Role-playing games allow players to transport themselves into fantastical worlds to play as characters with unique abilities, motivations, and personalities. While these games all have different subgenres and playstyles, they all have the same thing in common: the ability to transport gamers into immersive stories.
With so many RPGs readily available, it can be confusing and downright overwhelming to pick which game you want to tackle next. To help everyone out, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best RPGs you can purchase and play on PC.
Cyberpunk 2077
When Cyberpunk 2077 first launched, it was filled with bugs and lacked previously promised features, causing the game to get critically panned. Luckily, this futuristic RPG cleaned its reputation after a series of bug fixes, free content patches, and the release of a DLC starring Idris Elba.
The game takes place in 2077 within Night City, a metropolis controlled by different corporations. You play as V, a fully customizable character who completes odd jobs throughout the city. As you play through the game, V scores their big break by securing a high-value heist.
The outcome of the heist fundamentally changes V’s life and allows players to explore the past and determine the future of Night City. Thankfully, this stunning RPG is available to purchase on PC, and there is even an anime on Netflix based in the world of Cyberpunk.
Ghost of Tsushima
Instead of taking place within a fictional environment, some developers ground their RPGs within real-world history. Ghost of Tsushima is an RPG that takes place during the Mongol invasion of Japan in the year 1274, where you play as a samurai named Jin Sakai.
While playing as Jin, you’ll learn about the struggles that have shaped his past as he battles against hordes of invaders in defense of his war-torn home. The combat in Ghost of Tsushima combines traditional sword fighting techniques with multiple stances, as well a stealthy approach that challenges Jin’s morals.
The game was originally released in 2020 as a console exclusive on the PlayStation 4, but a recent remaster included a port for PC users.
Disco Elysium
If you want to try out a story-focused RPG that doesn’t involve challenging combat, Disco Elysium is right up your alley. In the game, you play a detective suffering from alcoholism and drug-induced amnesia as he is tasked with solving a murder mystery.
While playing, you’ll have to complete skill checks and dialogue trees to progress the story and the case, while increasing your skills in four different trees. The decisions you make within the game greatly affect the story and determine if you become a hero or suffer from criminal corruption.
As a bonus, the game features a gorgeous art style inspired by oil paintings, and has an updated version available for purchase on PC.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the first RPG on this list to have a live-action television show, but it certainly isn’t the last. This RPG is the third installment in this fantasy franchise and follows a Witcher named Geralt as he traverses a war-torn continent to find Ciri, a prophesized child he helped raise.
Witchers are monster hunters who help citizens defeat mythical creatures terrorizing their lives. As you track down Ciri, you’ll come across various conflicts that need resolution, and your choices will shape the future of these NPCs. After all, the elven legends surrounding Ciri foretold she is the key to saving or destroying the entire world.
Thankfully, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been optimized for modern standards, and can be purchased on PC.
Mass Effect 2
Even though it was released over a decade ago, Mass Effect 2 still reigns as one of the best futuristic RPGs in the history of gaming. The Mass Effect franchise takes place in the distant future where the citizens of Earth have conquered space travel and regularly communicate with different alien species.
However, an existential threat is coming to destroy civilization, causing the main character, Shepard, to recruit a rag-tag team of companions to save Earth. The second installment features some of the most iconic romances, action sequences, and missions in the entire franchise, making it a must-play action RPG.
The game can be purchased on PC, and regularly goes on sale.
Dragon Age: Origins
BioWare comes in swinging with Dragon Age: Origins, the first game in the long-standing Dragon Age franchise. This game takes place in Ferelden, a fictional country filled with evil monsters called Darkspawn. As the playable character, you’ll become a member of the Grey Wardens, an ancient order that fights against such monsters.
You’ll also get to customize who you play as, such as picking between rogue, mage, and warrior classes, and deciding if you want to be a human, dwarf, or elf. While this is only the first entry within the series, many fans appreciate the depth of roleplay available in Origins, which can influence the outcome of the story.
If this game has piqued your interest, you can play all of the Dragon Age games on PC.
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout is a massive, post-apocalyptic franchise that has garnered success in the gaming industry and Hollywood. Each game takes place in a distant future where nuclear fallout has reshaped the Earth. You typically play as a Vault Dweller, humans born into underground societies that are safe from the trials and tribulations of the wasteland
While Fallout: New Vegas was not developed by Bethesda, the game still shines as an all-time fan-favorite RPG. In New Vegas, you play as a courier who delivers packages between three factions vying for control over the Mojave Wasteland. When your package is intercepted by a strange man in a checkered suit, you’ll have to fight for survival in the desert and get revenge on the man who attempted to end your life.
You can purchase Fallout: New Vegas on consoles or PC.
Red Dead Redemption 2
If you have a hankering to explore the Wild West, then Red Dead Redemption 2 can fulfill your cowboy fantasies. Even though this is the second installment in the Red Dead Redemption series, it takes place before the events of the first game, so you can easily jump into the story without any prior knowledge.
In this game, you’ll play as Arthur Morgan, a member of a gang on the run after a failed bank robbery. As the gang escapes into the snowy mountains, you’ll experience a heartwrenching story centered around family, power, and the effects of greed. Similar to other RPGs, your choices in the story will change the outcome of the game, so choose your reputation wisely.
RDR2 is available on all major platforms, but we recommend experiencing the game on PC.
Skyrim
Bethesda is known for RPG games, and Skyrim takes the cake as one of the studio’s very best. Skyrim is the fifth entry in the Elder Scrolls series, where you play as a customizable character named the Dragonborn.
The game takes place in a snowy northern region locked in a brutal civil war, causing the Dragonborn to get captured by enemy forces. As strange events save your character from an early demise, you’ll have to learn about your draconic powers, solve the conflict plaguing all of Skyrim, and fight a mythic beast prophesized to end the world.
Skyrim is available on console, but playing on PC means you’ll have access to an extensive list of mods that completely shift how the game is played.
Baldur’s Gate 3
If you’re a fan of popular video games, then chances are you’ve heard of the smash success that was Baldur’s Gate 3. This fantasy RPG is inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, and takes place within a fictional universe plagued with strife and conflict.
Within the game, every choice you make shapes the outcome of the overarching story, allowing you to replay the storyline multiple times while still experiencing drastically different outcomes. The game also features a party system and turn-based combat that includes skill checks and dice rolls, adding in RNG elements that spice up every playthrough.
If the game is not enticing enough, Baldur’s Gate 3 also comes with multiplayer capabilities where you and three other friends can form a party of custom characters. Thankfully, the game’s PC port is well-optimized, making the entire experience incredibly enjoyable.
