Role-Playing (RPG)

Scarlet Blade is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by LivePlex and published by Aeria Games in 2013. Set in a science fiction universe, the game is heavily recognized and somewhat infamous for its distinct cast of heavily-sexualized female playable characters. Players engage in hack-and-slash action, completing quests, exploring futuristic environments, and participating in large-scale multiplayer battles. The title blends traditional MMORPG progression systems with distinct aesthetic choices and action-oriented combat mechanics.

✦ Best for sci-fi fans seeking free hack-and-slash multiplayer action.

Faxanadu is an iconic side-scrolling action role-playing game developed for the Famicom and NES. Players assume the role of an unnamed wanderer who returns to his hometown of Eolis only to find it in distress and under attack by transformed Dwarves, initiating a perilous journey up the massive World Tree. Blending platforming action with classic RPG elements, players explore four distinct overworld areas, manage currency, and seek out the legendary magical sword hidden within the Dwarf King to defeat The Evil One. Released by Nintendo and Hudson Soft, it stands as a memorable side-story in the Dragon Slayer Xanadu series.

✦ Best for retro rpg and platformer fans seeking an 8-bit fantasy challenge.

Defiance is a ground-breaking massively multiplayer online shooter that combines the intense, fast-paced action of a third-person shooter with the persistence and scale of an open-world RPG. Set in a futuristic, transformed Earth, players take on the role of ark hunters exploring a vast alien landscape, completing cooperative missions, and engaging in massive dynamic events. Uniquely tied to a global television program on Syfy, the game and the show share a connected narrative universe where events in one medium can influence the other. Developed by Trion Worlds, it offers rich tactical combat, deep character progression, and robust multiplayer experiences across multiple gaming platforms.

✦ Best for sci-fi fans seeking an open-world shooter linked to television.

Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor is an interactive fiction computer game written by Brian Moriarty and released by Infocom in 1987. Departing from purely text-based predecessors, it introduces character statistics, levels, RPG combat elements, and an on-screen map. Players explore the Southlands of Quendor to fulfill a quest bestowed by the godlike Implementors. You must retrieve the Coconut of Quendor, an artifact embodying all of Magic, from the clutches of a foul Ur-grue to avert disaster.

✦ Best for classic adventure gamers and retro rpg enthusiasts seeking challenging puzzles.

Rift: Storm Legion is the landmark first expansion for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game RIFT. It significantly expands the game world by introducing two massive new continents, raising the level cap to 60, and delivering four new souls for enhanced character customization. In addition to the expanded geography and character progression, the expansion introduces player housing called 'dimensions.' This feature allows players to personalize and customize private areas within the game world, adding a deep layer of creative freedom to the traditional MMO experience.

✦ Best for mmorpg players wanting a massive world and level cap increase.

You are an Exile, struggling to survive on the dark continent of Wraeclast, fighting to earn power to exact revenge against those who wronged you. Created by hardcore gamers, you must battle through ruined lighthouses, fetid caves, and the fallen capital of Sarn. Face grasping undead, manic scavengers, and monstrous beasts while navigating a deep and unforgiving dark fantasy environment. Choose your path wisely as you survive against the elements and terrifying denizens of the continent.

✦ Best for hardcore action rpg fans seeking deep, challenging, free gameplay.

Nuclear Union is an action RPG set in an alternate modern-day Soviet Union following a devastating nuclear exchange during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Players control a Soviet officer navigating the radioactive surface wastes and interacting with the underground remnant city of Pobedograd. The title features tactical combat utilizing rare historical prototype weaponry and survival mechanics within an aggressive, transformed world. Developed by Best Way, the game focuses on single-player exploration and industrial reconstruction of the socialist empire fifty years after the apocalypse.

✦ Best for post-apocalyptic rpg fans seeking an alternate-history soviet setting.

Neverwinter is a free-to-play, action MMORPG based on the acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Explore and defend one of the most beloved cities from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting as it rises from the ashes of destruction, taking you from besieged walls to subterranean passageways. Set a hundred years after the Spellplague and decades after a devastating volcanic eruption, the Jewel of the North is being rebuilt under Lord Neverember's protection. Brave adventurers from across the Savage North must answer the call to help restore the city while fighting off evil forces conspiring in the dark places of the world.

✦ Best for d&d fans seeking free, action-oriented real-time fantasy combat.

Grim Dawn is an action role-playing game set in an apocalyptic fantasy world where the human race has been pushed to the brink of extinction. Iron is valued above gold and trust is hard-earned in this grim setting plagued by a war between two otherworldly powers that has destroyed Cairn's civilization. Experience complex character development, hundreds of unique items to collect, an in-depth crafting system, and engaging quests featuring meaningful choices and consequences. The game offers a rich hack and slash adventure with single-player, multiplayer, and co-operative gameplay modes.

✦ Best for classic arpg fans seeking deep builds and dark fantasy looting.

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters is an action-roleplaying game developed by Spicy Horse Games that reinterprets the classic Little Red Riding Hood tale through the lens of Japanese folklore. Set in Edo-era Japan, players take on the role of elite hunters battling terrifying mythical beasts in a distinctive hand-painted art style. The game blends fast-paced hack-and-slash combat with deep loot mechanics and dark fantasy atmosphere, supporting both solo play and massively multiplayer online experiences. Available on PC, it challenges players to purge corruption and survive haunted landscapes using a variety of weapons and mystical abilities.

✦ Best for fans of dark fantasy action rpgs and japanese folklore.

Age of Wushu is a martial arts-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Suzhou Snail Electronic. Set during the Ming Dynasty, the game offers a classless progression system where players develop their characters through various martial arts schools, skill sets, and professions rather than traditional levels. The game emphasizes open-world exploration, sandbox elements, and strategic real-time combat rooted in traditional Wuxia cinema. Players can engage in guild faction wars, master lightweight kung fu skills for vertical movement, and experience a living world where characters continue to act even when logged out.

✦ Best for mmorpg fans seeking a deep, classless ming dynasty martial arts world.

Travel to the Greece-like country of Silmaria in Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire, the thrilling conclusion to the beloved hybrid adventure and role-playing game series. After the king's murder, you must compete in the Rites of Rulership while investigating a mysterious assassin targeting contestants near the Dragon Pillars. Experience seamless action-based battles directly on the exploration screen and manage your weapons and armor more deeply than ever before. Solve clever puzzles, talk to inhabitants to gather vital clues, and choose your own path to save Silmaria and potentially win the heart of a companion.

✦ Best for fans concluding the hybrid adventure-rpg series in greece-like silmaria.