Risen 2: Dark Waters similar games & best alternatives

Risen 2: Dark Waters - Trailer
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Risen 2: Dark Waters

PlayStation 3, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox 360 • 2012

Should you play it?

Set several years after the end of Risen, raging titans have devastated the world and pushed humanity to the brink of existence. Subsequently, monstrous creatures have risen from the watery depths of the sea and their attacks have brought all seafaring to a grinding halt.

What works

  • Immersive pirate atmosphere
  • Large explorable world with multiple islands
  • Engaging story and humorous dialogue
  • Character customization and skill progression
  • Long gameplay with many quests and secrets

Things to keep in mind

  • Clunky and sometimes frustrating combat system
  • Technical bugs and occasional crashes
  • Dated graphics and animations
  • Some repetitive quests and lack of swimming
  • Simplified faction system and easy late-game

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Avowed

  • Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition

  • Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition

  • Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

  • ELEX II

  • ELEX

Less social

Games that feels like Risen 2: Dark Waters but with less teamwork and cooperation

  • The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition

  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

  • Fable Anniversary

  • Divinity II: Developer's Cut

  • The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut

  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Less leadership-focused

Games that feels like Risen 2: Dark Waters but with less leadership over others

  • Risen 3 - Titan Lords

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits

  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR

  • GreedFall

  • Hunted: The Demon’s Forge™

Less intimate

Games that feels like Risen 2: Dark Waters but with less focus on close relationships

  • Drakensang: The River of Time

  • Dungeon Siege

  • Gothic 1

  • Sacred 2 Gold

  • Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition

  • Dead Age 2: The Zombie Survival RPG

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • ELEX II

  • ELEX

  • Risen 3 - Titan Lords

  • Risen

  • Gothic II: Gold Edition

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Risen 2: Dark Waters. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Risen 2: Dark Waters. These titles are not in What to play next.

Risen 2: Dark Waters: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Competition, Status.

Last update: 21/08/2026