The role-playing genre is one of the largest and most popular genres in gaming. These epic titles take players on epic adventures that tell great stories and allow players to interact with the world in realistic ways. It's an ambitious genre that sees fewer titles, but the RPGs players do receive are filled with passion.
Most RPGs, anyway. The innovation or passion that makes classics such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or Baldur's Gate is pretty immense and is rare in the industry, especially in modern times. Keeping this in mind, here are some of the greatest RPGs ever made that changed the entire genre and helped usher in a new era of RPG gaming.
Updated April 16, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: In modern times, elements of the RPG genre have seeped into several titles in the industry. After all, these simple-to-integrate mechanics add a wealth of depth to the gameplay and make each and every action in the game feel all the more important. Together, the games that helped to pioneer these mechanics are among the most influential RPG games ever made and have helped to change the genre forever.
10 Divinity: Original Sin 2
There was a period of time during which CRPGs had stopped becoming mainstream, which was a real shame. This style of title allows for highly immersive gameplay and engaging combat, which combined for a beautiful experience.
Games like Divinity: Original Sin 2 dispelled the notion of this sub-genre becoming archaic and is considered by many to be one of the greatest roleplaying games ever made. It's a massive upgrade over its predecessor and makes for a near-perfect experience.
9 Dragon Age: Origins
The release of Dragon Age: Origins was absolutely monumental. It established BioWare's name within the mainstream and gave them the confidence to release more modern western RPGs.
The amazing companions and story of Dragon Age: Origins were easily two of its biggest highlights. The combat is the only thing that will take some getting used to, given how dated it feels in the current gaming climate.
8 Deus Ex
Deus Ex is more than just an RPG. It's one of the greatest immersive sim titles ever made and continues to be a shining example of great level design and decision-making.
Even with all the other modern titles in this genre, there's something magical about the original release that no immersive sim since has been able to replicate. The graphics might be dated, but that's pretty much the only drawback of an otherwise flawless experience.
7 Mass Effect
Another BioWare series, the original Mass Effect trilogy offers up an excellent experience that starts off on a high note and introduces players to Commander Shepard and his exploits to save the universe from extinction.
Even after the bad taste left in the mouth of fans after the disaster that was Mass Effect: Andromeda, fans still love this series to death. One need only check out the massive popularity of the Legendary Edition to realize just how beloved this series really is.
6 Final Fantasy 7
It was only a matter of time before a JRPG would become part of the conversation, and there's no better contender than Final Fantasy 7. The game is responsible for ushering in the golden age of JRPGs on the PlayStation and keeping this genre relevant on western shores to this day.
The fact that the Remake has sold gangbusters shows just how much people care about this game. It's possible that Final Fantasy as a series wouldn't have reached the heights of popularity that it did had it not been for the rampant success of this game.
5 Diablo 2
Many might consider dungeon-crawlers to not be true RPGs, but no one can deny the impact that Blizzard's Diablo franchise had on the genre at large. While the first game introduced players to an RPG genre more geared towards combat, Diablo 2 is the magnum opus of the ARPG genre that every game in its genre has tried to unashamedly replicate.
The game's itemization, skill design, and social systems were game-changing for not just the ARPG genre but how itemization works in video games period.
4 Dark Souls
Dark Souls is From Software's spiritual successor to the PlayStation 3 exclusive Demon's Souls. The game's interconnected world and punishing difficulty make it one of the most revered games amongst RPG fans that have beat it.
Even with the game's faults, its enthralling world and myriad of game systems work so well together that it's spawned a sub-genre titled "Souls-like" that focuses on skill-based gameplay and punishing difficulty with less emphasis on quests and RPG stats.
3 Chrono Trigger
Calling Chrono Trigger a genre-defining game would be an understatement. Chrono Trigger is one of the best RPGs ever made. The game was a massive deviation from the common fantasy RPGs at the time with its strange time-traveling plot that had a great influence on gameplay as well. Combat also deviated from the random-encounter design that most games used at the time, a breath of fresh air that has helped it age more gracefully than most SNES RPGs.
The game even included a New Game Plus mode for fans that just couldn't get enough. Nearly every game in the genre has taken inspiration from Chrono Trigger's mechanics or narrative in some fashion. It's an experience that no game has been able to successfully replicate since.
2 The Witcher 3
CD Projekt Red is no stranger to the RPG genre. The first two Witcher games gave the studio enough experience with making RPGs to go all-out on their final installment in The Witcher trilogy. Unquestionably, The Witcher 3 is one of the best open-world RPGs to release in recent memory.
Clunky systems from the last two games were streamlined here without sacrificing any of the depth previous games had. The locations Geralt explores throughout this 200-hour epic are all masterfully crafted to provide an equal sense of awe and dread. The Witcher 3 makes brilliant use of its setting and universe with a well-paced main story that stands alongside some of the most captivating side quests in any RPG. Ever since this game was released, RPGs have tried to replicate this game's success. It's likely a large reason why Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise has shifted towards open-world design.
1 World Of Warcraft
What is there to say about World of Warcraft that hasn't already been analyzed? This game might not have created the MMORPG genre, but its great implementation of quests and Warcraft lore spawned hundreds of failed imitators.
WoW has created its own subgenre of "Themepark MMORPGs" that focus on telling epic stories and establishing setpieces than creating a major sandbox as with Everquest or Star Wars Galaxies. Even after its launch back in 2004, World of Warcraft is still one of the largest MMOs on the market.