Summary
- Open-world games offer a variety of magical abilities for creative fun and exploration as a wizard.
- Elden Ring offers an Astrologer class that has Wizard-like abilities in a Soulslike experience.
- Diablo 4 continues the legacy that started with the original Wizard.
Wielding the power of magic goes with fantasy video games like bread and butter, especially when given the option to play as a wizard, allowing the player to emulate the feeling of being a character like Gandalf from The Lord Of The Rings. It allows them to explore massive open worlds, bombarding every enemy with a lightning bolt or a beam of ice.
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Open-world fantasy games, such as MMOs and action RPGs, let gamers fulfill their power fantasies by wielding mystical abilities. With a range of spells and magical weapons, players can embrace the role of their ideal wizard. Others focus on leveling up and upgrading, allowing players to attain godlike status through their magical abilities.
8 World of Warcraft
Still the King of MMORPGs After Twenty Years
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
Many MMORPGs have come and gone, achieving varying levels of success. However, almost all of them have been influenced by World of Warcraft, which has been thriving for over twenty years since its launch. Whether players choose to go solo or team up with friends, Azeroth offers countless options for exploration and character creation, including magic-based characters.
The Mage class is the closest equivalent to a Wizard, and with the right equipment, such as a stave, players can truly embrace their Wizard fantasy in World of Warcraft. Whether someone is playing an Orc, Human, or a Draenai, they can unleash flashy spells with runic visuals, which put on a spectacle while dealing damage that can destroy powerful demons, undead armies, and Void Lords.
7 Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment Made Their Own World of Swords and Magic
Avowed
- Released
- February 18, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Set in the world of Eora, Avowed is Obsidian Entertainment’s take on the open-world fantasy RPG genre, similar to what they have brought to space sci-fi with The Outer Worlds. It gives the players a giant sandbox to explore, carry out quests, and experience an epic story filled with outlandish locations and magic, both light and dark. While it's not a fully open-world game, its large, open zones scratch that same exploration itch while offering a more focused experience.
One of the three main archetypes is the Wizard class, which allows the hurling of lightning from fingers, conjuring staffs made of magical energies, throwing fireballs, and much more. It’s far from reinventing the wheel, but fans of magic-based characters will still enjoy unleashing mystical chaos in Avowed, especially since there are more options for light and dark magic than most games.
6 Elden Ring
If Dark Souls Was Set in a Massive Open World
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
While there is no Wizard or Mage class specifically, the Astrologer class in Elden Ring is most proficient in Intelligence, Dexterity, and Mind, and they start the game with a staff. As a result, gamers have been able to mold the Astrologer into various kinds of magic users, from a magus to a sorcerer, which comes the closest to a classic Wizard.
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An Astrologer is just one of many classes available in Elden Ring, which is FromSoftware’s way of bringing their famously difficult RPGs like Bloodborne and Dark Souls into an open-world format. It still features a plethora of boss fights, and where most melee classes struggle, using magic has proven to level the playing field, with even the most powerful bosses struggling against spells (especially Comet Azur).
5 Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
The Remaster of an Overshadowed Gem
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
- Released
- September 8, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
During a time when Skyrim was the biggest game in the world, Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning was overshadowed, despite relatively positive reviews that praised it for being a fun RPG. With a large world filled with many quests and deep lore, it became a gem that would eventually get remastered as Kingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning.
Similar to Avowed, Kingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is far from anything new, but the sorcery-based builds are fun to experiment with, as the game incentivizes experimenting with a mix of magic and weaponry of all kinds. With the right choices of upgrades, a lowly warrior can become strong enough to take on giant behemoths and evil sorcerers with ease.
4 Hogwarts Legacy
The Definitive Game Set in the Wizarding World
Hogwarts Legacy
- Released
- February 10, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Software
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Avalanche Games surprised many with Hogwarts Legacy, which essentially allows fans of Harry Potter to live out their dream of being a student living at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They get to create their own witch or wizard and experience an original story set a century before the events of Harry Potter and Voldemort.
As the player advances in school, the player learns more magic spells that can be used in the main story and out in the massive open world full of dark wizards and magical creatures. From Expelliarmus to the Three Unforgivable Curses, players can use many famous spells from the Wizarding World to advance and explore the grounds of Hogwarts and the Scottish Highlands that surround it.
3 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
The Dragonborn Can Be a Powerful Magic Wielder
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
With the constellation system that allows players to craft any class they desire, magic can be used in many ways in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, including healing, elemental damage, or conjuring minions. That freedom, combined with hundreds of quests and storylines, not only makes every playthrough feel fresh but also helps establish the game as an iconic RPG.
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There is the option to wield magic at the fingertips like a mage or battlemage, but there are also classic staffs and robes to create a wizard class. Whether it's fighting a dragon or clearing a dungeon full of bandits, unleashing powerful spells never stops being satisfying, especially when combined with the Dragon Shouts, which are another form of spellcasting.
2 Dragon’s Dogma 2
Vocations Can Turn a Mage into a Sorcerer
Dragon's Dogma 2
- Released
- March 22, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
On top of its stunning visuals, Dragon's Dogma 2 quickly establishes itself as an iconic modern-age RPG that has everything a high fantasy fan needs to enjoy, such as giant monsters to slay, a compelling story, and the chance to use magic. There is the Mage class, but the protagonist can evolve into a Sorcerer thanks to the game's signature vocation system that changes and diversifies the gameplay.
Dragon's Dogma 2 is praised for being a straightforward but addictive RPG despite a few shortcomings, taking the gameplay of the original Dragon's Dogma and polishing it. At first, facing off against dragons and other large creatures can be overwhelming, but Sorcerers offer a more damage-based class that can summon tornadoes, lightning chain attacks, and enhancements that allow players to become a ranged powerhouse while their pawns tackle enemies head-on.
1 Diablo 4
Spellcasting Has Been a Staple of the Franchise
Diablo 4
- Released
- June 5, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Blizzard Entertainment helped set a new standard for action RPGs with the Diablo franchise, but with Diablo 4, they took the isometric RPG template and gave gamers a fully connected open world. The regions can be traveled to without any loading screens, each with its own challenges and monsters to fight as a fully customizable protagonist.
With immense fidelity, Diablo 4 puts more into character creation, which includes six classes: Barbarian, Sorcerer, Rogue, Necromancer, Druid, and Spiritborn. The Sorcerer class is more or less an evolution of the Wizard class from the first Diablo, allowing players to unleash a barrage of magic spells, from conjuring hydras to becoming a living blizzard that destroys everything in their path. Diablo 4 is all about tearing through hordes of enemies, and the Sorcerer is no different, tearing a path through demons with powerful magic that does not relent.
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