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Let's look at how some 2010s games fared between the 2019 list and the 2024 list:
Fallout New Vegas: 7th -> 10th
Age of Decadence: 11th -> 15th
Dark Souls: 12th -> 21st
Pathfinder Kingmaker: 13th -> 24th
The Witcher 3: 15th -> 24th
Underrail: 16th -> 12th
Grimoire: 22nd -> 34th
Shadowrun Dragonfall: 28th -> 44th
Dragon's Dogma: 30th -> 42nd
Divinity Original Sin: 32nd -> didn't make the cut
Divinity Original Sin 2: 32nd -> didn't make the cut
Kingdom Come Deliverance: 34th -> 16th
ELEX: 38th -> didn't make the cut
Mount & Blade Warband: 39th -> 42nd
ATOM RPG: 44th -> 58th
Pillars of Eternity: 45th -> didn't make the cut
Pillars of Eternity 2: 45th -> 63rd
Battle Brothers: 49th -> 63rd
Alpha Protocol: 50th -> 58th
Almost all of them ranked lower in 2024. Underrail actually ranked higher. I think we can conclude that it has joined the ranks of the Codex Classics. 12th is not a remotely bad spot.
Absolutely agree. Branching plot is a fool's errand and end slides are unimportant. C&C should affect how a quest is navigated. It doesn't have to be complicated or resource intensive. Baldur's Gate 2 has quite a bit of C&C that most people wouldn't even regard as C&C. For example, taking Bodhi's offer is the only way to get the Mace of Disruption (an incredibly powerful item) before endgame. The player can also choose to fail one of the minor temple quests to use the only source of illithium in the game to significantly upgrade that weapon further. Likewise, taking the Shadow Thieves' offer is the only way to get the Amulet of Power before endgame (or at all). There are quite a wealth of small choices like this throughout the game.
It's so underlooked how advanced Gothic 2 was but that game offers a level of realism and immersion still unmatched to this day. The game was released at about the same period as Morrowind, and yet a whole world sets them apart: on one hand an actual living breathing world with NPCs sleeping, working, interacting with each other, doing their life and also impacted by the world surrounding it. One of the rare open-world in which advancing through the storyline impacts the world and all of that without resurrectable enemies.
On the other hand, we have a completely broken, lifeless, static world, with nonexistent AI and combat system, filled with FedEx quests. Everything seems fake and is fake: fake threat (in reality nothing changes at all if you advance through the main story), fake clans war (because of the absence of AI), fake feeling of replayability (there is none in reality, every playthrough ends up the same).
Anyone who doesn't have fallout 1/2 or arcanum in their top 5... IDK man, opinion invalid.
Roguey didn't even have the balls to post his top 10 rpgs. Probably didn't want people rating spamming him for pillars of eternity and alpha protocol in his top 5 lol.
Couldn't be bothered, but I've been quite open that my five favorite RPGs are Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout New Vegas, Deus Ex, and Mask of the Betrayer. After that it gets trickier.
"Aw gee shucks I just wanted to give my two cents in." NO! When someone gives you shit you gotta give 'em shit back.
Like "Nah, thanks bro, I already got a medal from coming in first place inside your mom"
Gotta toughen these newfags up man.
Edit: Vote deadline has been extended by one week to April 27th.
It's been 5 years since we did the Top 101 PC RPGs list. A whole lot of RPGs have released since then (a few of them even worth playing!), so it's time for another poll where you can farm brofists tell the Internet how great your favourite games are.
The rules have changed since last time. There are two categories: Top RPGs and Hidden Gems. Each person can name 10 games for each list. The votes are not weighted.
Please format your post such that it is clear which votes belong to which list. Example:
- Only PC games. Multi-platform titles like KotOR or Dark Souls are ok, but no 20-years-later ports like Chrono Trigger.
- Votes for expansion packs (MotB) are going to be counted as votes for the base game. If you vote for both, only the base game vote is going to count. If you vote for M&M 4 and 5 separately instead of saying World of Xeen, I'm going to slap you.
- The exception to the above rule is total conversions like Enderal or Archolos. These are functionally entirely new games, and will be treated as such.
- You can submit fewer than 10 games for each list if you don't like that many RPGs (but why are you even here?).
- You can include a game on both lists, but any game that makes the cut for the Top RPGs list will be ignored on the Hidden Gems list.
- Your post will be ignored if you have more than 10 games in either list.
- No votes from alts or accounts created after this vote began.
- Voting will close on April 27th at 16:00 GMT. You can freely edit your vote until then.
To help, here's a list of the previous top 101 plus some recent GotY contenders:
Age of Decadence
Alpha Protocol
Anachronox
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Arx Fatalis
ATOM RPG
ATOM RPG: Trudograd
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
Baldur's Gate 3
Battle Brothers
Betrayal at Krondor
Caves of Lore
The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos
Colony Ship
Cyberpunk 2077
Darklands
Dark Souls
Dark Souls 2
Dark Souls 3
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands
Deus Ex
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Diablo
Diablo 2
Disco Elysium
Divine Divinity
Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga
Divinity: Original Sin
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon's Dogma
Drakensang: Rivers of Time
Dungeon Master
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
Elden Ring
ELEX
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Elminage Gothic
Expeditions: Viking
Fallout
Fallout 2
Fallout: New Vegas
Geneforge
Gothic
Gothic 2
Gothic 3
Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar
Heroine's Quest: The Herald of Ragnarok
Horizon's Gate
Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale 2
Jagged Alliance 2
Jagged Alliance 3
Kenshi
King Arthur: Knight's Tale
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
King of Dragon Pass
Knights of the Chalice
Knights of the Chalice 2
Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Lies of P
Lords of Xulima
Mass Effect
Might and Magic 2: Gates to Another World
Might and Magic: World of Xeen
Might and Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven
Might and Magic 7: For Blood and Honor
Might and Magic X: Legacy
Mount and Blade: Warband
Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord
NEO Scavenger
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights 2
NieR: Automata
Nox Archaist
Operencia: The Stolen Sun
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Persona 5 Royal
Pillars of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Planescape: Torment
Pool of Radiance
Pools of Darkness
Prey
Quest for Glory 4: Shadows of Darkness
Realms of Antiquity: The Shattered Crown
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny
Realms of Arkania 2: Star Trail
Sengoku Rance
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
Solasta
Space Rangers 2: Dominators
Space Wreck
Star Control 2
System Shock 2
Tales of Maj'Eyal
The Temple of Elemental Evil
Titan Outpost
Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children
Tyranny
Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar
Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny
Ultima 6: The False Prophet
Ultima 7: The Black Gate
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds
Underrail
Undertale
Vagrus - The Riven Realms
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader
Wasteland
Wasteland 2
Wasteland 3
The Witcher
The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
Wizards & Warriors
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
Wizardry 6: Bane of the Cosmic Forge
Wizardry 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
Wizardry 8
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Zorbus
Don't worry if a game isn't on this list. You can vote for any PC RPG.
Please keep this thread for voting only. If you want to discuss it, make 5 different threads and somebody will merge them.
Roguey didn't even have the balls to post his top 10 rpgs. Probably didn't want people rating spamming him for pillars of eternity and alpha protocol in his top 5 lol.
Couldn't be bothered, but I've been quite open that my five favorite RPGs are Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout New Vegas, Deus Ex, and Mask of the Betrayer.
Five favorite RPGs that you never talk about lol. Forgive me if I take that with a Mt Everest of salt.
Literally 90% of your posts = lawyer service for Pillars, Pillars 2, The Outer Worlds, Pentiment (it made millions!!!!), what Soyer ate for breakfast, etc.
Five favorite RPGs that you never talk about lol. Forgive me if I take that with a Mt Everest of salt.
Literally 90% of your posts = lawyer service for Pillars, Pillars 2, The Outer Worlds, Pentiment (it made millions!!!!), what Soyer ate for breakfast, etc.
Roguey didn't even have the balls to post his top 10 rpgs. Probably didn't want people rating spamming him for pillars of eternity and alpha protocol in his top 5 lol.
Couldn't be bothered, but I've been quite open that my five favorite RPGs are Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout New Vegas, Deus Ex, and Mask of the Betrayer.
Five favorite RPGs that you never talk about lol. Forgive me if I take that with a Mt Everest of salt.
Literally 90% of your posts = lawyer service for Pillars, Pillars 2, The Outer Worlds, Pentiment (it made millions!!!!), what Soyer ate for breakfast, etc.
It's so underlooked how advanced Gothic 2 was but that game offers a level of realism and immersion still unmatched to this day. The game was released at about the same period as Morrowind, and yet a whole world sets them apart
Imagine playing Morrowind, except it's a standard brown fantasy world and doesn't have Kirkbride tripping on magic mushrooms and writing the lore and backstory. And no mods.
Gothic is good but it's like the iron curtain version of Morrowind, created in a basement in East Germany.
I believe this vote is another expensive example of how the way you phrase a question determines the outcome. The truth is that anyone who has ever worked with research or has the slightest understanding of statistics knows this - if you really want to, you can manipulate a survey to say almost anything. For instance, the question only allowed you to choose 10 games. (And another 10 "hidden gems".) As others have mentioned here, this means that if you have two similar games from the same franchise or company, you will feel compelled to choose one of them. This totally explains why Divinity disappeared from the list and BG3 appeared, the same thing when we talk about JA2. It also explains POE2, and even the absence of Skyrim.
Of course, this will not affect the sacred trinity of the Codex. Games like Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, or Fallout 1 and 2 are too significant in the history of RPGs to not appear several times on the list. And more than that, many have specific preferences for one of these games and not another. (AKA, the more serious and tight tone of FO1, or the reactivity and references of FO2.) For cases like this, even the pressure of having limited choices makes you feel like you need to reserve a specific space for certain games that "need" to be on this list, and all other games compete for the remaining spaces.
For example, I didn't vote for any Larian game - even though I've played more hours of D:OS1 than the two Baldur's Gate combined. And it's not like I didn't use my vote because I think they're not better than several games on the list, for me they clearly are. But in practice I only had 5 "free" spaces to use my choices and it would be stupid to mention any of them as a "hidden gem" given their fame. If anything, this is a list that is much more like a TOMA (top-of-mind awareness) because people will mention the first games they think are most relevant, more than quantifying and qualifying the games they think are best made.
That said, every survey will have its blind spots and it's not like all the previous ones were perfect either. It's as valid as any other. In the end, it's all a matter of accepting what distortions you're willing to accept in the result. Hell, if society can't even reach a consensus on how to elect a president, let alone elect a list of RPGs in a forum of neckbeards living in basements.
It's a very good top ten. I don't agree with everything in it, but it is not missing anything crucial imo. I have two quibbles with the remaining 60 games: Pillars of Eternity 1 is not in there, which seems ridiculous to me. It's not in the top ten, but it's in the top 70 for me. I recognize this is a contentious position on the Codex.
The second, more important quibble is that the Canadian garbage known as "Deus Ex" should not be on this list anywhere, at all, ever, because it is not an RPG, is Canadian, and it fucking sucks as a game. The fact that it is tied with PoE II is fucking bonkers.
It's a very good top ten. I don't agree with everything in it, but it is not missing anything crucial imo. I have two quibbles with the remaining 60 games: Pillars of Eternity 1 is not in there, which seems ridiculous to me. It's not in the top ten, but it's in the top 70 for me. I recognize this is a contentious position on the Codex.
The second, more important quibble is that the Canadian garbage known as "Deus Ex" should not be on this list anywhere, at all, ever, because it is not an RPG, is Canadian, and it fucking sucks as a game. The fact that it is tied with PoE II is fucking bonkers.
