A new first-person, open-world RPG is climbing the Steam charts, and it may be a good choice for those who have already blasted through Oblivion Remastered and are looking to continue scratching that Skyrim itch.
Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon is $45 and fully released on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 on May 23, having been in early access since 2023. It looks to have found an audience on Steam in particular, where as of writing it’s the number three best-selling game and is only a few spots below Oblivion Remastered on the most-played charts. It also sports “Very positive” reviews on the platform.
Heavily influenced by first-person RPG games like Skyrim and Oblivion, Tainted Grail takes place in a dark fantasy world inspired by Arthurian legend. It features branching storylines and morally ambiguous choices where players will shape the future of King Arthur’s now ruined kingdom, according to the game’s Steam page.
Those looking for a massive open-world RPG to sink their teeth into will find plenty to do here, as the game’s Steam page states Tainted Grail is 50-70 hours long and features over 200 side quests, spread out across the game’s three distinct zones. When it comes to combat and character creation, players can freely swap between melee weapons, shields, magic, and throwable items.
Developer Questline, a studio of about 50 people, makes clear that players can create various archetypes ranging from a “blacksmith-mage summoning undead hordes” to a “stealthy archer lurking in the shadows.” Just like in The Elder Scrolls, there is also crafting in the form of blacksmithing, alchemy, and cooking, as well as farming, journaling, fishing, and more. Also like Like in Elder Scrolls, Tainted Grail can technically be played in third-person, but was built for first-person in mind. Questline called the third-person option “playable but far from perfect.”
The developer has already outlined some of the updates players can expect following the game’s launch, including bug fixes, mod support, and additional content. It’s also working to improve the game’s performance on Steam Deck.
For those curious whether Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon could be their next life-consuming RPG, a free demo is available on both Steam and consoles.
