BioWare has been developing games and expertly crafted RPGs since 1995. despite being better known for their RPGs their first game was a mech-simulator for the MS-DOS called Shattered Steel. It was a moderate success for the developers, but it was the beginning of their relationship with the game publisher Interplay.
The team was determined for their next title to be an RPG and Interplay suggested that BioWare’s next title should be based on the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, which lead to the development of Baldur’s Gate and a long list of great games.
In the 2000s BioWare was purchased by Electronic Arts releasing games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age and more recently Anthem. Unfortunately, their most recent titles - Anthem and Andromeda - haven’t been as well-received, so it’s easy to forget just how good the BioWare brand has been when it comes to RPGs. Let’s take a look at ten of their best rated, according to Metacritic.
10 Mass Effect 3 (Metascore 89)
Mass Effect 3 is the final episode in the original Mass Effect Commander Shepard trilogy. It was released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii U, and PC in 2012. Despite the critical acclaim, the game’s ending wasn’t as well-received among fans of the series.
As a big-budget science fiction spectacle though the game was filled with incredible set-pieces and character interactions with Shepard’s crew especially after BioWare released the Extended Cut DLC which helped expand the game’s ending and provide a satisfying farewell to the characters.
9 Jade Empire (Metascore 89)
Jade Empire was released on the Xbox as timed exclusive in 2005 and was later released on the PC in 2007. It was a different direction for BioWare as the game’s theme and the setting were steeped in Chinese Mythology and martial arts.
The game’s combat system was more action-oriented than BioWare’s previous games but the importance of morality-based dialogue choices was just as prominent. Visually, the game still holds up very well with a colorful dream-like art style that only adds to Jade Empire’s mysticism and lore.
8 Mass Effect (Metascore 89)
The first Mass Effect was first released exclusively in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and was eventually ported to the PC in 2008 and the PlayStation 3 in 2012. It was the first game in BioWare’s new science fiction series after they moved on from the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series.
The game’s mechanics built upon many of the same mechanics that BioWare created for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Just like its predecessor, it offered players incredible amounts of replay value and they created a fantastic new sci-fi universe with its own believable lore and history.
7 Dragon Age: Inquisition (Metascore 89)
Dragon Age: Inquisition was released on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and the PC in 2014. It was considered a return to form for the series in terms of storytelling and characters after the disappointingly linear and action-oriented Dragon Age II.
Inquisition went back to what made the first game so good and gave players the choice of a third person or the classic top-down view in combat. It meshed together with the elements from its predecessors and came up with plenty of ideas of its own. Furthermore, the game’s regions gradually gave players a much larger and open game than ever before.
6 Dragon Age: Origins (Metascore 91)
Dragon Age: Origins was released in 2009 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was the first time that BioWare took worked on a high fantasy RPG since the Baldur’s Gate series. Just like the Mass Effect series, the Dragon Age universe was created from the ground up by BioWare.
The developers used both A Song of Fire and Ice and The Lord of the Rings as a source of inspiration for Dragon Age and created a dark fantasy world filled to the brim with its own lore and history.
5 Neverwinter Nights (Metascore 91)
Neverwinter Nights was first released on the PC in 2002. The remastered edition created by Beamdog eventually made its way on to consoles in 2019 and was published by Skybound on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and the Nintendo Switch.
Set in the Forgotten Realms universe and using the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition rules Neverwinter Nights offered players incredible amount freedom and depth. It also provided gamers with the Aurora toolset so they could create their own campaigns and worlds.
4 Baldur’s Gate (Metascore 91)
Baldur’s Gate was first released on the PC in 1998. It was eventually remastered and ported to consoles in 2019 on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. The game is based in the Forgotten Realms universe and uses a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Rules.
The game is still regarded by fans of the computer RPGs to be one of the greatest in its genre almost twenty years later. Baldur’s Gate still offers players a nearly unmatched amount of freedom that has only been surpassed by Divinity: Original Sin II – a game inspired by Baldur’s Gate.
3 Mass Effect 2 (Metascore 94)
Mass Effect 2 was released on the Xbox 360 and the PC in 2011 and the PlayStation 3 in 2012. The second episode in Commander Shepard’s trilogy is considered to be the best in the series and some of BioWare’s finest work.
Shepard finds himself resurrected by the villainous Cerberus organization seemingly lead by the Illusive Man (voiced by Martin Sheen) and has to work with them to fight against the Reapers. Mass Effect 2 is an emotional thrill ride from start to finish and the difficult decisions having an impact that will last all the way to its sequel Mass Effect 3.
2 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Metascore 94)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was released on the Xbox and the PC in 2003. its story is set 4000 years before the Galactic Empire was formed and centers on the aftermath of Darth Malak unleashing a Sith attack on the Republic.
The game’s impactful plot and dialogue choices, as well as the protagonist's allegiances, will affect whether their character will choose the light or dark paths of the Force. With the amount of freedom, replay value and a fantastic twist, Knights of the Old Republic still hold up as the greatest Star Wars game ever created.
1 Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows Of Amn (Metascore 95)
Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn was first released for the PC in 2000 and on consoles in 2019 together with the first game. It is still regarded as BioWare’s greatest title by fans, of course, Metacritic with its score of 95. The game is a direct continuation of Baldur’s Gate and was an improvement in every way to its predecessor.
There’s a near-endless amount of things to do in Baldur’s Gate with hundreds of side-quests, relationships, and romance choices. Shadows of Amn and the Throne of Bhaal expansion could last players at least 140-150 hours.