Role-playing games, or RPGs, are easily one of the most important and impactful genres in gaming history. Even setting aside my personal love for them, many RPGs have profoundly influenced game developers and the kinds of games they create today.
As a huge RPG fan, I’ve always felt these games are incredible at telling stories. It’s not just what happens, but how you feel about it – whether it’s getting really invested in the characters, or just loving how the game actually plays. RPGs just offer experiences you don’t really find anywhere else, and they stay with you long after you finish playing.
Let’s get straight to it – here are our top 10 RPGs that have had a huge impact and truly changed the way games are made today.
10. Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar
Setting the foundation for Western RPGs
Although it looked simple with its colorful tiles, the original Ultima series was a remarkably faithful and engaging translation of the classic pen-and-paper role-playing experience when it first came out.
Released in 1989, Richard Garriott’s work laid the groundwork for all computer role-playing games (CRPGs) that followed, establishing the core elements of immersive roleplaying. While the entire Ultima series is considered a pioneer in the genre, many believe Ultima 4 represents the high point of its innovation.
Richard Garriott was inspired by letters from players describing their experiences with Ultima. He noticed many players were choosing to do bad things in the game simply to gain power. This observation led him to create a system that rewarded players for being honorable and punished them for acting immorally.
Ultima: Quest of the Avatar remains a truly great RPG, and its impact can still be seen in how modern games handle morality, particularly in series like Dragon Age and Fallout.
9. Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
The Inspiration for the Ancestors of JRPGs
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is widely considered a landmark role-playing game. Its impact is clear – the developers of both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy have stated that the 1981 game, with its grid-based dungeons, directly inspired their work, solidifying its place among the greatest games ever made.
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord puts you in charge of a team of six adventurers exploring a dangerous dungeon. Along the way, you’ll face unexpected battles that require strategic thinking and a good understanding of your team’s strengths.
This game really established the now-familiar pattern of starting in town and then venturing into dungeons. Players build a team of six characters, carefully selecting their skills to overcome challenges, before heading back to town to recover and purchase upgrades for their next adventure.
Wizardry, like the early Final Fantasy and Dungeon Quest games, developed a way to show more powerful spells by lengthening their names. For instance, in Final Fantasy, a basic fire spell called ‘Fires’ would become ‘Fira’ and then ‘Firaga’ as it grew stronger. Wizardry used a similar system, progressing from ‘Halito’ to ‘Mahalito’ and finally ‘Lahalito’. This naming convention was partly a technical solution; the original Wizardry game was pushing the limits of the Apple II’s capabilities, and shortening names helped conserve precious memory and processing power.
You might not be familiar with the Wizardry series, but it had a huge impact on gaming, and many of its key ideas are still used in games today.
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
An RPG Giant That Defined an Entire Decade of Gaming
People debate endlessly about which Elder Scrolls game is best, but when it comes to modern gaming experiences, Skyrim, released in 2011, really stands out as a top choice.
As a huge gamer, I definitely remember the early 2010s being full of games that were always compared to Skyrim – it felt like every open-world game was labeled “It’s like Skyrim, but…” Looking back, though, a lot of those comparisons actually hit the nail on the head! It really shows how much of an impact Skyrim had, because it felt like every other game was trying to copy its amazing open-world formula. Seriously, no game ruled that decade quite like Bethesda’s masterpiece.
Games like Far Cry gained worldwide popularity, partly because of the impact Skyrim had on the industry. Even The Legend of Zelda series evolved with 2017’s Breath of the Wild, with its creators openly acknowledging Skyrim’s influence on its design.
Right from the start, when you narrowly escape the dragon attack in Helgen and gain the freedom to explore Skyrim, it’s clear you’re in for an amazing experience. The game’s open world allows you to immediately start imagining and living out your own unique adventure.
Players have a lot of freedom in how they approach the game. They can jump right into the epic storyline to fight dragons, or they can start small, like a blacksmith trying to make a living by crafting tons of daggers. The game offers a huge, open world where you can play however you want.
As a huge fan, what really blew me away about Skyrim was how incredibly free it felt to just do anything. It wasn’t just a great game, it felt like a turning point, and honestly, I think a lot of developers have been chasing that same magic ever since.
7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
A Landmark in RPG Storytelling
BioWare built its reputation on influential role-playing games, but it was with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) that they truly perfected their formula – combining a compelling story with a rewarding gameplay experience.
KOTOR immerses you in its detailed world, offering a new perspective on the Star Wars universe. Set thousands of years before the films, the game creatively explores the history and conflict between the Sith and Jedi, expanding on their roles and connection to the galaxy.
As you play, you’ll grow close to your diverse group of companions. Every conversation you have will strengthen your relationships with them. BioWare’s excellent writing makes each dialogue feel meaningful, revealing more about the characters, the game’s world, and even yourself – helping you understand how you would respond in similar situations.
KOTOR is a hugely influential role-playing game, especially known for how it lets players build meaningful connections with a diverse group of characters. What’s more, its surprising plot twist revolutionized how players experience games, moving beyond simply controlling a character to feeling genuinely invested in the narrative.
6. World of Warcraft
What Finally Kicked off the MMO Craze
World of Warcraft is arguably the most important massively multiplayer online role-playing game ever created. It’s unusual for a game released over two decades ago to still be the standard by which all others are judged, but WoW continues to dominate the genre.
Before World of Warcraft came out, massively multiplayer online games, or MMOs, weren’t very popular with mainstream gamers. While games like EverQuest, Ultima Online, and Star Wars Galaxies had dedicated players, it wasn’t until WoW perfected the MMO experience that the genre really took off and became a dominant force in gaming.
A key factor in World of Warcraft’s popularity was how it made many common MMO features easier and more enjoyable for players. Unlike other games where you had to repeatedly kill monsters to gain levels, WoW allowed players to progress by completing quests, offering small rewards and a sense of accomplishment with each one finished.
World of Warcraft not only became incredibly popular, but it also fostered one of the biggest and most engaged online communities ever seen. Players formed close bonds on game servers, collaborating to gain experience, exchange items, and enjoy the game together.
World of Warcraft definitely left a huge mark on pop culture when it was at its peak. Many people still remember Ozzy Osbourne’s memorable commercial for the Wrath of the Lich King expansion back in 2008, and the hilarious South Park episode that everyone was quoting!
World of Warcraft demonstrated how online games could build strong, dedicated communities and offer deep roleplaying experiences, allowing players to collaboratively create their own unique stories.
5. Diablo 2
The Finest Loot System to Grace an RPG
Diablo 2 is a classic action RPG, largely because of its fantastic combat and dark, immersive world. However, the real reason it remains popular after all these years is its incredible loot system – every time you play, the items you find are different, making each experience feel fresh and exciting.
Designing satisfying loot systems in games is notoriously difficult. The challenge is to make players feel rewarded for collecting items without most of them becoming useless junk that’s quickly sold off. Diablo 2, though, achieved an almost perfect balance, keeping loot exciting and encouraging players to experiment with different character builds.
One of the main reasons for this success is that every item you find feels worthwhile. Unlike games like Borderlands, which overwhelm players with countless similar weapons, Diablo 2 makes almost every piece of loot useful, no matter how common or rare it is.
Even now, you can find lengthy guides online that break down the game’s complicated item system and explain how to create a powerful character for the endgame.
Diablo 2’s thoughtful design when it comes to rewarding players with loot is a major reason why games like Path of Exile and Torchlight were inspired to create similarly satisfying loot systems.
4. Fallout
An RPG That Makes Player Choice Feel Impactful
Playing the original Fallout now might not be as enjoyable as it used to be, but it remains a hugely important game because of how much freedom it gave players and how meaningful their choices felt – both good and bad.
Okay, so the game drops you into what’s left of America after everything went down. You start safe in a vault, but you quickly have to head out into the wasteland. The cool thing is, it’s totally up to you how you play. I can wander around and do things in any order I want, and if I get into trouble, I can either talk my way out of it or just go in guns blazing. It’s all about how I want to handle things.
Fallout 1 is renowned for its excellent use of speech checks, arguably the best ever. With enough gathered information, you can talk the main villain out of their plan by pointing out its weaknesses, letting you finish the game without a fight.
The game’s incredible freedom and many different ways to finish quests have served as inspiration for later RPGs, including titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Disco Elysium.
3. Final Fantasy VII
The Game That Made JRPGs a Household Name
If you polled RPG developers about their all-time favorite JRPG, Final Fantasy VII would undoubtedly be mentioned frequently.
The Final Fantasy series had a small following in the West before its seventh game, which is what really made it popular worldwide.
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Players will experience the journey of Cloud Strife, a former soldier, and his diverse group of allies as they travel from the decaying city of Midgard to the vast world beyond. Along the way, you’ll meet memorable characters with unique designs, battle unsettling creatures born from Jenova, and even find yourself temporarily transformed into a toad – quite a few times!
When Final Fantasy 7 first came out, it was incredibly impressive for the original PlayStation, spanning three whole discs. While its fast-paced battle system is still enjoyable today, it’s the game’s powerful and memorable story that has truly kept it popular all these years.
Final Fantasy 7 is still one of the most popular JRPGs ever, thanks to a surprising plot twist at the end of its first disc and a fantastic story throughout the rest of the game. It’s a great entry point to the genre and showcases everything that makes JRPGs so enjoyable.
2. Disco Elysium
The Creator of the Disco-like Genre
Seven years after its release, Disco Elysium continues to be a hugely influential game. You play as a detective in the city of Revachol who wakes up with amnesia after a heavy night of drinking. He finds himself in Martinaise, a troubled, working-class neighborhood, and quickly discovers a complex political situation is unfolding around him.
You started an investigation into a man found hanging from a tree, hoping to solve his murder and bring his body down. Along with your partner, Kim, you’ll delve into the details of the crime, explore the Martinaise district, and piece together your own forgotten past.
Unlike most role-playing games that emphasize fighting and character progression, Disco Elysium centers around conversations. The game features 24 skills, but instead of boosting combat abilities, each one represents a different part of the main character, Harry’s, personality. By developing certain skills, you shape Harry’s character and unlock new ways to interact with the world, making it more likely you’ll succeed in conversations and challenges.
Disco Elysium also stands out with its innovative user interface. Unlike most games that display dialogue in boxes at the bottom of the screen, it places conversations on the side, allowing players to scroll through them like a social media timeline.
The new game, Esoteric Ebb, continues the focus on rich conversations seen in its RPG, and it uses a similar interface to make all that dialogue easy to navigate. Although the creators of Disco Elysium haven’t released a new game yet, other smaller studios are successfully making RPGs with a similar emphasis on storytelling, detailed worlds, and lots of memorable conversations.
1. Baldur’s Gate 3
The Future of RPGs
It’s no surprise that Baldur’s Gate 3 is being called the most complete RPG experience currently available.
Built on the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, this game gives players remarkable freedom to make choices. The developers, Larian, carefully considered countless possible player actions and character builds, ensuring a wide range of options throughout the game.
As a fan, I’m really excited that different character classes and builds will have their own unique conversations! It means if I want to play again as a different character, I won’t just be repeating the same things – there’ll be fresh dialogue and new things to discover. It’s a fantastic way to encourage multiple playthroughs and make each one feel special.
Similar to Dungeons & Dragons, this game encourages creative problem-solving. For example, you might stumble upon a lively goblin camp and choose to sneak in and poison their food, eliminating them all. This extends to how you play the game too – players have discovered fun and effective strategies like dropping heavy objects on enemies to instantly defeat them.
Baldur’s Gate 3 made a big splash at the recent Game Awards, and other games like Solasta 2 and Warlock: Dungeons and Dragons appear to be taking inspiration from its success. It’s still early to tell if Baldur’s Gate 3 will be remembered as the most important RPG of the decade, but it’s clear its impact will be felt in games to come.
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2026-03-29 16:43