15 Best RPG Games for PC, All Time Ranked

You know that feeling when you start a game just to “try it out”, and suddenly it’s 3 AM, and you have work in four hours? Yeah.

That’s what we’re talking about here.

We’ve been playing RPGs on PC since the days when you needed a boot disk just to get a game to run. We’ve seen a lot. Some good, some bad, some that made us wonder why we wasted 60 hours of our lives. But the ones on this list?

These are the ones that stuck with us. The ones we still think about years later.

PC gaming is weird because we get all the good stuff. Console players wait around for ports while we’re over here modding Skyrim until it barely resembles a game anymore. And RPGs?

That’s our genre. Always has been.

So here’s our list of the 15 best RPGs you can play on a PC right now. We’re not ranking them by review scores or what’s popular on Twitch. We’re ranking them by which ones actually made us feel something.

What Makes an RPG Worth Your Time?

Here’s the thing about ranking games. Everyone’s got opinions. But after playing these things for like twenty years, we’ve figured out what actually matters.

The world has to feel real. Not just pretty graphics, but like people actually live there. They’ve got problems. They’ve got bad days. They’re not just standing around waiting for you to show up.

The characters have to grow on you. The kind where you finish the game and feel kinda sad because you won’t hang out with them anymore. Sounds dumb, but it’s true. Your choices should matter. Not that fake stuff where you pick A or B, and the game just gives you a different color ending. We mean real consequences. Make a bad call, and someone dies.

Permanently.

And you gotta feel yourself getting stronger. Not just bigger numbers, but like you actually learned something. You’re better at the game because you got good, not because you grinded for ten hours.

The games on this list have all that. Some are old and janky. Some are new and shiny. But they all have that special thing that keeps us coming back.

The Top 15 Best RPG Games for PC, Ranked

#15 Disco Elysium – The Final Cut

We almost didn’t play this one. No combat? Just talking? Sounded boring as hell. But then a friend basically forced us to try it, and we were dead wrong.

You’re this detective who woke up after the craziest bender of all time. Can’t remember anything. Not your name, not your job, not why a dead guy is hanging in the backyard of the hostel where you’re staying.

And apparently, you’re supposed to solve that murder. Good luck.

The cool part is your skills aren’t just for fighting. They’re literally voices in your head. Your Logic skill will pipe up with something reasonable. Your Electrochemistry skill (which is basically your inner party animal) tells you to forget the case and go find booze. These voices argue with each other, and you just kinda sit there listening to your own brain fight itself.

If you think RPGs need swords and magic, give this a shot. It’ll change your mind about what the genre can do.

#14 Mass Effect 2 (Legendary Edition)

BioWare, back in the day, was something special. Before EA got its hands on them, everything went sideways. Mass Effect 2 might be the best thing they’ve ever made.

You’re Commander Shepard. You died at the start. Actually died. Some terrorist group brings you back with robot parts and tells you that this enemy is abducting human colonies. To stop them, you need a team.

So you fly around space recruiting the craziest people you can find. A convicted murderer. A genetically perfect warrior who was literally grown in a tank. An assassin dying of some disease. A cop who’s seen too much. Each one has their own story, their own problems, and their own mission where you help them sort out their baggage.

By the time you reach the final mission, you actually care about these people. And that final mission? They call it the Suicide Mission for a reason. Every choice you made about who to recruit, who to upgrade, and who to trust? It all matters. People can die. Your favorites can die. And it’s your fault if they do.

The Legendary Edition on PC cleans up the graphics and includes all the extra stuff. If you’ve never played Mass Effect, start here.

#13 Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout 3 was fine. Got people into the series. But New Vegas? This is the one where we actually understood what made the old games special.

You’re a courier. You’re delivering something in the desert. Someone shoots you in the head and leaves you in a shallow grave. You wake up, dig yourself out, and go find the person who did it.

That’s the start. But the real story is about the Hoover Dam and who controls New Vegas. You got the NCR trying to bring law and order. You got Caesar’s Legion, these slavers who think they’re ancient Romans. You got Mr. House, this old guy in a tube who runs New Vegas from a casino. And you can just say screw all of them and try to take over yourself.

What makes this game special is how much your choices actually matter. Every faction tracks your reputation. Help the NCR too much, and the Legion sends assassins after you. Make deals with the wrong people, and whole towns might turn against you. The ending changes based on dozens of small decisions you made.

The Mojave Desert isn’t as pretty as Fallout 3’s DC ruins. But it’s packed with interesting stuff and weird people. This is the Fallout game for people who want their apocalypse with some actual thinking involved.

#12 Persona 5 Royal

JRPGs can be a lot for Western players. So much reading. So many systems. So long. Persona 5 Royal is all of that, but it’s also one of the most stylish games ever made.

You’re a transfer student in Tokyo. You and some other outcasts discover you can enter this supernatural world called the Metaverse. Inside, you can literally steal the corrupted desires from bad people’s hearts and force them to confess their crimes. Supernatural vigilante justice.

The game splits your time two ways. During the day, you’re a student. You go to class, take exams, hang out with friends, and build relationships. These relationships aren’t just for show. They power up your abilities. Hang out with the doctor, and she’ll sell you better items. Become friends with the politician, and your negotiation skills get better.

At night, you’re a Phantom Thief. You sneak through these beautifully designed palaces and fight in turn-based combat that’s fast and flashy. The music is incredible. The art style pops. The story about fighting against people who don’t care hits harder than you’d expect.

It’s long. Like 100 hours long. But every minute is worth it.

#11 Elden Ring

FromSoftware made challenging action RPGs for years. Dark Souls, Bloodborne, all that. But Elden Ring was their first open world. It changed everything.

You’re a Tarnished. Somebody called to the Lands Between to fix the Elden Ring and become lord. The story is cryptic and weird, partly written by George R.R. Martin, but you have to piece it together from item descriptions. That’s not really why you play these games anyway.

The cool part is the freedom. In older Souls games, if you hit a boss you couldn’t beat, you were stuck. In Elden Ring? Just leave. Go somewhere else. Find a cave. Discover a new weapon. Level up. Come back when you’re ready. The world is huge and packed with secrets. Every cliff might hide a dungeon. Every forest might have ruins. Every direction leads to something interesting.

The combat is tough but fair. You’ll die a lot. Each death teaches you something. The boss fights are spectacular. Some of the best in gaming history. And that feeling of discovery? Rounding a corner and seeing some massive structure in the distance, and knowing you can go there? Nothing else like it.

If you were scared off by Dark Souls’ difficulty, Elden Ring is actually the best place to start. You can always find something else to do when you’re stuck. Eventually, you get good enough to take on anything.

#10 Divinity: Original Sin 2

Before Baldur’s Gate 3 took over the world, Larian made Divinity: Original Sin 2. It was already one of the best CRPGs ever. This game gives you so much freedom that it’s almost stupid.

You start as a prisoner on a ship. Turns out you’re a Sourcerer, which is bad, and they’re taking you to a prison island. You escape, build a party, and get caught up in some conflict about gods and demons and the end of the world.

The combat is turn-based and tactical. But what makes it special is how stuff interacts with the environment. Standing in a puddle? Someone can zap it with lightning and electrocute everyone. See a barrel of oil? Teleport it onto enemies and set it on fire. The number of ways to approach any fight is nuts.

But the real magic is the dialogue and choices. You can play the whole game with friends. The game somehow handles four players all doing their own thing. You can betray each other. Help each other. Just cause chaos together. Every problem has multiple solutions. The game rarely judges you for how you solve them.

This game is deep. Complicated. Sometimes overwhelming. But it’s one of the most rewarding RPGs on PC.

#9 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Most Star Wars games are okay. Some are good. Knights of the Old Republic is the one that actually tells a story worthy of the name. It’s set 4,000 years before the movies. Jedi and Sith are at war.

You start as nobody on a ship. Quickly get pulled into a quest to stop Darth Malak, this Sith Lord is destroying whole planets. You build a party. Collect lightsabers. Learn Force powers. Make choices that push you toward the Light Side or the Dark Side.

And then there’s the twist. If you know, you know. If you don’t, we won’t spoil it. But it’s one of the best moments in gaming. The kind where you immediately want to play again to see all the hints you missed.

The gameplay uses dice rolls under the hood, but feels smooth in real-time. The characters are memorable. The story engages. It captures Star Wars perfectly. The PC port is solid. Easy to find on Steam or GOG.

Graphics are dated. Doesn’t matter. Game holds up.

#8 Dragon Age: Origins

Before Dragon Age became an action series, it was a tactical RPG about hard choices in a dark world. Dragon Age: Origins is BioWare at its best. Before EA bought them, everything got complicated.

You pick an origin for your character. Human noble. Dwarf commoner. Elf mage. That choice affects the whole game. People react differently based on who you are. The first few hours are completely different depending on your origin. Smart way to get you invested.

Combat is tactical. Characters are memorable. Writing is sharp. Essential for anyone who likes their fantasy dark and their choices hard.

#7 Cyberpunk 2077 (Phantom Liberty)

Look. We all know about the launch. It was bad. Really bad. But CD Projekt Red stuck with it. Fixed the game. Then released an expansion that turned it into something special.

You’re V. Mercenary in Night City. Most dangerous city in America. A heist goes wrong, and you end up with a digital ghost of a dead rock star in your head. Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves, is slowly taking over your mind. You have to find a way to save yourself before it’s too late.

Night City is incredible. Dense. Vertical. Packed with detail. The main story is good. Side content is where the game shines. Each mission feels hand-crafted. Interesting characters. Tough choices. Writing is mature. Deals with identity, mortality, and what makes someone human.

Phantom Liberty expansion adds a whole new area. Spy-thriller story that’s even better than the main game. Tense. Paranoid. Full of twists. The new ending is one of the most emotionally devastating things we’ve played.

If you wrote Cyberpunk off at launch, give it another chance. It’s the game we were promised now.

#6 Dark Souls III

Dark Souls III is everything FromSoftware learned from their previous games. Takes the best parts of Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Refines them into one near-perfect experience.

Combat is faster than first Dark Souls. More deliberate than Bloodborne. Every weapon feels unique. Every enemy demands respect. Every boss tests everything you learned. Boss design is spectacular. Nameless King. Sister Friede. Slave Knight Gael. Some of the best fights in gaming history.

The world is interconnected in that classic Dark Souls way. Full of shortcuts and secrets. The atmosphere is melancholic and beautiful. Story, as always, is told through item descriptions and environmental details. Rewards players who pay attention.

If you only play one traditional Souls game, make it this one. Series at its peak.

#5 Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 reminded everyone why we love RPGs. Huge. Reactive. More freedom than any game before it.

Based on Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Start when mind flayers abduct you and put a tadpole in your brain. Escape their ship. Crash in Faerûn. Have to find a way to remove the parasite before you turn into a mind flayer yourself. Meet other survivors. Build a party. Get caught up in a much larger conflict.

The amount of choice in this game is staggering. Talk to animals. Speak with the dead. Solve almost any problem in a dozen different ways. Want to sneak past the goblin camp? Go for it. Want to fight your way through? Works too. Want to convince the goblins to let you pass because you’re actually kind of scary? You can try.

Characters are wonderfully written. Fully voice-acted with motion capture. Romances are surprisingly heartfelt. Combat is deep and tactical. Game reacts to your choices in ways that constantly surprise you.

This is the new standard for CRPGs. Nothing else comes close.

#4 Chrono Trigger (PC Port)

Chrono Trigger came out on SNES in 1995. Don’t let its age fool you. Still one of the best RPGs ever. PC port makes it accessible to everyone.

The story is simple but effective. A group of friends at a fair watches a new invention go wrong. Opens a portal to the past. They step through and find themselves in the middle of something that will lead to the end of the world. To stop it, they travel through time. Age of dinosaurs to post-apocalyptic future. Gather allies. Unravel the mystery.

Characters are iconic. Designed by Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame. Music is incredible. Multiple endings encourage replaying. New Game Plus lets you carry progress into new runs to see them all.

PC port is based on the excellent DS version. Extra content. Improved graphics. If you’ve never played it, do yourself a favor and fix that.

#3 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim is over a decade old. People still play it. There’s a reason.

The real appeal of Skyrim is the freedom. Ignore the main quest entirely. Just explore. Join the Thieves’ Guild. Become Archmage of the College of Winterhold. Buy a house. Get married. Adopt a child. Wander into the wilderness and see what you find. The world is huge and full of things to discover.

On PC, Skyrim is something special because of mods. Thousands of mods let you change anything. Better graphics. New quests. New lands. New gameplay systems. Turn Skyrim into almost any game you want. Survivalist who has to eat and stay warm? There’s a mod. Fight Thomas the Tank Engine dragons? Unfortunately, there’s a mod for that too.

Skyrim isn’t the deepest RPG. Writing isn’t the best. But for pure freedom and living another life in another world? Nothing beats it.

#2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

When people ask what game they should play for a great story, we always say The Witcher 3. Gold standard for storytelling in games.

You’re Geralt of Rivia. Monster hunter for hire. Looking for your adopted daughter, Ciri. She’s being chased by the Wild Hunt. Spectral riders from another world. The main story is good. Side quests are where the game really shines.

In most games, side quests are filler. Go here, kill ten rats, come back. In The Witcher 3, every side quest is a complete short story. The famous “Bloody Baron” questline is better than the main stories in most other games. Deals with domestic abuse, loss, and regret. Feels mature and real.

This game proves big open worlds don’t have to be empty. Every corner has a story to tell.

#1 Planescape: Torment (Enhanced Edition)

Number one is the game widely considered to have the best story ever written in a video game. Planescape: Torment isn’t about combat or loot or leveling up. It’s about ideas.

You wake up on a slab in a mortuary. Covered in scars. No memory of who you are. A floating skull tells you that you’re immortal. And so begins your journey across Sigil, the City of Doors. A place where portals lead to every possible plane of existence.

You’re the Nameless One. You’ve lived many lives. Done terrible things. People who knew you in past lives are still out there. Some want to help you. Some want revenge. Your goal is to piece together who you were and why you can’t die.

This is an RPG where you can win encounters just by talking. Your stats unlock dialogue options that can change the course of the story. Talk your way past enemies. Convince people to help you. Uncover secrets through conversation alone. Combat exists, but it’s often the least interesting option.

If you care about storytelling in games, you have to play this. Not the most fun game in a traditional sense. But the most important.

Honorable Mentions

Fifteen games aren’t enough. Here are a few more that deserve recognition:

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – Most immersive medieval simulator ever made. Sequel improves everything.
• Hades – Roguelike where dying is part of the story. Character work is phenomenal. Actually look forward to dying so you can talk to people.
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – 2025 indie hit. Modernized turn-based combat with real-time elements. Gorgeous and innovative.
• Stardew Valley – Part farming sim, part light RPG, all charm. Perfect game to relax with.
• Gothic II – Cult classic. Rough around the edges. One of the most alive worlds ever made. Start weak and earn everything.

Final Thoughts

PC gaming and RPGs go together like peanut butter and jelly. We’ve watched the genre grow from text adventures to massive open worlds. Along the way, we’ve collected some true classics.

The games on this list represent the best of the best. They’re the ones that made us stay up too late. That made us care about fictional people.

That made us think about things differently. Whether you’re a veteran who’s played them all or a newcomer looking for your first great adventure, these fifteen games will give you something special.

So pick one. Anyone. Install it. Boot it up. Let yourself get lost. That’s what RPGs are for.

FAQ’s