Some RPGs vanish without a trace, while others stick with us because they did something right. This list isn’t about chasing trends or what YouTube is pushing this week; the focus is on the best RPGs of all time (in my opinion) that truly shaped our expectations of role-playing games.
Games that respect your choices create worlds you want to get lost in and don’t treat your time like garbage.
Baldur’s Gate 3
🖥️ Available on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, macOS
⏳ Playtime: 65-75 hours (main story), 100-150 hours (with extra content)
Larian Studios took everything they learned from Divinity: Original Sin 2 and went even further. Baldur’s Gate 3 adapts the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons into a tactical RPG that truly respects your freedom of action..
Here you’re not on rails, every problem has multiple solutions, and the game tracks your moves with frightening detail..
The mess starts with your custom character (or one of the pre-written heroes) getting infected by an illithid larva. What at first feels like a desperate race against time to avoid gruesome mutations quickly escalates into a massive faction war, divine intrigue, and decisions that drastically change how the world around you reacts to your actions.
In terms of gameplay, it’s an isometric RPG with turn-based combat, where exploring locations happens in real time. When creating your character, you pick from the classic D&D races and classes. Yes, there’s a huge mechanical depth here that might fry a newbie’s brain, but the game is pretty friendly, so you don’t need to memorize every stat to just have fun.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Your choices matter in ways most RPGs only pretend | Random dice rolls can block access to content |
| Voice acting and writing are top-notch | Overwhelms newcomers with a ton of mechanics |
| The best D&D adaptation in games | Some choices permanently cut off story branches |
| Gorgeous visuals and sound design | Pacing issues in the third act |
| Supports four-player co-op | You can still run into bugs |
You'll like BG3 if:
You're looking for mature story-driven RPGs that don’t treat the player like an idiot, don’t push them into narrow corridors, and don’t punish them for experimenting. Turn-based fights give you a chance to catch your breath, plan your move, and really improvise when your plan goes out the window (which will happen all the time).
If your eye twitches from games with the illusion of choice where your decisions don’t matter and you’re still pushed into a linear storyline, BG3 will be a real lifesaver for you.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
🖥️ Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
⏳ Playtime: 50-60 hours (main story), 100-150 hours (with extra content)
The third “Witcher” by CD Projekt Red is a monumental action RPG with an open world., which literally turned all the genre conventions upside down. You are Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter, and you’re trying to survive in the political meat grinder on a war-torn continent.
The main feature of the game that sets it apart from typical grind-fests is its amazing quest design: even a small side quest carries significant story weight here. No fillers or dull tasks like ‘collect ten bear butts.’ With every contract you take on, you feel that real human lives are at stake.
The combat here is fast-paced third-person real-time action, with swords, magic (here called Signs), and alchemy all in play. To survive, you need to prepare for battles: study the bestiary, brew the right potions, and coat your blades with the right oils.
The world map is huge and divided into colorful regions like the swamps of Velen, the bustling Novigrad, and the harsh Skellige. And the two top DLCs, "Hearts of Stone" and "Blood and Wine," add another 50 hours of content that is just as well-crafted as the main campaign.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| One of the coolest and most alive open worlds ever | Inventory management gets tiring over time |
| High-quality quests with full storytelling | Your horse’s (Roach) AI can be really frustrating at times |
| Exceptional story and charismatic characters | Combat system can feel clunky at first |
| Gorgeous location design | Level restrictions on mobs sharply hinder exploration |
| Outstanding content in the DLC | You play as an established Geralt, not a hero created from scratch |
You'll like TW3 if:
You're looking for games with a live open world, where quests aren’t just there to stretch out gameplay, but tell awesome stories you actually want to experience yourself. ‘The Witcher 3’ respects your time: everything here, even something as simple as a monster contract, is wrapped up in a cool storyline.
Mods for The Witcher 3 are still coming out, and the official next-gen patch improved the graphics without breaking anything. If you’re itching to run it quest fetch-and-carry games and clear the map of hundreds of little question marks, this masterpiece will show you how to do it right.
Pillars of Eternity: Definitive Edition
🖥️ Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, macOS, Linux
⏳ Playtime: 40-50 hours (main story), 70-90 hours (with extra content)
The guys from Obsidian Entertainment decided to bring back classic CRPGs, releasing Pillars of Eternity, and, you have to admit, they nailed the foundation. It's an isometric RPG with real-time combat (and a tactical pause for thinking), set in the harsh world of Eora.
You take on the role of the Keeper — a person who can see other people's souls and dig into their past. And this ability completely plunges you into a whirlpool of divine conflicts and dark secrets.
The character editor lets you mold a hero from six races and eleven classes, and each one plays completely differently. The developers used pre-rendered backgrounds, and this scene looks amazingly cozy even now.
You can't relax in battles: under your control is a crowd of six people running around, positioning decides everything, and a well-timed crowd control can save even the most hopeless fight. The Definitive Edition already includes both parts of The White March expansion, so get ready to spend 60 to 100 hours, if you like to clean up every corner.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Powerful storyline and mature dialogues | The isometric perspective might scare you off with its graphics |
| Deep tactical battles with micromanagement | High learning curve for the combat system |
| Gorgeous classic art design | A lot of text that you need to read thoughtfully |
| Great chemistry between companions | The game is pretty slow-paced at the start |
| Deeply written lore of the universe | Managing the whole group in combat can be exhausting |
PoE hooks you differently if:
You enjoy reading a lot. Pillars of Eternity has just tons of text, and that's not a bug, it's the main feature. The game is made for gamers who care more about deep lore than half-screen explosions. The combat here is tough, requires tactical thinking, and hits hard on high difficulty, but it generously rewards those who understand the mechanics.
If you wore out your mouse on the old Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale, then this party-based RPG will become the perfect ticket to the past for you. If BG3 is the part of this list you want more of, these RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3 focus on party-based adventures and consequential decisions.
Dragon Age: Origins
🖥️ Available on: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, macOS
⏳ Playtime: 40-45 hours (main story), 60-85 hours (with additional content)
Dragon Age: Origins by BioWare is a classic dark fantasy RPG, which is rightfully considered the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate. The action takes place in the kingdom of Ferelden, where you, as a newly minted Grey Warden, have to stop an invasion of terrifying creatures called the Blight.
The coolest feature of the game is the origin system: the race and class you choose in the editor drastically change the start of the game, and the consequences of this choice will follow you all the way to the final credits.
Fights happen in real-time with a mandatory tactical pause, and you can rotate the camera both from a third-person view or tilt it up for an isometric perspective.
On your travels, you'll gather a cool gang of companions, and each of them will have their own quirks, personal quests, and a relationship meter with you. And your actions really matter: if you start doing crazy stuff, your companions might slam the door, stab you in the back, or even die because of you. The Ultimate Edition includes all released DLCs, which expand the lore and add new people to your squad.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| A mature story in a dark fantasy style | Visually, the game looks pretty outdated |
| Backstories make every playthrough unique | Sometimes the story pace really drags |
| Companions you actually get attached to | Combat gameplay can get repetitive over time |
| Serious moral dilemmas with no good outcomes | Character editor is pretty basic by today's standards |
| A campaign that can take 40-100+ hours | On PC, you can still encounter annoying crashes |
You’ll like DAO if:
You want your actions to actually change the ending, and are intentionally looking for games with nonlinear storylines. Dragon Age: Origins doesn’t try to dazzle — your choices really matter here. Companions react vividly to every word you say, quests branch out depending on dialogue, and the ending is shaped by exactly how you went through the journey.
Origin stories make each new playthrough unique, and the way relationships with companions are developed is arguably the peak of BioWare’s storytelling craft.
Divinity: Original Sin II
🖥️ Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, macOS
⏳ Playtime: 60-70 hours (main story), 100-150 hours (with additional content)
Before the release of Baldur's Gate 3, it was in Divinity: Original Sin 2 that Larian perfected turn-based tactical games. The story throws us into Rivellon, where you play as a Godwoken — a Source mage caught between a rock and a hard place in the war between gods and mortals.
The story here branches like crazy depending on your actions, and you can experience all this beauty in co-op with up to four people.
The gameplay itself is a classic turn-based party RPG with an isometric view, but with one brilliant twist: the environment physics turns any fight into a crazy puzzle. You can shock puddles, freeze blood, spill barrels of oil and set the whole thing on fire: any element on the screen can be turned into a deadly weapon.
The class system here is incredibly flexible: by combining skills and attributes, you can create absolutely wild builds. The game always generously rewards creativity, so solving a problem in just one way is simply impossible.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Phenomenal depth of tactical combat | The game punishes mistakes mercilessly in the beginning |
| Turn-based combat allows for tricky multi-step strategies | Beginners can be simply crushed by the sheer number of mechanics |
| Top-notch co-op mode with friends | Skill balance breaks closer to the end of the game |
| Wild variability in quest completion | In multiplayer, annoying desyncs sometimes happen |
| Juicy and detailed game world | You'll really have to do a lot of reading |
Check out DOS2 if:
You want a combat system that encourages crazy experiments and are actively looking for turn-based combat games. Divinity: Original Sin 2 gives you a ton of tools and watches with a sly grin as you figure things out. The game never punishes breaking the mold — it actually loves it.
Turn-based mode lets you calmly make tea, assess the situation, and pull off a brilliant multi-step move. And if you bring friends into the game, battles turn into hilarious chaos.
Fallout: New Vegas
🖥️ Available on: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
⏳ Playtime: 25-30 hours (main story), 60-80 hours (with additional content)
Fans still argue tooth and nail that Fallout: New Vegas by Obsidian is the best game in the Fallout series, and damn, they’re right. We jump into 2281, in post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. You’re an ordinary Courier who got unlucky and took a bullet to the head, landing right in the middle of a power struggle over the Mojave Desert.
It’s essentially a first- or third-person action RPG, where classic shooter combat is tightly mixed with deep character progression.
But the main treasure of New Vegas is its writing. Every faction here is crafted so that you understand their motives, see their flaws, and their perfectly reasonable reasons for acting the way they do. They don’t shove stereotypical villains in your face — you’re constantly struggling with tough moral ambiguity.
The local reputation system meticulously keeps track of every little thing you do, and only you decide who ultimately takes over a region. And the huge number of endings details how all your adventures turned out.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| The script and dialogues are just top-notch | Without graphics mods, it’s painful to look at today |
| Excellently written faction conflict | The game is famous for its bugs and crashes |
| You can play the game like Rambo or as a pacifist | Shooting feels incredibly stiff |
| Story DLCs that are mandatory to play | Navigating by markers can drive you crazy |
| An indestructible community of modders | Difficulty can swing from too easy to hardcore |
You'll love New Vegas if:
You need an RPG that doesn't treat you like an idiot, and you are deliberately looking for post-apocalyptic games on PC. Fallout: New Vegas doesn't preach morals or split the world into black and white — it just throws a bunch of factions with their own views on life at you and says, 'Figure it out yourself.' The dialogues hit no less hard than a shotgun, the humor is blacker than soot, and the Wasteland feels eerily alive. Fans still keep making amazing mods, and the story DLCs are a whole different kind of art that everyone should play.
Planescape: Torment
🖥️ Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
⏳ Playtime: 30-35 hours (main story), 50-60 hours (with extra content)
Planescape: Torment from the legendary Black Isle Studios is a true 1999 classic, carefully polished for modern monitors. Dive into the crazy D&D setting of Planescape, take control of the Nameless One — an immortal guy with a messed-up memory — and go searching for the truth across all imaginable planes of existence.
These are the very story-driven retro RPGs where swinging a sword is somewhere in the background, completely giving way to brilliant dialogues and exploration.
The picture here is isometric with pre-rendered backgrounds, and you'll have to read a lot. If a wall of text is a dealbreaker for you, it's better to just pass. But if you're ready to dive headfirst into philosophy and a story that talks to you like an intellectual, Planescape: Torment simply has no competition. The Enhanced Edition nicely modernized the interface, improved the music, and fixed old compatibility issues.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| A plot you can dissect into quotes | There’s enough text for a couple of books |
| Powerful philosophical undertones | The combat here is frankly boring and clunky |
| Great soundtrack in the updated version | The game moves at a very slow pace |
| Mind-blowing and strange universe lore | Running around locations can be tiring at times |
| 50 hours of pure literary bliss | Almost all dialogues should be read in silence |
You'll like PST if:
You want a game that turns your brain inside out, and you're looking for games with a deep philosophical plot. Planescape: Torment couldn’t care less about killing dragons or saving princesses; it digs into questions of identity, regret, and the nature of death. The script here is so dense and philosophical that at times it feels like a good book.
There is combat, but it mostly exists just for show. It's a masterpiece for those ready to sacrifice action for a brilliant narrative. To explore more of the foundations behind these games, these RPG classics from the 1990s take the journey back to an earlier era.
Neverwinter Nights 2
🖥️ Available on: PC, macOS, Linux
⏳ Playtime: 45-55 hours (main story), 70-90 hours (with additional content)
Neverwinter Nights 2 by Obsidian is a solid RPG with dungeon crawling, which takes us back to the cozy Forgotten Realms. You get the role of the Shardbearer, who shoulders the mission of saving Faerûn from the Shadow King.
If you go for the Complete edition, along with the main game you'll get three huge expansions, which means hundreds of hours of top-notch fighting and adventures.
combat here is isometric, everything happens in real time, but the tactical pause can save lives. Around you runs a crowd of diverse companions, each with their own quests and unique personalities hidden up their sleeves. character progression of your character is mind-blowing: everything is strictly based on D&D 3.5 edition, so get ready to study sheets of skills and feats.
You can play the game however you want, there's awesome multiplayer, and for fans of custom content, they added powerful tools to create your own campaigns.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Juicy tactical squad battles | Graphics and animations stuck in the 2000s |
| Four hefty campaigns in one box | Camera behavior is often frustrating |
| The ability to make a unique character | Your companions love getting stuck in walls |
| Companions feel like real people | Bugs that have never been officially fixed |
| Great playground for user mods | The interface takes up a lot of screen space |
Try NWN2 if:
You dream about D&D rules-based games, transferred onto computer screens. Neverwinter Nights 2 meticulously follows the tabletop rules, dumping all their depth and hardcore nature on the player. The Complete version is a real gift: four large-scale campaigns, each with its unique vibe and features. If you've worn out Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale, launching this game is just a matter of time.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
🖥️ Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
⏳ Playtime: 30-40 hours (main story), 100-200+ hours (with additional content)
Skyrim by Todd Howard is a legendary first-person action RPG, which has won over 200 'Game of the Year' awards and became the main meme of the industry. The Special Edition slightly refreshed the graphics, made the engine more stable, and included all DLCs. The tough Skyrim awaits its hero — the Dragonborn, who can dramatically shout at enemies and absorb the souls of slain dragons.
The world here is just huge and completely free. Nobody drags you along the storyline: you can totally ignore the dragons and spend hundreds of hours raiding caves, brewing potions, forging swords, and joining every guild. Combat is pure real-time action, from first-person or third-person view. And the modding community for this game is something else, there's nothing like it: these maniacs added everything to the game, from new continents to fixing ancient Bethesda bugs.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Skyrim can be explored endlessly | The remaster's vanilla graphics are no longer impressive |
| Mods that turn the game into a masterpiece | Half of the quests boil down to clearing caves |
| Winter atmosphere and awesome location design | The dragon story is honestly a bit boring |
| You play the way you want, without any restrictions | The local NPCs aren’t exactly the sharpest |
| Climbing a random mountain and finding loot — priceless | Get ready for flying mammoths and physics bugs |
TESV hooks you differently if:
You need total freedom and are constantly googling games with complete freedom of action. Skyrim doesn’t set limits: it just throws you out into the cold and says, 'have fun.'
Modders haven’t let the game die for over ten years, turning it into anything: from a hardcore survival game to a dating simulator. If you want an RPG where only you decide who to be and what to do, there simply are no alternatives. Don’t forget to check out my list of mods for adding companions in Skyrim.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords
🖥️ Available on: PC, Xbox, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch
⏳ Playtime: 30-35 hours (main story), 45-55 hours (with extra content)
The events of KOTOR 2 by Obsidian take place five years after the ending of the first part. The Jedi Order has been wiped out, and we take control of the Exile — a former knight with a dark past, who is trying to gather the remnants of the Order and figure himself out.
The core is based on D&D mechanics, skillfully adapted to Star Wars games, with real-time combat (but pause-able), swinging lightsabers, and throwing lightning from your hands.
At the start, you can customize your gender, appearance, and assign stats. The game's main pride is the companions: dialogues and actions heavily influence whether they'll hang on your every word or try to strangle you in your sleep. There are prestige classes, deep character progression, and tons of planets to explore. And your choices will lead to one of four endings.
Important point: you need to play strictly with the installed mod The Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)that fixes the game and restores a bunch of cut scenes.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| The best story in the Star Wars universe | The publisher rushed the release, which led to a lot being cut |
| Companions with hidden depths and amazing dialogues | It's strongly not recommended to play without fan patches |
| You can end up either as a savior or a total psycho | Lightsaber battles feel stiff |
| Tons of ways to level up your character | Picture from way back in 2004 |
| A community that finished the game for the developers | The story lags a bit in pacing at times |
You’ll enjoy KOTOR 2 if:
You want a mature story and you’re looking for An RPG about Jedi and Sith that doesn’t treat the player like an idiot. KOTOR 2 digs into gray morality, explores the true nature of the Force, and asks uncomfortable questions about who Jedi really are. The local script will blow your mind, companions have plenty of skeletons in the closet, and your choices actually change the course of the story.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
🖥️ Available on: PC
⏳ Playtime: 30-35 hours (main story), 50-65 hours (with extra content)
In 2001, the guys from Troika Games (the very same fathers of the original Fallout) released this masterpiece, and it still breaks the ceiling of ambition.
Imagine: classic fantasy with elves and dwarves, into which the industrial revolution crashes full speed. Elves are casting fireballs, and orcs respond by soaking them in lead from machine guns. This is the quintessential Magic vs. Technology conflict, and one of the coolest steampunk games on PC.And you end up in the epicenter of this madhouse, miraculously surviving a dirigible crash.
All the juice lies in the clash of the two schools. Decided to become a great mage? Forget about train rides—technology around you will just explode. Went all-in on science and engineering? Magic will stop affecting you, even healing spells.
The role-playing here is just off the charts: if you dump your intelligence to zero, your character will start grunting like a caveman, and NPCs will treat you like the town crazy. The combat system lets you choose between turn-based and real-time, though honestly, it's a bit clunky. But despite that, Arcanum is forever in my top favorite games.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| A setting that simply has no analogs | The combat curve is frustrating and gives you a nervous tic |
| The game totally changes based on your stats | The vanilla version is full of nasty bugs |
| A soundtrack that gives you chills | The interface was clearly not made for humans |
| You can assemble a sniper rifle or summon a demon | Running around dungeons quickly gets old |
| No one holds your hand through the story | It's too hard to get into it right now for the first time |
Arcanum is one of my favorite RPGs and here's why
If you're looking for a unique setting and are actively googling old RPGs with deep character progression. Arcanum delivers a cool sociological drama about the clash of the old world and progress. Yes, it's a bit rough around the edges, yes, it's hard to get into, but it's a gem. And yes, make sure to install the Unofficial Arcanum Patch, otherwise bugs will destroy your saves.
Which RPG should you pick if you want to try some of the best?
If someone held a gun to my head and asked what RPG to play, I’d name my five pillars: KOTOR 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Baldur’s Gate 3, Arcanum, and Pillars of Eternity. These guys do completely different things, but together they perfectly show why we love role-playing games in the first place.
Pick the one that suits your cravings best, and you definitely won't go wrong.
You might ask, why did I skip Planescape: Torment in this top four? Not because it's bad, it's just that back then I was completely absorbed in Arcanum 😀. Priorities, you know.
So just figure out what your heart wants today, and enjoy.
