One of the many purposes of video games is to transport you out of reality and into something a bit more surreal. It’s a form of escapism, being able to be somewhere or someone impossible. While all games offer their own form of escapism, the fantasy genre has unique ways that separate themselves, like the inclusion of elves.
Of the many species found in fantasy games, elves are arguably the most well-known and distinguished. Elves are mostly depicted with pointy ears, but other than that, come from various backgrounds. Some elves dwell in forests or live in completely different realms. Some live in the light, while others fester in the dark. Whether an elf wants you dead or becomes a trusted ally, these are the best games that feature these mystical creatures.
8 Baldur's Gate
Set in the Forgotten Realms of the Dungeons and Dragons universe, Baldur's Gate is among the cream of the RPG crop. It centers around a young orphan known as the Ward seeking revenge for the murder of their foster father. Through their travels, the Ward encounters many different people, including an elf named Xan. The overarching race of elves is divided into several subcategories: Moon elves, Sea elves, Wild elves, Winged elves, Gold elves, and Drow. While elves can play a multitude of classes, they excel mostly in the ranged attacking role.
Xan is one of the first people the Ward meets at the beginning of the game. He appears in chapter two as a prisoner by a half-orc cleric named Mulahey. By defeating Mulahey and rescuing Xan, he can join your party as an Enchanter. Surprisingly, publisher Interplay Entertainment expected Baldur's Gate to perform very poorly, but instead, it's regarded as one of the best RPGs ever made.
7 Total War: Warhammer
Developed by Creative Assembly, Total War: Warhammer is a turn-based role-playing strategy game set in a fantasy world. In the first Total War: Warhammer, only Wood Elves were among the playable races, then the sequel introduced Dark Elves and High Elves.
According to the Warhammer lore, elves have the capability to live for several thousand years. They are known to have magical abilities, most notably referred to as the Winds of Magic. High Elves, especially, are an ancient race composed of powerful mages that are credited with keeping the world intact against Chaos.
6 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
In the vast, magical world of Skyrim, there are quite a few different races of elves. Throughout the Elder Scrolls series, elves have been referred to as “Mer” and they’re known for having much longer life spans than humans. They also tend to be more gifted in the magical arts. Elves have remained a major part of the Elder Scrolls lore, as the species consists of ten different races.
Known as the Wood Elves, the Bosmer are extremely quick and agile, which tends to favor people wanting to be thieves or archers in Skyrim. Surprisingly, Orcs are also descendants of Elven ancestry and they’ve embraced a more physical combat approach instead of magic. Two lesser-known Elven races in Elder Scrolls are the Bretons and Maromer. The Bretons are a mix of Elven and human blood, and although they have magical capabilities, they’re still looked at as being more human. The Maromer have command of the open seas, building a home on a southern island called Pyandonea. And with Skyrim returning once again with the Anniversary Edition, you'll have yet another opportunity to explore this magical world.
5 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Most fantasy stories set in mystical lands with all manner of creatures are sure to have elves. The Witcher follows the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, a deadly bounty hunter with magical abilities. Throughout his travels, Geralt encounters many different people and learns about many different races and cultures, including the elves.
It’s said that the elves are the second oldest race in the world, only trailing behind the gnomes. The two main elf factions in the Witcher series are Aen Seidhe and Aen Elle. Throughout the centuries, elves have engaged in bloody conflicts with humans that have left their numbers dwindling. Only younger elves are capable of reproducing, and because they run off to fight in constant wars, the total population continues to decrease.
4 Divinity Original Sin 2
Fantasy RPGs that offer complete character customization with non-human race selections deserve a gold star. There are four playable races in Divinity Original Sin 2: dwarves, humans, elves, and the undead. Each race has different skills and talents that will influence the way you play.
Regarded as skilled sorcerers, elves are beautiful, elegant beings with long frames. One rather interesting and slightly gross characteristic about elves in Divinity Original Sin 2 is their ability to absorb memories of the dead. By using the talent Corpse Eater, elves gain memories of the dead by eating their body parts. Other than eating people, elves can also create magical barriers to protect themselves and others.
3 God Of War
The return of God of War may have brought back our beloved god-slaying Spartan warrior, but this time Kratos was fighting for his life in the realm of Midgard. Throughout his and Atreus's journey, the two of them find themselves traveling to other realms, most notably Alfheim. Home to the Light and Dark Elves, Alfheim is teetering on the brink of destruction when Kratos and his son arrive. For centuries, the two elven races have been in constant war over the Light of Alfheim, and now the Dark Elves were on the verge of winning.
It wasn’t until Kratos and Atreus arrived in Alfheim that the Light Elves were able to rebound and take control of the war. Kratos helped fight back against the Dark Elves to claim some of the Light for their journey, which helped the Light Elves gain the upper hand in the war. While both races know how to fly, the Dark Elves have to use literal wings and the Light Elves simply levitate. The other main difference between the two is physical appearance. Light Elves are radiant with long, white robes, and Dark Elves appear more gruesome and savagery.
2 Lego Lord Of The Rings
Since the massive success behind Lego Star Wars, we’ve seen countless iterations of popular media licenses get transformed into digital bricks and blocks. In 2012, Traveller’s Tales developed Lego Lord of the Rings, which was based on all three movies in the trilogy, but with that Lego charm. The game follows the main plot from the trilogy and books but slightly changes certain scenes to be a bit more family-friendly.
Over 80 characters are playable in the game (including creating your own hobbit), and that includes one of the most well-known elves in history, Legolas. The sharpshooting archer is as smooth as a Lego brick humanoid can be with a bow and arrow, exploding Lego Orcs left and right. Lego Lord of the Rings hit an unusual roadblock in 2019 when Warner Bros. Interactive suspended all digital sales of the game. It wasn’t until April 2020 and November 2021 that the game was re-added to Steam and Xbox One.
1 Dragon Age: Inquisition
In a world plagued by flying dragons and the demonic-looking darkspawn, it’s not a surprise that elves are also a prominent race in Dragon Age. As is the case in most other games, elves are portrayed as slender beings with large eyes and pointed ears. They were once the dominant race of Thedas, the continent in the Dragon Age universe.
After the great elven city of Arlathan fell, the elven civilization was in shambles. The magical race split into two separate factions: the Dalish and the city elves. The Dalish sought to preserve their elven culture, while city elves chose to live among humans, despite being discriminated against and racially profiled by them.