RPG Game Suggestions Please - Struggling at the moment....

[shukla]

Hi guys,

I very recently started getting back into single player games (Finally quit LoL.... don't ask) and I realised that I mostly enjoy RPGs. I'm open to other genres but nothing scratches that itch like an RPG.

So I'm in this position where I'm in a drought. I've played through Elden Ring, Dark Souls Series, Pillars of Eternity Series, Divinity Original Sin Series, Pathfinder Series, Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3 etc.. I've played most of the classic RPGs as well, including the old infinity engine games, as well as Skyrim.

[Mod edit: hidden spam edited, poster banned.]

At the moment I'm playing Horizon Zero Dawn, but the RPG elements are very limited... and I'm finding myself not as engaged in the game anymore.

Please can you suggest some RPG games or Series that might be good for me to try? I'm eagerly awaiting Baldur's Gate 3 but they have been teasing me for two years now, with no signs of a release date.

 

[Brian Boru]

Not a RPG guy, altho I like RPG-lite elements like in the Far Cry games, but these might help:

https://www.pcgamer.com/best-rpgs-of-all-time/

https://www.pcgamer.com/best-action-rpg-pc/

ETA:
Have you explored the mods for games you've played and liked? Mods can seriously change or freshen gameplay, or make it a completely new game.

Maybe the Survival genre might suit?

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-survival-games-on-pc/

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-problem-with-survival-games/

 

[Zloth]

At the moment I'm playing Horizon Zero Dawn, but the RPG elements are very limited... and I'm finding myself not as engaged in the game anymore.

There's a real dry patch between getting out of your starting area and the Tower of Lore Revelation. (Well, that's not the name of the tower, but that's it's effect.) Once you finally start finding out what "zero dawn" really means, the game improves a lot, IMHO.

Horizon: Zero Dawn in that common AAA style where you've got a somewhat limited list of skills to get in an action game. Arkham Batman games, recent Assassin Creed games, Tomb Raider reboot games, Control, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor/War... there's a boatload of them.

Anyway, to your question.... there's sooo many! Sounds like you've played quite a few, too. In fact, you've played just about everything I've played. You're going to have to go to the <ahem> somewhat janky games to continue your RPG fix.

• Gothic 2: the quintessential Piranha Bytes game. They've got a lot more games and this one is pretty old, but I liked it best out of all they've done so far. If you need something newer, try ELEX.
• Solasta. I haven't gotten to play it yet, but I keep hearing good things. Like the old Neverwinter games, there are a bunch of fan-made adventures.
• Wildermyth. Another I haven't played yet but I'm pretty confident will be fun. It's quite different, though, so read up on what it's about.
• Tower of Time. Gets kinda dull about half way through, but it has a very interesting battle system where you can slow down and speed up time. I thought it was worth it just to see how the system played out.
• Wasteland 3: That one isn't janky, and the music is really good! It isn't an easy game to play, but you've got more than enough background to deal with it.
• Yakuza 0. Very different - it's something of a fighting game crossed with a JRPG. Really intense main story crossed with completely whacky sidequests.
• Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Mods are a must just to get this one working, but it has great atmosphere and is pretty fun.
• Final Fantasy 7: my favorite of the Final Fantasy series. The original is complete, but the graphics are old. Still, the story (once it gets going) is incredibly good and the materia magic system allows for fun combinations. The Remake is far from complete, and the battles are more actiony, but the materia system is alive and well and the story is (so far) largely intact with some extra fleshing out, too.
• Disco Elysium: another on my "everyone says it's good so I guess I should play it" list.

Outside the genre....

If a big part of the fun you're having in RPGs is building up characters, you might like building up empires as well. Maybe try the 4X genre with games like Civilization (don't ask which, that's how wars start ) or Endless Space.

If a big part of your fun is exploration, Subnautica does that extremely well, and throws some survival elements to give you a reason to explore. Outer Wilds does, too, though it throws in some puzzles and light platforming instead of survival.

 

[Pifanjr]

I agree with most of @Zloth's suggestions. I really liked Piranha Bytes' Risen games as well. I would also add Kingdom Come: Deliverance to the list.

Instead of 4X games I would suggest trying Crusader Kings first if you want to try empire building, as it has more of a RPG feeling to it. The latest game is Crusader Kings 3, but the base game of Crusader Kings 2 is free to play, so you can try that out as a sort of demo. Though do note that there's about $300 worth of DLC for Crusader Kings 2 that add a lot of mechanics and content, so the base game is pretty minimal compared to playing with all of the expansions.

Have you tried the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series yet? I assume so, but you didn't name them.

Gloomhaven digital might be worth checking out. It was free on Epic a few weeks ago, so if you've been getting their free games you might already own it. It's a digital adaptation of a board game, so it doesn't have much of a story, but the mechanics are great.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Great suggestions above.

@shukla I played and enjoyed all the games mentioned in the OP, so you may find you enjoy some of these too.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is definitely worth a try, its maybe my favourite From game. Otherwise there's a lot of crossover between Souls and Nioh fans, although I couldnt get into the first game personally when I tried it, I do intend to go back. I liked The Surge 2 quite a bit, but I haven't tried the first game.

As you seem to like turn based combat, you might enjoy Xcom. I preferred the second game and its on sale here for 4.99 which is 100% worth a punt. Seems like you also enjoy challenge as well as turn based combat, so Battle Brothers worth a go as well.

 

[Zloth]

Instead of 4X games I would suggest trying Crusader Kings first if you want to try empire building, as it has more of a RPG feeling to it.

Is that about building an empire or is it more of a game about using breeding techniques on the aristocracy?

How did I forget to mention Kingdom Come: Deliverance!? Oh - I know how. I got it on GoG, but I was only looking through my Steam list. Gotta bring Galaxy up when answering these sorts of topics!

 

[Brian Boru]

OP spammed and is banned. It's very possible question wasn't genuine, but some good answers so we're keeping the thread on public view in the forum—may be useful to y'all or future visitors.

 

[DragonSlayer6386]

I recommend to play Divinity 2: Developer's Cut. This game is one and only Divinity game which is not isometric RPG.

 

[MartynT]

Have you had a look at Red Dead Redemption 2? I also hear the Plague Tale games are good. Btw, I am having the same experience as you, i.e. looking for my next hit but I'm struggling to find it. I'm off the back of a long Elden Ring run which I thoroughly enjoyed & feel nothing will live up to this game. I'm currently playing Thymesia which is fun but not exactly hitting the spot. Ones to watch out for are Bleak Faith, Lies of P & Blight Survival. I think Lies of P is scheduled to be released early next year but not sure about the other 2.

 

[Zloth]

I'm off the back of a long Elden Ring run which I thoroughly enjoyed & feel nothing will live up to this game.

Pop over to the Completed Games thread and tell us why!