factions (Warborn) is Scandinavian and its profile corresponds to that of burly warriors with a predilection for axes, shields and looting. This hit online combat game from Ubisoft tells of warriors whose clans are divided and then brought together by a flagship fighter, in the form of The Raider.
god of war Y God of War: Ragnarok
- SIE Santa Monica Studio, 2018 (PC, PlayStation)
- SIE Santa Monica Studio, 2022 (PlayStation)
More than for the historical angle, God of War fits here for the mythological one. Located in Norway, long before the Scandinavian cultures that give rise to our gallery existed, God of War’s plot is based on Norse mythology, with references to Midgard, Alfheim, Helheim, Asgard, Freya, Baldur, just to mention Some. It is a love letter to the wild and visually spectacular part of Norse mythology that, in addition, experienced its continuation a few months ago with an even more acclaimed result.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Ninja Theory, 2017 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch)
Like God of War, Hellblade is compatible with this list because of the mythology it handles, not because of the culture, since its protagonist is Celtic. That being said, and without wanting to go into too much detail, the Vikings play a role in the narrative, as do figures and places from Norse mythology. To top it off, Hellblade is an extraordinary linear action game, with an extraordinary atmosphere and an unusual but very valuable approach to the subject of mental health.
Jotun
- Thunder Lotus Games, 2015 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, etc.)
Perhaps the most unique entry on this list is Jotun, a hand-drawn isometric action-exploration game with outstanding art direction and Icelandic dubbing, where you take on the role of a Viking warrior in search of redemption. Jotun is a short but beautifully crafted game of puzzles and gigantic elemental boss combat that puts the art quota into a category focused more on the gory angle of things.
Northgard
- Shiro Games, 2018 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Mobile)
By now, it seems clear that the preferred genre of developers with an appetite for Vikings is strategy because Northgard also falls into that category, albeit with a friendly art direction; on a smaller scale than the games we mentioned earlier, and with an emphasis on resource management and clan prosperity, rather than battles. Northgard is, in a few words, the Nordic and simplified version of The Settlers.
runes
- Human Head Studios, 2000 (PC, PS2)
In the same vein as Viking, albeit with higher quality, is the original Rune (not its sequel), an action game where you take on the role of a Viking warrior who must fight his way through hell to exact revenge against the god Loki. It is a game with many years behind it, and some age-related defects should be forgiven, but it is a very interesting proposal that you can buy in digital stores for very little money.
A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia
- Creative Assembly, 2018 (PC)
Also from The Creative Assembly, this strategy and management video game allows us to take control of Viking factions in the fight for control of the British Isles in the 9th century. True to the style of the Total War saga, here you will find large-scale battles where combat tactics are everything, but also the correct management of resources to be able to grease the war machine.
The Banner Saga
- Stoic, 2014 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Mobile)
Beautiful to behold and delightful to play, The Banner Saga is a franchise made up of three turn-based tactics games, beautifully illustrated and with solid mechanics that put the player to make difficult decisions. Set in a Viking fantasy world, populated by humans and giants, The Banner Saga is the result of an unholy union between a picture book of fairy tales and a deep video game.
The Lost Vikings
- Blizzard, 1993 (PC, SNES, Sega Mega Drive, etc.)
We couldn’t close a list of Viking games by leaving out a legend like Blizzard’s The Lost Vikings. This is a colorful and fun platform game for SNES, GBA and PC where you take on the role of one of three Vikings lost in time, each of whom had special abilities needed to complete levels. It’s not so easy to enjoy today, but you can see them fighting in Heroes of the Storm.
Viking: Battle for Asgard
- Creative Assembly, 2008 (PC, PS3, X360)
Very fun but at the same time with its flaws, Viking: Battle for Asgard is a spectacularly bloody action and adventure game that is developed by Creative Assembly, a studio specialized in strategy, but which also surprised us in the past with the terrifying Alien. : Isolation. In Viking you will have to deal with fierce warriors in a hack’n slash proposal that does not forget Norse mythology.
valheim
It may not be very different from other survival adventures, but it is a video game that knows how to reward your work in the game, and also surrounds everything with a Viking setting that never hurts, with a huge world generated randomly in the game. that there is no shortage of mythological creatures to fight and vast expanses of land to explore. Valheim is still in early access.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Ubisoft Montreal, 2020 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox)
Sooner or later the video game had to arrive, and in 2020 we received it. With Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Ubisoft continued for another year exploring great moments in history, taking us to 9th century England for fierce battles and daring raids. An adventure of enormous bill, as the franchise usually does, in which there is no shortage of familiar faces for the most fond of Viking culture and its time.
Land of the Vikings
It’s still in early access, but in writing its proposal has left a good taste in the mouth, one where players are invited to take charge of their village and make it grow enough to become a prosperous city. “A wise jarl must manage resources, survive adverse circumstances and enemy raids, and guide the other Vikings to solve social conflicts together. Skál!”
There are other interesting proposals that are left out, but we would like to mention them anyway, as is the case of the classic Age of Mythologyin which the Norse were one of the available armies, Too Human from Silicon Knight, which was based on Nordic mythology but with a futuristic perspective, or even the great Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, which confronts us with a kind of Viking penguins.
