Role-playing games are the perfectly fit for players that enjoy creating a character, leveling up, and accomplishing quests. You directly control your character’s actions in a deep story and setting.
It’s a genre sub-divided into various niches, such as action RPGs, MMORPGs, and strategy RPGs, which makes it hard to list all the best ones. Below is our list of the best RPGs on Steam to give you a starting point.
If you’re a fan of other Fallout games or the Elder Scrolls series, chances are that you’ll love New Vegas. Your character is revived in a post-apocalyptic retro-futuristic world after an attack from their enemy. They were on a quest to deliver a package to New Vegas after the Great War.
In both the main and side missions, you’ll encounter intense combat against enemies, such as robots and mutants. It’s playable with a first or third-person perspective, with a variety of impressive weapons to use.
Skilled players can try hardcore mode, which is much more challenging. The ending to your story is dependent on the decisions you make throughout the game. Also, consider the Ultimate Edition of the game, which includes all of the DLC for just $10 more.
This game is a sequel to 2014’s Divinity: Original Sin and is set in a fantasy world, centuries after its predecessor.
Choose your character and their traits, then explore a world where other characters and animals interact with you. You have five races to choose from in your journey that’s either solo or with up to four friends.
Solve the quests you encounter with with the help of hundreds of skills you can choose from. To defeat your opponents in combat, you will have to use your various abilities and spells.
Persona 4 Golden is a single-player JRPG that has you take on the role of high school student in Japan. You and your classmates find that your town has fallen into a murder spree that occurs whenever the weather gets foggy.
You’ll have to juggle your school and social life, as well as the world in the TV where you carry out the combat and dungeon portions of the game. The bonds you form with your friends affect your combat abilities in the battle, so both are important.
Personas all have powers, and as the protagonist you can use more than just one. It’s an epic adventure that will take you some time, but this masterpiece RPG is worth the investment.
The Elder Scrolls: V Skyrim is one of the best action RPGS of all time. It brings you into a world where you have complete freedom to explore a wide realm and grow your character gradually through all sorts of decisions and quests.
The game provides engaging combat mechanics, interesting characters, a rich and connected story, and fulfilling exploration. You can play this game for a long, long time and still discover something new. The Special Edition contains remastered graphics and all the DLC from the original game, making it the best way to play today.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) is a popular RPG set in the Star Wars universe. It takes place almost four thousand years before the events illustrated in the movies.
You and your crew are on a Republic ship where it gets attacked by the soldiers of Sith. You escape to the planet below, and thus the fight begins.
The ending might not be as victorious as you hope, since you get to choose your own path with the decisions you make. Will you be the savior of the Undercity villagers? Or will you betray your people and join the dark side? You alone will determine the future of the entire galaxy.
Into MMORPGs but not a Star Wars fan? We have a list of the best free MMORPGs that require no download to try instead.
Pillars of Eternity is a challenging isometric RPG with retro vibes in which you control a collection of classic fantasy-style characters.
At the beginning of the game, you craft your physical appearance, including your race, in order to start your journey. There are 11 classes to choose—each shaping your battling skills and abilities.
Throughout the game, you will have thrilling interactions with NPCs in a captivating world full of adventures, quests, and combats that will keep you hooked for a long time.
Get ready to play as a professional monster-hunter, Geralt of Rivia, where your mission is to find a child of prophecy.
You’re armed with a variety of upgradeable weapons, combat skills, and potions which will help you hunt down a number of extraordinary monsters prowling around towns.
As you earn rewards, you can invest them into your weapons and armor, or spend the money on other activities such card games, horse races, and fist-fighting.
In such a diverse world rich with lively cities, pirate islands, challenging mountain passes, and caverns to explore, you can easily many hours exploring and questing.
If you’re into gothic animation, Darkest Dungeon is a great RPG to try. It’s a roguelike turn-based RPG that focuses on the psychological and physical influences of adventuring.
You lead a group of fighters with different skills and specializations. On your journey, you must face furious creatures, diseases, starvation, and the surprises that come with the darkness.
Beneficial items such as food, shovels, and torches let you fix problems and upgrade your loadout and damage skills. This is a challenging game, so it will take skill to clear the threats you encounter.
Mount & Blade: Warband is a unique action RPG with a blend of intense tactical battling, army structuring, and high kingdom management.
The game provides online battlegrounds with 64 fighters in a variety of modes including Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Battle, Conquest, and Siege.
Your gameplay in the land of Calradia has no limits. Lead your men into battle, upgrade your skills, grow your kingdom, and claim the ultimate prize: the throne of Calradia.
If you’re more interested in a peaceful RPG, you have to try Undertale. It’s a game where you control a player plunged into an underground world filled with monsters.
It combines the best element of RPGs—creativity, music, adventures, dialogue, and a variety of choices. You can negotiate your way out of battles through the unique battle system, so you don’t have to fight.
Choices you make will affect the plot and flow of the game, giving it good replay value. Do yourself a favor and go into Undertale completely blind—you’ll be glad you did.
This list could contain dozens of additional games, as Steam is home to tons of great RPGs in many sub-genres. After trying these games, which each do something a little different, you’ll know what kind of RPGs you should dive into next.
If these games are too involved for you, why not supplement them with some shorter web games?