The role-playing genre may be the oldest game genre of all time, as it existed before gaming became a virtual thing. Back in the day, people used to play titles like Dungeons & Dragons, Gloomhaven, Cyberpunk, Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, Chill, The High Adventure Cliffhangers Buck Rogers Adventure Game, and more.
Fast forward to 2022, and things have changed a lot in the gaming scene as RPGs have expanded into different domains, such as virtual reality and social media. One such type of RPG genre is Play-by-Post games, where players can interact together online and explore the lore through typing. Let’s look at some of the best Play-by-Post games that are popular now.
9 Hogwarts By Night
Hogwarts By Night is a forum-based RPG that has been there for almost two decades and continues in 2022. The popular game began in 2003 and ran for over six years before taking a short six-year hiatus. However, the RPG has since come back, and new players are participating in it every day.
As suggested by the name, Hogwarts By Night is a game based on the Harry Potter books and exists in the magical school of Hogwarts. However, the play-by-post game’s story takes place in a universe where Harry lost, and Voldy changed the wizarding world for the better.
8 Souls RPG
While Souls RPG may share a name with another iconic role-playing game series, it has nothing to do with it. Instead, this play-by-post game is about a post-apocalyptic supernatural world riddled with werewolves and werecanines. The popular game takes place in Maritime Canada and stands out due to its unique setting.
Souls RPG began in 2001 and is still going on over two decades after its inception. Interested players can start the game on www.soulsrpg.com and be sure to have a great time.
7 Realms of Hyrule
As suggested by the name, Realms of Hyrule is based on the polytheistic society of the popular kingdom featured in Zelda games. This play-by-post game is a straight-up The Legend of Zelda RP that continues almost 20 years after it was first launched in 2003.
In Realms of Hyrule, players witness the story decades after the Hero of Time defeated the Dark Lord Ganondorf. In this era, they can be heroes or villains and take part in joining guilds, finish mini-quests or explore the beautiful land of Hyrule.
6 Freedom City Play By Post
Freedom City Play By Post is a role-playing game that started sometime in 2007 and has continued to grow bigger. It is one of the most active play-by-post experiences based on the classic superhero tabletop RPG, Mutants & Masterminds. This superhero play-by-post is also one of the oldest in its setting and the best.
Freedom City Play By Post allows players to be the ultimate hero or villain and build their characters as they want. It also lets players explore Freedom City in the most rigorous manner possible.
5 Dino Attack RPG
Dino Attack RPG was one of the most interesting play-by-post games inspired by a collection of Legos. The role-playing game began sometime in 2005 and quickly formed a fanbase full of players who popularized it for over seven years. Sadly, the game came to a halt in 2012 and ended.
Dino Attack RPG followed the stories of multiple characters, who’d all continue their own journeys and would occasionally cross paths. The game would encourage people to team up and take on lengthy quests that were pretty tough to finish.
4 Kingdom Hearts: Visions of Destiny
As the title suggests, Kingdom Hearts: Visions of Destiny is based on the popular Disney action role-playing game series by the same name. This play-by-post experience is a quest-based game that began on Viridian Dreams forums in 2011. However, unlike video games, this real-life RPG has an extremely slow progression and is only in its first phase.
Like video games, players mostly control Sora in Kingdom Hearts: Visions of Destiny. However, there are times when they can play as other iconic characters depending on the quest. The game is available on multiple forums, including Viridian Dreams & Sufficient Velocity.
3 Pixel-Perfect
Pixel-Perfect is very different from every other play-by-post experience on the list, as it is not a single game. Instead, it is a massive library of various forum-based RPGs inspired by anime-style characters. This experience is very similar to another library called, Caution to the Wind, which uses images of celebrities.
Pixel-Perfect is a full-fledged website with a beautiful pink theme and various features. It has a site store, general discussion tab, roleplay, artwork galleries, and a writing library for written works. Additionally, the website offers a full list of original RPGs, fandom RPGs, challenges, and more.
2 Vast Empire
Vast Empire is a play-by-post experience based on the iconic Star Wars universe. This role-playing game started way back in 1998 and operates on its own website, unlike other forum-based RPGs. It also offers an excellent take on the fictional universe of Star Wars Legends.
In Vast Empire, players step into the boots of characters from the splinter faction and fight the forces of the New Republic and other Imperials. The game consists of different worlds and is a true Star Wars role-playing adventure in the vast array of similar play-by-post games on the internet.
1 Marvel Super Heroes RPG
Marvel Super Heroes RPG is one of the strongest role-playing games of the play-by-post genre and has been running since 2007. As the name suggests, it’s a game about the iconic Marvel superheroes and many original characters that people won’t find anywhere else.
Marvel Super Heroes RPG is set in an alternate universe and does not directly relate to the original Marvel universes. However, it takes inspiration from many events, such as the Civil War. Most players usually mistake this play-by-post experience for the Marvel Heroes free-to-play game readily available online.