Given their size and scope, making a quality RPG often requires more dedication than games in other, less demanding genres. These games require a worthy story, rewarding open-world exploration, and gameplay mechanics capable of holding players’ attention for well over 100 hours. There is a lot more to these games, but, if done right, these titles stay with you long after the credits roll.
Many games have managed to do so, and we have compiled a list of those that stand out when it comes to RPGs, hallmarks of the genre.
Diablo II
Diablo II set the formula for a hack-and-slash action RPG when it came out in 2000. Released by Blizzard Entertainment, the names of David Brevik, Erich Schaefer, Mark Kern, and Max Schaefer have been the key to making Diablo II, one of the greatest games of all time.
The genre-defining game, which recently saw its fourth installment, was praised for its progressive gameplay, dark fantasy story, item system, different character classes, and the now epic multiplayer on a local area network or Blizzard’s Battle.net online service. The game got its remastered version, Diablo II: Resurrection, in 2021.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The next entry on the best RPGs list is the best in The Witcher series, based on the novels by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. It builds on the critically acclaimed Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings as players again take on the role of Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher—a mutant monster slayer as he faces the spectral Elvish skeletal horsemen.
The Witcher franchise became known for its unique take on combat. This involves using two different types of swords; a silver sword for slaying monsters and supernatural foes, and a steel sword for humans. Adding to melee combat, Geralt uses different spells, known as signs that help him in his battle to save the universe. The game has sold more than 50 million copies to become one of the best-selling titles.
Final Fantasy VII
The next entry on the best RPGs list is the title that popularized JRPGs in the West, Final Fantasy VII. Directed by Yoshinori Kitase and produced by franchise creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, it follows Cloud Strife and his party as they battle Sephiroth, who seeks to exploit the planet’s healing powers for destruction.
Released in 1997, it changed the gaming world thanks to several aspects. This includes gameplay, music, 3D world map and graphics overall, exploration, and battle system. The title has been reintroduced to new generations with the remake trilogy that, for now, consists of Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024). The third installment is in the works, estimated to be released sometime in 2027.
Chrono Trigger
If players are looking for a ‘quintessential’ JRPG, then Chrono Trigger is the title. Released all the way back in 1995, it still stands unmatched. The game was crafted by a ‘Dream Team’ of Japanese subculture creators, including Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and Dragon Ball author Akira Toriyama.
The game brought with it a grandiose time-traveling story, a new battle system, and multiple endings that set the standard for the genre. Adding to this was the soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu. It is still one of the best RPG games ever made.
Dragon Age: Origins
It is an understatement to say that every Dragon Age game following Origins failed to please fans of the genre. Origins remains one of the best RPG games for reasons that can’t be counted. It had the story, and characters with a backstory, and introduced the entire new world and new classes.
Dragon Age: Origins came at the right time when the industry suffered from the lack of a true classic RPG like BioWare’s early Baldur’s Gate titles. That hole was filled with the Origins, but the latest entry in the long-standing franchise, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, left a larger hole, overall.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Welcome to Solitude, the capital city of Skyrim province. A sight to behold as Tamriel’s northernmost province engulfs players in its open-world tradition.
Skyrim came out in 2011 to critical acclaim, selling over 20 million units by June 2013. It received praise for character progression, world design, graphics, and combat. The players take on the role of the last Dragonborn on a quest to defeat Alduin, the World Eater, a dragon set on destroying the world. Skyrim lives on today thanks to the modding community and remains one of the most immersive titles in the RPG genre.
Mass Effect 2
Commander Sheppard dies in the first scene of Mass Effect 2. This is enough to make it one of the best RPG games ever. But you can’t let the main protagonist die in the game. Therefore, Sheppard’s body is recovered by Cerberus and revived through the Lazarus Project. You need to play it to understand.
What makes Mass Effect 2 one of the best games overall is the emotional storytelling throughout the game. Players will connect with each character, whether it is hate or love. Thanks to the fun shooter gameplay, storyline with twists and turns throughout, and RPG elements, Mass Effect 2 shouldn’t be denied of any best RPG list.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Before Larian dove into BioWare’s IP and made the best Dungeons and Dragons game, they were making their own IP, Divinity. Divinity: Original Sin 2 came out in 2017 and it is a huge surprise this game even exists.
Funded through a $2 million Kickstarter campaign, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is celebrated as one of the best RPG games ever. Set 200 years after Divinity: Original Sin from 2008, it is praised for its story, interactive world and quests, tactical combat, and multiplayer mode. It is one of the most replayable RPGs ever with unparalleled freedom in character progression and decision-making.
Elden Ring
The GOTY winner from 2022 is a masterpiece. FromSoftware has truly mastered the art of showing without telling, pushing the soulsbourne genre with their latest entry, Elden Ring. It’s their largest and most ambitious game, and that has paid off.
The unmatched smooth combat shows only that only FromSoft can nail the formula and improve it with every new game. The story discovered in the tinniest bits possible, with a variety of enemy designs both in graphics and style, has made Elden Ring a title that will be preserved in time, as Tarnished Ones over and over again try to assemble the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord.
Baldur’s Gate 3
The first two Baldur’s Gate games were made by BioWare and were equally great as Larian’s take on Forgotten Realms. After years of refinement and early access testing, Baldur’s Gate 3 builds upon the acclaimed IP. Based on the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rule set, the game is played from a third-person perspective and uses turn-based combat, making it a classic in the genre.
Set after the events of Descent Into Avernus, the game is a nefarious journey through the Forgotten Realms, before which players can choose between 12 starting classes and get on against the ultimate Illithids. It deservedly won the GOTY in 2023.