Turn based RPG games. The best tactical RPGs on PC

The best RPGs for PC guarantee hundreds of hours of exciting adventures in one of the main genres of the platform.

Here are the best RPGs for PC. RPGs have always been considered the cornerstone of PC gaming. Long before the advent of shooters and real-time strategy games, the first PC game developers meticulously brought tabletop RPGs to the virtual world, creating action-packed adventures with orcs, wizards and dangerous caves.

These games gradually added to the worlds of their desktop prototypes, and the RPG genre itself eventually became so popular that games of other genres began to borrow various mechanics and elements from there.

Whenever we compile a list of the best games in a particular genre, the first thing we do is try to understand what defines the "best" game. In this case, the main criterion is the fascination of a particular RPG by modern standards. By the way, this applies to all games of any other genre.

Of course, we don't forget the influence of the game - however, innovation and relevance to the industry are not the main selection criteria.

It is quite difficult to find purebred RPGs, because, if you follow the literal definition, every game can be called a role-playing game.

Therefore, this list contains games that meet the canonical definition of RPG - in them the story is in the first place, in them you get used to the role of a character, developing it through skill points, making decisions in dialogues and building complex relationships with companions or non-playable characters. This framework allowed us to narrow down the list of games, although we made a few exceptions for the most prominent representatives of the genre.

Release year: 2015 | Developer: CD Projekt Red | Buy

Many RPGs feature lone wanderers as protagonists, but it’s rare to find a game with a story told as skillfully as in The Witcher 3. First of all, it’s a picturesque setting where you can admire sunsets and incredibly beautiful forests for a long time – even after months of playing, I prefer to move around this world on foot, ignoring the fast travel points.

But the main strength of The Witcher 3 lies in the fact that these luxurious landscapes are populated by NPCs who issue modest but memorable quests, thanks to which we have one of the most vibrant RPGs on the gaming market. In a godforsaken village, the witcher Geralt may stumble upon impoverished elves who have become victims of racism; in another location, he can help the stylish baron reunite with his daughter. Such quests carry an important morality, and it is served quite unobtrusively.

As in The Witcher 2, Geralt has his own goals and aspirations that are clear to any player. Therefore, even killing dangerous monsters and powerful opponents, he does not seem like a superhero. Before us is an ordinary (well, almost) person in unusual circumstances, and it is this fact that makes us empathize with him.

Release year: 2017 | Developer: Larian Studios | Buy

Larian Studios, known mainly as a board game creator, rarely pleases its RPG fans with complete freedom of action. That is why this list could not do without Divinity: Original Sin 2, because in this game you can do whatever comes to mind. For example, kidnap a merchant with a teleportation spell, and then set him on fire using his own blood.

Almost every skill has an alternative (and sometimes quite unexpected) use that can be revealed in the heat of battle.

You can enjoy the crazy experiments and tactical battles in the game in the company of up to four people, and the most interesting thing is that you are not required to work in a team or be in the same part of the world.

Moreover, there are many reasons to fight against each other. It all depends on the player himself, and when four people are connected to the game at once, collisions are inevitable. Just remember: if you decide to freeze your friends and then poison them, be sure to apologize for this act.

Release year: 2015 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Buy

There isn't much innovation in Pillars of Eternity; in fact, the game owes its existence to the general nostalgia for Baldur's Gate II on the outdated Infinity Engine. But nevertheless, Pillars of Eternity, even without bright innovations, became a hit.

The graphics here are similar to examples from the 90s, but the script of the game is executed simply masterfully. Obsidian Entertainment has managed to create a wonderful (albeit lacking in humor) story that gracefully touches on themes of religious conflict and social inequality. And almost every corner of the virtual world has its own backstory.

It is worth noting the excellent voice acting, replenished with new lines in the latest patch. The game is incredibly difficult in places, and even in the easiest modes, you will have to guess when to attack and parry in order not to die in battles against several enemies. And there is nothing wrong with that - in an era of excessive lightness of games, Pillars of Eternity looks bright and original.

Release year: 2015 | Developer: Failbetter Games | Buy

There is no other place like the Underground. The eerie subterranean ocean that serves as the setting for Sunless Sea is a vast abyss full of horrors and dangers that will drive even the most daring sailors crazy. In your flimsy little parachute, you navigate dark waters, trading, fighting and engaging in extraordinary adventures on islands inhabited by huge mushrooms or civil war rats.

Sunless Sea looks really impressive in places, but its beauty lies not in the visuals, but in the text. Like the browser game Fallen London from the same developer, Sunless Sea is filled with interestingly written quests, dialogues and descriptions. And he does not limit himself to the atmosphere of gothic horror. Your journey through the Underground can both scare and cheer you. But even in moments of fun, something sinister will be hiding nearby. Something that disturbs the usual peace.

Release year: 2014 | Developer: Obsidian | Buy

This game was not supposed to be successful. Most of the licensed titles turn out to be disgusting, and a role-playing game based on a cartoon series with bizarre animation and an abundance of expletives was doomed to failure. But Stick of Truth suddenly became a hit, and the reason for this is Obsidian's competent work on integrating the world of South Park into the RPG framework.

We assemble our squad using a Facebook-style interface, complete "Deliver the package to Mister Masochist" quests, get sick during battles, and so on. This is not the deepest RPG in this collection, but one of the most fun. In addition, it is perfect for those who want to get acquainted with the genre.

Release year: 2001 | Developer: Ion Storm Dallas | Buy

Former id Software designer Tom Hall was at the helm of his first and only game under the wing of Ion Storm. He wanted to release a turn-based RPG similar to Final Fantasy, but only in a western setting.

It was this style that made Anachronox so memorable: what are only incredibly funny negotiations between Sly Boots and the leader of the mutants, chewing socks. In addition, this is perhaps the only game on the list in which you can add an entire planet to your squad.

Ion Storm built the game on a heavily modified version of the Quake 2 engine, and the project looked extremely unusual. But even today, square models look convincing, and their facial animations make you believe what is happening.

For example, Sly's renounced expression when he is thrown out of the window of his own office looks simply brilliant. Yes, the development of the project was far from smooth, and the final version of the game turned out to be frankly damp, but Anachronox is still interesting to play. It's a pity that Hall's planned sequels never saw the light of day.

Release year: 2018 | Developer: Warhorse Studios | Buy

In this historical RPG set in Bohemia in 1403, we play as a peasant named Henry who becomes involved in a war for his homeland. This is a detailed RPG with a deeply developed sword fighting system, thirst and hunger mechanics, excellent crafting and dozens of slots for the most authentic equipment for that time.

The player is given a surprising amount of freedom here. If you just want to roam the forests and pick mushrooms for sale, then no one bothers you - most importantly, beware of bandits who like to rob loners. The game is far from ideal - it has enough bugs and questionable moments - but this is an RPG in the spirit of the Elder Scrolls. For the sake of the general atmosphere, the project can be forgiven for its shortcomings.

Release year: 2016 | Developer: Crate Entertainment | Buy

If you've already explored every corner of Diablo 2 and want something modern in the same vein, you won't find a better game than this one. Grim Dawn is a dark and addictive action RPG with interesting classes and a beautiful world full of various monsters. In some ways, this is the ideological heir to Titan Quest, created by the same designers and using familiar mechanics.

We remember these mechanics in the 2006 ARPG dedicated to Greek mythology. In Grim Dawn, you can also choose two classes and distribute skill points between them. This allows you to create quite interesting combinations, and the skills themselves are very pleasant to use in practice - and this is a big plus for a game where combat plays a paramount role.

And the plot itself is not bad, if you start from the ARPG standards. Don't expect sudden twists or decisions with far-reaching consequences (this is a game about single-handedly clearing a monster-infested world, after all), but there is a reputation system that affects the difficulty of opponents. In other words, the more enemies you kill, the stronger the new criminals, cult members and monsters that you meet along the way will be.

Local demons and warlords, terrorizing certain areas of the world, are well drawn in dialog boxes and diaries scattered throughout the locations. The game itself is focused on killing and collecting items, and both of these components in Grim Dawn work as efficiently as possible.

Release date: 2018 | Developer: Square Enix | Buy

The smartest Final Fantasy game of 2018 finally has a ported version for PC. Unfortunately, the local open world is far inferior in scale and liveliness to more modern projects, but the graphics still look amazing, and the Gambit system remains one of the most exciting squad leveling systems in RPG history.

With its help, you can prescribe commands that your squad members will automatically follow in battle. You can create any characters and upgrade them in any direction. Vaan under your control can become both a specialist in two-handed swords and a magician who commands the elements. The ported version also has an accelerated mode that saves time on pumping.

Release year: 2014 | Developer: Almost Human Games | Buy

The original Legend of Grimrock was beautiful, first of all, with the squad creation system familiar from the Dungeon Master (where the characteristics of the heroes played a big role) and turn-based exploration of the world. The only drawback of the project was that all its action was limited to dungeons. The enemies may have changed, but we kept wandering along the same corridors until the very end of the game.

The sequel offers us to walk not only through the gloomy caves, but also through the open world, which in total gives unforgettable experience. The enemies here have become more dangerous, and the riddles have become more difficult. As with the original, the element of surprise plays a huge role. You can gleefully kill enemies in batches without feeling any resistance until you suddenly encounter an almost immortal demon. And in a second, flashing your heels, you will understand that retreat is not as shameful as it seemed before.

Release year: 2015 | Developer: tobyfox | Buy

In the first 20 minutes of passing Undertale, it seems like another nod to popular JRPGs - here you have jokes about Earthbound with Final Fantasy, and cute angular graphics, and a general sugary atmosphere. But if you decide to play the game to the end (and realize that it is not so sweet and sugary), you will see that this is an innovative and very touching project.

At times, the game is adept at knocking you out of your comfort zone, remembering little things, and using our expectations of a typical RPG to surprise, delight, or scare us. This is not just a respectful nod to the RPG genre, but a heartfelt message to all RPG fans and an exploration of our relationship with games.

Undertale clearly stands out from other indie RPGs, because even despite the atypical combat system and the virtual absence of a skill tree and hero levels, it has the most important thing: a gorgeous presentation of the story and respect for the player's choices.

Release year: 2016 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Buy

Tyranny turned out to be not as outstanding as Pillars of Eternity, which is close in spirit to it, but the setting of the game sets it apart from other RPGs. Here we play as the real embodiment of evil, but instead of sadism and cruelty, Tyranny focuses on cold bureaucracy and ideological issues. As the "Destiny Maker" who serves Lord Kairos, you need to regularly take various solutions and negotiate with enemy armies unwilling to submit to the forces of evil.
Often you have to find a compromise between cruelty and complete inaction. The game has a complex reputation system, where, unlike other morality systems, fear and devotion are important elements interact with factions and allies.

As with Pillars, the pauseable combat and isometric fantasy world in Tyranny is a homage to classic RPGs, and it's not just nostalgic, it's a creative and timely reimagining of the genre's once essential trappings.

Release year: 2013 | Developer: Grinding Gear Games | Download

This beautiful free-to-play action RPG is a real paradise for players who love to build fearsome murder weapons. While not the most glamorous ARPG, the game has an incredibly deep progression system and a well-thought-out free-to-play model, where paid content is purely cosmetic and does not affect the experience of the game in any way. Even if the game looks a little unkempt, and the battles in it are noticeably inferior to the battles in Diablo 3, the pleasure of passing through this RPG is guaranteed.

The multi-level mechanics of Path of Exile already show up on the hero leveling screen, which can be seen in the screenshot at the link. Making your way through the crowds of enemies and leveling up your character, you gradually fill this huge board, honing one or another skill. Equipment customization is done with the same attention to detail. Path of Exile borrows the concept of interconnected slots from Final Fantasy VII.

Each type of weapon and armor has several slots for magic crystals. These crystals, if placed in the right order, have powerful synergies and in total give significant bonuses to attack parameters (strength, speed, etc.). Ideally, you need to somehow combine these bonuses with your skills in order to achieve maximum effectiveness in combat. Of course, for this you have to sweat a lot, but believe me, it's worth it.

Release year: 2016 | Developer: Red Hook Studios | Buy

The first minutes in Darkest Dungeon are in many ways reminiscent of the XCOM campaign: we assemble a squad of fighters, come up with beautiful names for them, select powerful equipment and send them into battle. And then we understand the full depth of our naivety. Within minutes, your favorite character suddenly gets syphilis. And your healer shows masochistic tendencies and inflicts damage on himself every turn.

Your plague doctor discovers his greed and fills his pockets with gold from the common chest. And after a couple of hours, your team of flawless heroes turns into a bunch of outcasts - in this situation, you are either looking for an individual approach to everyone, or you just use them until they break and replace them with new ones. Like batteries.

In heavily inspired by Lovecraft's work, it's important to be able to make tough but effective decisions. Your heroes will die at the hands of underwater inhabitants, cultists, demons and monsters, but even more often they will return to the base with a damaged mind and on the verge of insanity. Will you spend gold to try to cure them, or will you prefer to use resources to achieve the ultimate goal?

Darkest Dungeon is an ingenious combination of visual style, soundtrack, story and design. Flickering on the screen

hand-drawn monsters, and their appearance affects each of the heroes. This difficult game, but as soon as you realize that everyone here can be put to waste (even a nun with kleptomania, to whom you have become very attached), cruelty becomes the basis for creating mini-stories within one large plot. “Overconfidence is a slow and cunning killer,” as the narrator reminds us.

Release year: 2009 | Developer: TaleWorlds | Buy

Games in which medieval battles are served as they should can be counted on the fingers, and games where the ability to create armies is added to this are even fewer. Training a bunch of farmers to become warriors is great, but we love Mount & Blade for playing the role of a hero on the battlefield, where the result of the battle depends on our skills as well.

Throw in the ability to forge alliances, marry, manage the economy, and you have Warband, a well-thought-out game where the number of enemies and allies is determined by the player's actions. And when you get tired of the single player game, you will find multiplayer and a lot of mods for Mount & Blade - dedicated to the galaxy far, far away.

Release year: 2003 |Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Buy

We love BioWare's original 2002 Neverwinter Nights (and especially its expansion packs), but Neverwinter Nights 2's single-player campaign beats it by far. If the original had a rather weak story mode, created more in order to demonstrate the potential of the Dungeons & Dragons universe, then in the sequel, Obsidian Entertainment, without any hesitation, presented a large-scale story.

And this story is served with proper humor, and allies like a colorful dwarf named Helgar Ironfist continue to delight today. The quality of the project grew as new additions were released. For example, in the ingenious add-on Shadow of the Betrayer, which traces the spirit of Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, the plot tells about two halves of one world, and Obsidian speaks gracefully on the topics of religion and faith.

Release year: 2002 | Developer: Piranha Bytes | Buy

Gothic 2 was remembered by us for its open world of incredible scale and harsh attitude towards the player. The first time I went through it, I left the city, turned off the main road and came across a crowd of high-level monsters that tore me to pieces in a couple of seconds. I learned from these mistakes throughout the game.

The severity of Gothic 2 is one of the main advantages of the project. Enemies here don't level up like they do in the Elder Scrolls series, and you'll have to carefully read quest descriptions and dialogues from NPCs you meet along the way. Once you get used to it (and get used to the awkward controls), you will realize that you have a huge (and, most importantly, alive) RPG-world in front of you, having studied all the secrets of which you will become invincible.

Release year: 2012 | Developer: Bethesda Softworks | Buy

Choose a direction and run. You will surely find some adventure right there, some part of the vast world that will capture you. It is this richness of content that attracts Skyrim. A trip to the guild of magicians will end with an exciting search for knowledge. A random conversation with a random NPC will lead you to a cave at the end of the world where a legendary relic is gathering dust.

You can just pick berries under the mountain and stumble upon a dragon. And what could be better than a sudden battle with a dragon? And if you're somehow researching all of Bethesda's content, head over to the Steam Workshop for the latest mods - the Skyrim community has kept the game in the Steam top 100 since its release and gives us the opportunity to plunge into new adventures in an already familiar world.

Release date: 2018 | Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Buy

In the sequel to the wonderful Pillars of Eternity, a journey to the Deadfire archipelago awaits us. Together with a company of desperate adventurers, you will have to track down the raging god, but before that you will have to master all the intricacies of navigation. While sailing the ocean on the “Daring” ship, you can rob oncoming ships and spend the money you receive on upgrading your ship.

When entering the port, the game switches to a top-down view (like in classic RPGs) so that you can enjoy detailed and rich locations.

Release year: 1992 | Developer: Blue Sky Productions (also known as Looking Glass Studios) | Buy

Once upon a time, designer Paul Nyurath came up with the concept of a dungeon simulator that was supposed to turn traditional notions of role-playing games on its head, calling it Underworld. Together with their team, which would later become the basis of Looking Glass Studios, they created a game with puzzles and NPC interactions atypical for the genre.

Meanwhile, Ultima's Origin Systems studio was so impressed with the 3D engine (you could look up and down here!) and first-person combat that they bought the rights to the game. And so The Stygian Abyss was born. Characters that would be enemies in any other game are our allies in Underworld, which is, frankly, something to be excited about.

It is no longer necessary to attack goblins here - you can dive with them. And when we saw that here you can arrange gatherings around the fire, we just fell in love with the game. Underworld was a technological marvel in 1992, and while the graphics look dated today, the joy of exploring the world of Stygian Abyss hasn't gone away.

Release year: 2014 | Developer: Larian Studios | Buy

Divinity is not your usual Kickstarter success story. Unlike most RPGs, the project was developed directly for co-op - even in the single player version, you control two protagonists at once, keeping in mind their motivations during dialogues. Studio Larian worked out the dialogues in such a way that one of the characters always disagreed with the decision of the second one and could even kill a story-important NPC, and therefore the tasks in the quests had to be solved in extraordinary ways.

Scenario Divinity deserves special praise. Of course, there were sometimes typical missions to kill goblins controlling huge robots, or quests where you had to talk to some dog. But this dog could give out a touching story, because of which it was not a sin to shed a tear. Larian created the world of Divinity with soul, and it shows in every little thing. It's a loose and rich RPG like we haven't seen since Ultima, and it has everything we love about the genre.

Release year: 2005 | Developer: Obsidian | Buy

While BioWare's first KOTOR sticks to classic Star Wars style, KOTOR 2 takes the franchise in a bolder direction. Instead of focusing on the light and dark sides of the Force, the sequel from Obsidian tells us about gray shades. Fragile alliances are created here, which collapse before our eyes and reunite in a few minutes.

Decisions that seemed optimal to you, as a result, lead to betrayal. The result is the most controversial approach to the world of Star Wars, with a superbly written antagonist. Like many of Obsidian's early games, KOTOR 2's complex development process meant that a number of locations had to be cut.

However, there is a fan-made mod that restores this content, including the droid planet, as well as fixing a number of bugs - all of which demonstrates that PC gamers are ready to move mountains to get the full version of their favorite game.

Vampire: The Masquerade-Bloodlines

Release year: 2004 | Developer: Troika | Buy

It's all about the atmosphere here - from gothic clubs where we meet contacts, to dark alleys where we hunt for fresh blood, and a cursed hotel (which is associated with one of the best quests in the game). The ambitious vampire universe in Bloodlines stands out from the rest role projects with sword fights and magic.

Unfortunately, the ambitions of the Troika studio exceeded its abilities - the game is full of bugs and not fully thought out mechanics. Therefore, the final product turned out to be a little raw, but this is perhaps the only game in which you can really feel like a vampire. And because of this, it is deservedly considered a cult classic RPG, and its fan base regularly releases various patches and additions that improve the project.

Release year: 2014 | Developer: Blizzard | Buy

Let's face it: the fan auction to raise funds for Diablo 3 was a bad idea. But this is where the list of cons of the game actually ends. Blizzard's fundraising continued right up to the release of Reaper of Souls, and were it not for the Adventure Mode, it's likely that the game would have been dubbed a disappointing sequel.

The whole charm of this mode lies in randomly generated tasks and locations, so that even after completing the main campaign in the game, you can disappear for several hundred hours. And today it is already difficult to imagine Diablo 3 without this mode.

But RoS had another feature that we love action RPGs for: guild support. When you chat with friends, making your way through dark dungeons, the oppressive feeling of loneliness disappears, and at such moments you begin to understand Blizzard's policy of releasing games that require a constant connection to the network. And do not forget about the spectacular fights and various skills of the heroes. RoS is the kind of action RPG that we are ready to play all day long.

Release year: 2001 |Developer: Troika Games | Buy

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura was incredibly buggy at launch, with most of the combat as unbalanced as the title of the game. Patches and mods have corrected the situation, showing how interesting a mixture of fantasy and steampunk was hidden behind the numerous glitches of the game.

As we wrote in our review back in 2001: "if you can't find anything attractive in this game, just throw your PC in the trash."

And we still adhere to this opinion. Arcanum was gritty and brutal before it even became a mod, and the character editor here let you create anything from gambling dwarves to outcast orcs who assemble deadly gadgets out of junk.

Add here a non-linear progression and many options for completing the same quest and you get a masterpiece that, even 17 years later, is able to take your breath away.

Release year: 2010 | Developer: Obsidian | Buy

While Fallout 3 was a highly successful game, it was very different from the classics released by Interplay. Obsidian's project took the franchise to the West Coast and introduced elements such as reputation and faction battles. Obsidian has expanded every aspect of Bethesda's game, shifting the focus from moral choices to issues of trust. The game also has more humor in the spirit of the classic parts - how can you not love a game in which you are given a nuclear rocket launcher?

And in the Hardcore mode in New Vegas, survival in the wasteland became even more interesting, because here first-aid kits and anti-radiation agents were much weaker than in normal mode. And if you are looking for variety, you can download any of the many mods, one of which was developed by Josh Sawyer himself - the author of the game. What we love most about New Vegas is how effortlessly it manages to blend the feel of the original Fallout with the first-person RPG framework that Bethesda introduced.

Release year: 2016 | Developer: From Software | Buy

Name any dark RPG of the last five years, and it will surely turn out that it was inspired by Dark Souls. However, Dark Souls 3 proves that the studio does the best with this style. Of course, the project does not shine with originality, as was the case with Dark Souls 1, but it has noticeably prettier from a technical point of view.

Control in battles is more intuitive here, and therefore the player needs a lightning-fast reaction and a clear understanding of his actions. Thoughtless blows on the buttons will inevitably lead to death. At the same time, Dark Souls 3 is the most beginner-friendly part of the series.

Frequent savepoints, simplified online co-op, a beautiful (and grotesque) drawing style - all this allows you to join the process from the very first minutes. In addition, Dark Souls 3 strongly encourages the study of the background of the world and the search for various secrets, which deservedly makes it the best part in the series.

Release year: 2011 | Developer: CD Projekt Red | Buy

The epic scope of the events of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is beautiful in itself, but the important thing is that our decisions are of tremendous importance. Moral ambiguity has never been presented so gracefully: your choice literally changes the game world, and its consequences are often unpredictable and not always what you expect.

The most impressive thing about The Witcher 2 is the presence of two full-fledged storylines. At the beginning of the game, Geralt will have to make a choice, after which he will stand on one of the two sides, and all further events can be observed from two points of view if you decide to go through the game again. And, believe me, the second passage will be as bright as the first.

You probably think that all your misadventures will eventually lead you to a happy ending? This is not true. Geralt is far from being a hero, he is an ordinary person, trying with all his might to protect himself from the chaos that is happening around him. His quest is dedicated to personal goals, and his companions are the same living people with their own goals and aspirations. And it is precisely due to the characters worked out to the smallest detail that the plot looks extremely convincing.

It's a beautiful and well-told story layered on solid game mechanics - a flexible character development system, an excellent combat system, and an abundance of secondary content. Gloomy, cruel, and in some places capable of driving into depression, but at the same time a brilliant game.

Release year: 2009 | Developer: BioWare | Buy

Trying to convey the atmosphere of Baldur's Gate was the main task of the authors of Dragon Age, and, admittedly, they almost succeeded. The world of the game is similar to the Forgotten Realms universe, but it does not look like a parody of it, and the interactions between the characters sparkle with BioWare magic.

The local evil looks really menacing, even though most of the monsters can be destroyed in just a couple of hits. We love the way magic is presented in the world of Dragon Age, and especially the quests in which you have to decide the fate of terrible creatures - magicians possessed by demons.
And the best part of the game is the combat system: there is the necessary tactical depth (right during the battle, you can stop, give orders and continue the battle).

It's sad that BioWare didn't make more RPGs like this - Dragon Age 2 was a little too straightforward, and Inquisition had a big focus on the open world - so this project can in some ways be called the swan song of the old BioWare, symbolizing the end of an era of classic game design.

Release year: 1999 | Developer: Irrational Games | Buy

Loneliness. This is the main feeling that you experience when playing the debut project from Irrational. As the game progresses, you'll often hear audio recordings of colorful characters battling terrifying creatures that call themselves The Many. But you will not meet these heroes, because they have already died.
And this loneliness in Shock 2 is only reinforced by the fact that the game constantly leaves you without resources.

Ammo? You will surely spend them on droids, although it would be worth saving them for later. First aid kits? There are so few of them here that it’s better not to even meddle in unchecked rooms. But the main thing that Irrational will take away from you somewhere in the middle of the passage is hope. The moment when you understand what an AI called Shodan is, deservedly considered one of the best in the history of gaming.

In all projects from Irrational, the environment is one of the full-fledged heroes, and in this case we are talking about the Von Braun starship. It creaks and rattles as you sneak through its corridors. Each door opens with a characteristic hum. Defense systems perceive you as an enemy, as if believing that you want to harm the ship.

Loving such a character is difficult, but the leveling system in Shock 2, where experience points are awarded for exploring locations, balances risk and reward. You will have to choose between psionic, hacking and military skills in order to be most effective. For a game that at first glance seems like an unpretentious action RPG, Shock 2 turned out to be really deep.

Release year: 1992 | Developer: Origin Systems | Buy

The Guardian is remembered by many gamers as one of the scariest characters in games. His huge stone face appearing on the screen, accompanied by real voice acting, both scared us and urged us to play further.

At that time it was a real technical breakthrough, but Ultima 7 has stood the test of time thanks to the interactivity of Britain. Any item on the screen could be picked up, and any NPC could be interacted with, and therefore the passage could drag on for several weeks.

The plot did not lag behind: it all began with an investigation of a double murder, but very soon it flowed into a religious war for the fate of the kingdom. The dialogue in Black Gate still looks decent today, and it also inspired the creators of Divinity: Original Sin - especially the lines related to religion. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best parts of the legendary RPG franchise.

Release year: 2000 | Developer: Ion Storm Austin | Buy

Do you want to shoot enemies in the open, or maybe sneak carefully in the shadows? Are you more used to playing as a sniper? Or a hacker capable of controlling enemy droids? Or maybe you should talk to the guard NPC and hint to him that it's time for his squad to go to lunch? The world in Deus Ex is so free that the number of choices makes your head spin.

And although the game looks like a shooter, the whole essence of Deus Ex lies in the role-playing elements. For example, if you shoot from a weapon that you have not held in your hands before, even perfect aiming will not save you - you will miss. The leveling system encourages experimentation, and the most expensive upgrades will allow you to turn your character into a superhero. Even your weapons, if desired, can be upgraded to make a weapon of mass destruction out of a standard pistol. The attention to detail here is outstanding and none of the game's elements feel out of place.

The world of Deus Ex rewards the player for exploring dark alleys and ventilation systems, as clues can be found in the most unexpected places. And there are enough clues here - every note or sign in the game hints at a new conspiracy, which is why all alliances between the heroes are constantly under threat. And the NPCs themselves fit perfectly into this world full of secrets and conspiracies. Of course, Human Revolution boasts excellent graphics, but this game is much smarter and offers more freedom of action.

Release year: 2002 | Developer: Bethesda Game Studios | Buy

The release of Fallout 4 demonstrated that in the familiar Bethesda model open world serious flaws began to appear, but in 2002, when Morrowind appeared on store shelves, this model was unshakable. There was something magical about the fact that we could run around the entire island of Vvardenfell, go into every building and never stumble upon a loading screen, as well as the fact that NPC heroes, apparently, had their own life, not limited to communicating with main character.

Over the years, many games have managed to replicate this effect, but Morrowind is still alive in our memory (we like it even more than its successor, Oblivion). All this thanks to the incredible surrealism of the world, in which racist elves rest inside mushrooms (like smurfs in someone's acid dreams), and traditional castles coexist with Scandinavian villages.

The AI ​​seems a little primitive by today's standards, but the stories told in the game are superior to most current RPGs.

The game is still thriving, and the modding community is regularly releasing new adventures and graphics-improving patches (some of which even port Morrowind to completely new game engines).

Release year: 2010 | Developer: BioWare | Buy

BioWare's first Mass Effect felt like a clone of KOTOR, and not in a good way. The universe was very convincing, but the game was overloaded with various menus and systems that made life difficult for the average gamer. However, when BioWare announced that they would focus on gunplay in the second part, we were pretty scared. As it turned out, in vain: in Mass Effect 2 there was a place for interesting innovations, among which were the level of trust of the squad members, which could be increased by passing special missions.

Instead of exploring the galaxy in Mass Effect 2, we played out a sci-fi version of Ocean's 11 or the Dirty Dozen. Gathering a squad for the final mission allowed the writers of the script to focus on short but interesting stories. Each special mission allowed you to get to know the next ally better and feel his motivation.

That is why the final suicidal race hit in the heart - we were worried about each of the characters on the screen. It's rare for a game to focus on characters rather than the overall story, but Mass Effect 2 pulls that trick off. Definitely one of the best scripts in BioWare history.

Release year: 2011 | Developer: From Software | Buy

Yes, Dark Souls violates the main rule of RPG: the game can be completed without pumping. But only on the condition that you know all its secrets and understand its systems - in particular the crafting system. In a genre where system interaction rules the roost, Dark Souls can be called the king, as the interaction of these systems in the game is implemented flawlessly.

Each characteristic greatly affects the leveling of the hero, and this already sets the game apart from most D&D-inspired RPGs. Exploring the rich world of Lordran, where the backstory is told through cryptic dialogues and clues in the environment that are not obvious at first glance, we piece together a rather impressive story.

Everything is interconnected here, and various secrets and secret passages (hiding huge locations) await brave adventurers. It is also worth noting the summoning system unique to the genre in Dark Souls, which you can either turn off or get used to the fact that other players will regularly attack you. And don't be afraid of difficulty, otherwise you will deprive yourself of the opportunity to immerse yourself in one of the best RPGs in history.

Release year: 1998 | Developer: Black Isle Studios | Buy

The original Fallout was Interplay's first success, but the game wasn't as popular as one might think. The sequel, on the other hand, significantly expanded the boundaries of the world and added ambiguity to all the characters - it became even more difficult to distinguish between good and evil.

Playing as a villager instead of a bunker dweller, we looked at the world with different eyes - the hero was not so naive and was well aware of all the dangers of the world, and therefore could play on the feelings and expectations of other characters.

The search for the GECK (Compact Garden of Eden Generator) fit in well with the style of the 50s and looked even more interesting than the search for the water chip from the first part. The absence of a rigid time frame was also pleasing: it was possible to slowly study the population of the wasteland, and not break as fast as possible to an abandoned bunker. If you have not played the classic parts, we advise you to start with this one, and only then move on to the original.

Release year: 2000 | Developer: BioWare | Buy

The main problem with D&D games is that low-level characters tend to be pretty boring. Baldur's Gate 2 solves this problem by offering to transfer your squad from the first part or create a new group with characters of the seventh level. And this radically changes the perception of the game: instead of frail fighters and useless magicians, we get powerful spells and harsh warriors who can withstand any fight.

The amazing scale of the world of Amn is also pleasing, which was full of quests and quite interesting content. BioWare's Infinity Engine handled these quests well, as well as rendering the battles where it was necessary to actively apply tactics with strategy. It's hard to imagine managing a six-man squad without the ability to pause the game and issue orders.

Each of the modern games without this feature makes us longingly remember the days of the Infinity Engine. Yes, this is where the RPG romance tradition began, but there's nothing wrong with that - after all, BG2 features some pretty colorful characters.

If for some reason you have never played tabletop RPGs, then just install Baldur's Gate 2 - the atmosphere of sword and magic is perfectly conveyed here. If you have the original version, you can download mods to run it on modern monitors, or alternatively try out the Extended Edition, which includes tons of new content.

Release year: 1999 | Developer: Black Isle Studios | Buy

The history of the Nameless takes a special place in the world of gaming. This is a story of redemption in the face of countless sins, a story about trying to be yourself. The tattoos that the Nameless One wears are reminders of who he was, who he is, and who he wants to become.

The free interpretation of events in Planescape: Torment is the first thing that attracts in the game. We literally spend the whole game trying to find out who the Nameless One is, but at the same time, we define his character by our actions. This is just one of many RPG stereotypes that Black Isle is turning on its head.

Rats are worthy opponents here, people, as it turns out, can be worse than the undead, and it is not necessary to fight to win many battles. And, more importantly, we don't have to save the world like we do in thousands of other RPGs. We just need to find out who we are.

The companions of the Nameless One are perhaps the most interesting NPCs in the history of the genre. Most of them have already encountered us in our past incarnations: the pyromaniac magician Ignus was once our student, but the fact that he is constantly burning is much more interesting. Or Dak'kon, who swore allegiance to us, but can't remember why he did it.

The rest of the characters are even weirder. There is Fallen Grace here - a succubus cleric who does not recognize the gods. Being a product of evil, she, oddly enough, does not want to harm anyone. But the best of companions is Mort - a floating skull, whose sarcasm is not inferior in sharpness to his teeth (with which he attacks - it's not for him to brandish a sword).

In any other fantasy world, these characters would look at least strange, but Torment uses a D&D setting called Planescape - the most bizarre world in the entire multiverse. Therefore, it is no wonder that the main emphasis in Torment is on the presentation of history.

When it comes to fights though, BioWare's Infinity Engine handles them just as well as they did in the Baldur's Gate series. This is the RPG we recommend to anyone interested in the genre, a game that embodies everything we love about RPGs.

Release year: 2002 | Developer: Arcane Studios | Buy

When creating their first dungeon simulator, Arkane wanted to create something as rich as Ultima Underworld with its magic system, where the player had to memorize runes and draw them with the mouse at the right time. In this game, stealth is critically important, as is the crafting system, made in the spirit of the same Underworld. Arx is a complex and slow-paced adventure that requires you to think about your every move. Break through the gorgon using force, or slip through unnoticed, avoiding conflict?

Many design solutions later they will find their place in another Arkane project - Dishonored, but we cannot but mention the classic mechanics, which are almost never used today. For example, the need to draw runes on the screen with the mouse - yes, this is not very convenient, but it looks spectacular. We hope that Arkane decides to do a sequel to Arx Fatalis and bring in the mechanics from Dishonored (as well as the excellent combat system from Dark Messiah of Might & Magic).

At the request of our readers, we have compiled the TOP 20 of the best RPG games of all time in our opinion. Absolutely all the games on this list have been released on PC, which makes them accessible and especially popular. The TOP includes both generally accepted masterpieces of the past, as well as the latest blockbusters of the gaming industry. Go!

21. Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura

The game from developer Troika game may seem like a little more than just Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines with its fantasy races and magical spells, but with a fair amount of steampunk technology thrown in, you're on your way to something special.

Arcanum is a tricky beast, with a lot of unbalanced turn-based combat. In addition, it is packed with a compelling storyline set in a world where magic and technology collide in a non-linear, do-what-you-want fashion.

When I first plunged into the world of Arcanum, almost everyone hated me. I had the intelligence of a baby and could barely carry on a conversation, I was an orc and I was constantly a victim of fanaticism, I could make a deal with a demon, so everyone thought I was evil. My goblin mechanic, with his arachnid constructs, weapons, and sharp tongue, had a much more successful experience. The choice made when creating a character has a significant effect on the entire game, the character's race and background, which has a tangible impact on his relationship with NPCs.

More than any other game on this list, Arcanum makes you feel like you're playing a tabletop RPG. Dungeon Masters isn't always fair and you can get dispowered, but it's still worth it to enjoy the game, thanks to character development and how the world reacts to your half-elf demon circus.

20. Shadowrun Returns/Dragonfall

Shadowrun Returns is a welcome relic of the 90s. Based on the classic tabletop RPG, this is a neo-noir cyberpunk detective with lots of magic, fantasy elements and fighting that feels like XCOM. She creates a lot of things, and they are all just wonderful. Set in a future land where science and a realm of arcane strife coexist and creatures such as elves and trolls roam the streets alongside humans, players find themselves in the guise of a shadow courier, a dark spying mercenary.

Career in Shadowrun Returns is a realistic detective story that begins with the investigation of a friend's death, with the promise of retribution, and turns into a tale of conspiracy, corrupt police, serial killers, and a demented cult. Without voice acting, the recording carries the story, with a twisted sense of humor.

Free-form character formation will allow players to create all sorts of weird looks, from spirit casters who can also enter the digital realm and fight computer programs to samurai running around with a bunch of controllable robots. Investing points in charisma also unlocks kinship with various types people, corporate security, other shady couriers or street gangs, opens up new streets in your investigation and dialogue options.

Although the career is short and mostly linear, Dragonfall nip this issue in the bud. This is a content expansion with a hub containing many additional missions and a group of suitable characters with their own motivations and stories. The game comes with a comprehensive editor that contains the prospect of creating countless campaigns by the user. Someone has already recreated the old Shadowrun game on the SNES, which is also worthy of your attention.

19 Mount & Blade: Warband

The best game in the series Mount & Blade: Warband is an open world fantasy RPG game interspersed with medieval simulation which basically means you never have to pay attention to the real world again. Warband immerses players in a giant sandbox where six factions fight each other for supremacy, there is no story, and it leaves the player to decide what he wants to do.

Perhaps the showman in you will inspire you to become a master of the spear and champion of many tournaments, or perhaps you have a good eye for making deals, and this will lead to the path of a wealthy merchant, and you, using your mountains of gold, will finance an army of mercenaries who will protect You, and bring fame or maybe you're just a good-for-nothing crook, and if so, then the life of a thug is for you.

Traveling around the map, you will no doubt find yourself ambushed by enemies, or maybe you will become the one who sets them up, but in any case, you will undoubtedly get into a brawl. Skill-based combat requiring bizarre leg movement, excellent timing and proper weaponry, and accurate attack in different situations. It's hard to figure out what's going on, but ultimately it's very useful. You will probably have an army on your side, leading to some particularly large conflicts. She can be trained, gain experience and be equipped with new equipment, although you will have to pay her a salary.

Warband has added a multiplayer mode and a variety of mods, including some impressive renovations. This game will easily consume your life if you let it.

18. South Park: The Stick of Truth

Surprisingly, South Park manages to be not only great, but also one of the best RPGs we've ever had the pleasure of playing.

This is South Park at its best. From perfectly recreates the city with a penetrating, insightful, and often grotesque satire of gaming and pop culture. Fantasy tropes, the Kardashian family, Nazi zombies, Morgan Freeman's mystical powers, they're all there.

And it's all wrapped up in an RPG that draws on many sources, from JRPG-style combat to Western open-world deals. There's even a significant portion of metroidvania research in there. Progress never stops - there's always something new around the corner, be it a new combat mechanic or a giant dildo.

South Park is a game where you can dress up a kid as a punishing Valkyrie and fight Jack Daniels slurping tramps or anus-possessed aliens - it's something incredible.

17. Deus Ex

More than an FPS/RPG hybrid, Deus Ex more than deserves a place on this list as even after 13 years it remains a pleasure to play. It is one of the best games ever released. It's probably a little old-fashioned to sing its praises, as it's been a consistent feature of just about every list of the best PC games since its release in 2001.

I could spend a lot of energy recalling a dramatic story that weaves themes of conspiracy, terrorism and transhumanism with intriguing characters in a believable dystopia of the future. I could go on and on about the degree of character modification, letting players grieve over JC Denton's twilight and long cape as a cybernetically enhanced soldier, a professional hacker, or a ghost lurking in the shadows. But what I really want to discuss is the incredible level design.

Each map is a complex sandbox for experiments. Each combat encounter has the potential to be played in strikingly different ways. Should you actually participate in said fights instead of walking past them? Secret paths, hidden stashes, informants waiting to be bribed, and confidential information revealing new routes and features that scatter levels, ensuring that when players talk about their experiences, they seem to be talking about different games.

And it's all so organic. There is usually a strong temptation for developers to clearly outline the choices that can be made, essentially explaining the mission goals - where you can go and what you should do, but in Deus Ex it's a surprise to everyone. You don't know that hacking a computer and reading private letters will give you a code that allows you to defeat a tough enemy without a fight, and you don't know that a hidden item within the level will open up a previously invisible, unimaginable route to the mission goal - you you just have to go and explore.

With my sick memory, and all the places I've never been to, the fights I've missed, and the people I've never met before, going back to it a couple of years ago and playing again, it felt like it was the first time. I can't wait to play Deus Ex again in a couple of years. But you must do it now.

16. Dark Souls

Dark Souls is a masochistic RPG game. Fierce, merciless battle on the gloomy, dead earth, where the words "You're dead" start to become an old friend albeit derisive - it's a grueling gaming scumbag, but endlessly useful. Each fight is a puzzle that requires skill, good timing, and listening to enemy stories. It is exhausting, because death is always a missed attack or a misunderstanding of the opponent. But it's what makes every win worthy of a prize won, creates the potential to increase power, and move on to a new, even more difficult area.

Free form character development and enemy design highest level, both in terms of their grotesque looks and commendable cunning mechanics, as well as their sense of completion - stemming from survival despite the weirdness that Dark Souls does worth it to continue to play, despite the constant failures.

An unjustified old-fashioned game design philosophy pervades throughout the tense adventure, but it's also packed with modern complexity and scale. The different weapons and armor completely change the course of the battle and the feel of the character, with a heavy sword and heavy armor covered in armor having a huge, tangible impact on hitting and movement. Hidden throughout the vast, semi-open world are cornucopia trinkets and magical items that reward inquisitive players for their risky explorations of long-forgotten tombs and underground cities.

15 Divinity: Original Sin

The latest installment in the Divinity series from developer Larian isn't just a return to classic RPGs, it's a continuation of them. It's a modern game, but based on the classic design philosophy of games like Ultima and Baldur's Gate.

From our review of Divinity: Original Sin: “When I play Divinity, I return to my parent's office again, gleefully avoiding homework as I explore the vast city of Atkatla. I am indulging in hospitality at my friend's house by chatting with Lord British. And this is not because the game captivates me with nostalgia, but because it is able to evoke the same feelings: this delight of doing something crazy and watching it work, the surprise when an inanimate object starts talking to me and sends me to a portal that jumps around the world. There is fantasy and excitement, and these things have become rare values. But Divinity: Original Sin is full of them.”

This is an RPG game that focuses on what the genre can be, not what it has become. Where conflict isn't just about combat, where magic can be used to solve puzzles and manipulate the environment rather than just killing enemies, and where simple, non-essential quests can be turned into rewarding, huge undertakings.

And it comes with a robust editor so you can create your own adventure, and expand the game's co-op mode so you don't have to roam the world alone. Stopping the evil in him is, after all, a job for friends.

A sequel titled Divinity: Original Sin II has been posted on Kickstarter.

14. Legend of Grimrock 2

Legend of Grimrock 2 was released relatively recently, but it actually comes from a time when playing RPGs meant you needed a steady flow of graph paper and patience to draw a lot of cards.

It builds on the fine foundation laid by its impressive predecessor, taking four adventurers within a single, large dungeon and providing them with an incredibly diverse island to explore. There are towers, crypts, dungeons, forests, swamps, beaches and all sorts of fantastic locations waiting to be explored. She is huge. So big that, I confess, I needed the automap much more than in the previous game. I have so many millimeters.

Hero parties take up one tile and are essentially just their strength and combat abilities, but that's not about them. Journey through dark and damp dungeons, intense real-time combat against hideous, often hulking, monsters, the terrible fear you feel when you get lost in a maze, puzzles that sometimes require factual notes - that's what it's all about.

Class and race selection has been greatly improved, allowing parties to deter gun-wielding scammers or farmers who gain experience by eating single meals. Complete nonsense.

13. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

While my love for RPGs stems from Ultima, which is out of date on this list, I also love Baldur's Gate from developers Black Isle and BioWare. From the early issues of Baldur's Gate in 1998 to the expansion of Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal in 2001, the adventurers' succession of plans, trials and tribulations from the harsh "Sword Coast" to the opulent city of Atkatla, where magic is at mostly illegal, and beyond to the stormy kingdom of Tethura.

However, in "Baldur's Gate II" there are a lot of inaccuracies in the sequence of actions.

Dungeons & Dragons of the Land of the Forgotten Realms is meticulously recreated, filled to the brim with luxurious environments just waiting to be explored. And what are the quests in it! Hundreds of hours of rescuing villages, diving into mines, fighting mad wizards, killing gnolls, and even a trip to the Plains, explored in more detail in Planscape: The Trial, and a deadly adventure to the Underdark.

Baldur's Gate juggles wit and satire with solemnity and significance, engaging players in seemingly simple quests. It's a party of adventurers joining the hero, who of course gets none other than the notorious Minsk ranger talking to his space hamster Boo. Baldur's Gate II is also notable for having one of the best opponents of any game, John Irenicus, masterfully voiced by top notch villain stunt double David Warner. Arrogant, powerful, and disfigured with a hint of tragedy around him, Irenicus has all the hallmarks of a classic villain, and even though not present for most of the game, his influence permeates everything around him.

12 Torchlight II

If you are looking for an action RPG game, then Torchlight II is for you. There is no time for an intriguing plot or interesting characters, they will only get in the way of many - and I really mean a huge number - on the way to loot and a ruthless horde of monsters.

Torchlight II is a fast-paced game that sees its players running across the vast map, slaughtering oceans of enemies, and never stopping to catch their breath (unless you're on a fishing trip). Gold and items explode from fallen foes in absurd amounts, covering the ground with treasures and trinkets. There's always some new trinket to play with, some new, colorful armor to show off, or powerful items to buy that give the game a constant sense of advancement and trap that will keep you hooked into your world for hours.

Even though there are only four classes in the game, each of them has three separate skills associated with different combat styles that completely change the class. One of the Engineers might be a heavily armored tank, engaging with a comically large hammer, while another might be chasing enemies from afar with an equally comically large gun. Within each class, there are tons of completely different skills, inspiring experiments, and multiple playthroughs.

And, of course, everything looks bloody beautiful. It may be a game of robbery and murder, but there's no rule that says it can't be bright and colorful. The monster designs are exemplary, featuring a whole host of bizarre nasties to kill, and colossal bosses that are both mechanically and visually impressive.

"Torchlight II" also allows you to travel with a pet. Having good taste, I am never without my trusty bulldog, unless I send him to shops to sell the loot. Yes, these animals are mercantile specialists. If all this isn't worth the price of entry, then I don't know what is.

11 Mass Effect 2

Married to the sub-genres of speculative fiction and soap opera, Mass Effect 2 is BioWare's greatest achievement in terms of peace, or rather the rise of the galaxy. The exploration and pseudoscience of Star Trek, the cinematic action of Battlestar Galactica and the fantasy elements of Star Wars or the squishy science fiction of the early 20th century are all brought together and artfully combined.

Humans are newcomers who have recently joined the galactic community, and they must stir up everything around them in order to get the older races to recognize the growing threat to their existence. How do they do it? With the help of a temperamental soldier, of course. Commander Shepard is a great character because he is my character. It's impossible to characterize him because for many, he is really her, and instead of being a gray-haired, oppressed, glory-hunting hero, as was the case in my game, he or she can be cruel, a racist bastard, or a paragon of virtue that doesn't let anyone die.

There is an entire galaxy to explore, with completely realistic alien races steeped in lore, settlements to escape, smugglers to kill, or dead ends to complete. But Mass Effect 2 is really about preparing for a suicide mission against the odds. All honest company of aliens must be recruited, and their allegiance must be won, in case there is any hope of destroying a threat that most of the galaxy seems to be ignoring.

Dramatic and artful scenery, if not particularly interesting, then the team combat, underlined by the BioWare trademark, excellent dialogues and just wandering around alien locations are not a joke. Put aside your disbelief for ten minutes and you'll be on a hell of a sci-fi ride.

This page of the portal "site" contains an extensive list of RPG games with turn-based control. Each RPG from this catalog is carefully selected by us, and we are sure that all the games collected here are worth your attention! By reviewing the games in this category, you will definitely find the right game for you. Our list of turn-based RPG games combines some of the best and most memorable RPGs of all time. Games are conveniently broken down by dates from 2017 - 2016, and early years. It is also worth paying attention to our TOP 10 RPG games, for which we have selected only the best games of the genre.

site

The amount of information on games can confuse you, but we have worked it out as much as possible, and you will be able to choose the game you need with all the convenience by watching the video and screenshots, or by reading the information in detail on the corresponding page of the game. The OnyxGame website has collected a wide variety of game genres and sorted them by PC games and other platforms. Now you will definitely find only the best computer games for yourself!

Release date: 1999-2004

Genre:

Lords of War real-time strategy with role-playing elements. The gameplay consists in the construction of buildings and the creation of units to destroy the enemy, as well as the performance of additional tasks by the hero. The game takes place on the continent of Etheria. In the campaign, the player must take control of one of the twelve races and conquer all 67 regions of Etheria. In the game itself, the player takes on the role of the hero he has created. There are 12 different races available for the game, each of which has its own type of hero, unique buildings and resource dependencies.

The game has some role-playing elements, including leveling up the character and completing quests. In addition to units, the player controls a hero that is created before the game. The Hero is a unique unit that can build buildings, cast spells, and complete quests. Depending on the outcome of the battle, the hero gains experience points and levels up.

Ascension to the Throne

Release date: 2007

Genre: rpg, step-by-step strategy

A classic turn-based strategy with RPG elements, the action of which takes place in a fairy-tale fantasy world. The structure of the game combines elements of a role-playing game and a turn-based strategy. Between battles, the player moves around the game world, interacts with NPCs. All this, as well as the third-person view, the quest system and the distribution of skills is a manifestation of the classic RPG.

When entering a battle, the game enters the strategic phase. Fights take place in the same space where the player met the enemy, only divided into hexagons. The principle of combat is identical to the battles in the games of the Heroes of Might and Magic series, the only fundamental difference is that each fighter occupies a separate hexagon, so you need to consider how many fighters can hit and think about blocking in a completely different way.

SpellForce game series

Release date: 2003-2016

Genre: real time strategy, RPG

Order of the Dawn is a combination of strategy and RPG genres and focuses on role-playing elements and character development and army advancement. At the beginning of the game, the player creates the main character, chooses his gender (male or female), appearance, skill categories, and characteristics that will develop during the game. The game has the ability to control different races, which are divided into two opposite sides: light and dark. Elves, humans, gnomes and so on.

Throughout the game, you will receive experience points for a well-executed task (victory over the strongest enemy, destruction of units and camps, etc.). Points are needed to increase the level of the hero. A large number of options for the development of the main character and many allies. Tactics can change depending on the player's preference. During the passage will be able to use over 100 unique skills and spells.

Space Rangers 2

Release date: 2002

Genre: strategy, RPG, arcade

Space Rangers - tells about the confrontation between the Galactic Commonwealth. The game takes place in turn-based mode. The player's ship travels in space between planets and space stations - within one system - and through hyperspace - to travel from one system to another. Each turn in the game corresponds to an in-game day. Before pressing the "end of turn" button, the player can enter into a dialogue with the ships of the commonwealth or scan them, reinstall the equipment from the hold to the ship slot or throw it into the airlock, activate a special artifact. All these actions are performed "out of time" and do not require spending game moves.

After landing on a planet or space station, the player is able to choose between different tabs, thus moving from the hangar to the government center or equipment store. Both in space and on planets, the player always has access to three buttons that open the internal structure of his ship, the map and global ranking of rangers. The galactic map, in addition, makes it possible to choose the direction of the hyperjump to go to another system. To do this, it is necessary to fly up to the border of the system and go into hyperspace. Once in the hyper, the player is on the screen for laying the route.

Darkest Dungeon

Release date: 2016

Genre: RPG, turn-based strategy

Darkest Dungeon is a challenging gothic turn-based RPG in which characters' adventures take their toll on their mental health. You have to collect, train and lead a team of heroes, each of which has its own shortcomings. The team will need to lead through creepy forests, deserted nature reserves, collapsed crypts and other dangerous places. You will have to fight not only with unthinkable enemies, but also with stress, hunger, disease and impenetrable darkness. Uncover strange mysteries and send your heroes into battle against fearsome monsters with the help of a new strategic turn-based combat system.

Psychosis system - you have to fight not only with monsters, but also with stress! Heroes are subject to paranoia, masochism, illogical behavior, and many other conditions that affect the game. Stylish graphics, as if drawn by hand with a pen. A new turn-based combat system will push the heroes against numerous creatures of evil. Ten playable classes: a plague doctor, a savage and even a leper. A camp where you can heal wounds or give a pep talk. A city with an inn and a monastery, where exhausted heroes can relax and relieve accumulated stress. Classic features of computer RPGs: the irreversible death of heroes, dangerous dungeons and the ability to play the game multiple times.

hard west

Release date: 2015

Genre: turn-based strategy, indie

This is the Wild West like you've never seen before. A tragic set of circumstances forces the hero to take the path of revenge and chaos. He will not spare those who were cruel to him and his loved ones. Follow Warren into the darkest depths of the human soul and try to survive in a world of difficult choices and brutal consequences. Fight and survive in 8 unique scenarios and win 40 turn-based combat missions. Traveling through the game world, you will meet many colorful game characters whose fates are intricately intertwined with yours. Together you have to make decisions and reveal the plans of the ancient dark forces. A complex story can have multiple endings depending on the choices you make in the game.

Exciting Turn-Based Combat: Command a squad of up to 4 fighters and master a wide range of Western-inspired skills, from gun stunts to survival at all costs. Kill enemies on unique maps by completing difficult story missions. Get and combine special abilities. Change the course of the fight with a sophisticated cover system where you can use environmental items to gain an advantage. Maneuvering in the game is a complex and effective tactic. Shadow detection. The merciless sun will highlight the shadow of the enemy and will not let him hide. 40 types of weapons based on historical prototypes. Choose from a selection of shotguns, shotguns, pistols and sniper rifles inspired by the era.

King's Bounty

Release date: 1990-2014

In King's Bounty, the player controls one character, the type of which is chosen before the start of the game from four possible ones (Knight, Paladin, Barbarian and Sorceress). The character has certain attributes, the main of which is the army under his control, made up of various mythical creatures. The character also has the ability to use magic spells to change the course of events in one way or another.

The game features two modes: travel on the main map and battle on a special tactical map. In the first mode, the player controls the movement of the character himself through the lands where the game takes place. The second mode is activated when the character goes into battle, besieging an enemy castle or attacking one of the many wandering armies scattered across the map. The game keeps track of time in game days and weeks. The beginning of each week is marked by the debiting of money (for the use of the ship, for the maintenance of armies) and the receipt of a salary from the king. The time allotted for the game is determined by the difficulty level chosen at the beginning.

Heroes of Might and Magic

Release date: 1995-2015

Genre: turn-based strategy, RPG

In the games of the Heroes of Might and Magic series, the player has to fight other people or computer opponents for the possession of cities, resource sources, treasures and artifacts. During the game, he controls the heroes - game characters who explore the global map and lead the army of creatures during the battle, and are also able to use magic. Winning battles, the heroes gain experience, and, having gained enough of it, they move to the next level, increasing their parameters. Battles take place on land and water, in the open field and during the siege of castles, with enemy heroes and neutral creatures.

The main place of action is a global map, called the adventure map, on which game objects are located and heroes travel. The mechanics of battles throughout the series did not change much. From one to seven units in each army enter the battlefield. In one detachment, troops can only be of one type. The fight is divided into rounds. Each round, each unit takes one action. The turn order depends on the creature's speed. Speed ​​can be increased or decreased by hero abilities, artifacts, spells, and creature traits.

Warcraft III

Release date: 2002

Genre: real time strategy, RPG

The plot of the game is fully told through cutscenes and cut-scenes, and additional information can be found in the manual. The campaign is divided into five chapters: the first - teaching the very basics of the game, the rest tell the story on behalf of the people of Lordaeron, the undead, orcs and night elves. The action takes place in the fictional world of Azeroth, which is divided into 3 main continents: Kalimdor, Eastern Kingdoms and Northrend. Humans mostly live in the Eastern Kingdoms, as do Orcs; at the same time, night elves live in Kalimdor. A huge, continuous storm rages in the center of the world, called the Eternal Storm (or Whirlpool), which appeared after the destruction of the Well of Eternity.

By tradition, the campaign supplied with the game is educational in nature: the player gradually gets acquainted with the diversity of the fairy-tale world, the complexity of the tasks gradually increases, and the storyline develops accordingly. In order to show the new capabilities of the heroes, a typical representative of the class was selected from each faction, with the participation of which it is proposed to complete at least one mission. These heroes were endowed with vivid, memorable personalities, a well-developed character and backstory, and they are tied to the plot of the campaign, a series of events that had a tremendous impact on the fate of all the nations of Azeroth.

Fallout 1 and 2

Release date: 1997 and 1998

Genre: Turn-based strategy, RPG

The main feature of the gameplay is that in the game world the player has complete freedom of action - he can travel, communicate, fight, complete tasks, get the necessary information. The main action of the game takes place in separate locations (cities, dungeons, military bases and other places) located around the game world. The transition between remote locations is carried out on the world map. Locations are played in real time. The battles are in turn-based mode; the one who starts the battle gets the advantage of the first move, in the future the order of moves is determined by the order of the character's action. Some types of weapons have several attack modes (for example, machine guns can fire a single shot or a burst.

The player has an extensive set of actions. You can search cabinets, tables, corpses of people and animals, open and close unlocked doors, try to steal from any character. Characters can also be traded by selling, buying and exchanging items. Any creature can be attacked with bare hands or weapons, on any character you can use a variety of items with different consequences - for example, if you use an alcoholic drink on a person, then his perception will decrease, which makes it easier to steal; you can also set off a time bomb and put it in someone's pocket. You can have a dialogue with some of the characters. In the course of the game, the Exodus will have to break open doors, work with computers, detect traps, repair things, and for the successful implementation of all these actions, you must have the appropriate skills.

Wasteland 2

Release date: 2014

Genre: RPG, turn-based strategy

Wasteland 2 strategy with the ability to manage and upgrade the group and characters. In the game, you can choose one or another choice of actions in missions. The game takes place in the southwestern United States in the middle of the 21st century after a thermonuclear war between the superpowers of the USSR and the United States, fifteen years after the events of Wasteland. The leader of the Nevada Desert Rangers, General Vargas, sends a squad of four rookies to investigate this strange crime. From this moment, the main events of the game begin.

Wasteland 2's dialogue system is based on keywords Oh. Clicking on a keyword causes the character to say the specific phrase associated with it. The player will always know what exactly will be said, because when you hover over a keyword, the whole phrase will be visible. The composition of keywords will be associated not only with the dialogue system, but also with the role-playing one. You can replenish the "vocabulary" with the help of developed perception, reading descriptions of objects and the environment.

Disciples I, II, III

Release date: 1999-2012

Genre: turn-based strategy, RPG

All games in the series are set in a fantasy world called Nevendaar, also called the "Sacred Lands". At the beginning of the campaign, the player must choose their ruler class: warlord, archmage, or guildmaster. Each ruler has their own bonuses that determine the style of play. The gameplay includes three main components: Upgrading the player's capital, which gives access to new troops and opportunities. Learning new spells used on the strategic map. The use of heroes leading small units for reconnaissance, attack and capture territories and resources (gold and mana).

There are four playable races: Empire, Legions of the Damned, Mountain Clans, Undead Hordes. Addon "Rise of the Elves" adds a fifth - Elves. In the third game of the series, only three playable races remain - the Empire, the Legions of the Damned, and the Elven Alliance. With the advent of the Disciples 3: Resurrection add-on, the Undead Hordes appeared. The system of troops in the first game of the series became the basis for subsequent ones. Units are divided into five categories according to the way they fight: melee units can hit one enemy standing nearby; "archers" - one opponent standing anywhere; "magicians" - hit all opponents at the same time; there are also units that impose some kind of positive effect on one or all friendly warriors and "summoners".

Jagged Alliance 1,2,3

Release date: 1994-2014

The plot of the games revolves around the organization A.I.M., which provides mercenary services in hot spots around the world. An integral part is the economic component, the cash flow coming from the extraction of raw materials to pay for the work of mercenaries and militias. In additions, the emphasis is shifted to tactical battles, and not the capture and control of strategically important objects. The series has six games, three official additions to them and a dozen unofficial ones.

The player's task is to recruit a detachment of mercenaries used to conduct combat operations, explore, capture and hold new territories. The larger the territory a player owns, the more money he receives on a regular basis. The funds earned in this way are used to pay for mercenary contracts and the work of gatherers and guards. The total amount of revenue depends heavily on the external market situation, which the player cannot influence. short biography, character and role characteristics.

Operation Silent Storm

Release date: 2003

genre turn-based strategy with RPG elements

The story takes place in 1943 and is a cryptohistory of World War II. The secret organization "Hammer of Thor" (MT) is a terrorist organization whose goal is world domination. The leadership of the MT knows that it cannot be achieved as long as there are military-political alliances in the world that can resist them. So they are developing a secret weapon, the Orbital Beam Cannon. Having put this weapon into orbit, MT will be able to dictate its will to the leading countries of the world. At the beginning, the player can choose a side and a character to choose from, 12 characters of 6 nationalities are offered.

After completing the introductory task, the player is given access to the base, where the hospital, the arsenal, the chief's office and the panzerklein hangar are located. From this point on, the player can recruit a party of up to six people (including the player character) out of a total of twenty. All characters are divided into 6 classes: medic, sniper, scout, grenadier, soldier, engineer. Each specialty has its own advantages and disadvantages in battle. As you progress in the game, new types of weapons will enter the arsenal: either from warehouses or captured. The game uses an advanced physics model. The landscape can be changed, human bodies react correctly to hit from various types of weapons.

Xenonauts

Release date: 2012

Genre: turn-based strategy, tactical strategy, with RPG elements

The game takes place in an alternate world in 1979, during the Cold War, when the USSR and the United States join forces to fight an alien invasion, the gameplay is divided into strategic and tactical parts. In the strategic part, the player creates and develops bases, recruits personnel for them, conducts Scientific research, equips soldiers, fights against alien ships. The tactical part is a turn-based ground combat, tactical air combat between terrestrial fighter-interceptors and "flying saucers".

In ground missions, alternate victory conditions have been introduced, eliminating the need for the player to destroy all aliens on the map, as well as player-friendly computer-controlled soldiers. The game developers expressed their approach to tactical combat as follows: You should lose units due to your mistakes, not bad luck, so weapons like a blaster bomb that can destroy half your unit have been removed and replaced with weapons that a skilled player can resist.

Omerta: City of Gangsters

Release date: 2013

Genre: turn-based strategy, RPG,

Omerta is a gangster simulator set in 1920s Atlantic City. The player will have to open his own gangster business. The gameplay is made in the form of a strategy with a classic look; in combat mode, the game becomes a tactical strategy. The player can earn both "dirty" and "clean" money. There are quite a few ways to earn "dirty" money: this is an underground business in the form of selling beer, alcohol or weapons, organizing fights without rules and bookmakers and many other dubious entertainments; it also includes completing various tasks and trading with various residents of the city. "Clean" money is earned through legal business such as selling alcohol through pharmacies, money laundering, or renting out residential buildings.

Sometimes the player will have to engage in a fight with the police, bandits from other groups according to the plot. The player, depending on the situation, can hire bandits in his squad and equip them with firearms, melee and explosive weapons. Weapons can be purchased from the sheriff. Each bandit available for hire in the game has its own unique skills, each weapon allows you to inflict two or three types of attacks. Sometimes, in case of defeat, the bandits end up in prison, from where the player can later release them if desired. With each victory, the hero and his henchmen gain a new level and improve their abilities.

7.62

Release date: 2007

Genre: Tactical RPG, Real Time Strategy

The player takes on the role of an experienced mercenary hired to find and deliver to his customers the fugitive oligarch Ippolit Fakirov. According to the plot of the game, Fakirov deceived many respected people in his homeland and fled to Algeira. The player will have to contact both the partisans and the official authorities to find out where Fakirov is. The campaign is non-linear - the player can play the game either on the side of a faction or independently. The main feature of the game is tactical combat, where, by controlling a small squad (up to 6 people), the player solves various tactical tasks.

Large selection of weapons and equipment. All weapon models presented in the game have real prototypes, equipped with a brief but detailed description. The game also realistically presents the characteristics of weapons, adjusted for range. Since the maps are relatively small, their dimensions are 250-300 meters in length, the ranges of weapons are proportionally reduced so that only the most long-range samples can conduct effective fire across the entire map. You can capture settlements and raise militia there. Thus, you can go through the whole game, fighting for yourself.

This page of the "site" portal contains an extensive list of tactical games with RPG elements. Each tactical game in this catalog has been carefully selected by us, and we are sure that all the games collected here are worth your attention! By reviewing the games in this category, you will definitely find the right game for you. Our list of tactical games with RPG elements combines the best and most memorable tactical games of all time. Games are conveniently broken down by dates from 2017 - 2016, and early years. It is also worth paying attention to our TOP 10 tactical video games, for which we have selected only the best games of the genre.

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The amount of information on games can confuse you, but we have worked it out as much as possible, and you will be able to choose the game you need with all the convenience by watching the video and screenshots, or by reading the information in detail on the corresponding page of the game. The OnyxGame website has collected a wide variety of game genres and sorted them by PC games and other platforms. Now you will definitely find only the best computer games for yourself!