EpicRPGTales launches its Best RPGs list as an RPG Hall of Fame, where we add new inductees over time and write articles championing each one.
Role-playing games have been at the forefront of video game history, and we now have decades of absolute classics. Some games in the genre have caused massive cultural shifts, and some are simply time-tested pillars of RPG greatness. The critical thing to remember is that they are all reasons why we love the RPG genre, and they deserve to be celebrated.
So EpicRPGTales begins its own RPG Hall of Fame, collecting the best RPGs of our time.
This article will eventually contain every major RPG that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, each with links to a dedicated article for that game. So if you don’t see it here yet, chances are it will be in time.
We kick things off by inducting our first five best RPGs into the Hall of Fame. Each is from a different time in RPG history, but all are important to the genre in their own way.
RPG Hall of Fame Inductees: The Best RPGS of All Time
Dragon Quest
Released: 1986
Developer: Chunsoft
Publisher: Enix/Nintendo
Format: Nintendo Entertainment System
Dragon Quest Provided the Building Blocks of the JRPG Genre
The humble origins of an entire sub-genre, the JRPG blueprint that’s Dragon Quest, may not be the best game in the series, but it’s the first domino in the JRPG line.
Final Fantasy VII
Released: 1997
Developer: Square
Publisher: PlayStation/Square
Format: PS One, PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Final Fantasy VII Dragged the RPG Into the Mainstream
You could argue that any number of Final Fantasy games should be first on this list. Final Fantasy VII gets the nod because, well, look at what it did for the genre. Hell, look what it did for video games in general. When we talk of massive cultural shifts in the genre, Final Fantasy VII is one of the biggest in video games, whether in RPGs or otherwise. It’s always in conversation to be one of the best RPGs of all time.
Demon’s Souls
Released: 2009
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Format: PS3
Demon’s Souls Represents the Emergence of a Modern RPG Giant
Dark Souls was undoubtedly the breakout moment for FromSoftware’s challenging brand of action RPG, but Demon’s Souls is the blueprint for everything the developer has done in the years since its release. These days FromSoftware is consistently making some of the best RPGs around.
Undertale
Released: 2015
Developer: Toby Fox
Publisher: Toby Fox
Format: PC, PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
RPG Hall of Fame: Undertale is the Defining RPG of the Social Media Age
In one of the greatest years for RPGs, a humble Earthbound tribute was the shot in the arm the genre needed. Undertale is the RPG of the social media age. A game that has transcended its medium in a manner unlike any other before or since.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Released: 2023
Developer: Larian Studios
Publisher: Larian Studios
Format: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
RPG Hall of Fame: Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Perfect Bridge to Tabletop RPGs
Larian had steadily built up a reputation as one of the new era’s great RPG developers thanks to the Divinity: Original Sin series, but its Dungeons & Dragons universe RPG Baldur’s Gate 3 took its formula to unprecedented new heights. Years of Early Access helped build one of the defining RPGs of the 2020s.
Mass Effect
Released: 2007
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Format: Xbox 360, PS3, PC (remaster on PC, PS4 & Xbox One)
RPG Hall of Fame: Mass Effect Took the Genre on a Star Trek
BioWare was already a big name in the RPG space thanks to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, but Mass Effect arguably proved more important to the developer, the RPG genre, and to Xbox as a brand. Blending the narrative-heavy focus of JRPGs with a Western mindset for everything else.
Shenmue
Released: 1999
Developer: AM2
Publisher: SEGA
Format: Dreamcast (Remaster on PS4, Xbox One, and PC)
RPG Hall of Fame: Shenmue Lets Life Get in the Way of Revenge
Shenmue represents SEGA’s last big swing before its demise as a console maker. The ambitious RPG let you play as Ryo, a martial arts aficionado out to find his father’s killer. But he also enjoys playing arcade games and driving forklifts in his spare time.
Akalabeth: World of Doom
Released: 1980
Developer: Richard Garriot (as Lord British)
Publisher: California Pacific Computer Company
Format: Apple II, MS-DOS
RPG Hall of Fame: How Akalabeth World of Doom Set Standards for the RPG Genre
A teenager’s school project gave birth to a landmark RPG that would ultimately spawn one of the most significant RPG series of all time: Ultima. Richard Garriot’s Akalabeth may not look like much today, but its impact can certainly still be felt in modern RPGs of all kinds.
