Bethesda has been establishing itself for decades as one of the top references when it comes to talking about best Bethesda games, explosive action and first-person role-playing. Many of the titles released under his label have a well-deserved status as cult classics. Others, like DOOM or Skyrim, go further: they are living history of video games.
The best proof of this is that we have very internalized what the games produced by the Maryland company are and what they have in common: a powerful immersion in each first-person experience with notable exceptions, an interesting way to encourage the creativity of the player -even from ultraviolence – and a firm belief that mods should be part of the DNA of the whole experience.
A philosophy, a legacy and a powerful lineup of talents and creatives that are already part of the great project of Microsoft and the Xbox Game Studios. Integrating its catalog of games to the increasingly brutal Game Pass. An alliance that comes hand in hand with a particularly promising future for all Including PS5 and Nintendo Switch players.
Ultimately, Bethesda’s vision goes far beyond its own success sagas: Deathloop , Ghostwire: Tokyo or the next Indiana Jones game continue to grow the value of the company itself and, most importantly, generate new interest. among those passionate about video games. Titles that retain that characteristic balance between what is already known and what is yet to be discovered.
At Bethesda they were pioneers in mods on consoles, but also when trying to generate a commercial infrastructure with them. An initiative that ended up being a curious experiment, to say the least. An impeccable track record? Far from it: The launch of Fallout 76 was a calamity. And yet, with DOOM Eternal he was crowned again.
Ultimately, it is a rich legacy that starts with sports franchises like Gridiron! and Wayne Gretzky Hockey at the end of the 80s and that alternate between great successes, discreet releases and experiences, like RAGE, that divide opinions: either they leave you indifferent or they catch you.
However, in the case of Bethesda today its triumphs end up weighing much more. Basically, because the best of his legacy should not be forgotten. Precisely for this reason, at Technoeager we have proposed to share Bethesda’s best games. The best of the best. More specifically, 13 best bethesda games.
A reasonable amount of games that lends itself to notable absences. But of course we had to set some kind of limit. Leaving the door open for you, dear reader, to expand this unique retrospective with us through the comments. And although we are aware that there are not all who are, as you will see below best Bethesda games.
Wolfenstein 3D
- Date: 1992
- Developer: iD Software
William “BJ” Blazkowicz did much more than strike down Nazis by way of pain: he served as a template when it came to bringing first-person shooter to video games through an ingenious system of embracing the 3D gaming experience that he will lecture..
The third installment of the Wolfenstein saga was the second great bombshell for legends like John Romero, Tom Hall and John Carmack alongside a much more modest Commander Keen, definitively establishing the hooligan tone of an iD Software called to make history.
DOOM
- Date: 1993
- Developer: iD Software
No matter what year you read this: DOOM is awesome. A carnage of demonic proportions in which iD Software not only consolidates what it has learned in Wolfenstein 3D, but also looses its hair when it comes to unleashing us in hellish scenarios. Above all, in maximum difficulty.
Of course, DOOM’s milestone goes beyond its campaign: its multiplayer was devastating in every way and addictive as it was alone. The result? A resounding success, a deep mark in the history of videogames and a legacy that can only be defined with one word: BRUTAL With capital letters.
HeXen: Beyond Heretic
- Date: 1995
- Developer: Raven Software
After the devastating success of DOOM, a phenomenon originated that led to countless surrogates and aspiring to follow in its wake. The case of HeXen: Beyond Heretic was not only the exception: the Raven Software game was sponsored by iD Software itself.
On paper, a spin off of Heretic in which we put ourselves in the shoes of 3 heroes – a warrior, a wizard and a cleric – in a dark fantasy feat. In practice, a spectacular first-person adventure that exudes action.
Quake III Arena
- Date: 1999
- Developer: iD Software
We agree on two things: the original Quake took the vision and formula of DOOM to the next level, but the real revolution was Quake III Arena. A brave move for the time, by the way, as iD Software decided to stake it all on multiplayer. He played it and came out the winner.
Ahead, frenetic combats in which explosions are easy, mobility and reflexes are essential and the ability to aim a luxury that comes from a lot of practice. But, above all, a hilarious game.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Date: 2006
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
The fourth installment of the role-playing series The Elder Scrolls is not only pure rollicking, but it also boosted the quality leap within a genre that was expanding its own limits after the turn of the millennium.
The setting, the cult of detail and the magnitude of the story itself were revolutionary. A game that overflowed ambition since its release and whose arrival on consoles began a new era for gamers and fans of desktop RPGs.
Fallout 3
- Date: 2008
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Bethesda herself took over the reins of Fallout after acquiring (not without some complication) the rights to Interplay’s apocalyptic saga. A SPECIAL challenge. that they tackled in style by bringing the RPG experience to 3D and generously expanding the player’s freedom in the process.
The result? A great game and one of Bethesda’s flagships, revalidating its success in role-playing territory and once again showering it with accolades. Since then, the Fallout saga itself has been an integral part of what is now the Maryland company itself.
Fallout: New Vegas
- Date: 2010
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Bethesda kept the deserved success of Fallout 3 warm by expanding its apocalyptic universe through a new installment that, although it is outside the numbered saga, is comfortably positioned among the best of the entire saga.
The secret? Fallout: New Vegas radiates the special touch of Obsidian Entertainment, authentic role models that were also going through one of their most inspired stages. And that shows.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Date: 2011
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Skyrim is one of the best fantasy RPGs of all time. As it is. Ten years after its release we are still talking about the fifth main installment of The Elder Scrolls and the adventures of the Dragon Blood. Shouting out loud Fus Ro Dah!
A great game backed by a commercial success that continues to find new avenues of expansion, including improved versions, customized revisions and even an outstanding leap to virtual reality. And what’s even better: thanks to its exceptional mod support, there are always good excuses to return to the north of Tamriel.
The Elder Scrolls Online
- Date: 2014
- Developer: Zenimax Online Studios
With over 18 million adventurers – and thugs – roaming Tamriel and heavy annual updates, the online multiplayer RPG based on The Elder Scroll s is one of Bethesda’s own most ambitious role-playing experiences. Little joke.
Of course, it must be recognized that The Elder Scrolls Online took longer than desired to find itself: its beginnings were not easy, but its trajectory until today and its current roadmap speak for themselves.
Bonus Phase: Fallout Shelter
- Date: 2015
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios and Behavior Santiago
Fallout Shelter is the umpteenth proof that doing things right is worth it: a complete game, conceived as a mobile extension of the Fallout 4 experience whose exceptional success made Bethesda itself set its sights on iOS and Android.
Because, although the reason for being of Fallout Shelter was to promote the last great Fallout, this manager of shelters knew how to shine with his own light and even take a chair. Being the first in a series of adaptations tailored to the successes of the mobile home.
Dishonored 2
- Date: 2016
- Developer: Arkane Studios
The Dishonored saga has two numbered installments and a third title. And best of all, you don’t need more to be one of the star licenses of the Maryland company: its spectacular steampunk universe coupled with a masterful freedom of action make each Dishonored a must see.
However, it must be recognized that Dishonored 2 knows how to prevail over the other two adventures. It may not have the novelty factor, but its gameplay, its plot and its way of placing importance on the player’s decisions place it among the best of Bethesda.
The Evil Within 2
- Date: 2017
- Developer: Tango Gameworks
Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil no less, unleashed the evolution of the Survival Horror genre with Bethesda. And although the Capcom saga has been the one that finally bet on first-person terror, The Evil Within retains everything that conquered us when we set foot for the first time in the Spencer Mansion.
That said, The Evil Within knows how to be a visceral horror and suspense saga in its own right. Detective Sebastián Castellanos imposes himself as one of the great characters of a company that radiates character. Something that is further validated in a sequel that demonstrates the weight and talent of Bethesda’s Japanese division.
Prey
- Date: 2017
- Developer: Arkane Studios
From his own perspective, Prey was a winning combination: Arkane Studios reimagines the 2006 Human Head Studios classic, and in the process takes all of his hits to his own turf.
The triumph of this new Prey is always in sight. His way of dynamically combining the sensations of action and suspense underpin that identity that Bethesda and Arkane have forged over the years. And in the process, the player receives generous, well-shot touches of space terror.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- Date: 2017
- Developer: MachineGames
Sequels and new installments based on the adventures of BJ Blazkowicz have been outrageous since Wolfenstein 3D. From reboots to experiences in Virtual Reality. But the degree of brutality in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus has yet to be overcome.
The sequel to the also outstanding Wolfenstein: The New Order was the highest card of a simply overwhelming 2017 year for Bethesda herself. And while launching a shooter of this caliber without multiplayer could be considered a reckless act, The New Colossus didn’t need it at all.
DOOM Eternal
- Date: 2020
- Developer: iD Software
So far we’ve seen very intense shooters from Bethesda, but none can match DOOM Eternal’s crushing spiral of ultraviolence. A title that not only lives up to the cult classic, but is one of the best FPS in the history of video games.
The Ultimate Demon Purge encapsulates Bethesda’s ambition, iD Software’s thuggish spirit, and the saga’s Machiavellian level design. Raising everything to its finest and, in the process, flipping it into an asymmetric multiplayer in which flesh and blood serve as fireworks.
Bethesda: too promising a future
Bethesda’s legacy shines through. What’s more, many of his jewels remain in the inkwell. And yet, it is inevitable to have the feeling that the best is yet to come.
Starting this year, Arkane Studios will deploy Deathloop on PS5 and PC, a powerful shooter that promises to bring new elements to the narrative through its temporary loops mechanics. And for the second half of the year comes another highlight: the spectral experience of Ghostwire: Tokyo, the new Tango project.
A very special mention to the new Indiana Jones project: with LucasFilm Games back, Bethesda has taken the lead by daring to put the most iconic adventurer on the big screen at the service of MachineGames. Who, by the way, also have a Wolfenstein III in their hands.
It is inevitable to feel optimistic seeing all that is to come from Bethesda and the exceptional legacy that supports each of its studies. Above all, when players can enjoy their classics, recent successes and all their future projects through a Game Pass that doubles its value with each foray of the Doomslayer, BJ and the hero you want to be in the next The Elder Scrolls..
Because if the outlook looks good in the short and medium term, in the face of the not so near future it looks even better: beyond the mysterious Starfield, its first license in years, a The Elder Scrolls VI awaits us that was born with the purpose of surpassing Skyrim. And those are major words.
