Community The RPG Codex's Top 101 PC RPGs (With User Reviews!)

[Jeru]

"best whatever the fuck Heroes of Might and Magic is".

It is strategic game. It always was. Not sure what the hell this great title even does in RPG section.

I mean you could argue it should be instead categorized as Tactical Gaming instead of Strategy and Simulation and it would be strong argument , but RPG? wtf?

 

[samuraigaiden]

Nier? Trails in the Sky? Why not add Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 to the list while you are at it. LOL

 

[Modron]

Hey if JRPGs like PST can be on there why not others; furthermore, if you're going to complain about Nier you should complain about Dork Souls and Dragon's Dogma as well (Sengoku Rance is an honorary western game). The voting period should have gone on longer really, while most voters spread their points around to try to include all their favorites it only took something like 7 autists rating Oblivion 5 to get it on the list.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

(Sengoku Rance is an honorary western game

What is western about Sengoku Rance?

 

[Modron]

(Sengoku Rance is an honorary western game

What is western about Sengoku Rance?

The quality level :D.

 

[S.torch]

All in all, I'm happy for having the opportunity to participate in the votation in this Top. When I saw the last Top 70 of the Codex, I admired it from a distance. I was very surprised when it was announced that there it would another votation.

The results were very good.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

TALES OF MAJ'EYAL IS A ROGUELIKE< THE BEST OF ALL ROGUELIKES FIGHT ME BRO

ADOM is the best roguelike you brainlet

 

[samuraigaiden]

Hey if JRPGs like PST can be on there why not others; furthermore, if you're going to complain about Nier you should complain about Dork Souls and Dragon's Dogma as well (Sengoku Rance is an honorary western game). The voting period should have gone on longer really, while most voters spread their points around to try to include all their favorites it only took something like 7 autists rating Oblivion 5 to get it on the list.

There is a difference between multiplatform games and console ports. If the list is PC only, the latter should be excluded. Blurring those lines will only lead to more decline.

 

[North Gibraltarian Dog]

A large portion of the Codex refuses to play any CRPGs made before 1997, which inevitably leads to a handful of games in the 'CRPG Renaissance' era dominating any poll conducted using this format, where each Codexer has a certain number of points to distribute.

Pitiful because I'm sure that at least 20 games or so of 80s and first 90s are superior yet in some contexts than most or any other subsequent game.

They are not the best cyoas or interactive movies, that's for sure but some of the most challenging tactical combats, the best ideas for inventories, npc reactivity and schedules, puzzles, traps, dungeon design, fast travel management, reactive and full of interactivity story -without cutscenes-, stat based simulationism, the most complex character creation or skill systems, some of the best setting adaptions for crpgs, reputation sytem, world services, etc, are present in Dungeon Master, Gold Box games, Ultima IV-VII, Wasteland, Realm of Arkania I-II, Ultima Underworld, Betrayal at Krondor, Darklands, Dark Sun or Daggerfall to cite some with a modest position in the 2019 list, but also in some other less known games from those years.


I used 13 of my 25 points in pre-1997 games, but my votes constitute 8-9% of all RoA II, Daggerfall and Ultima V vote... Meanwhile hordes of accounts fight in the rivalry wars between top 10 games and some new entries (AoD, The Witcher 3) some times in reciprocal attitudes (Fallout vs Planescape for the 1th place) in other cases with unilateral fights (Deus Ex mysterious rise, Gothic one sided war against MW, Baldur's Gate II stronk...).

 

[Morality Games]

Not sure what's worse. Expedition series only clocked in at #83 or that it was Expeditions: Vikings rather than the infinitely more creative and innovative Expeditions: Conquistador.

Expeditions is like the series that succeeded where the bigger kickstarters (Wasteland, Pillars, Torment, etc) failed: it was familiar, but also brought new vitality and ideas to the isometric RPG genre; new approaches and new material.

Expeditions: Vikings walked back on this a bit (well, more than a bit), but it was still a breath of fresh air in terms of systems and content.

While I can't argue with the outcome from a "People's Choice" perspective, a properly and critically curated Best RPGs list really needs some elimination rounds to compensate for, among other deficits, recency. Realistically, there should (at best) be only one Pillars, one Dark Souls, one Witcher game, one Diablo game, one Original Sin, etc.

 

[Beggar]

Some great obvious additions (Age of Decadence, Bugfinder: Patchmaker, Underrail) but the list goes to shit after that. DS2? Tyranny?? nu-Deus Ex??? Wtf??? Well I guess thank god at least there is no Final Fantasy games on that list.

Will we ever see non-pc best RPG list? Some all time greats like Kings Field 4, Persona and Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land stands above most of those games

 

[ikarinokami]

planescape torment, great story, but that combat is so god awful. playing that game is a chore. Mask of the betrayer has a story just as good, and is about 1000 times more enjoyable to play. I'm thinking most of the voters should be playing visual novels and not voting on an RPG GAME list

 

[The Red Knight]

What is western about Sengoku Rance?

East Germany anthem?

 

[Mortmal]

I'm going to add some additional data following the tables and graphs example that FelipePepe included for 2014 poll.
...
-1997-2004 is according codexers the best age for crpgs. With the only intrussion of 2015 (AoD, TW3, UR), those consecutive 8 years (adding 2003 more humble contribution) monopolize majority of the vote. 7 of the eight top positions are for years of this era. 1997 and 1998 lose positions, while 2002 and 2004 improve theirs since 2014. 1999-2001 continue as best triennium in crpgs history according codexers in the same chronological order than they were in 2014 poll.

A large portion of the Codex refuses to play any CRPGs made before 1997, which inevitably leads to a handful of games in the 'CRPG Renaissance' era dominating any poll conducted using this format, where each Codexer has a certain number of points to distribute.

Playing rpgs never been mandatory for voting , heck the site is run by a guy who just enter his free key on steam to play them 30 sec. Some games like AOD , underail grimoire, or elex are on top just cause people are talking about them here ,none on rpgcodex steam group ever play those, most played is by far skyrim , its not even listed. No one talking about pre 2000 era anymore cause we are all dead or left the place.

 

[Duraframe300]

So much decline......

But, its not like the codex vote ever was truly prestigious.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Nier? Trails in the Sky? Why not add Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 to the list while you are at it. LOL

Don't know what Trails in the Sky is, but Nier on an RPG list is pretty lulz.

Guess if you show some ass you can make it on any lists, no matter what the list is about.

 

[Electryon]

This update is pathetic. Take the top-70 list and then basically just arbitrarily plop down games released in the last 5 years, to the point where th Pillars and D:OS series are basically treated as one game. Age of Decadence as the 11th best RPG of all-time. Yeah. Sure thing.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

ALL time polls are difficult. Perhaps its bets to have polls by by month of a certain year (releases for that year), then based on that data polls for that year, then per 5 years (based on that data), then 10, 25, then all time.

You have to have a lot of voters and its damn tough now as games released monthly is climbing. I like non-bias reviews that check the game for function, bugs, patches, ease of interface etc. we all have preferences and hell, we go through phases.

How many of us play a game and chuck it away like a used condom on a one-night hooker never to touch it again (before finding the next slut game to try)?

 

[Grognardius Rex]

I'm thinking most of the voters should be playing visual novels and not voting on an RPG GAME list

Hear the rime of the grognard codexer.
See his monocled eye on thee.
Be mesmerized by one of his forum posts
Stay here and listen to his ravings on RPGs.

About the decline going on as time passes by
You’re caught by his spell, and the grognard tells his tale.

There was a time when the games were very nice.
A lot of fun and challenging.
Dungeons filled with puzzles, traps and many fights
Stats ruled the games, story choices weren’t a thing.

And the incline ensued for many years to come
‘til the story fags appeared and the magic was undone.

Developers kill gameplay for narrative.
The grognards cry against what they’ve done.
And then the masses, yes, they justify them.
And make themselves a part of the crime.

And the decline starts to spread across the sea.
The decline has its grip on you and me.

Once on the Codex, the grognards vowed vengeance.
To fight the curse, to preserve what was fun.
But the scourge has invaded the forum now.
The battle’s lost, the decline has won.

And the curse goes on and on and on you’ll see.
The decline has its grip on you and me.

Day after day, day after day,
The same old tired notions.
Is the genre this or is it that?
No thought, just pure emotions.

Fanboys, fanboys, every where,
The discussion boards did sink.
Fanboys, fanboys, every where,
Too dogma blind to think!

Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih
Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih
Dun dun Dada da Dun!

SCREAM FOR ME RPG CODEX!!!

Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih
Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih Dada dih-dih
Dun dun Dada da-

Where? says the story fag,
Where are the games full of lore?
Tactics and strategy?
All of those stats are a chore.

See. The decline it’s come.
Onward it nears, to blot out the fun.
See. Romance is in.
Gameplay is dead. Press here to win!!

 

[RoBoBOBR]

We are in August and what's the best we got so far? Outward? Operencia?

Underrail Expedition!

 

[DJOGamer PT]

RTwP is completely superior to

To nothing. RTwP is the most shallow and boring combat system ever fucking designed, claiming otherwise is stupidity.
Turn Based it's about making well thought out decisions, whose affects are as long lasting as possible, it's about order. Real time is about reacting as quickly and bestly as possible and mastery of the moment to moment gameplay, it's about chaos. RTwP has neither of these strengths.
It's a system used by incomptent game designers for retards that don't like patience that Turn Based asks for and the technique Real Time requires.

 

[CryptRat]

Turn-based is superior to rtwp but real time is not, controlling an RPG party in real time does not work and controlling a party is superior to controlling a single character.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

Nope. If you don't like the level of skill a real time combat system require of you or the overall chaotic nature of those games. Then simply they aren'tfor you, so don't play them.

But RTwP isn't better because gives you nothing but an half assed and shallow experience.
It's far too chaotic to for a single action to have as much impact as they would have in a turn based game, since you can pretty much move all your "pieces" at the same not to mention not as "clean" to read. And it also completely fails at achieving the adreneline and skill of a real time combat, since you pretty much cut of the reaction part and during that paused time you can issue the comands your PC's will automatically carry - can you imagine just how fucking boring and uninteresting a game like Dark Messiah/Severance would be if you could just pause the game, click on a button and your PC pretty much entered on auto-pilot and won every fight.

Now one thing I agree with you is that if your making a game with multiple PC's than do it with turn based, while games with 1 PC should be real time.

 

[S.torch]

planescape torment, great story, but that combat is so god awful. playing that game is a chore. Mask of the betrayer has a story just as good, and is about 1000 times more enjoyable to play. I'm thinking most of the voters should be playing visual novels and not voting on an RPG GAME list

I just want to put this here, because it's proves a point.

but people that bash story focused games think that gameplay is just combat.

 

[Lacrymas]

The list is polluted once again with non-RPGs and ridiculous entries like Oblivion and Mass Effect. There are far more deserving RPGs to be put in their slot, but that's what happens when the poll is unrestricted and the candidates themselves have been put in by agents of decline.