Best RPG Series Of All Time

Final Fantasy as a whole reshaped how RPG story telling, gameplay and presentation are created. It gave the video game industry a whole new criteria for fantasy genre based games and gave us some of the most memorable stories, characters and locations in ANY media form.

Ff7 almost 15 years after.. Still the best.. The absolut perfect music...
Atmosphere... Story..

Its fun. But the dialog goes on and on. If I wanted to read that much I'd go to a library...

Oblivion is not the only badass rpg. Morrowind and for hardcore gamers daggerfall are good too (I could say arena but I don't now much about it). In fact The elder scrolls aren't just good. IS THE BEST GAME SERIES EVER MADE! Elder scrolls games are the only game I can play without boring... So TES FOR EVER!

Oblivion will most likely always be my favorite RPG. The graphics, gameplay and character development combined with an environment that was as rich as it was large made Oblivion an epic RPG experience. These traits have been the hallmarks of the Elder Scrolls series and I can only hope the trend continues.

Choose your race.
Choose your signs
DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT! Check out that cave. Stab that shop-owner. Climb up that castle. Become master of the assasins guild. Ride a horse. Fireball an imperial soldier. EXPLORE THE WORLD!

evergrey123

Zelda ain't an rpg, besides zelda 2 which has a level up system, but Zelda is amazing none the less, The Zelda series is truly a masterpiece, I've grown up with these games and the memories spending countless hours playing these games is timeless, the Legend of Zelda truly is a legend that will not be forgotten.

Legend of zelda is immense. No matter if you played elder scrolls or final fantasy when you grew up, it is almost impossible that you did not play at least one zelda game whilst growing up. To top that off, the familiar characters, storyline, amazing soundtrack AND the fact that its one of Nintendo's joint three most recognisable franchises, it just can't be beaten.

I don't know if it'd be considered an RPG but it's awesome none the less...

quazzie834

This should be on first place, along with planescape torment. Anything else is blasphemy! =P

Best RPG ever made. Graphics may not be great but the quality of the story and wide range of possibilities makes the game unique. I remember spending hours just on the character creation screen.

Awesome. When ever I think of gaming excellence this is it. No other game I have ever played as been an experience quite like Baldur's Gate or quite as good.

What separates Fallout 1 & 2 from all the other so-called "RPGs" out there is that they are actual, genuine, and above all, original role-playing games. Whatever you did and said affected the outcome of a certain situation, or in some cases, even the final outcome of the game. It's a pity that Fallout 3 does not share this trait with its predecessors by being more shoot-em-up and less role-playing -oriented.

To Fallout 1 & 2, the two greatest role-playing games on Earth!

One of the greatest if not the greatest rpg of all time on the pc

You know... Characters like Harold, Tandi, and of course player character are not often seen in games. There's no better characters in any game. Must play!

Nothing really tops the narrative style of BioWare. Those guys know how to make unbelievable games. This one might take the cake for me because of it being such a great Star Wars game and a great RPG. I recommend this game to anyone who is considering RPGS to play and hasn't tried it yet.

While following a clear storyline, this felt like one of the most personal RPGs I've ever played. Aside from that, it was able to take the turn-based method and make it exciting again for many who had never experienced the RPG genre before.

PC rpgs are made today to meet KOTOR's standard. Story, theme, game play, item and level-up systems are ideal.

Lol, lots of childhood memories, I remember beating the elite 4 67 times on pokemon red and still kept playing!

dragon13304

This is a very good game. I managed to evolve my first Pidgey into a Pidgeotto and into a Pigeot, and trained it all of the moves and leveled it up to level 80 AND beat the Elite 4 with it on Pokemon Yellow!

THE BIGGEST game series ever. In terms of sheer of sheer amount to do on the games. There's not many game when you can over the maximum time the game will show (999:59) and STILL not be finished.

Best RPG EVER!

Yetaxa

By far the best RPG I have ever played... And I have played many. Perfect music and storyline to match. This game actually helped shape me into the person I am today. Seems ridiculous...? Play it and I doubt you'll argue.

Fantastic storyline and atmospheric music. I have many great memories of pulling all-nighter sessions with friends to complete the game in mulit-player.

awesome music good story and it is an action-rpg which makes it more entertaining for me

Suikoden 2 has the best story in all of the rpg games I've played so far. With a unique recruiting system, alternate endings, missable items, and clive sidequest, it was a good experience playing this.

Too underrated, the only reason why its not #1 because its not popular, In fact Suikoden 2 is actually one of the best ever made well for me at least. The emotions of the story are just too powerful definitely the best game ever.

I say that this game is release too fast. Especially suikoden II. I said that because the graphic is not really good. But the storyline and the gameplay is so AWESOME! So awesome that even though the graphic is not that good, we still see this game as the best game we ever played. And the mystery in suiko world makes me really curious. The best RPG ever!

I second this. All those console games ARE NOT real RPGs. Yeah, you level-up, but that does not constitute an RPG. There are no real "choices" in games like FF.

Great story telling and probably the only good D&D based game. I spent hours on the campaign online with my friends.

Please, let's limit ourselves to the only REAL role-playing games in this list (Neverwinter Nights 1-2 & Might and Magic series) and the only platform for serious gamers: the PC. Let's get rid of that childish console crap once and for all!

fire emblem is quite amazing. sacred stones is the best one by far. that game was infinitely entertaining.

deadgrass27

Yea, the tactical turn-by-turn series. My favorite's Rekka no Ken.

A perfect mix of strategy and warfare. I have the sacred stones for GBA and it is AWESOME!

anonymous

This is just the best Blizzard game ever until now. There's no way someone can't enjoy the monster-slaying it gives to you, neither the way that you can ignore or pay full attention to the story, depending on what you want from it.

Diablo was the first of it style of game and influenced the rpg genre today, Diablo based off the board game dungeon and dragons.

Without Diablo all the main mmorpg wouldn't be made. They are all break away's from diablo

I was a hardened diablo fanatic. from the first game, until the last (unless blizzard finally get off their asses and make diablo 3). for 6 n a half years straight. I loved this game. in terms of quality and enjoyment of gameplay, its the best I've ever had.

Cars in Gothic? Did you really played it dude ;)?
Nevertheless - Gothic 1 and 2 are maybe the best genuine RPGs ever made, 100% open world gameplay.. enjoy it

This game is just EPIC. The germans know how to create wonderful RPGs!

Great story, easy interface, steering a little bit too complicated. But 100~~ open world just put me to my knees. The game still rocks! Enjoy

Free and no download required. Kwl kay.

Very good quality game play, it should be at least 4th on this list because it is free and there is no download whatsoever required to play, it has the largest base of players which also means it is the most popular and the graphics have really improved over the last couple years.!

The world's most popular free MMORPG and not even in the top ten! Runescape is a game for a serious and committed gamer who wishes to explore 26 skills combat and non-combat wise. With thousands upon thousands of hours of gameplay and limitless paths to take, you can never fully take it all in. That's what makes Runescape unique and worthwhile.

hands down.. the most immersive RPG universe ever seen!

completed it 5 times at least and enjoyed every single play through

Best RPG games.. only reason why its not in top 10 is we are missing the last chapter.. if it is at the same lvl as the first 2 then its easily top 5

In my opinion chrono trigger is the best rpg ever made, the story is awesome, the musics are wonderful. Akira Toryama made the characters, there are several ends. This game should be more famous.

One of the best games I've ever played. This should definitely be in the Top 10!

So far only consists of two games, Chrono Trigger and Crono Cross which is very popular

A truly epic story and tactical mastery in gameplay.

Best game ever. The storyline and graphics are truly amaizing. I can play the game over and over again and never get bored of it.

Story is amazing. Bioware did it again!

Without a doubt the best storyline EVER written for a video game (not only RPG). The literary quality here is even superior to most books and movies.
The setting is fantastic, many doubted that the planescape setting would work on well on a video game, but it does. It is not so focused on fighting, like Baldur's Gate and other similar games, but some fights are truly epic given the context, they happen at the right time and the right. Too much "epicness" get's boring after a while, here the whole thing evolves on a perfect pace, alternating between slow parts and growing to reach authentic gaming climax... Just perfect, the best game EVER created, period.

Amazing storyline, amazing, diverse characters... Just a perfect game. Planescape Torment, Nuff said!

This game deserves more... It's story is one of the greatest I've ever seen. That flying skull cracks me up all the time, the gloomy atmosphere is also a brilliant way to suck you in.

Most people don't pay attention to KH because they think its for little kids since it has disney characters but maybe a third of the people in my school play this (im in middle school) and also it has one of the best rpg characters SORA!
All my cousins play the KH series!

I cry when I hear the music,it is just astounding I want to get the next one when it comes back.

I think its the best pg game of all time because me personally am a disney fan and a game with pluto mickey pete daffy duck and goofy and a awesome story line 2 boot I can't wait till number 3 comes out I'm buying it the first day

All it needs is to drink more from magic the gathering in next expansions and it will be perfect!

That's nice. I myself play world of warcraft.
I must say it is very good. I just started playing it!

Be serious, best selling, largest community on the Earth, biggest in game world, good graphics, easy control, most addicted game, BUT, is not RPG is the best MMORPG.

I'm always trying to find new games similar to this series. The animation, Story, Gameplay, Sound, Just everything is great. Number 1 in my opinion.

This has to be without a doubt one of the best game series ever for its amount of games produced. The music is unbelievable the game play is like nothing people have ever seen before.

The best new rpg to come out since FFVII is Tales of Symphonia

Here is why Golden Sun is the BEST and the MOST EPIC RPG I love most:
-The Story is just... Epic, the characters are growing into your heart, and the story makes your courage stronger.
-The music is so awesome: it makes your courage and adrenalin much stronger, and you can't stop hearing it! For example: Venus Lighthouse. And the music makes the game ambiance and atmosphere epic and stronger.
-Battle system and GBA graphics: normally, I don't care about graphics, but CAMELOT always uses the best graphics. The battle system is one of the best as well.
-Long Gameplay:
Well, the name says everything: The game is very long and you'll spend much time playing it.

This is truly a masterpiece. One of Nintendo's diamonds, one of the best games I've ever played. It has one of the best storilines, and its song are this kinda songs you keep in your mind

One of the most epic games of all time

sharp10

+15 great games, 3 ok games and dozens of related games (like Heroes of Might and Magic I-V) for computers and consoles. A decade of RPG fun.

I have found the best games in the series to be: MM6, MM8 and MM9, but I loved all MM6-MM9 games. I recommend them to any RPG fun. The characters' skills are well balanced, the quests are numerous. Too bad that 3DO does not exist any longer to develop the series. UBISOFT just destroyed the series with that so called MM10 which has nothing to do with any previous game and also Heroes of Might and Magic V is far bellow IV in strategy (except graphics which is better)

Loved these games. Darkside of Xeen (no.5) kept me mesmerised for years as a kid, it was such a harsh and unforgiving environment, with epic adventure music and beautiful imaginative 256 colour graphics. The quests, characters, items were all very engrossing and well balanced. plenty of humor and riddles strewn along the way make this one of my all time favourites. Might and magic 3,4 and 6 also deserve mention, being of excellent calibre, though not quite on the same level as the epicness of MM5.

Shin Megami Tensei for the win. Persona is just epic. I've played Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3 and 4 and would recommend them to anyone, they even put Final Fantasy to shame in my honest opinion. Haven't played the other titles, but they aren't as popular and get lower ratings from what I've seen, so I'm happy with my Persona.

Occult themed games with mature stories.A few titles in the series are Nocturne,Devil summoner,Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 etc

So underrated. Great game and after I beat it I was begging for a sequel. If you give it a chance you will be begging for another game as well! It definitely tops Final Fantasy. Swag

Best RPG I've ever played. The story is great, and the battle system is very refreshing. My cousins and I had a hard time beating the final boss, we all took turns trying to take him down, I finally got him on my third try. It's worth beating him just to see the ending, which pulls on your heart strings.

This is Sickening this is the only rpg game I have ever "beat" I've been stuck on the final boss for like 4years I was trying daily for like 2 weeks then sorta gave up and have been doing it off and on this game is #1

I have fond memories of playing Star Ocean 2 with my best friend in elementary school. Years later I had forgotten its name and could find it until after I had completed its sequel. Star Ocean 3 is by far the most popular in the series. It was also the game that got me hooked on JRPGs forever. I enjoyed the characters, the combat (despite the fact you can only use 3 characters at a time), the intriguing worlds and plot (including the plot twist, though I admit that triace could have made it a whole lot better).

Moving onto the series as a whole. I have yet to complete the first and second installments, but I've finished the fourth and I love the whole series. The combat is brilliant; grinding is a lot more tolerable in SO than it is in other games. Generally the characters and plot have been pretty good as well; minus 4, whose characters and voice acting seemed almost unbearable at times (e.G. edge, Lymle respectively), but even that one was still quite enjoyable overall. But despite the series' shortcomings it's hard not to say the same for many other JRPGs.

Tlr?
I love this series

One of the greatest rpg series I've played in my life. It's sad that so many people don't know about this great series.

I don't know about the first ones, but Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time is possibly my favorite rpg of all time. Compelling story and addictive battle system, plus deep and interesting characters.

+4Unlike a lot of games on this list, the Ultima games are actually RPGs... Not on-the-rails melodramas with loads of fighting (JRPGs) and Zelda, which is an action/adventure! There is no doubt that JRPGs were originally influenced by games like Ultima I and IV, but they never developed beyond it, and while they may be fun for a while, they ultimately become tedious and boring. There are notable exceptions like Chrono Trigger, but even some of the most celebrated JRPG titles like FFVII don't stand up to scrutiny when you come back to them with more gaming experience and shrug off the nostalgia. So why are the Ultima games RPGs? It's mainly because you get plonked into a big, bad world and can do what you like. I don't consider the on-the-rails linear nature of most JRPGs to really give you the chance to roleplay at all... When I'm controlling a character and being forced by the game to attempt to kill an ally as part of an exploitative and contrived adolescent plot (you know what game I'm talking about) I don't fell like I'm the one in charge. I'm not role-playing at all. All I'm doing is fighting, playing mini-games and watching sequences that drive forward a plot with a ridiculous amount of twists and turns - so many, in fact, that all they're for is to unsubtly manipulate your emotions and draw you in. There's nothing complex in any of this, it's all rather crude and juvenile. So what do you have left, gameplay wise? The battles, levelling and collecting stuff. This can be fun but it's a mistake on the part of any reviewer to allow their vocabulary to be limited to the limited grammar of these games. Unfortunately, with the likes of FFVII, it's too bloody easy and no challenge whatsoever. It is to the credit of the developers that they've managed to keep the whole affair interesting all the way through given its dearth of actual gameplay. It seems to be a common pattern in modern game design: provide so much content and variety to keep boredom at bay and make it so easy that completing the game is only a matter of putting in the hours. In the end, if you're happy with the entertainment you get, then so what? Bad games can be fun too provided they excel somewhere other than gameplay.

To sum up this comment, I'm not rating the Ultima series as the best there is because " it's like the most awesomeist RPG ever and should really be number one", rather I'm saying it deserves to be among the true greats because:
1. It is an actual role playing game.
2. It has been highly influential, probably the inspiration for JRPGs as well as many on the PC side of the stable. The first Ultima's forgiving gameplay (resurrection on death) as well as its hub-style design surely influenced gaming in general, as did the more complex plotting of later Ultima games.
3. In many respects, some of the games (The Underworlds, Ultima VII III, Ultima VI) have not been equalled for immersion. Planescape: Torment gets a mention as an exception, but it's depressing how the pinnacle of gaming, where games at least try to be thought-provoking and philosophical, has now been eschewed for blockbuster explosions and melodrama. Broad strokes, to be sure. If you wish to criticise (hopefully to contribute to the debate rather than debase it), please don't do so unless you have broad gaming experience that takes in most of the main JRPGs as well as many PC-style ones, especially the likes of Ultima, Torment, Fallout, Wasteland.

Better finish off by stating that even though I don't think the Zelda series qualifies as RPGs, Most of the games are great (excepting the by-the-numbers Twilight Princess and the risible Phantom Hourglass).

+1Ultima VII I & II = Complete Freedom. Great history and plot, rune alphabet is something awesome... the real sensation to be there is unique... ships, weapons, hidden treasures... all at the reach of your hand for the first moment if you know where to find them... no linear or level restriction to use a weapon...

This were truly RPGs...

+1From the earliest days of computer RPG gaming to Ultima Online which still has a loyal and active following today a truely groudbreaking series.

only game other than ffVII that has been able to pull me in and keep me for years!

+6The best RPG game on the PSX! And one of the greatest games of all time!

+4I Remember finding this game by chance. (always been a a fan of square's games) Tried it out and damn was I surprised? The in depth storyline and character progression! The problems the in game world had was almost like an mirror to our own ''world'' anyways the game itself was so great that I (A great FF fan at that! ) must say it kind of beats some of my old favorites.

+2Most epic story I've ever seen in a video game, and this game only tells Episode V out of six episodes in the entire Xenoverse! If you're like me and value story in an RPG, this game has a really high re-playability.

lolz this list sucks, if you have played all of the above you KNOW that grandia does not belong at the bottom, morons

um... have u guyz ever even played grandia...ok the first one is alrite, but the second and the third are sick. Think i should belong in 1st place. If u disagree then play it then think again.

Dragon Quest really is a RPG Series, unlike many listed here, and deserves much better than 32nd place

I play tested Dragon Warrior I for NES. I hated it at the time, but played it some months later and ended up enjoying it.

Final Fantawhat? Never heard of it... There is no RPG like DRAGON WARRIOR 1, where you play ALONE, and EXPLORE a classic world, full of classic monsters. There are no girls. There is no party. It's you VS all, just the way I like it.

+1I'm extremely shocked that D&D isn't at the top of this list. How quickly people forget their roots, and this series is what started it all.

MovieSounds

The best RPG is still the original RPG.

Squidyak

“The characters were solid, the mazes amazing, the puzzles difficult

“yes i agree phantasy star is one of the greatest rpg games i am a level 91 and the game never gets boring with online

If you are referring to ARCANUM of steamworks and magick I refuse to believe anyone whose actually played it would put it this low. If this was not the game intended get off your butt and give the game a try. It will blow your little RPG mind with the creativity and redefining game tactics.

Great story, great character building, and many interesting quest's and NPC's!

This RPG with a really original world, a mix of industrialization and medieval magic, should be rated a lot higher. I spent days and days hooked on it.

Shining Force should be at least in the top ten.

Good lord I played this a lot as a kid. I turned it on thinking that it wouldn't be as good in retrospect but here I am talking about it! Top ten material.

Shining Force III in par with FFVII counterwighted through battle-system, storyline and replay value.

WAAA!!!!!
The one of the greatest RPG series ever!!!!!!!!!!

Why is this ranked so low? Maybe because it's just not as commercially popular, but Breath of Fire 2 was THE TRUTH! It had the best characters, the story went at a great pace, awesome graphics... it was simple, but interesting at the same time. This should be higher.

One was awesome, Two was just plain alright....

+1Another long lived series of very good games from SirTech

Wizardry VII is by far the best RPG there ever was. It mixes rpg and adventure genres into a perfect blend. So many items, so many special abilities, great automapping system and a huge world with unique atmosphere.

WIZARDRY 8 IS AWESOME!!! A TRUE RPG! CHOICES, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, STUFF AND MORE STUFF!!

Omg... How is this not higher. Probably one of the best stories ever created. And the characters? SOO in depth. Battle system is the most insane though. God this deserves way way betteer than.2~~ :( breaks my heart

best rpg series of all time as the title of the thread said with historical, mythological, literature involved

ronluna

Lenneth and Silmeria are not ones to be forgotten...

Its still the best RPG with a mix of Hack n SLay and beautiful story.

An overwhelming credit to the computer RPG genre.

It's a pity it came out so late in the SNES' life and only came out in select English speaking countries.

The excellent story, great atmosphere, music and controls make most of today's games poor in comparison.

TERRANIGMA!!!!! THE BEST RPG EVER MADE!!! PLAY IT OR LOSE OUT!!! A GAME PACKED WITH RAW EMOTION AND IRRESISTIBLE MUSIC!!!!

+1Games ranging from Disgaea to Phantom Brave.

Nippon Ichi Software makes great Rpg's but they are underrated.
they deserve WAY more attention then final fantasy and so

This game will always be one of my favorites.

Great game from Nintendo too bad Mother isn't in English. It can be downloaded to a computer, however.

Random and Sarah forever... started in 2001 and they are still together 10 years after, no other RPG characters match that!

AlphaX

The grand-daddy of them all.. Seriously this was the first game to ever make me jump.. Full of atmosphere, excellent balance of gameplay and generally awesome.. An oldie but surely a goldie..

Shadow hearts is good, shadow hearts covenant is brilliant, where do you see humor and darkness combined like this? Both are on ps2 but it helps if you have played koudelka on ps1 first

this game has a really simple but awesome and brilliant plot
it's plot is brilliant like xenogears but it uses real history and it isn't nearly as complicated but still brilliant and fun :D

blargityish

The only RPG that captured my attention... those Final fantasy series are such a boredom...

TheNextGreatestRockStar

“Far too underappreciated. When played from start to finish, you'll find one of the most complex universes created, and an epic tale that cannot be missed!

“best futuristic rpg, with awesome real rpg combat and battlesequence, every maker should learn from this!!

This was the my first RPG ever with stunning game play and story. It was quite sad for me that no one has listed this game in the top ten.

Well I only remember one Megaman RPG other than the obvious, Megaman Legends, and it was Megaman x: Command mission. I loved that game so much.

Original themes and awesome storytelling. Add in a little bit of good music to it and you’ve got yourself a great series.

come on A real gem I consider it better then FF at this point

This is incredible. I just finish F.M 4 three times and F.M 5 once.
It's very hard to complete it!

“It is the best RPG of all times. Just play on Realms of Arcania II and you'll agree with me.

Yea, Symphonia, Vesperia, Destiny, Eternia, Hearts, Graces, Abyss, you name it, this is it! For the line of amazing games by Namco!

I'm not sure if this is an RPG game but it is definitely the best game on this list. It was a very fun game to beat and Pit is the best Nintendo Character, Luigi's a close second though.

A really fun action RPG that doesn't get enough recognition today. It may have looked like a common platformer but it was so much more than that. It had great music, a compelling story, and you could improve Pit as you played. Sure it was difficult but you had a real sense of accomplishment when you beat the game.

“Not the greatest, but I found this a challenge, only because every step taken was a random battle. I liked houw you had to figure out where to go next on your own, and it didn't throw it in your face.

Puzzles were there. :)

One of the best RPGs for PC of all time, plagued by early bug issues back when you had to get patches on disk sent via snail mail. The final version was an awesome game.

I've never played but Samus is pretty

“great strategy play, not big on graphics but big on gameplay!

I remember when I was at my friends house and played Lunar 1 for the psx. I would have completed it but the game was scratched and we couldn't play it but the first time I saw it, no words could describe how amazed I was by this game. So I decided to look it up and realized there was a sequel, I had to get it. I popped that disk in as fast as I could when I first got my hands on it. I was blown away by how much better the sequel was then the original. The story, battle system, music, everything was phenomenal. Then came Dragon Song and I was like... What is this? The lunar series got "demoralized" because of this, and probably the gba version of Lunar 1. When Lunar 1 was remade for the PSP I actually didn't think someone could pull it off but they did. Almost everything was same except for some added details to the storyline. Will there be a Lunar 2 remake or even a Lunar 3? Who knows.

Lunar eternal blue and Lunar silver star story complete. Revolutionized the genre in my opinion. It took full advantage of the fact that the sega cd it was originally released on had unparalelled for the time 2d graphics abilities. And when re-released on the psx it was still amazing. I was a die hard square enix fan. But then I saw a little company now bankrupt called Working Designs. I wish to this day that company had not gone bankrupt and closed it's doors. The amazing pc games we might have seen.R.I.P. working designs.