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The best RPGs on PC

By PC Gamer July 15, 2020

The best RPGs on PC guarantee hundreds of hours of adventure in one of the PC's
essential genres.

Comments

Welcome to our roundup of the best RPGs on PC. The list contains hundreds, perhaps
thousands of hours of adventure.

Since tabletop RPGs first started getting the digital treatment, the genre has
grown into an intimidating, massive beast. Many of the best RPGs you can play on PC
are of the action variety, hailing from the explosive years of 3D RPGs like
Oblivion. More recently, classic style RPGs like Pillars of Eternity with closer
ties to their tabletop roots have seen a resurgence in popularity. Our list of the
best RPGs on PC have something to scratch your roleplay itch whether you prefer
fast-paced swordplay or more methodical turn-based games.
Best of the best

(Image credit: CD Projekt RED)

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The RPG genre is tough to boil down: by the most literal definition, every game is
a role-playing game. This list represents our best definition of the canonical RPG—
games that likely emphasize story; that let you inhabit a customizable character
through skill points, inventory, and dialogue decisions; that include complex,
controllable relationships with companions or non-playable characters. Drawing
these kinds of lines helps us provide a better service to you, we hope—though we've
made some exceptions where we think it's worth it.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Best RPGs - The Witcher 3

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Release date: 2015 | Developer: CD Projekt Red | Humble Store, Steam

Many of the best RPGs focus on tales of lone, wandering adventurers, but few if any
pull it off it with such artistry as The Witcher 3. That artistry is most apparent
in the setting itself, which is so packed with breathtaking sunsets and wind-tossed
groves of trees that, months later, I still find myself opting to go to
destinations on foot rather than taking the fast travel points.

But the true strength of The Witcher 3 is that it populates these memorable
landscapes with NPCs doling out humble but memorable quests (by the dozen) that
help create one of the most human RPG experiences on the market. In decaying
wayside towns, the witcher Geralt might find impoverished elves struggling in the
face of local racism; elsewhere, he might help a self-styled baron reunite with his
long-estranged daughter. These quests deftly navigate moral issues without being
heavy-handed or offering obvious solutions

Through it all, much as in The Witcher 2, Geralt usually plays the role of just
another character on this troubled world's stage. In the process, this tale of
monster slaying and inter-dimensional raiders becomes strangely and poignantly
relatable. The Witcher 3 is still great with a few years on it, but you can spice
it up with some Witcher 3 mods if you're into that.
Divinity: Original Sin 2

Best RPGs - Divinity: Original Sin 2

Release date: 2017 | Developer: Larian Studios | Steam, GOG

Outside of tabletop games, there are few RPGs that boast the liberating openness of
Larian's humongous quest for godhood. If you think you should be able to do
something, you probably can, even it it's kidnapping a merchant by using a
teleportation spell and then setting fire to him with his own blood. Almost every
skill has some alternative and surprising use, sometimes more than one, whether
you're in our out of combat.

You can enjoy this game of madcap experimentation and tactical combat with up to
three friends, to boot, and that's where things start to get really interesting
because you're not forced to work together or even stay in the same part of the
world. Indeed, there are plenty of reasons to work against each other. The player
is always in the driving seat, and with four players, collisions are inevitable.
Just remember: if you freeze your friends and then start poisoning them, at least
apologize after.
Disco Elysium

(Image credit: ZA/UM)

Release date: 2019 | Developer: ZA/UM| Steam, GOG

Disco Elysium returns to the absolute fundamentals of tabletop RPGs. It's all about
playing a role and becoming your character and embracing whatever success or
failure that entails. Your predetermined protagonist is a detective who wakes up
after an amnesia-inducing bender without a badge, gun, or a name. As the detective,
you'll attempt to solve a murder in the retro city of Revachol while also solving
the mystery of your past and identity.

There is no combat, at least not in the way you'd expect of a classically-inspired

RPG. Instead, the majority of Disco Elysium takes place in conversation either with
characters you need to interview about the murder or with your own mind. Each of
your skills in Disco Elysium are parts of your personality with opinions on what to
say and do during your investigation. Empathy will helpfully clue you in to the
feelings of people you talk to so you can better understand them while Logic will
help you poke holes in a bad alibi or understand a clue you find. Investing in
skills helps you pass dice roll skill checks all throughout the game for everything
from kicking down a door to hitting on a woman at the hotel. It's a massive RPG
with clever writing where each playthrough is significantly different based on the
kind of detective you choose to play.
Pillars of Eternity

Best RPGs - Pillars of Eternity

Release date: 2015 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Humble Store, Steam

There's very little about Pillars of Eternity that's actually innovative; in fact,
its whole Kickstarter-funded existence is based on appealing to the nostalgia for
aging Infinity Engine CRPGs like Baldur's Gate II. That usually matters little,
though, since Pillars of Eternity pulls it off so damned well.

The graphics lean a little too heavily on the 1990s, but the writing itself is
masterful. Obsidian Entertainment uses it to weave a wonderful (if bleak and
usually humorless) narrative that brilliantly touches on everything from religious
conflicts to social struggles. It doesn't hurt that Obsidian infused almost every
step of the world with its own story and smidge of lore, and a new patch introduced
hours of additional voice work that make the experience even more enjoyable.

It's also brutally difficult in parts, and even its easier modes demand a dance of
pausing and barking out orders to multiple party members that many contemporary of
the best RPGs shy from. That's not such a bad thing, though, as Pillars of Eternity
is a stark testament that such unforgiving designs still have widespread appeal in
this age of accessibility.

Obsidian is also working on a new Skyrim-esque RPG set in the same universe as
Pillars of Eternity called Avowed.
Outward

Outward
(Image credit: Nine Dots Studio)

Release date: 2019 | Developer: Nine Dots Studio| Steam

Outward immediately disposes of the self-centered savior complex that we've become
cozy with in so many action RPGs. While other heroes dispense of bandit camps
before lunch and save the world in time for dinner, Outward sits you down and
reminds you that no, you can't just go out and slay wolves with no training. The
types of fights that RPGs typically treat as tutorial fodder are genuine
accomplishments in Outward.

To make matters worse, or better, in our opinion, Outward constantly auto-saves

your game. Your mistakes are permanent and death can't be sidestepped by loading a
recent save. In a cruel marriage between Dark Souls and Minecraft, you're likely to
be knocked down a peg every time you die, often left retracing your steps to find
lost gear and left missing progress you'd so jealously hoarded.

Yet another treat is Outward's magic system in which you're forced to irreversibly
trade some of your total health points for magical aptitude. Spells are hard-won
and costly investments that make casting even a simple fireball a luxury.

Outward's split-screen co-op, even online, is another unorthodox twist that brings
new challenges and new laughs to the concept of becoming a hero.
Sunless Sea

Best RPGs - Sunless Sea

 Release date: 2015 | Developer: Failbetter Games | Humble Store, Steam

There's nowhere like the Unterzee. Sunless Sea's foreboding underground ocean is an
abyss full of horrors and threats to the sanity of the crews that sail upon it. In
your vulnerable little steamboat, you have to navigate these waters, trading,
fighting and going on bizarre adventures on islands filled with giant mushrooms or
rodents engaged in a civil war.

It's often strikingly pretty, but text drives Sunless Sea. Like Failbetter Games'
browser-based Fallen London, it's drenched in beautifully written quests, dialogue
and descriptions. And it's not restricted to gothic horror, though there's plenty
of it. Your journey across the black waters is just as likely to be whimsical and
silly. Always, though, there's something sinister lurking nearby. Something not
quite right.
South Park: The Stick of Truth

Best RPGs - South Park: The Stick of Truth

Release date: 2014 | Developer: Obsidian | Humble Store, Steam

This really shouldn’t have worked. Most licensed games are bad on their own, but a
role-playing game based on a crudely animated, foul-mouthed television show should
be downright awful. Stick of Truth beats the odds, thanks to the way Obsidian
applied the South Park license to some clever RPG tropes—party members are
recruited through a Facebook-like interface, a quest sends you to retrieve “Mr.
Slave’s Package,” status effects include being “grossed out,” etc. It’s not the
deepest RPG on this list, but it’s one of the most immediately fun entries, and
makes for a great introduction to the genre.
Anachronox

Best RPGs - Anachronox

Release date: 2001 | Developer: Ion Storm Dallas | Humble Store, Steam

Former id Software designer Tom Hall had a vision for his first, and only, Ion
Storm game. He wanted to make a turn-based RPG, like Final Fantasy, but with a
distinctly Western voice. It’s that tone that makes Anachronox so brilliant: few
other games of any genre have dialogue as funny as Sly Boots’ negotiation with a
sock-chewing mutant warlord, and no other game we’ve played lets you add an entire
planet to your party.

Ion Storm built the game on a heavily modified version of the Quake 2 engine, and
it’s never looked like a normal game. But even today, the blocky character models
still have personality, and the facial animations are surprisingly effective. Sly’s
look of resignation as he’s thrown out of his own office window is brilliant, and
he carries it with him throughout the adventure. The development cycle was plagued
with issues and the final product rushed, but playing Anachronox now still feels
like a revelation. It’s hard not to wonder what Hall’s planned sequels could have
achieved.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Best RPGs - Kingdom Come: Deliverance

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Release date: 2018 | Developer: Warhorse Studios | Steam, GOG

In this historical RPG set in the muddy fields of Bohemia, 1403, you play as a
peasant called Henry who gets swept up in a war for his homeland. It's a detailed
RPG, with a deep sword fighting system, hunger and thirst systems, crafting and
more than a dozen equipment slots to fill with meticulously modeled gear inspired
by the raiments of the time. It's also surprisingly open-ended. If you want to
wander into the woods and pick mushrooms for meagre coin then off you go, just be
careful of bandits as you explore the pretty rural locales.

It's by no means perfect—there are plenty of bugs and wonky moments—but this is an
RPG in the Elder Scrolls vein. A few bugs can be excused when the wider experience
is this atmospheric.
Grim Dawn

Best RPGs - Grim Dawn

Release date: 2016 | Developer: Crate Entertainment | Humble Store, Steam

If you’ve rinsed Diablo 2 for every magical trinket and are looking for a modern
fix, here is your game. Grim Dawn is a gritty, well-made action RPG with strong
classes and a pretty world full of monsters to slay in their droves. It’s the
distant brooding son of Titan Quest, sharing some designers and mechanics with that
fine 2006 Greek myth ARPG. Like its cousin, Grim Dawn lets you pick two classes and
share your upgrade points between two skill trees. This hybrid progression system
creates plenty of scope for theorycrafting, and the skills are exciting to use—an
essential prerequisite for games that rely so heavily on combat encounters.

The story isn’t bad either, for an ARPG. Don’t expect twisting plots and decisions
with consequences—this is very much a game about single-handedly destroying armies—
but there is a neat faction reputation system that spawns harder mobs and
villainous nemesis heroes as you become more hated by the criminals, cults and
monsters that rule the wilderness. The local demons and warlords that terrorize
each portion of the world are well sketched out in the scrolling text NPC dialogue
and found journals. Ultimately, it’s about the monster-smashing and sweet loot,
though, and Grim Dawn delivers on both effectively.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Best RPGs - Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Release date: 2018 | Developer: Square Enix | Steam

The smartest Final Fantasy game finally got a PC port in 2018. The game can't
render the sort of streaming open worlds we're used to these days, but the art
still looks great, and the gambit system is still one of the most fun party
development systems in RPG history. Gambits let you program party members with a
hierarchy of commands that they automatically follow in fights. You're free to
build any character in any direction you wish. You can turn the street urchin Vaan
into a broadsword-wielding combat specialist or a elemental wizard. The port even
includes a fast-forward mode that make the grinding painless.
Legend of Grimrock 2

Best RPGs - Legend of Grimrock 2

Release date: 2014 | Developer: Almost Human Games | Humble Store, Steam

We loved the original Legend of Grimrock and the way it embraced the old Dungeon
Master model of making your party—mostly a collection of stats—explore the world
one square at a time. The one drawback is that it was too literal of a dungeon
crawler. The enemies might change, but for the most part you kept trudging down
what seemed like the same series of corridors until the game's end.

The sequel, though, focuses on both the dank dungeons and the bright, open world
above, resulting in a nostalgic romp that's immensely enjoyable and filled with
even deadlier enemies and more challenging puzzles. As with the first outing, much
of its power springs from the element of surprise. One moment you'll be merrily
hacking through enemies with ease, and the next you might find yourself face-to-
face with an unkillable demon. And then you'll run, and you discover that there are
sometimes almost as many thrills in flight as in the fight.
Undertale

Best RPGs - Undertale

Release date: 2015 | Developer: tobyfox | Humble Store, Steam

Play only the first 20 minutes, and Undertale might seem like yet another JRPG
tribute game, all inside jokes about Earthbound and Final Fantasy coated with
bright sugary humor and endearingly ugly graphics. But take it as a whole (and find
out that it isn't all bright and sugary after all), and it's an inventive,
heartfelt game. It's a little unsettling how slyly it watches us, remembering
little things and using our preconceptions about RPGs to surprise and mortify and
comfort. More than a tribute to RPGs, it’s a tribute to RPG fans and an exploration
of our relationship with games.

Undertale certainly sticks out among all these cRPGs, but looking past its bullet
hell-style combat and disregard for things like leveling and skill trees, it's got
what counts: great storytelling and respect for player decisions.
Tyranny

Best RPGs - Tyranny

Release date: 2016 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Humble Store, Steam

It isn't quite the accomplishment of its cousin, Pillars of Eternity, but Tyranny's
premise sets it apart from other RPGs. Playing as an agent of evil could've been
expressed with pure, bland sadism, but instead Tyranny focuses on the coldness of
bureaucracy and ideological positioning.

As a 'Fatebinder' faithful to conqueror Kyros the Overlord—yep, sounds evil—you're

tasked with mediating talks between her bickering armies and engaging with rebels
who fight despite obvious doom, choosing when to sympathize with them and when to
eradicate them, most of the time striking a nasty compromise that balances cruelty
and political positioning. The latter is achieved through a complex reputation
system that, unlike many other morality meters, allows fear and loyalty to coexist
with companions and factions.

As with Pillars, Tyranny's pauseable realtime combat and isometric fantasy world
are a throwback to classic cRPGs, but not as a vehicle for nostalgia—it feels more
like the genre had simply been hibernating, waiting for the right time to reemerge
with all the creativity it had before.
Path of Exile

Best RPGs - Path of Exile

Release date: 2013 | Developer: Grinding Gear Games | Official site

This excellent free-to-play action RPG is heaven for players that enjoy stewing
over builds to construct the most effective killing machine possible. It’s not the
most glamorous ARPG, but it has extraordinary depth of progression and an excellent
free-to-play model that relies on cosmetics rather than game-altering upgrades. It
may look muddy and indistinct, and the combat doesn’t feel as good as Diablo 3, but
if you enjoy number crunching this is one of the brainiest RPGs around.

Path of Exile’s scary complexity becomes apparent the moment you arrive on your
character’s level-up screen, which looks like this. As you plough through enemies
and level up, you travel across this huge board, tailoring your character a little
with each upgrade. Gear customization is equally detailed. Path of Exile borrows
Final Fantasy VII’s concept of connected gem slots. Every piece of armor has an
arrangement of slots that take magic gems. These gems confer stat bonuses and bonus
adjacency effects when set in the right formations. Ideally you’ll want to build
synergies between your gemmed-up gear and leveling choices to create the most
powerful warrior you can. Doing so requires plenty of planning, but it’s an
engrossing slow-burn challenge.
Darkest Dungeon

Best RPGs - Darkest Dungeon

Release date: 2016 | Developer: Red Hook Studios | Humble Store, Steam

You might begin Darkest Dungeon as you would an XCOM campaign: assembling a team of
warriors that you've thoughtfully named, decorated, and upgraded for battle. How
naive! Inevitably, your favorite highwayman gets syphilis. Your healer turns
masochistic, and actually begins damaging herself each turn. Your plague doctor
gets greedy, and begins siphoning loot during each dungeon run. A few hours into
the campaign, your precious heroes become deeply flawed tools that you either need
to learn how to work with, or use until they break, and replace like disposable
batteries.

With Lovecraft's hell as your workplace, Darkest Dungeon is about learning how to
become a brutal and effective middle manager. Your heroes will be slaughtered by
fishmen, cultists, demons, and foul pigmen as you push through decaying halls, but
more will return to camp with tortured minds or other maladies. Do you spend piles
of gold to care for them, or put those resources toward your ultimate goal?

Darkest Dungeon is a brilliant cohesion of art, sound, writing, and design. The
colorful, hand-drawn horrors pop from the screen, showing their influence but never
feeling derivative. It's a hard game, but once you understand that everyone is
expendable—even the vestal with kleptomania you love so much—Darkest Dungeon's
brutality becomes a fantastic story-generator more than a frustration.
"Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer," as its narrator reminds.

Mount & Blade: Warband

Best RPGs - Mount & Blade: Warband

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Release date: 2009 | Developer: TaleWorlds | Humble Store, Steam

There are few games that get medieval combat right, and fewer still that add a
strategic, army-building component. Fostering an army of farmers into warriors is
great, but we love that Mount & Blade gives us the agency to be a hero figure on
the battlefield and shape the outcome of a battle ourselves with our marksmanship
or fast riding. The metagame of alliance-making, marriage, looting, and economics
underpinning these battles makes Warband a satisfying game of gathering goods,
enemies, and friendship. Even when the base game wears thin, Mount & Blade’s mods
and multiplayer give you more to do, with some even moving the action to a galaxy
far, far away.
Neverwinter Nights 2

Best RPGs - Neverwinter Nights 2

Release date: 2003 |Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | GOG

We loved BioWare's original Neverwinter Nights from 2002 (and especially its
expansions), but as a single-player experience, Neverwinter Nights 2 was in a class
all of its own. Whereas the original had a fairly weak main campaign that mainly
seemed aimed at showing what the DM kit was capable of, Obsidian Entertainment
managed to equal and arguably outdo BioWare's storytelling prowess in the sequel
when it took over the helm.

The whole affair brimmed with humor, and companions such as the raucous dwarf
Khelgar Ironfist still have few rivals in personality nine years later. And the
quality just kept coming. Shades of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past reveal
themselves in the masterful Shadow of the Betrayer expansion's focus on two halves
of the same world, but Obsidian skillfully uses that familiar framework to deliver
an unforgettable commentary on religion.
Gothic 2

Best RPGs - Gothic 2

Release date: 2002 | Developer: Piranha Bytes | Humble Store, Steam

Few games are as staunchly open-world—and unforgiving—as Gothic 2. The first time
we played it, we left town in the wrong direction and immediately met monsters many
levels higher than us, and died horribly. Lesson learned.

It sounds like Gothic 2 is too punishing, but we love the way it forces us to learn
our way through its world. Enemies don’t scale with your level, as they do in the
Elder Scrolls series, and you’ll have to pay close attention to quest text and NPCs
to find your path. Once you do—and overcome the awkward controls—there’s a huge,
sprawling RPG at your fingertips, and while you may have felt weak and powerless at
the beginning, you’ll be a true badass by the end.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best RPGs - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Release date: 2012 | Developer: Bethesda Softworks | Humble Store, Steam (Special
Edition)

Pick a direction and run. You’re almost guaranteed to discover some small
adventure, some small chunk of world that will engage you. It’s that content
density that makes Skyrim constantly rewarding. A visit to the Mage’s Guild will
turn into an area-spanning search for knowledge. A random chat with an NPC will
lead you to a far-off dungeon, searching for a legendary relic. You could be
picking berries on the side of a mountain and discover a dragon. Oops, accidental
dragon fight.

And if you somehow exhaust all of Bethesda’s content, rest assured that modders
have more waiting for you in Steam Workshop—that lively community has kept Skyrim
in the Steam top 100 since its release, and given us endless ways to adventure
through a great world. Some on the PC Gamer team keep a modded-up Skyrim install
handy, just in case they feel like adventure. That’s some high praise.
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Best RPGs - Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire

Release date: 2018 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Steam

The sequel to the marvellous Pillars of Eternity ventures to the archipelago of

Deadfire. You, and your party of adventurers, need to pursue a rampaging god, but
to reach it you first you need to learn to sail the high seas aboard The Defiant.
On the ocean you can explore and can plunder enemy vessels for loot, which you can
then use to upgrade your ship. When you dock at a port the game switches back to
classic top-down cRPG view and you're treated to elaborate and beautifully rendered
locations.
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

Best RPGs - Ultima Underworld

Release date: 1992 | Developer: Blue Sky Productions (aka Looking Glass Studios) |
GOG

Designer Paul Neurath originally conceived of a dungeon simulator that would turn
traditional role-playing conventions on their head. Called Underworld, he and his
team, the future Looking Glass Studios, built a game that rewarded real-world
thinking to solve puzzles and please NPCs. Ultima developer Origin Systems was so
impressed by the three-dimensional engine (you could look up and down!) and first-
person combat that it bought the rights to the game, and suddenly the Avatar was
trapped in the Stygian Abyss instead of some faceless schmuck.

Characters that are normally enemies are friends in Underworld, and we love that
you may not be able to tell. Attacking a goblin might be a bad move, because he’s
just as likely to be your friend. The first time we popped popcorn with a campfire
and an ear of corn, we knew we weren’t in any old dungeon crawler. Underworld was a
technological marvel in 1992, but while the graphics are dated, the feeling of
exploring the Stygian Abyss is just as exciting today.
Divinity: Original Sin

Best RPGs - Divinity: Original Sin

Release date: 2014 | Developer: Larian Studios | Humble Store, Steam

Divinity was a Kickstarter success story that still somehow took us by surprise.
Unlike most RPGs, it’s designed with co-op in mind—you even control two
protagonists in the single-player version, roleplaying different motivations
through conversations. Larian designed encounters thinking that someone could
always disagree, or ruin things for you, or even kill the NPC you need to talk to—
meaning that quests have to be solvable in unorthodox ways.

The writing in Divinity is consistently top-notch. Sure, sometimes you’ll have to

destroy a goblin riding a giant mechanical robot, or talk to a dog to solve a
quest. But that dog may have a heartbreaking story for you, and maybe you’ll cry
just a little bit like we did. Larian commits to Divinity’s world, and that
commitment pays off. This is the kind of freeform, epic, party-based RPG we haven’t
had since the days of Ultima, and it’s exactly what we love from an RPG.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2

Best RPGs - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2

Release date: 2005 | Developer: Obsidian | Humble Store, Steam

While BioWare’s first KOTOR is a Star Wars classic, KOTOR 2 takes the franchise in
a bolder direction. Instead of focusing on the Light or Dark sides of the Force,
the Jedi Exile of Obsidian’s sequel deals in shades of gray. Alliances are made,
then broken, then remade in the aftermath. Choices you think are good just turn out
to betray other characters. The end result is possibly the most nuanced take on The
Force in the entire Star Wars Expanded Universe, and definitely its most complex
villains.

Like many Obsidian early games, KOTOR 2’s truncated development meant that whole
areas had to be cut out. A fan-made mod restores much of that content, including a
droid planet, and fixes lots of outstanding bugs, showing yet again that PC gamers
will work hard to maintain their favorite games.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Best RPGs - Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines

Release date: 2004 | Developer: Troika | Humble Store, Steam

It’s all about atmosphere—from the goth clubs where you meet contacts, to the back
alleys where you scavenge for rat blood, to the haunted Ocean House Hotel (one of
the best quests in the game). Bloodlines’ ambitious use of White Wolf’s Vampire
universe means it looks and feels different from the other sword and sorcery games
on this list.

Unfortunately, that signature Troika ambition also means lots of bugs and some
mechanics that just don’t mesh well. The endgame includes some particularly sloggy
dungeons, but no other game truly drops you into a Vampire world. This is truly a
cult classic of an RPG, and the fanbase has been patching and improving the game
ever since release.

Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2 is currently in development. Read everything

we know about it in preparation for what could be another addition to this list in
2020.
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls

Best RPGs - Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls

Release date: 2014 | Developer: Blizzard | Battle.net

Let’s face it: the real-money auction house was a bad idea, one of a few in the
original Diablo 3 release. Blizzard nixed the cash auctions right before Reaper of
Souls’ release, but it’s the addition of Adventure Mode that turned the game around
from disappointing sequel to crowning achievement for the series. Instead of
rehashing the game’s acts, Adventure Mode’s task-based milestones and randomized
areas make the game feel fresh for much longer. It’s a standout mode, and it’d be
hard to imagine playing Diablo 3 any other way.

But RoS added another feature that changes the way we love our action RPGs: guild
support. Having friends to talk to as you grind through a dungeon, even if they’re
not with you, makes the game far less lonesome, and it’s that kind of small touch
that justifies Blizzard’s always-online philosophy. Adding all this to the already-
tremendous feeling of wiping out hordes of baddies with a well-timed ability
change, RoS is the defining action RPG for us. It’s a game we’ll be playing for a
long, long time.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Best RPGs - Arcanum

Release date: 2001 |Developer: Troika Games | GOG

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura was astoundingly buggy when it came out,
and many of its battles were as laughably imbalanced as its title. Patches and mods
have alleviated some of that pain over the years, but even then they weren't
powerful enough to hide what a great mix of fantasy and steampunkery thrived under
its surface. As we said in our enthusiastic review in 2001, "If you can’t find
something to love about this game, dump your computer in the garbage right now."

That assessment holds up. Arcanum was dark 'n' gritty before some such tendencies
became all the rage, and its character creator allowed players to create everything
from gnome gamblers who brandish self-explanatory Tesla-guns to outcast orcs
lugging along rusty maces. Toss in non-linear progression and multiple solutions
for quests, and you've got a winner that holds up 14 years later.
Fallout: New Vegas

Best RPGs - Fallout: New Vegas

Release date: 2010 | Developer: Obsidian | Humble Store, Steam (Ultimate Edition)

While Fallout 3 was successful, it was a different beast entirely from Interplay’s
classics. Obsidian’s take on the franchise moves the action back to the West Coast,
and reintroduces elements such as reputation and faction power struggles. Obsidian
expands on nearly every aspect of Bethesda’s take, making the game less about good
or evil, and more about who you should trust. It also adds much of the humor that
we loved from the classic games: How can you not appreciate a game that gives you a
nuclear grenade launcher?

New Vegas’ “Hardcore” mode makes survival in the wasteland more interesting,
limiting the power of RadAway and Health Stims. It makes the game harder, but also
more rewarding. If that’s not your thing, there are plenty of additional mods and
tweaks available, including game director Josh Sawyer’s own balance-tweak mod. What
we love the most about New Vegas is how it adds the Fallout feeling back into
Bethesda's first-person RPG framework.
Dark Souls 3

Best RPGs - Dark Souls 3

Release date: 2016 | Developer: From Software | Humble Store, Steam

Name any similar-looking RPG made in the past five years, and chances are good Dark
Souls will be named as an inspiration for its design. Still, Dark Souls 3 proves
that no one does it quite so well as From Software. The spark of originality that
was so compelling in Dark Souls 1 isn't quite as apparent here, the second sequel
in just five years, but what remains is an impeccably designed combat-heavy RPG.
It's far more responsive than its predecessors, demanding faster action and
reaction without sacrificing the deliberate play Dark Souls popularized. Button
mashing will get you nowhere but dead.

Dark Souls 3 is the most approachable in the series thanks to frequent warp points,
simplified online co-op and beautiful (and hideous) art that beckons you to explore
every nook and corner. No game series manages to reward you so profoundly for
scrutinizing its lore and unfurling its secrets, and Dark Souls 3's faster, tighter
controls and animation make it the most fun Souls game to play.
The Witcher 2

Best RPGs - The Witcher 2

Release date: 2011 | Developer: CD Projekt Red | Humble Store, Steam

The epic scale of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is remarkable, but it's the
power of choice in an unrelentingly ugly world that makes it unforgettable. Moral
ambiguity has never been so powerfully presented: the decisions you make actually
matter, and the outcomes are often unforeseeable and rarely as good as you'd hope.

One of the most impressive things about The Witcher 2 is the way it blends two very
distinct experiences. Early in the game, Geralt must make a choice that will take
him down one of two separate paths, each offering a completely different
perspective on the game's events. If you want to see it all, you'll have to play it
twice—and there's more than enough to make it a worthwhile effort.

You might expect all your toil and trouble to eventually lead to a just and happy
ending for all, but it won't. Geralt isn't a hero; he's really not much more than a
bystander, trying to protect what little he has from the chaos that surrounds him.
His quest is entirely personal, driven forward by a colorful, occasionally bizarre
and surprisingly believable cast of characters that really brings the game alive.
Geralt works alone, but he feels more like "one among many" than the savior-
protagonists of other party-based RPGs.

It's a fantastic and well-told tale, layered over very solid mechanical
underpinnings: A flexible character development system, glorious eye candy, intense
combat and more than enough secondary content to camouflage its very linear nature.
It's dark, it's dirty, it's sometimes flat-out depressing—and it's brilliant.
Dragon Age: Origins

Best RPGs - Dragon Age: Origins

Release date: 2009 | Developer: BioWare | Steam, Origin

Capturing that old Baldur’s Gate feel was goal number one for Dragon Age, and it
comes pretty close. Ferelden evokes much of the Forgotten Realms without feeling
like a rehash, and your relationship with your team has that old BioWare magic. The
darkspawn feel like the kind of world-consuming threat that demands our attention,
even if most of them are faceless hunks of evil for us to cut down. We love how
Dragon Age treats magic in its world, in particular the quests that force us to
choose how to best handle abominations, the result of a renegade mage succombing to
demonic possession.

But it’s the combat that feels most familiar, and most fun: the satisfying tactical
depth of pausing your combat, issuing orders, and reacting to the results works
like a modern Infinity Engine game should. It’s sad that BioWare will never make an
RPG like this again—Dragon Age 2 was too streamlined, and Inquisition’s more open
world—so in many ways, this is the last hurrah for the old BioWare, and a fitting
end for its classic design.
System Shock 2

Best RPGs - System Shock 2

Release date: 1999 | Developer: Irrational Games | GOG

Lonely. That’s the defining emotion of Irrational’s debut game. You’ll hear audio
logs from fascinating characters, many of whom are struggling to survive in a
battle against the bio-terror creatures called the Many. But you won’t meet those
people, because they didn’t make it.

That loneliness is key because Shock 2 is all about taking things away from you.
Ammo? Check: you’ll probably waste those on an assault droid when you should have
saved them for later. Hypos? Yep. Think twice before you walk into that radiated
room. But the biggest thing Irrational takes away, right at the halfway mark of the
game, is hope. It’s the reveal of insane AI Shodan that turns your expectations on
their head, and it’s one of our favorite moments in gaming.

Irrational made games where the environment is the central character, and here,
that character is the Von Braun. It creaks and moans as you pad quietly down its
corridors. Every door you open yelps. Its security systems attack you as if you
hurt their feelings. Staying on the good side of this character is hard, but Shock
2’s leveling system of earning experience points through exploration balances the
risks and rewards. Some play through with all guns blazing, but the psionics skills
balance well with combat, and Tech skills open new areas later in the game. There’s
a lot of balance to be found in what on the surface looks like a streamlined action
RPG skill system.
Ultima VII: The Black Gate

Best RPGs - Ultima VII: The Black Gate

Release date: 1992 | Developer: Origin Systems | GOG

The Guardian was one of the most terrifying things our young minds had ever
encountered. His massive stone face emerging from the screen, with his actual,
real-life voice taunting us, both tempting us to play more and horrifying us.

It was a technological marvel at the time, but Ultima 7 stands the test of time
because of the interactivity of Britannia. Most anything could be picked up or
talked to, and as we painted a portraits of ourselves in the game, we wondered if
we’d ever finish the game’s plot. But Ultima’s story sucks you in, starting first
with a double homicide to solve and expanding into a religious battle for
Britannia’s soul. Black Gate’s dialogue design still hold up today, and inspired
Divinity: Original Sin a great deal—particularly the way it handles new converts to
the world’s competing religion. This is without a doubt the best installment of one
of the most legendary RPG franchises ever.
Deus Ex

Best RPGs - Deus Ex

Release date: 2000 | Developer: Ion Storm Austin | GOG

Do you want to run in the firefight, guns blazing, or do you want to sneak around
and flank? Do you want to snipe? Or maybe you want to hack some terminals and get
droid reinforcement? Or, what if you talked to that NPC guard over there and
convince his team to take a lunch break? Deus Ex’s world is so freeform that the
choices seem endless.

While it looks like a shooter, Deus Ex is all about role-playing elements. Fire a
gun you’re not skilled in and your aim won’t matter—you’ll most likely miss. The
leveling system rewards experimentation, and some of the later upgrades make your
Denton feel like a superhero. Even the weapons you use can be modified and “leveled
up,” turning a standard issue pistol into an unstoppable killing tool. The
attention to detail here is perfect, and no one element of the game ever truly
feels forced.

Deus Ex’s world is built to reward exploring every dark alley and ventilation
system, because you never know where you’ll find a new clue. And there are a lot of
clues—every note you find or sign you see seems to hint at some new conspiracy, and
we love how the alliances in the game feel constantly in flux. The NPCs you meet
are just believable enough to make this conspiracy-laden world feel lived-in. Human
Revolution looks better, but this is the smarter, more open-ended game.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Best RPGs - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Release date: 2002 | Developer: Bethesda Game Studios | Humble Store, Steam

The release of Fallout 4 demonstrated that some cracks are starting to appear in
Bethesda's usually reliable open world model, but that model seemed earthshaking
back when Morrowind hit literal shelves way back in 2002. There was a magic in
knowing you could tromp all over the island of Vvardenfell without even
encountering a loading screen save upon entering buildings, and in seeing that the
NPC population seemed to have lives beyond their interactions with you.

Plenty of other games have achieved similar effects in the years since, but the
wonder of Morrowind is that it still holds up all these years later—even more so
than its technically superior successor Oblivion. A lot of that appeal springs from
the delicious surrealism of Vvardenfell itself, where racist elves hang out in
twisty mushrooms like smurfs in an acid dream, and where the more traditional
castles of occupying foreigners clash with the landscape like pueblos in
Scandinavia. The AI might often seem primitive by today's standards, but the
stories the tell often rival those in prettier contemporary RPGs.

It thrives still, thanks in part to its own strengths and a dedicated modding
community that creates countless new adventures and keeps it looking more modern
than it actually is (even going so far as to port the entirety of Morrowind into
newer game engines).
Mass Effect 2

Best RPGs - Mass Effect 2

Release date: 2010 | Developer: BioWare | Steam, Origin

BioWare’s first Mass Effect felt like a KOTOR clone, and not in a good way. The
universe was a place we wanted to live, but there were too many systems and menus
to dig through to get there. Still, it terrified us to hear that BioWare had
streamed back so much and put more emphasis on the shooting mechanics. Turns out,
it was for the better: Mass Effect 2 trims just enough fat to let you focus on what
matters: the optional Loyalty missions for your team.

Instead of an exercise in galactic exploration, Mass Effect 2 plays out like a sci-
fi Ocean's Eleven or Dirty Dozen. Recruiting a team to take on the Collectors puts
the focus on small, interesting stories. Each Loyalty mission gives you insight
into your companions’ motivations, making every member of the Normandy's crew an
unusually deep character. Once you've grown to know and love them, the endgame
suicide run is one of the tensest final missions ever. It's rare for a game to
spend more time on character arcs than its central driving narrative, but Mass
Effect 2 pulls it off. This is some of the best writing in BioWare's history.
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition

Best RPGs - Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition

Release date: 2011 | Developer: From Software | Humble Store, Steam

Yes, Dark Souls breaks a cardinal rule of RPGs: you can beat it without leveling.
But only if you’re really good, and only if you understand its systems perfectly—
that its crafting system matters, that certain items can be obtained only by
fulfilling obfuscated quests. In a genre where systems are king, Dark Souls reigns
because it’s all about systems. Just learning how each stat affects your
character’s build is a process deeper than most D&D-themed RPGs, but it’s
ultimately just as rewarding.

So is discovering the rich lore of Lordran, which is told through cryptic

conversations and subtle environmental clues. The depth of Dark Souls' world
carries over into exploration, too. Everything is connected brilliantly, and
secrets and shortcuts—including massive hidden areas and features—await the most
dedicated adventurers. Dark Souls' summoning system is also unlike anything else in
RPGs, but you can unplug and beat the whole game solo, or learn to love being
invaded and fighting off another player. Don’t let the rumored difficulty keep you
away from one of our favorite RPGs.
Fallout 2

Best RPGs - Fallout 2

Release date: 1998 | Developer: Black Isle Studios | GOG

The original Fallout was a huge success for Interplay, but it’s not as big of a
world as you’d expect. The sequel expands that world considerably, and adds more
moral ambiguity to a game where right and wrong are already hard to tell apart.
Playing as a tribal villager instead of a native Vault dweller gives you a
different world perspective—you’re not as naive to the world and its dangers, which
makes it all the darker when you start twisting people’s expectations and
motivations.

The search for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit (GECK) fits the warped 1950s feel of
the wasteland more than the macguffin of a water chip in the first game. And it’s
nice to not have such a time limit hanging over your head: you can take your time
and get to know the people of the wastes, instead of rushing to an abandoned vault.
If you’ve never played the classic series, we recommend you start here, and then
the original.
Baldur’s Gate 2

Best RPGs - Baldur's Gate 2

Release date: 2000 | Developer: BioWare | GOG (Enhanced Edition)

One problem with AD&D is that low-level characters are pretty boring. Baldur’s Gate
2 solves that problem by letting you carry over your party from the first game, or
start fresh with level 7 characters. It makes a huge difference: instead of wimpy
fighters and frail wizards, you get powerful, useful spells and warriors that can
take a punch.

It also helps that the scope of Amn is enormous, with more quests and content than
most other comparable RPGs. BioWare’s Infinity Engine handles the quests and the
combat perfectly, highlighting the game’s focus on strategy and tactics in combat.
It’s hard to imagine controlling a six-person party without pausing and giving
orders, and any newer game that relies on real-time decisions makes us long for the
Infinity Engine.

Yes, this is where RPG romances come from, but the courtships never feel contrived
here, and BG2 still has some of the most memorable companions of any game. If for
some reason you’ve never played a table-top RPG, Baldur’s Gate 2 captures the
sword-and-sorcery experience almost perfectly. If you have the original version,
you can easily mod it to run at modern resolutions, or you can try the Extended
Edition that also includes new content.

Check out everything we know about the upcoming Baldur's Gate 3 being developed by
Larian. Given that the studio is the creator of two other entries to this list, we
have high hopes for the unexpected third entry to the series.
Planescape: Torment

Best RPGs - Planescape: Torment

Release date: 1999 | Developer: Black Isle Studios | GOG

There is no other story in gaming like the Nameless One’s. His is a tale of
redemption in the face of countless sins, a tale of not knowing who you are until
you become the person you’re trying to be. The tattoos the Nameless One wears are
marks to remind him of who he is, who he was, and who he wants to be.

That open-endedness is central to what makes Planescape: Torment so captivating. At

a literal level, you spend the game trying to discover who the Nameless One is, but
your actions also help to define him. It’s one of many RPG tropes that Black Isle
sought to subvert—others include the fact that rats are actually worthy foes,
humans are often worse than undead, and you don’t have to fight in most cases. Most
importantly, that your goal is not to save the world, as in countless other RPGs.
You simply need to figure out who you are.

The Nameless One’s companions are some of the best written, most enjoyable NPCs
ever coded. Most have been affected by your past incarnations: pyromaniac mage
Ignus was once your apprentice, though it’s more impressive that he’s constantly on
fire. Or Dak'kon, who swore an oath of loyalty to you, even though you’re not sure
why. Others are just interesting, well-rounded characters: Fall-From-Grace is a
succubus cleric who prays to no god and, though a creature of evil, wants to do no
harm. The best is Morte, a floating skull whose sarcastic wit is sharper than his
bite attacks (skulls can’t equip swords, of course).

These characters would be odd in any normal high fantasy world, but Torment uses
the Planescape AD&D campaign setting, the strangest world TSR ever designed. And so
it’s fitting that Torment is light on conflict and heavy on story—though when
combat does erupt, BioWare’s Infinity Engine handles as well as in the Baldur’s
Gate series. This is the one role-playing game we’d recommend to anyone interested
in the genre, a game that best represents what we love about RPGs.
Arx Fatalis

Best RPGs - Arx Fatalis

Release date: 2002 | Developer: Arkane Studios | GOG

Arkane’s goal with its first game was to create a dungeon experience as detailed as
Ultima Underworld, right down to the magic system, which required you to memorize
runes and draw them in the air with your mouse. Stealth is critical, as is the
crafting system that takes Underworld’s “everything is important” ethos and expands
it. Arx is slow and deliberate, forcing you to consider encounters from different
angles: should you use force on the snake women, or sneak past and avoid conflict?

Many of the design seeds that show up later in Arkane’s Dishonored are planted
here, but there are a lot of old fashioned mechanics we’d love to see more of. The
mouse gesture magic system seems awkward to use, but we love tracing a rune and
watching our foes crumble in the aftermath. We’d love to see Arkane revisit the
dungeons again, bringing what it’s learned from making Dishonored (and the sublime
melee combat from Dark Messiah of Might & Magic) to an Arx Fatalis sequel.
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