Computer Role-Playing Games (CRPGs) represent the pinnacle of player agency and narrative depth. From the isometric golden age of the late ’90s to the massive 3D epics of today, these games allow us to inhabit characters, shape worlds, and face the consequences of our choices.
Whether you are looking for tactical combat or a philosophical journey, these are the titles that defined the genre.
10. Planescape: Torment
- Release Date: December 12, 1999
- Developer: Black Isle Studios
- Link: Buy on GOG
Often cited as the best-written game of all time, Planescape: Torment subverts every RPG trope imaginable. You play as the Nameless One, an immortal who has forgotten his past. Instead of saving the world, your quest is to discover who you are—and why you cannot die. It is a philosophical journey that prioritizes dialogue and ideas over combat, famously asking the player: “What can change the nature of a man?”
9. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Release Date: July 15, 2003
- Developer: BioWare
- Link: Buy on GOG
Set thousands of years before the films, KOTOR gave players the ultimate Star Wars power trip. It features a deep alignment system where your choices pull you toward the Light or Dark side, affecting your powers and the fate of your crew. It is widely regarded for having one of the most shocking plot twists in all of gaming.
8. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
- Release Date: November 16, 2004
- Developer: Troika Games
- Link: Buy on GOG
Bloodlines is a masterclass in atmosphere and role-playing reactivity. Playing as a newly sired vampire in modern-day Los Angeles, your choice of clan fundamentally changes the gameplay. Clan Nosferatu forces you to hide in the sewers to avoid breaking the “Masquerade,” while Clan Malkavian grants you “insight” that manifests as insane, prophetic dialogue options.
7. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- Release Date: May 1, 2002
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Link: Buy on GOG
Unlike its successors, Morrowind doesn’t hold your hand. There are no quest markers; you must navigate the alien, mushroom-filled island of Vvardenfell by following landmarks and journal entries. It offers unparalleled freedom, allowing players to create custom spells and even “break” the game’s world-state if they choose.
6. Icewind Dale
- Release Date: June 29, 2000
- Developer: Black Isle Studios
- Link: Buy on GOG
Built on the same engine as Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale pivots the focus toward tactical, party-based combat and dungeon crawling. It allows you to create your entire party from scratch, making it a favorite for “min-maxers” who enjoy testing their builds against the brutal monsters of the frozen Spine of the World.
5. Neverwinter Nights
- Release Date: June 18, 2002
- Developer: BioWare
- Link: Buy on GOG
While it featured a massive D&D campaign, Neverwinter Nights is legendary for its Aurora Toolset. It allowed players to act as real-time Dungeon Masters for their friends, creating custom adventures and persistent online worlds. Its legacy lives on through a community that has produced thousands of hours of free, professional-quality content.
4. Deus Ex
- Release Date: June 22, 2000
- Developer: Ion Storm
- Link: Buy on GOG
A pioneer of the “Immersive Sim,” Deus Ex blends RPG progression with stealth and action. Set in a cyberpunk future of global conspiracies, the game never tells you how to solve a problem. Whether you hack a turret, crawl through a vent, or charge in with a plasma rifle, the world reacts to your playstyle with incredible consistency.
3. Fallout: New Vegas
- Release Date: October 19, 2010
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
- Link: Buy on GOG
Obsidian returned the Fallout franchise to its philosophical and mechanical roots. New Vegas is celebrated for its faction system, where the player is caught between the bureaucratic NCR, the brutal Caesar’s Legion, and the mysterious Mr. House. It is a game where your reputation matters and moral grey areas are the norm.
2. Diablo II
- Release Date: June 28, 2000
- Developer: Blizzard North
- Link: Buy on Battle.net
The gold standard of Action-RPGs. Diablo II perfected the loop of killing monsters for increasingly powerful loot. With its dark, gothic art style and deep skill trees, it created a formula that almost every modern RPG has attempted to emulate. Its itemization system remains the most addictive in the genre.
1. Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
- Release Date: September 21, 2000
- Developer: BioWare
- Link: Buy on GOG
The absolute peak of the Infinity Engine era. Baldur’s Gate II is a sprawling epic that offers hundreds of hours of content, incredible companion writing, and a truly menacing antagonist in Jon Irenicus. It represents the perfect marriage of Dungeons & Dragons mechanics and cinematic storytelling, earning its spot as the greatest CRPG ever made.
Honorable Mentions
While the top 10 represent the absolute essentials, no list of CRPGs is complete without mentioning these groundbreaking titles:
- Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (2001, Troika Games) A unique blend of industrial technology and traditional fantasy where your choice of “career” fundamentally alters the game world. Buy on GOG
- Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game (1997, Interplay Productions) The game that defined the post-apocalyptic genre. Fallout replaced traditional fantasy tropes with a gritty, “Atompunk” wasteland. Its greatest strength is the “SPECIAL” role-playing system. Buy on GOG
- Gothic II (2002, Piranha Bytes) A cult classic known for its harsh, hand-crafted world and high level of immersion that doesn’t hold the player’s hand. Buy on GOG
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (2021, Owlcat Games) A modern epic that brings the density and complexity of the Pathfinder tabletop system to life with an incredible “Mythic Path” progression system. Buy on GOG
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015, CD Projekt Red) Though it features more action, its deep narrative branching and world-class side quest design make it a modern CRPG masterpiece. Buy on GOG
- Wasteland 3 (2020, inXile Entertainment) A deep, squad-based tactical RPG, where you must lead your rag-tag band of Desert Rangers through the frozen climate of post-apocalyptic Colorado to either free it from tyranny or free it, but endanger your home in Arizona in the process. (The game has been removed from GOG and Steam, but will hopefully return in the future.)
Bonus: CRPG Hidden Gems
Looking for something off the beaten path? These cult classics and indie darlings are essential for the “hardcore” role-player.
Tyranny:
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Buy on GOG
- The Hook: Most RPGs start with you trying to stop the “Evil Overlord.” In Tyranny, the Overlord has already won. You play as a Fatebinder—a high-ranking judge and executioner in the villain’s army. It’s a fascinating look at the banality of evil and how one maintains order in a conquered world.
UnderRail
- Developer: Stygian Software | Buy on GOG
- The Hook: If you miss the brutal difficulty and isometric style of the original Fallout, UnderRail is your holy grail. Set in a vast underground metro system after the surface becomes uninhabitable, it features deep crafting, punishing turn-based combat, and zero hand-holding.
The Age of Decadence
- Developer: Iron Tower Studio | Buy on GOG
- The Hook: A “low-magic” post-apocalyptic fantasy set in the ruins of a Roman-style empire. This is a game where your choices actually matter—to the point where playing as a merchant is a completely different (and combat-free) game than playing as a mercenary. It is famously difficult and demands multiple playthroughs to see the full picture.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall (Director’s Cut)
- Developer: Harebrained Schemes | Buy on GOG
- The Hook: Cyberpunk meets High Fantasy. You lead a team of “runners” in a future Berlin where magic has returned to the world. Dragonfall is widely considered the peak of the Shadowrun trilogy, featuring a tight, noir-inspired story and some of the best squad-based tactical combat in the genre.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game
- Developer: Iron Tower Studio | Buy on GOG
- The Hook: From the makers of Age of Decadence, this game takes place on a massive generation ship traveling to a distant star. The “world” is just the decaying interior of the ship, where various factions are fighting for control over a destination they will never live to see. It’s a masterclass in claustrophobic world-building.
