Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

I want to be a criminal! RPGs with good crime content

SausageInYourFace

Angelic Reinforcement
Patron
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
3,858
Location
In your face
Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. My team has the sexiest and deadliest waifus you can recruit. Pathfinder: Wrath
One of the things I most enjoy in RPGs for whatever reason is becoming part of a criminal underground, so I am looking for games that offer some nice content in that regard. Games that really make you feel like being a criminial, working for organized crime or building up your own criminal organisation.

I am looking for games that have some substantial content in that regard, so there is no point in listing every game where you can roll a Rogue at character creation.

Games that gave me the vibe I am talking about are games like Age of Decadence and its Thieves Guild and Assassins Guild questlines, same with the relevant questlines in the TES games and also the Shadowrun games where you are a criminal by default (even though only Hong Kong was really good in conveying that criminal underground feeling, since you were actually working for a mob boss).

I would like to play a couple of more games where I can really feel like some masterthief or masterthug of whathaveyou criminal.

While I am primarily looking for RPGs, feel free to recommend other games that come to mind (I am aware that Thief exists).
 
Last edited:

Nano

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
4,647
Grab the Codex by the pussy Strap Yourselves In
In Dragon Age: Awakening, you can help a smuggler organization become the major power in the game's main town (Amaranthine), and it's appropriately reflected in the epilogue. It's not a big part of the game, though.
 

barghwata

Savant
Joined
Sep 13, 2019
Messages
504
I know it's not an RPG, it's more of a managment sim/rpg hybrid really, but you might like The Guild 2 Renaissance. One of the classes you get to choose at the start of the game is the rogue class and it's pretty fun to play, you can hire a band of thugs, raid caravans, sabotage rival businesses, bribe city officials to cover up your crimes and more.
 

V_K

Arcane
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
7,714
Location
at a Nowhere near you
Most Quest for Glory games (except 3 I think?) and spiritual sequels have a good number of houses for you to rob and stuff to steal if you're playing a thief.
I guess Seven: Days Long Gone firs your request perfectly, but haven't played it long enough to recommend.
 

Harthwain

Magister
Joined
Dec 13, 2019
Messages
4,689
Not an RPG, but check out Satellite Reign.

It has a free-form approach to objectives, which allows you to decide for yourself how to deal with them. You can rob banks, bribe people, hack, kidnap, etc.

However, there are two major caveats: it's in real-time (although there is Team Stims ability to help with that a bit) and played with four squad members (think: Commandos).
 

Sykar

Arcane
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
11,297
Location
Turn right after Alpha Centauri
Fun old DOS game, The Clue!
https://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-clue-25z

You are literally starting as a small time criminal and plan bigger and bigger heists, hiring criminals who are specialists for certain tasks, etc.
Here a small taste from the start:
the-clue-screen.png


Planning mode:
TheClue-Planning.png
 

Black Angel

Arcane
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Messages
2,910
Location
Wonderland
I kinda like the Bad Karma content you can get in Fallout 1.5: Resurrection, but it's probably too edgy to be 'good' crime content...
And there's also a whole criminal questline in Fallout: Nevada with the Raider boss (forgot his name) near tribal homes (forgot their names, too). But I can't remember if we can side with the corrupt officials and personnel in Las Vegas.

Thief questline in AoD was criminally smooth (damn, the pun didn't deliver...), but kinda went downhill by Maadoran where for some reason you're doing an Assassin's work. It goes back to decent in Ganezzar, but wasn't as smooth as Teron.
 

Metronome

Learned
Joined
Jan 2, 2020
Messages
277
Druglord(1991) is one, it's pretty simple but addictive.
It has a sequel too, but it's kind of silly.

That and Liberal Crime Squad is all I can think of.
Not a lot of crime games I can think of, just games with a criminal theme.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
6,165
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
The evil route in the Neverwinter Nights 2 OC is basically becoming a mafia enforcer and rising to become a corrupt official.

You can RP your way through Morrowind as a painting thief. Also, there are a lot of laws and rules you can break in that game.
 

Tweed

Professional Kobold
Patron
Joined
Sep 27, 2018
Messages
2,838
Location
harsh circumstances
Pathfinder: Wrath
Skyrim gives you infinite opportunities to commit crimes and rebuild a guild of the stupidest thieves ever to curse mundus with you as their glorious leader.
 

Reinhardt

Arcane
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
29,236
Way of the Samurai 4. You can provoke people to duel you by bumping into them on the streets and then kill and loot them. Also you end as wanted criminal and rebel in most routes.
And don't forget nightcrawling minigame where you sneak into japanese cuties houses and must avoid guards on your way to their bedchambers.
 

Catacombs

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 10, 2017
Messages
5,928
Popamole, absolutely, but Grand Theft Auto's entire story is about being a criminal. In GTAV you're bumming around San Andreas as three characters, planning and executing bank robberies and participating in other criminal affairs. Should you go that route, avoid multiplayer.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom