What are the best dragon games on PC? Since long before the days of D&D, and before Tolkien became the poster boy of fantasy, dragons have been the most fearsome and majestic creatures of myth. Usually, they breathe fire and hoard gold, and can sometimes be a faithful companion, or a fierce enemy.
PC games, and the best RPGs in particular, are naturally swarming with dragons and dragon-like creatures, both as friends and foes. We’ve collected some of the best dragon games on PC, like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim where you can encounter, battle, or befriend a dragon, including entries from multiplayer games or MMORPGs if you’re into a more cooperative adventure.
Here are the best dragon games on PC:
- Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming
- Black Desert Online
- Hero Wars
- Raid: Shadow Legends
- Genshin Impact
- Neverwinter
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Tower of Fantasy
- Archeage
- Skyrim
- Rift
- Elder Scrolls Online
- Dark Souls
- Dragon Age Inquisition
- Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
- Ark: Survival Evolved
- Monster Hunter World Iceborne
- Guild Wars 2
- Gothic series
- World of Warcraft
- Dragons Dogma 2
Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming
You might not have thought that the intricately woven political threads of Game of Thrones would have lent themselves well to a free-to-play game, but you’d have been wrong. In Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming, you play as a lord or lady vying for power following the death of Eddard Stark. The game is an MMORTS and essentially creates a digital Westeros in which players can live out their fantasies about being a person of influence within the iconic fantasy world.
But what about the dragons? Well, much as they are in the TV and novel series, dragons are crucial. It turns out Daenerys isn’t the only one who had some dragon eggs because, in this game, every player gets them. Once they eventually hatch, it’s up to you to nurture them as they grow bigger and stronger – eventually, they’ll be one of your most valuable units in battle.
Play Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming for free.
Black Desert Online
Black Desert Online is a stunning expansive open-world game from the team at Pearl Abyss. Obtain pets like the Young Crimson Dragon, and get lost in the high fantasy setting that’s both impressive and beautiful.
This action-based MMORPG has some of the best combat scenes out there, with a captivating story and thrilling story to boot. The game’s character development is unique and detailed, and you can try activities like fishing, hunting, gathering, and trading to level up.
Play the Black Desert Online free trial.
Hero Wars
Though not the puzzle game that the adverts make it out to be, Hero Wars is a simple clicker game that’ll be just what you’re after if you’re looking for a game that’s good at filling those brief windows of time that pop up. The Secrets of the Dragon Mountains event has been released in Hero Wars.
It’s filled with daily challenges that start easy and slowly become more and more difficult as you play. There are so many heroes to unlock, and doing so will be a big part of the appeal for many players because they all fight in unique ways and some of them have interesting and unusual designs. Naturally, it tries to squeeze microtransactions out of you as you get further and further into it, but it’s definitely less predatory than some of the others out there.
Raid: Shadow Legends
Raid: Shadow Legends is a game that, we’re sure, requires no introduction. Anyone who watches YouTube will have probably seen countless promos for it – but you may not know the specifics. This is a game that’s all about building a team of champions and then taking them through dungeons made up of multiple turn-based RPG battles. Of course, some of these skirmishes will bring you up against dragons too.
Each champion has slightly different abilities, and they range from cool magical users like the Abbess, to more comedic characters, like the bumbling skeleton, Ultimate Deathknight. As you grow your collection through its gacha mechanics, you’ll have fun finding the right team for the specific challenges or even finding the ultimate group of fighters to dominate against other players online.
Play Raid: Shadow Legends for free.
Genshin Impact
Since its release in 2020, many have remarked on the similarities between Genshin Impact and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as both games give you a beautiful, expansive, open world to explore, full of things to do and resources to gather. Unlike Breath of the Wild, though, Genshin Impact is one of the best free PC games – but both games do contain dragons.
Indeed, dragons actually play a large role in the game’s lore, with them being the dominant species in the long-distant past. Genshin Impact includes quite a variety of dragons, too, in that you’ll find both land and sea varieties and even dragons who are capable of talking. You’ll have to take down some of the main dragons during the main quest, so you should keep an eye on our Genshin Impact tier list to pick the best characters available. If you’re after a free dragon game, then this could be a great choice. Even if you’ve played Breath of the Wild, this is a similar but decidedly distinct experience, rather than a lazy clone.
Neverwinter
You’d expect some good dragons from a game set in Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms, and Neverwinter certainly delivers in that respect. Some campaigns are entirely focused on dragons, weekly dragon-slaying quests, mighty dragon bosses, and all kinds of good Dragon loot to enjoy in this free-to-play RPG. Developer Cryptic Studios does an excellent job drawing on Dungeons & Dragons’ wealth of lore to create some of the toughest game dragons.
Final Fantasy XIV
Ah, Final Fantasy. A series has given us virtual dragons to fight since 1987, and Final Fantasy XIV is no exception. Not only is this fantastic MMO packed to the brim with content to enjoy, with a deep and rewarding storyline, plus countless expansions, but did you know that you can play it for free too? Square allows you to play without paying all the way up to Level 60, which is actually a huge number of hours.
If you’re after an MMO that you can lose yourself in, with a thriving world that lets you pass your time in countless different ways. Whether you’re someone who likes to spend your time in games just peacefully sitting around in your FFXIV Island Sanctuary, or someone who wants to embark on an epic quest, both of these options will be available to you, with the story in the base game lasting a good 120 hours, and then four massive expansions with storylines that could be games of their own… and then, of course, there are dragons too (and the ones in this game have a fascinating backstory).
Tower of Fantasy
Following in the footsteps of Genshin Impact, Tower of Fantasy is an anime-style open-world MMO action RPG. Set in the distant future, this game sees you taking control of humans on the planet Aida, with gacha mechanics that allow you to unlock more characters, weapons, and vehicles as you progress through the story. Speaking of gacha mechanics, keep your account topped up with in-game goodies by reading our Tower of Fantasy codes guide.
So what does that have to do with dragons? Well, one of the bosses is called the Interdimensional Frostfire Dragon. This is an unusual, robotic rendition of a dragon, and while it may not be your traditional scaly beastie, you can’t deny that it looks really cool, and it makes for a heck of a battle too.
Archeage
For most of this MMO’s illustrious lifespan, dragons have represented the pinnacle of combat challenges. These winged reptiles are often world bosses capable of tearing your character limb from limb. However, thanks to the 4.5 update, you can now raise your own dragons in Archeage and use them as mounts.
Skyrim
Skyrim’s dragons have defined a generation of scaled beasts like its horses have defined a generation of mountain climbing. Alduin and his ilk are the final fights for many a Dragonborn in the snowy peaks of the Nord homeland. Though the main story arc leading up to the stoic and storied dragons of Tamriel is a great finale to the story, dragons are just as likely to pop up while you’re picking flowers as when you’re actively seeking them out.
One of the best and worst feelings in Skyrim is hearing the giant wing flap directly overhead while you’re slowly trudging back to town over-encumbered with looted goods and thinking, “oh dear”. You can drastically increase the number of dragons in Skyrim by checking out our best Skyrim mods page.
Rift
You won’t stumble upon dragons very often in this free MMO. Instead, dragons are presented exactly as they should be: fearsome endgame bosses that will wipe your raid group of 20 countless times before you finally get the best of them. You’ll need to do your homework and bring plenty of resources to take on the several gods of the Blood Storm.
Elsewhere Rift feels remarkably similar to Classic WoW, from the selection of classes and the two alliances to the talent tree. There are hundreds of hours to grind through, but Rift does a great job of opening up new mounts, abilities, weapons, and loot to feed the power fantasy.
Elder Scrolls Online
Not to be outdone by Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls Online has finally added dragons to its list of enemies. Although not present in the base game of ESO, the Elsweyr expansion that brought players to the Khajiit homeland also adds the giant winged beasts, setting all those desert sands on fire.
Dragon fights in ESO are open-world encounters meant to be tackled by dozens of players, all coming together on the same map. Dragons can be spotted flying overhead before they eventually land in a space big enough for a fight where players can join together to take them down. Dragons are no joke in ESO, spewing out fire and other nasty AOE effects that can easily kill any player who isn’t on their toes.
Dark Souls
It’s no surprise that a series lauded for its difficulty would pit players up against some of the biggest and baddest creatures of fantasy. For all that dragons feature in the lore of Dark Souls, it’s rare to come across a genuine article. Most of the dragonkin in the Dark Souls series are cousins of the big beasts: drakes, wyverns, and other dragon-like creatures- but that doesn’t make them less formidable.
From the true dragons like the thoroughly repulsive Gaping Dragon and Seath the Scaleless of Dark Souls to the less dragon but no less large Ancient Wyvern of Dark Souls 3, each is a formidable foe in keeping with the Dark Souls tradition of epic boss fights.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragons do appear in the first two Dragon Age games, heck the final boss fight of Dragon Age: Origins is with the giant Archdemon in the form of a dragon. Dragon Age: Inquisition has the best of the brood by far, though.
After killing your first dragon anywhere out in Inquisition’s huge explorable zones, you’ll unlock a new quest asking you to kill the rest of the nine High Dragons. Each one dwarfs your party with a giant wingspan and an equally giant list of special resistances and abilities. Dragon fights can rage on for quite a while since the Inquisitor and company only come as a party of four.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Although the original Dragon’s Dogma never made it to PC, the later port Dark Arisen brought us the Monster Hunter-style beast slaying that we originally missed out on. Dragon’s Dogma is packed with other gnarly big baddies from fantasy to slay, but with their name in the title, you’ll not be surprised to hear that dragons are kind of a big deal in Dark Arisen.
The game starts out with one such monster eating your very heart out, and in the true RPG hero style of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” you go on to slay beasts of all manners despite your new chest cavity, including heaps of draconic critters.
Ark: Survival Evolved
In Ark: Survival Evolved, a game ostensibly about taming giant creatures and cleaning up their poop, dragons are not for fighting. Or, they are for fighting, but usually with the end goal of taming and then riding them. It’s the How To Train Your Pet Dragon game that we definitely needed on PC. Ark originally only had one dragon: the purple and orange beast that can only be visited by generating a Dragon Portal to the Dragon Arena.
Unfortunately, in the base game, you’re only able to fight and kill the dragon and can only tame it with the use of console commands. In the Scorched Earth DLC, however, there are numerous additional dragons (wyverns) from poison to lightning to fire that can be battled, tamed, and flown all over the map. Don’t forget to take your adventures to the next level with our best Ark mods guide to alter the gameplay drastically.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is stuffed full of elder dragons of many different types. Though it isn’t the first time that dragons have shown up in the series, there’s no doubt that they’re most impressive in MHW.
Monster Hunter World’s dragon fights make for some of the biggest and toughest encounters you’ll face in this open-world game, culminating in the final fight of the story against the elder dragon Xeno’jiiva. That isn’t the final dragon, though. Plus, not enough dragon games let you turn your fiery foes into a fetching armor set. Take a look at our Monster Hunter World Iceborne review to see how this expansion improves the game’s base content.
Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 is regarded as one of the best MMOs around for its single-player storyline, deep lore, and achingly pretty open world. Every new area you come across is brimming with interesting stories, quests, and rewards, and they all feel genuinely alive in a way that very few MMOs are ever capable of delivering.
That originality and attention to detail bleed over to its enemy design, especially when it comes to its dragons. Whether it’s wyverns, drakes, or the Elder Dragons, all of Guild Wars 2’s winged reptiles feel like a part of the world, with storylines and histories of their own. Their status is imprinted on the land of Cantha, so when you eventually face them on the battlefield, it feels like a momentous occasion.
The elder dragons of Tyria are so monstrous that even some of Guild Wars 2’s giant world bosses are just the minions of the apex predators. In the base game of Guild Wars 2, three of the colossal world bosses that players on a map all join together to fight are the lieutenants of the true elder dragons.
Throughout the game’s history, some of these fights have changed to grow in complexity, Teqatl the Sunless being one of the larger adaptations. While Teqatl was somewhat formidable at launch, players adapted to killing it quickly, and the giant Lieutenant of Zhaitan, the elder dragon, morphed into a much tougher fight requiring greater coordination between players. Now, each new story arc and expansion of the Guild Wars 2 story seems to introduce a new dragon to fight (or sometimes befriend). Now that Guild Wars 2 has mounts for players to ride on, you can even fly a draconic Skyscale around Tyria as well, though it’s nowhere near as scary as an elder dragon. Give our Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons review a read to discover what the latest expansion has brought to the game.
Gothic series
The Gothic series, like some other sword-swinging fantasy RPGs on this list, has a history with dragons. If you’re looking for an option from the old games category, then Gothic 2 features several dragon fights throughout its campaign.
Although they aren’t nearly as big and epic as the other dragons on the list, Gothic 2’s many dragon fights can still be challenging. Gothic 3’s dragons are considerably more impressive, or at least more dragon-y in their movements, even if they still aren’t quite the house-sized creatures of other games.
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft’s third expansion Cataclysm from 2010 (not quite classic) brought sweeping changes when the dragon Deathwing wrought havoc across Azeroth. Whole areas of the map and environment were left affected by The Shattering, the world-changing event of Deathwing’s return. Naturally, Deathwing also serves as the final boss encounter for the Cataclysm expansion in an epic faceoff with players. Years later, you can degrade Deathwing by riding a dragon mount in his image so that he remembers who bested him. Read all about the latest dragon-filled expansion in our WoW Dragonflight review.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
Just like the first game, a dragon has eaten your heart, creating your special character known as the Arisen. It’s your destiny to slay the dragon and save the world, but things aren’t as easy as they were before as there are a number of Dragon’s Dogma 2 characters looking to make things difficult. The queen has put in place a false arisen to rule the kingdom, stopping you from getting the help you need to take care of the dangerous dragons.
All of the somewhat awkward mechanics that made the original game so special are back, including fast travel being restricted to rare and expensive Dragon’s Dogma 2 ferrystones, and oxcarts. Don’t forget to read our Dragon’s Dogma 2 review to see what we thought of Capcom’s long awaited follow-up RPG.
There you have it, the best dragon games on PC. Dragons have long been the face of fantasy monsters, and for good reason. These epic-sized creatures make for equally epic encounters in just about every one of the games you can find them in. Whether you’re facing them toe to claw or strapping a saddle on your fire-breathing friend, dragons make just about every fantasy game a bit grander.