The Dungeons & Dragons tabletop franchise has become a lasting legacy that has shaped individuals’ creative storytelling capabilities even to this day. Since its inception in 1974, many editions have been released and campaigns started, with the latest being the 5th Edition in 2014. It has spawned numerous off-shoots in other media as well, such as a movie, a comic book series, and various video game series using content from the existing media in the tabletop game. These video game titles have garnered a following in and of themselves, regardless of one being an existing fan of the tabletop series. Here are just a few of the titles that should be checked out the next time you’re browsing Steam and looking for a new game to play!
10. TaleSpire
Uhhh... We're here to fix your plumbing?
The main takeaway from Dungeons and Dragons is that it’s meant for the imaginative, the creative, and the descriptive. You build worlds and characters with rich backstories, cool builds, and engaging gameplay, and you might sometimes even build a map to help better visualize the playing field. But say you’re the sort of person who has trouble creating mental images of the campaigns you’re playing, this is the D&D game for you!
In Talespire, DMs build campaigns for their players, bringing their world to life through 3D setting materials, tokens, and providing these things values and meaning. The players are the yin to the DM’s yang, playing their campaigns by traversing wetlands, scouring dungeons, and/or running through enemy outposts. Talespire is a great way to get those creative juices flowing and to bring your brilliant ideas to life.
I started playing D&D in 2019 myself with a group of friends where we would play homebrews (house rules essentially) and fool around. Now the good thing about homebrews is that they’re not quite as complex as actual D&D, as the rules tend to be more lax and gives the DM simultaneously more and less to worry about when interacting with players in their campaign. Homebrews may be fun, but had we discovered this, I’m sure we would have played more D&D with traditional rules!
9. Sands of Slumber: The RPG
The hustle and bustle of city life instead spent hugging a tree.
There are many old school RPGs out there, all with unique battle and traversal systems. There’s Tales of Destiny, which opted for a more hands-on action approach, while many Final Fantasy games have both Active Time Battle and Wait Modes to dish out pain to enemies. Sands of Slumber: The RPG is a fresh take on traditionalism in 2D RPGs.
Sands of Slumber: The RPG sets you out on a quest with four unique heroes, all with one common goal. The game takes place on the peninsula of Tanaviak, a world on the verge of war, and it is your job as this group of individuals to stop that from happening. Throughout the adventure, it uses a blend of Final Fantasy-esque traversal and battle mixed with D&D elements, such as skill checks, D&D lore, and D&D actions and spells, along with full voice acting for deeper immersion.
I think the coolest part about this game is that it’s built off an existing campaign the developer is a player in. Not to mention, SoCalAshez, the developer in question, is not an established game developer, outside of this game, which was made with RPG Maker MZ. For a game of this caliber, I daresay that this an impressive display of what can be achieved when you’re simply passionate about the things you’re doing.
8. Vagrus - The Riven Realms
Mad Max would like to know your location.
One of the best things about D&D is the world building, whether that be through the setting or the characters. The pace is determined pretty early on based around what the DM decides to do with their campaign and, similarly, through what the players do with their backstories and personalities. For a lore-heavy game that you can really sink your teeth into, look no further than this hidden gem.
Vagrus - The Riven Realms is a post-apocalyptic fantasy RPG, you are the “vagrus” of a “comitatus” (this is imperial tongue, and what this simply means is that you’re a leader of a caravan) which must explore a realm scorned by the gods. The Riven Realms, the eponymous location of the game, is a vast one that is explored by means of trading, fighting, and traversal. Longer and shorter stories make up the game’s content in the form of events and quests, making for a diverse selection of things to do as time passes.
As mentioned earlier, the pace is determined pretty early on based around what the DM decides to do with their campaign, so naturally this game is great because of the many avenues to explore in the world. There is a bunch of content to explore in general, but you can choose where you’re going to go in this open world adventure. One can spend their time brawling enemies, but similarly, one can spend their time undertaking events in the form of texts, delving deeper into the rich backstory of this exciting game.
7. D&D Lords of Waterdeep
The game that really makes you *feel* like a masked lord of Waterdeep.
The base gameplay of most games are fun as is, like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt which proved to be a stunning RPG experience. Then you get the minigames, like GWENT, that are essentially a game within a game, and you strike some real gold. For those who might be looking for something a little more meta, D&D Lords of Waterdeep might be that thing for you.
In D&D Lords of Waterdeep, 2-5 players, whether it’s you and A.I. or friends, play as the anonymous Masked Lords, trying to see who can obtain the most victory points. In order to accomplish this, you spend gold to purchase adventurers who will then undertake quests that they will complete. This is done over 8 rounds and if you obtain the most victory points by this time, then you obtain the bragging rights that you are a master resource manager.
Personally, I’m a sucker for resource management games and the skills they hone and refine. Not to mention 8 rounds goes pretty quick, regardless of how many people you’re playing with. If I’m wanting a competitive, yet mellow board game-esque game experience without the hassle of driving across town for board game night at my friend’s place, then I’d say this does the job splendidly.
6. Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition
Hey, redhead, you ain't looking so hot.
There have been a slew of isometric RPGs over the years with many going on to become bestsellers, such as Diablo, Baldur’s Gate, and Icewind Dale. These games tend to be varied, each having their own niche from a gamecraft perspective. With those desiring a good story-driven fantasy RPG, this next one is a must-have in your library.
Planescape: Torment originally came out on December 10, 1999 to critical acclaim and when the Enhanced Edition came out in 2017, it was similarly met with praise. The player plays as “The Nameless One,” a character cursed with immortality with no recollection of his past and is trying to find out more about it throughout the story. Players must traverse the multiversal Planescape, using the city of Sigil as a hub world to bounce between areas of the game.
One thing I just absolutely love about this game is its implementation of a morality system. While many modern day games have made it commonplace to have a branching story with interactive characters and events based on player input, this game took the alignment system of D&D and applied it to the player character. If you interact using the character in a negative or positive way, you will slowly be depicted as more evil or good and non-playable characters will react as such, a system that was revolutionary for its time, and still holds up to this day.
5. Tavern Master
It's time to eat, drink, and make merry!
Many of the games on this list thus far have been action-packed and/or plot heavy in some way or another. But maybe you have too many story-driven games that you’re playing all at once, and you need something relaxing to cleanse your pallet in between all the slaying and realm politics. This next entry is the sort of game you can play when you’re just looking for a lucid, mellow experience.
Tavern Master is EXACTLY what it looks like based on a quick glance from the image above. In this tycoon/management game, you run a tavern and you’re trying to build the most successful tavern you can, accumulating gold and prestige. The more things you buy for your tavern, the more prestige you get, and the more prestige you get, the more things you can buy!I used to play Zoo Tycoon and Thrillville all the time, so this game definitely scratches that itch for a game with mind-numbing, simple objectives. Not to mention it’s set in one of my favorite styles of game, a fantasy world with medieval character models. It really depicts the lively day and nightlife of the tavern, with many coming far and wide to get a drink of your finest mead, beer, and other spirits.
4. Solasta: Crown of the Magister
I'll be honest: with a bit of spackle and insulation, we could fix this place right up.
Lively, well-crafted characters are becoming fewer and fewer in today’s gaming industry, trading out character and story development for microtransactions and instant gratification. The fantastic thing about many RPGs is how they help you express yourself as an individual through your playstyle. This next game gives you many winding paths for you to choose from.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a tactical role-playing game set in the title world of Solasta, a realm nearly ravaged 1000 years ago. From early on, you set up your party the way you want it to be, from class to look, creating 4 unique player characters, each with their own personality that you can use to navigate battles and conversations alike. Together as a group, you take on dungeons to unearth artifacts and loot, all while ensuring that such a tragedy of the past does not happen again.
Character creations in RPGs are definitely my bread and butter. The fact that I get to create not just one, not just two, but FOUR playable characters for my party in a single playthrough is an absolutely stunning feature that helps me to express and weave a story in just the way I want to. It makes for compelling gameplay and enhances replayability, seeing how you might go about playing every time you make a new save file.
3. Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enchanced Plus Edition
Just like pretty fireworks!
Many RPGs have your player character interact with the world in a variety of different ways, some bigger and some smaller. While alignment/morality systems have generally been explored on a smaller scale, imagine your choices influencing whole territories and regions. That is exactly what Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition sets out to achieve.
In this game, the player character kills a bandit leader and becomes a baron/baroness in the chaotic Stolen Lands. While you start out with the one player character, you meet other characters that are able to join your party along the way. As you navigate the anarchy of these lands, your actions both in and out of combat directly affect how your gameplay experience will continue over the 80 hours of content.
The fact that this particular morality system doesn’t just affect your character as an individual, but how your political reach and influence is perceived is a mind-boggling concept to me. I love when a story decides to show just how interactive and branching it can be, but to display those concepts on such a large scale is quite bold and different! Definitely a game that should be modeled after going forward.
2. Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
This, kids, is an example of what happens when you have a lot of free time on your hands.
Some games require you to keep looking at the screen with intense concentration while others simply require you to sit back, relax, and hope that your strategies will play out accordingly. Then you get a rare few games that will require a balance of long-term strategizing and concentration alike. Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms showcases where you’ll be taken with a strong blend of attention and patience.
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms requires you to use your wit to create a motley group of champions to undertake a series of quests and adventures in true idle-clicker format. Create that band of heroes, complete a quest and obtain gold, and unlock more heroes to create a stronger formation for later quests. Throughout these quests, you can either actively click creatures that appear on screen or let it run in the background while you’re doing something else and come back to it later.My only foray into idle/clicker games was Cookie Clicker back in 2013 during school hours where it would play in the background on my school computer while I was getting classwork done. It was mind-numbing and simple, with a premise that even a baby could come to terms with. This is very much like that, but with that added RPG flair that grants it more depth and reward.
1. Baldur's Gate 3
Surely, we can talk this out like respectable people?
There are many RPGs that find themselves destined for greatness because every aspect of what they are makes them an abundantly fun and intriguing game to play. As for D&D-related media, in particular, while it’s regained traction in recent years due to its allusions in other popular media, very few games ever make it to those heights. As for this final game, it truly encapsulates everything great about RPGs and the D&D style flair that is given to some of those RPGs.
Baldur’s Gate 3 released this year as a smash hit for all sorts of gamers, from casual gamers with no understanding of D&D to hardcore gamers who have appreciated the nuances of the D&D ruleset. Your player character traverses the Forgotten Realms infected by a mind flayer parasite that increases your strength, but at a cost. Throughout the game, actions influence your environment and your party members, ultimately shaping the sort of disposition your character will have.
I’ve played my fair share of AAA titles, whether they were action games or RPGs, and what makes those games truly shine is their ability to tell an amazing tale. While this particular AAA title also happens to have high-end graphics produced by an accredited studio, something that makes a lot of big budget titles have the allure they do, it also has something worthwhile, something that is produced with love and care. I look at this game everywhere I go and, unlike other games which I’ve seen in ads and commercials where I get this sense of half-baked, overrated grandeur, I still am in awe of what this game has to offer both gameplay and story-wise.
You may also be interested in:
- D&D Alignments Explained (And Famous Characters For Each Alignment)
- [Top 100] Best RPG Games of All Time (Ranked)
- 25 Best D&D Games for PC That Every Fan Must Play!
