10. The Witcher 3
Geralt of Rivia
Join everyone's favorite smooth talking Witcher in a fantasy epic where you reprise the role of the sarcastic, loveable Van Helsing. Making your way through one of the most immersive and beautiful worlds an RPG has ever had to offer, you'll save villagers and hunt werewolves. All the while finding yourself in the middle of world changing events and choosing whether or not to keep to the lonesome life of a bounty hunter filling contracts on monsters, or playing the role of vigilante thrillseeker. Witcher 3 is a must play for anyone looking for a break from the typical medieval RPG setting. With a combat system that is simple enough on the surface to be friendly to casual gamers, but enough hidden complexity to do justice to the RPG genre.
9. Dragon Age Inquisition
The Inquisitor
A return to the mystical world of Dragon Age, this time diving in to the legend of the Inquisitor. A character making decisions that shake the world while fighting demons and dragons in the familiar setting fans fell in love with when playing Dragon Age Origins. Players find themselves back into the middle of the constant conflict between mages and templars choosing the direction they will take while the world find itself in complete chaos. This game will truly leave you wanting more, even after playing the DLC Trespasser you'll wish there was just one more quest to go on in Bioware's growingly popular medieval epic.
8. Fallout New Vegas
Ring-A-Ding-Ding
Who doesn't think that working over mob bosses, fighting mutants, and scavenging weapons for survival is not a perfect idea for a video game? Take all of that and add in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas and you get one of the most memorable games of all time. The one thing that New Vegas undeniably has over other RPGs is the complete satisfaction of playing the game multiple times. Exploring every inch of the Mojave Wasteland while siding with either the new formed government figure NCR (North California Republic) or Caesar's Legion. The legion being a tribe of crazy fanatics driven to destroy what little is left of the exhausted civilization.
7. Bastion
The Kid
Surrender yourself to adictive gameplay and unique world brought to you by one of the best Indie games to date. Bastion is one of the few RPG games that does not lean on a great story to attract gamers. Instead, it boasts amazing watercolor art while you hack and slash your way through enemies. You build up your arsenal of guns or melee wepons as you enjoy one of the most must-play RPGs of all time. If you have not played this game by now, I HIGHLY recommend you do.
6. Skyrim
Lightwork for the Dragonborne
Everyone was sure when Oblivion was released that the Elder Scrolls series had reached the pinnacle of RPG gaming. Then a few years later, Skyrim made it's way onto the market, pulling in so many gamers to the genre that many games today reference the influence of Skyrim that forever changed RPGs. Discover your destiny as the Dragonborne, venturing across one of the biggest open world play areas of all time. Spend hours looting dungeons, fighting dragons, and enjoing every possible experience the game has to offer. Adding to how wonderful this game is, it would almost be a crime against Skyrim and it's people not to mention the endless amount of mods you can play with. Making each playthrough almost a different story entirely, with the ability to add weapons, characters, and even quests to one of the best-selling RPGs of all time.
5. Mass Effect 2
Bioware's Science Fiction Pride and Joy
A vast number of RPG games today follow a trend that is too obvious to ignore. Swords and shields compliments the genre so well that it really is hard to blame developers for the repeating pattern they seem to follow. This makes games like Mass Effect even more of a treasure to players, a great series to take a break from the typical dragon fighting, castle sieging onslaught that plagues the market. Find yourself traveling the cosmos fighting aliens and saving planets alongside some of the best NPCs a game has ever had to offer.
4. Dark Souls 2
Fight with a sword in the dark or run away with a torch. You decide.
When someone brings up a Dark Souls game there is always the lifelong fan who expresses their love/hate relationship with one of the best written and famously difficult series to ever hit the genre. Dark Souls 2 is a long awaited sequel returining us to the hours of infuriated groans and keyboard smashing that have made this game as notorious as it is addicting. Building up the mystery and exploration driven world of Drangelic, you'll find that the punishment is just as rewarding as it was in the first game. Sticking to the old cliche saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it" and applying it flawlessly.
3. Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition
Oh the Nostalgia
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition reminds us all of what makes fantasy RPGs so beloved. Arguably viewed as a remake, which is something fans would adore, this version gives the new generation of gamers to thoroughly enjoy this classic. Even after going so long since first playing the original, players familar with the game will enjoy playing this version over and over. challenges, and I wanted to play it again when I was done. In comparison the visual improvements are arguably just on par with a heavily modded version of this game, but it's still worth the playthrough. Despite the few bugs here and there the Enhanced Edition is the best way to play this all time favorite.
2. Pillars of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity pays hommage to almost everything that fans love about old-school RPG games. The attention to detail and wonderful writing really shows how much love was put into this game. Expect this game to become an on-going RPG series while honoring the classics that came before it.
1. Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2 has everything that could ever be expected out of an RPG game. A great combat system, an enticing storyline, and even a sense of flexibility. Just like the previous mention on this list, the game pays respect to the older RPG greats. The thing pushing it to Number One is its perfect balance of everything a title in the genre is supposed to be. You'll want to play the game again and again, knowing that there just has to be something great you passed up, and there almost always is. This game will very easily be considered one of the greatest of its kind for years to come. Making it an absolute must play for any true RPG fan.
