Embark on Epic Quests with These 10 RPGs
Whether we’re napping in a sunny field or stuck in mind numbingly slow traffic, we’ve all had the same thought float through our heads. “If only life could be a little more exciting.”
Well, barring traffic and boredom, life is full of its own excitements. But it can’t answer our fantasies of setting out on an adventure, wielding magic and blades to fight off dastardly bandits and otherworldly creatures. Thankfully, we have an answer to that.
Video games allow us to step into another world. Epic narratives full of rich stories, dimensional characters, titillating quests, and environments to explore.
These 10 RPGs will bring that passing thought to life by taking you on exciting adventures.
10. Dragon Age: Origins
A Blight has pervaded the land of Thedas, and it’s up to you to stop the army of grotesque demons and monsters. As a legendary Gray Warden, you set forth to unite the factions under one banner—a combined force to turn back the Darkspawn. If only asking nicely was enough.
In Dragon Age: Origins, you dive headlong into a fantasy medieval world. When you select your character’s class and race, choosing between a dwarf, an elf, or a human, you jump into their backstory and get an insight into the ornate cultures that make up the world. No race is perfect.
The dwarves employ a discriminatory caste system. The elves suffer poor treatment at the hands of humans. And humans lock up their mages or exercise their power and authority over others (namely mistreating lower classes and murdering rival nobles).
The world of Thedas is filled with violence, squalor, and injustice. But you’re recruited into the Gray Wardens and tasked with the thankless job of saving it. Mainly from a horde of tainted, orc-like creatures—Darkspawn—who invade during Blights, following the orders of a demonic dragon. Sure, sounds like a cinch!
They'll be fine.
Wild animals, creatures, bandits, rogue mages, demons, and even massive dragons of fire and death will attempt to kill you or gobble you up. You journey across the land with an ensemble of colorful companions, such as an awkward Gray Warden, a sarcastic mage, a loyal war hound, and an irreverent assassin. You travel across golden plains, through murky wilds, up snowy mountains, and even into the blurry dreamscape of the Fade, the source of dreams, demons, and magic.
As you ready armies to face the Blight, you’ll find yourself wrapped up in each race’s politics. Attempt to appease everyone, find a solution, incite conflict, or twist things around so you benefit the most—the choice is yours, and the results are numerous and malleable. If the stars align, you can even appoint yourself king or queen.
Thankless job? Just thank yourself!
9. Borderlands
So you want to be a vault hunter? Take a trip to the planet of Pandora, where bandits and psychos reign supreme and violent alien creatures kill everything on sight. But there’s treasure, so it’s worth it!
In Borderlands, you play as a treasure hunter who’s journeyed to Pandora seeking a legendary vault rumored to contain immeasurable bounty. The road to the vault is long and arduous. You cross deserts, jutting canyons, grassy plains, and scrappy ghost towns, fighting insane bandits, massive tunneling worms, wild creatures, strange aliens, and lethal soldiers seeking the vault for their superiors.
"Wow what a unique ecology. Let's kill it."
Strange and debauched characters litter the way. While most of Pandora was abandoned by good folk (that or they died), these strange, possibly insane individuals remain to drop one-liners and offer quirky quests. Humor is rife in this alien rat race of a tale, and you’ll never find yourself bored or slowing down.
8. The Witcher
Fans of Game of Thrones have the chance to step into a dark, mature fantasy with the Witcher series. The Witcher boasts a complex story with branching paths and multiple endings dependent on your choices. Each installment continues the saga, launching you into an even deeper plot with political strife and a robust cast of distinguished characters.
"Show off."
You play as Geralt, a Witcher with special enhancements and abilities who hunts down monsters for his next paycheck. The damaged medieval world is made up of violent elves, drunken dwarves who’re shadows of the great craftsmen they once were, and humans whose kingdoms lie on the brink of war. Geralt is nothing more than a mercenary plunged into the tumultuous affairs of despotic kings.
You’re neck-deep in a chaotic world, and you’re expected to fix it.
The Witcher’s story isn’t just adult because of the game’s mature themes. It’s adult because it approaches you head on with an intelligent story of lore, race, and politics. If you dive in just as fearlessly, you’ll be rewarded with a wealthy adventure.
7. Fallout: New Vegas
Take your chances at the New Vegas Strip. Fallout: New Vegas allows you to explore the dilapidated environments of post-apocalyptic Nevada, California, and Arizona. Unlike previous Fallout games, settlements and cities are heavily populated—and ready to roll.
After being shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave, you set out to track down your killer. Possibilities immediately branch out before you. You can lie with the dogs in the seedy community of the New Vegas Strip (complete with selfish vice seekers and cultist cannibals). Or you can join the fight by siding with one of the warring factions: the do-gooder New Californian Republic, the roman-esque Caesar’s Legion, and the mysterious Mr. House.
Enjoy your stay.
Factions and how you interact with them shape the world around you. Some communities get along while others butt heads as they struggle for dominance. You can join, fight, betray, or ignore whichever groups you want.
The dynamic between the factions is enrapturing. You’ll want to play more and more, making new playthroughs and seeing how the barely held together world changes as you shift power from one group to the other.
6. Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
You’ve just been murdered. Only, you’re still alive? You wake up in a dingy, yellowed apartment. You’ve been turned into a dark denizen of the night—a vampire.
Upon your transition, you’re able to select from a variety of vampire clans, each with their own powers and politics. This affects how the world and its citizens react to you. As you fulfill tasks assigned by your master, you’re free to complete quests either through peaceful means or by using your awesome powers to slay all who stand in your way.
"You got a little uh... papercut there."
The game is bogged by its fair share of flaws, a symptom of rushed development. And while a completed version would no doubt be stronger, Vampire the Masquerade is loved by cult fans and critics alike for its expert writing. Characters feel like real people—err undead—rather than static NPCs who just stand around awaiting your presence. They’re vulgar, they’re memorable, and they have fleshed out backstories.
Since the game is so reactive to your choices—from clan to dialogue selections—it feels like you’re in a living, breathing underworld. One that you’re free to explore and indulge in.
5. Planescape: Torment
Imagine for a moment that you’re immortal. And every time you “die”, your memories are lost to you. How would the you in the now act compared to the you in the past?
In Planescape: Torment, human nature, and how it can change, is the major theme of the story. You play as the Nameless One, an immortal being who’s just awoken from death to find he’s lost all his memories. You set out to regain your morality, believed to have transcended the deletion of your memories.
"Perfect! I was just thinking I needed a bath."
Your alignment is your choice. However, you have no control over your past personalities. As you journey onwards, accompanied by companions (some of which have crossed paths with your old selves), a dark picture is painted stroke by stroke. You learn more about your lost personalities and the terrible deeds they’ve committed. But what does that mean for the current you?
What is human nature? What is morality? How are these things shaped in an individual? The journey through Planescape will end with you facing these questions.
4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
There’s an entire galaxy out there for you to explore. Filled to the brim with planets, aliens, and creatures all stemming from the Star Wars universe. In Knights of the Old Republic, you take on the role of a Jedi (or Sith?) and travel across familiar and new sights on an important mission.
If you’ve ever dreamt of donning a lightsaber and wielding the force (and really, who hasn’t?), then this series will fill that void in your heart. You’re given complete freedom to build your character, selecting attributes, skills, feats, and force powers, as you carve a flashing swathe through your enemies. An enormity of dialogue options allows you to be whomever you please.
Classic red VS blue.
Are you a true Jedi Knight, glowing with peace and serenity? Or are you a passionate Sith whose heart is aflame with hate and desire? Of course, you can even be a sarcastic jackass who couldn’t care less—but secretly harbors a heart of gold.
In each installment, you journey from planet to planet aboard the Ebon Hawk, a smuggler’s ship. You’re accompanied by a colorful cast of quirky characters, each with their own thoughts and alignment. From a young and brash Jedi prodigy to a murderous assassin droid who admonishes any organic for being a “meatbag”. Except for the master, of course.
Once the lore-rich world of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic has ensnared you with its intriguing mystery and deep story full of twists and turns, you’ll have a hard time wrestling free.
3. Baldur’s Gate
Baldur’s Gate whisks you away on a journey through the Forgotten Realms, a setting in Dungeons and Dragons. You’ll lose hundreds of hours exploring cities, forests, mountains, and dungeons as you fight bandits, beasts, and dragons. With a wealth of dialogue and an epic story to tell, Baldur’s Gate is a staple amongst narrative RPGs.
Each companion character has their own fleshed out backstory, complete with a personal quest to undertake. You can communicate with your party and build relationships with them. They respond to your choices and alignment throughout the game.
Where snakes have swords. Also arms.
As you journey, you find yourself wrapped up in the land’s politics. Conspiracies swirl the world’s main factions like a humid fog. The deeper you sink, the more you learn about yourself.
This classic adventure set the trend for storytelling in RPGs. If you’re looking for an authentic adventure, you’ll find it in the medieval fantasy world of Baldur’s Gate.
2. The Elder Scrolls
Nothing titillates your imagination like an Elder Scrolls game. Walk through the alien mushroom forests of Morrowind. Gaze upon the bright red dawn as sunrays beam down over the golden grass of Cyrodiil. Climb the snowy mountaintops of Skyrim as a white flurry sweeps over you and a dragon’s roar echoes in the distance.
You’re an elven bowmaster honing your skills. A dagger dancing sneakthief who only pounces the rich. A barbarous orc indiscriminately smashing heads like melons with your bulky warhammer. An elegant spellsword whose blade sings through the air as lightning dances along your fingertips.
"I'll take the guy on the... uh... You know what, you got this."
You’re free to be whoever you want. And then, you’re free to indulge in the vast land at your fingertips. Delve into dark dungeons filled with dripping water, distant cries of creatures, and bountiful treasure chests. Complete side quests for citizens in need. Join guilds to test your might and climb the ranks.
There’s an endless supply of enemies to fight. From snarling wolves, earthshaking giants, monstrous daedra, and massive dragons sweeping through the skies raining fire and death from above. Quests, alight with lore and mythology, conceal secrets and rewards for you to uncover.
There is always more to do, more to see, and you’ll never be able to scrape through the top layer in one go.
1. Mass Effect
Doomsday is fast approaching. And you, Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy, are the only one who can stop it. Mass Effect’s epic trilogy will take you on a wild ride across the galaxy, fighting space pirates, alien creatures, and deadly AI synthetics as you unravel the mystery surrounding the creeping end of all organic life. You lead a ragtag crew of elaborate characters and undertake adrenaline-pumping missions.
The depth, personalities, and sheer variety of your companions rivals any other RPG to date. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into Firefly, Star Trek, Star Wars, Farscape, Battlestar Galactica—all the classic science fictions that boast killer characters and fantastical plots. A sense of comradery grips you as you fight alongside your team and get to know them.
"Yep. We're boned."
The stakes have never been higher. If you fail your mission, the entire galaxy will be wiped clean of advanced civilization. On your mission to save, well, everyone, you journey through whimsical planets—snowy tundras, acrid rocks, bright green jungles, colorful atmospheres—fighting tooth and nail to save the world. Each planet and race boasts a vast wealth of lore, history, and culture.
Hologram knife beats gun? It does when you're Shepard!
You’re Commander Shepard. Decorated war hero and designated badass. Armed with your choice of weapons, tech, and biotics, no one can stand in your way. Not space pirates, not robot Armageddon.
This is the true outer space adventure we’ve all been longing for.
What kind of adventures do you like to go on? Do you have any favorite RPGs or ideas you want to see made into games? Discuss in the comments below.
If you haven’t yet satiated your thirst for excitement, check out these articles on PC gaming.
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