Diving into a good RPG for a gamer is much like committing oneself to a good book. The idea is for players to lose themselves in these deep worlds of fantasy, science fiction, and even the modern-day. Perhaps more than any other genre, the RPG features deep and meaningful worlds with characters that can become personal to the player.

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The beauty of a good RPG is its ability to draw the player in and allow them to discover a world or a universe for themselves that has its history and lore. The lore in a game can be accessed through in-game history books, codexes, diaries, conversations with NPCs, and more. Here are some of the best Western RPGs with in-depth lore.

Updated June 18, 2023 by Michael Llewellyn: The RPG, whether Westen or Japanese, can immerse players in their worlds like no other. In addition to having vast narratives that can last hundreds of hours, they allow the player to explore and discover more about the world at their own pace. Several RPGs use world-building established from tabletop games, books, movies, and more.

The video games can expand the universes and allow players to explore their favorite worlds, like Star Wars and Harry Potter. This list is updated to include more games with extensive lore and world-building that RPG fans will love.

14 The Diablo Series

Diablo warrior classes fighting a demon

The Diablo series has a long history and a big fanbase thanks to its immersive universe and lore that fans love to delve into. It is a large part of why the Diablo series is the most popular dungeon-crawling RPG series to date.

The series began in 1997 and continues with its expansive storytelling into Diablo 4. There are books with important events that help connect all four games and their expansions. In addition to the cinematic cutscenes and the action onscreen, fans can discover tons of lore and information as they fight through the demon hordes.

13 Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy Hufflepuff Quest

The Harry Potter franchise spans books, films, and video games. This forms the Wizarding World, a universe that rivals Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings in scope and success. This is what makes Hogwarts Legacy so appealing to fans because it has an imaginative world that is already established.

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As a prequel, fans can explore Hogwarts in the late 1890s, learn more about its history, and even meet the ancestors of several well-known characters from the Harry Potter books and movies. For fans, Hogwarts Legacy is a dream come true as they can immerse themselves in familiar locations and settings from the Harry Potter books and films.

12 The ELEX Series

Elex 2 protagonist armed with a gun

Developed by Piranha Bytes, the same studio behind the Gothic and Risen series, the ELEX games are open-world RPGs that merge elements of science fiction and medieval settings. While the games can be janky compared to triple-A titles like The Witcher 3, the world-building and lore are outstanding.

There are history books, notes, and journals to find and read about the history of ELEX. It is believable and adds depth to an immersive world for players to explore and lose themselves in. There is much to uncover about the world and its history, like the cataclysmic comet and how people lived before it hit.

11 The Pathfinder Series

Areelu Vorlesh

Pathfinder is a tabletop RPG similar to the Dungeons & Dragons series. As a result, the lore and scope of its world are the perfect backdrops for two epic RPGs based on the franchise. Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous play similarly to classic CRPGs like Icewind Dale and the Baldur's Gate series with their isometric viewpoint and beautifully drawn backgrounds.

Both games can last the player at least 80 to 100 hours with branching choices and replay value. Moreover, there is a ton of lore and history to discover for fans to familiarize themselves with the world. The Pathfinder games convey the feeling of playing an epic campaign in a tabletop RPG without bewildering the players with information. The world is waiting to be discovered and offers one of the most immersive and replayable experiences in the RPG genre.

10 The Deus Ex Series

Deus Ex has a deep universe filled with lore

The Deus Ex series are action RPGs that first launched back in 2000. On a visual level, it was heavily inspired by the Blade Runner movie. However, its narrative is driven by a similar kind of conspiracy and intrigue that tapped into the popularity of the X-Files TV show. It is a series that fans of the cyberpunk genre should look into, and it certainly deserves to make a comeback.

Four mainline games were released on consoles and PC, and two spin-off titles that launched on handheld devices. As a result, there is a lot of lore to tap into throughout the series. The games are littered with historical references and information to read and expand the backstory and events, bringing the world of Deus Ex to life.

9 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Kingdom Come Deliverance historical setting has built in lore

Released in 2018, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an open-world action RPG developed by Warhorse Studios. Its story takes place in 1403 Bohemia using historical settings. As a result, there is no magic, dragons, elves, or orcs, and the game makes every effort to be realistic as possible.

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Despite its real-world setting, Kingdom Come: Deliverance uses a world-building technique similar to The Elder Scrolls series. It fleshes out its world with various lore books and stories that build upon the real-life history of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire.

8 Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity Original Sin 2 has a long history to dive into

A top-down tabletop-style RPG inspired by CRPG classics like the Baldur’s Gate series, Divinity: Original Sin 2 offers its players the same freedom and flexibility. The decisions and actions of the protagonist help mold the world around them as they make their way through the story.

All this would feel shallow if the Divinity series did not already have such significant lore and a detailed, lived-in world to back it up. In addition to the Original Sin games, they were preceded by Divine Divinity. Beyond Divinity, and Divinity 2. The series has a lot of lore for players to dive into, and there are a lot of in-game books and items for players to read up on.

7 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Skyrim has groundbreaking lore

Whether one is playing Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls series has always been about letting the player get lost in its worlds and creating a story of their own. The campaigns in these games have never been that complex, but the side content often has better-developed characters and narratives.

However, where The Elder Scrolls games cannot be faulted is their ability to draw the player into their worlds with immense world-building and lore. There is never a shortage of history books and references to past titles to read up on and characters to interact with. Fans of RPGs with vast worlds should dive into any of The Elder Scrolls games, but Skyrim is the most accessible.

6 The Dragon Age Series

BioWare put in a lot of work to create a believable world

When BioWare stopped developing the Baldur’s Gate series for the PC, they set out to create a universe of their own. That universe was built around the Dragon Age series. The three mainline titles, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, take inspiration from dark fantasy like A Song of Ice and Fire over The Lord of the Rings.

As a result, there is a layered history centered around politics, religion, war, and tragedy. BioWare wanted to create a believable world to draw players in. Even the designs on the in-game currency have a story to tell. Even though the RPG is showing its age, fans should start with Dragon Age: Origins. It is a solid mix of old-school mechanics with newer modern perspectives and exploration.

5 The Pillars Of Eternity Series

Pillars of Eternity have hundreds of in-game books to find

Released in 2015 and 2018, respectively, Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire are modern RPGs inspired by the Baldur’s Gate series. The games were developed by Obsidian Entertainment, better known for their work on The Outer Worlds, Fallout: New Vegas, and Knights of the Old Republic 2. The Pillars games use the classic isometric viewpoint with gorgeous pre-rendered backdrops and superb writing that fans of the CRPG will enjoy.

It is beautifully written and attainable through countless in-game books that can be discovered to back up its history, explaining the empires, races, and more. Its world-building is further achieved with the in-game narration and some of the best writing in the genre. The world of Eora is set to expand further as Obsidian work on Avowed, an open-world RPG set in the same universe.

4 The Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic Series

star wars kotor has ready made lore

The Star Wars universe has been one of the most well-established sagas in film, television, and books. In addition to the nine movies in the Skywalker Saga, there is a foundation of history and lore for fans to dive into and for games like The Knights of the Old Republic to tap into.

Developed by BioWare and Obsidian, The Knights of the Old Republic duology is set 4000 years before the Galactic Empire established itself. The time setting allowed the developers more creative freedom and flexibility to build their own stories and characters. There is a ton of depth and history for fans to get into that will help expand their knowledge and even provide some backstory for The Mandalorian Wars and the events that lead up to Knights of the Old Republic.

3 The Baldur’s Gate Series

Baldur's Gate is still one of the deepest RPGs ever made

Developed by BioWare, Baldur’s Gate and its sequel Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, are still considered two of the greatest RPGs of all time. The games are set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, which has established lore in its tabletop games, books, TV shows, and films.

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The Baldur’s Gate games are deep and packed with content and meaningful side quests that flesh out the Forgotten Realms universe. Furthermore, there are tons of lore and in-game materials to discover. Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian Studios is set to launch in 2023 after being in Early Access on Steam.

2 The Mass Effect Trilogy

Mass Effect is an amazing space opera packed with history

After BioWare moved on from the single-player Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, they created a brand new space opera trilogy to rival the best of them. Originally released on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, the trilogy has been remastered and is available on modern machines featuring improved visuals, faster loading times, and increased frame rates.

Much has been said about the ending, but nothing can be taken away from BioWare’s ability to create a believable universe with great characters and NPCs to interact with. The different cultures across several planets, languages, and codexes are packed with information and history. Fans of the lore featured in Star Trek and Star Wars.

1 The Witcher Series

Witcher 3 - is one of the deepest game in the genre

The Witcher video games are based on the high-fantasy novels of the same name. The books by Andrzej Sapkowski have been adapted into a big-budget fantasy series for Netflix starring Henry Cavill. There are three mainline games and a spin-off called Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales.

The Witcher’s world feels alive, and every town has distinct characteristics, history, and lore for players to delve into. Everything about this series – The Witcher 3 in particular – is unbelievably detailed and rich, but it also grows around the actions and choices of the player. There is a lot of source material to draw from, and RPG fans will lose themselves for hours in The Witcher universe.

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