Step into the hall of fame of Western RPGs that masterfully delivered in all aspects, from gameplay to visuals and writing.
The art of creating a truly good RPG is not an easy one. A lot has to align to deliver an experience that does justice to the genre: great writing and storytelling, excellent worldbuilding and lore, and plenty of player agency to carve out your path. Throughout the years, we’ve seen countless excellent JRPGs and WRPGs take on this challenge, but today, we’ll only focus on titles made by Western developers.
Given the number of RPGs out there and how different their systems are, as well as the different rankings already available online, it’s pretty tough to give a definitive ranking of the best Western RPGs. That said, we’ll try. The best games here manage to nail all of these must-have categories: writing, worldbuilding, visuals, buildcrafting, and role-playing. Bonus points if the soundtrack is fire, or if they were industry-defining in some other ways.
Picking just ten games to be the kings of Western RPG is almost impossible, so let’s go over a few honorable mentions first before diving into the cream of the crop.
Shallow stories can be the death of a good RPG, and Planescape: Torment knows that. Plot-wise, it’s one of the most intricate RPGs out there that invites you to take a deep dive into some pretty hefty but amazing lore. It’s incredibly unique and dense, and excels at delivering that classic feel of branching, narrative paths that make RPGs, well, RPGs!
CD Projekt Red’s dive into Mike Pondsmith’s TTRPG world was off to a rough start when it released in an incomplete state back in 2020, but it went through one of the biggest redemption arcs seen in gaming (save for No Man’s Sky). Its iconic neon visuals, deep storytelling, and subsequent improvements, along with a fantastic DLC side story, cannot be understated.
We’ll talk about Diablo down the line, but another action-RPG worthy of note is Path of Exile due to its replayability. It’s stocked full of content with a solid endgame and takes excellent advantage of procedural generation in its map-making. The buildcrafting and variety in skills are unmatched. It’s a game where you’ll enjoy a kind of build freedom that you’d be hard-pressed to find in other, bigger games.
Famous for introducing one of the most insane plot twists in gaming, Knights of the Old Republic showed what happens when you give players the freedom to carve their own path. The sheer amount of freedom, the memorable companions, and the excellent use of the Star Wars setting and lore don’t even begin to explain what made this title so good.
For many The Elder Scrolls fans, Oblivion is the game in the franchise, and there’s no doubt its release was a big deal back in the day. It set a high standard for Skyrim and left a lasting impression with its excellent gameplay and depth in role-play. There’s a reason so many of its references, from music to Oblivion-tier NPC speech, are iconic video game memes today. 10
Deus Ex
One of the first early examples of the immersive sim genre, it’s not hard to see why Deus Ex deserves a spot here. RPGs should be all about the freedom of making your own path and decisions, and then living with the consequences of those choices. That’s where Deus Ex shines.
It extends that freedom to how you choose to solve each level and conflict, whether your approach is to go stealth or full-on guns blazing. The game takes into account your approach and creativity. It doesn’t stop you or railroad you to a specific path. This, coupled with really good writing and solid gameplay justify its spot among the kings of Western RPGs. 9
Diablo 2
On the action-RPG side, Blizzard Entertainment’s finest is without a doubt Diablo 2 (and, arguably, its remaster).
