ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN vs Gothic 1
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is an action-RPG open-world game from FromSoftware, Inc. (2025) while Gothic 1 is an action-RPG open-world game from Piranha Bytes (2001).
Quick answer: Gothic 1 rates higher, 7.9 to 7.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Gothic 1 is the cheaper at $19.99.
What each one is
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is filed under Action-RPG and Open-World. In contrast, Gothic 1 under Action-RPG and Open-World.
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design.
War has been waged across the kingdom of Myrtana. Orcish hordes invaded human territory and the king of the land needed a lot of ore to forge enough weapons, should his army stand against this threat. Whoever breaks the law in these darkest of times is sentenced to serve in the giant penal colony of Khorinis, mining the so much needed...
Story, characters and reception
No Wikipedia detail on file.
Plot
Setting Gothic takes place in an open world medieval fantasy realm in which humans are fighting a losing war against the Orcs , a humanoid race. In order to fight back, the king needs to extract magical ore from mines, which can be used to forge more powerful weapons and armor. Therefore he decides to send every man who has committed a crime to the ore mines. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . IGN concluded that " Gothic is a solid role-playing experience" and Eurogamer said that it is a game that "developers should look to as an example of how a role-playing adventure should be done". GameSpot gave the game a slightly less positive review saying that despite Gothic s achievements in terms of story and dialogue, players might… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN | Gothic 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.7/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (82%, 190,327) | Very Positive (93%, 18,311) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 81/100 |
| Price | $39.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | 30 GB | 5 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | unsupported |
| Released | 2025 | 2001 |
| Developer | FromSoftware, Inc. | Piranha Bytes |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN vs Gothic 1, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGNAction-RPG open-world gameGothic 1Action-RPG open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGNSouls-like, Online Co-Op, Rogue-likeGothic 1RPG, Open World, ClassicThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGNScore 7.7 · 82% on SteamGothic 1 ✓Score 7.9 · 93% on Steam · 81 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN190,327 reviews · 1 add-on · 30 GBGothic 118,311 reviews · 5 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN$39.99Gothic 1 ✓$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN ✓PlayableGothic 1UnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Gothic 1 takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN and Gothic 1 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Gothic 1 (GamingPickz Score 7.9)
- The cheaper right now: Gothic 1 ($19.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN (playable)
- Lighter on storage: Gothic 1 (5 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN (190,327 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
SingleplayerActionThird PersonRPGAction RPGOpen WorldStory Rich
Where they differ
Souls-likeOnline Co-OpRogue-likeMultiplayerCo-opPvE
ClassicAtmosphericFantasyGothicMedievalDark Fantasy
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Gothic 1 is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN | Gothic 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB / AMD Radeon RX 580 4GB | 3D graphics card with 32 MB Ram |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i5-10600 / AMD RYZEN 5 5500 | Intel Pentium III 700 MHz |
| Minimum RAM | 12 GB | 0.5 GB |
| Install size | 30 GB | 5 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN · Gothic 1.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 6 accessibility features for ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN and 0 for Gothic 1. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN and Gothic 1 in scope?
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN has drawn 190,327 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 30 GB. Gothic 1 has drawn 18,311 Steam reviews and installs in 5 GB.
Is ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN or Gothic 1 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Gothic 1 rates higher (7.9 to 7.7). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN or Gothic 1?
Gothic 1 is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $39.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN or Gothic 1?
Gothic 1 rates higher, 7.9 to 7.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Gothic 1 is the cheaper at $19.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.