The Best Fantasy RPGs to Play on PC

Best fantasy RPGs at a glance

How these fantasy RPGs were selected

A strong fantasy RPG should provide more than a magical setting. Character growth, combat, exploration and decisions should reinforce the role the player is trying to inhabit.

The final ranking prioritizes:

• Meaningful character or party development
• A world that rewards exploration
• Combat systems with several viable approaches
• Choices, builds or progression that support replayability
• Distinct experiences across action RPGs, CRPGs and JRPGs
• Solo or cooperative value
• Availability on PC

GreedFall remains a useful faction-focused alternative, while Kingdom Come: Deliverance is primarily historical rather than fantasy. The final selection avoids repeating several games that fill nearly identical roles.

1. ELDEN RING

Best overall fantasy action RPG

ELDEN RING drops the Tarnished into the Lands Between with only enough direction to suggest the next destination. The player can follow that path, investigate a distant structure or leave a difficult boss and become stronger somewhere else.

Exploration is the main source of momentum. Caves, ruins, mines, underground regions and legacy dungeons conceal weapons, spells, upgrade materials and fragments of history.

Combat supports heavy weapons, quick blades, bows, sorceries, incantations, shields and status-focused builds. Spirit Ashes and online co-op provide assistance when one encounter becomes a barrier.

The open structure makes failure less restrictive than in a linear action game. A difficult region can be postponed while the player experiments with another weapon, increases attributes or finds a more suitable tool.

Choose ELDEN RING if discovery and boss mastery matter more than direct quest guidance. Baldur’s Gate 3 is the stronger choice for conversations and party relationships, while Skyrim provides a less demanding sandbox.

2. Baldur’s Gate 3

Best fantasy RPG for choices and consequences

Baldur’s Gate 3 adapts tabletop-style role-playing into a reactive party campaign involving mind flayers, competing factions and an unusual source of power.

Character ancestry, class, background and abilities can change dialogue and quest solutions. Players may negotiate, deceive, sneak, steal or use spells to create routes that are not presented as one highlighted answer.

Turn-based combat uses movement, actions, bonus actions and reactions. Height, elemental surfaces, destructible objects and movable items allow the battlefield to become part of the strategy.

Companions have personal goals and beliefs rather than functioning only as combat classes. Decisions can strengthen relationships, create serious disagreements or transform how a companion’s story ends.

Co-op allows several players to share one campaign and make independent choices inside the same world. The group should agree on who leads major conversations and how the shared save will be managed.

Choose Baldur’s Gate 3 for the deepest role-playing freedom in this list. ELDEN RING offers stronger direct action, while Baldur’s Gate 3 provides more systemic narrative control.

3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

Best fantasy RPG for freedom and mods

Skyrim opens into a province filled with dragons, civil conflict, guilds, ancient ruins and isolated settlements.

Skills improve through use, allowing a character to change direction without selecting one permanent class at the beginning. A warrior can learn magic, an archer can become an alchemist, and a thief can gradually develop into a heavily armored fighter.

The central Dragonborn story provides structure, but much of the game’s appeal comes from abandoning it temporarily. Faction quests, caves, towns and encounters make curiosity a valid way to build a campaign.

The Special Edition includes the original expansions and technical improvements. PC mods can alter visuals, interfaces, combat, survival, quests and world systems.

Choose Skyrim if inhabiting a fantasy world matters more than following one tightly directed story. ELDEN RING provides stronger combat, while Skyrim offers greater freedom to change goals or create a personal routine.

4. Dragon Age Inquisition

Best fantasy RPG for leading a powerful faction

Dragon Age Inquisition places the player at the head of an organization created to close supernatural breaches and respond to a wider political crisis across Thedas.

The Inquisitor recruits specialists, makes judgments and decides how the organization deals with nobles, mages, templars and other powers. The war table gives advisors assignments that develop influence beyond the active party.

Combat combines direct control with tactical commands. Players can switch characters, pause to evaluate a fight and combine class abilities across a warrior, rogue and mage party.

Companions bring distinct political and personal views. Their approval, quests and conversations help define whether the Inquisition feels like a military force, diplomatic institution or personal alliance.

The Game of the Year Edition includes the major story expansions, including Trespasser, which provides important later context for the campaign.

Choose Dragon Age Inquisition for a broad party-based epic with leadership decisions. Baldur’s Gate 3 is more reactive at the individual quest level, while Inquisition emphasizes building an institution across multiple regions.

5. DARK SOULS III

Best focused Souls-like fantasy RPG

DARK SOULS III guides the Ashen One through Lothric, a kingdom collapsing as the cycle linking fire begins to fail.

Its world is more directed than ELDEN RING, creating a tighter progression through castles, settlements, cathedrals and ruined strongholds. Branching paths and interconnected shortcuts still reward careful exploration.

Combat emphasizes stamina, timing and commitment. Every swing, dodge and heal creates an opening that enemies can punish. Weapons and spells support several builds, but player knowledge remains essential.

Bosses test different skills, including spacing, reaction, aggression and endurance. Repeated attempts gradually turn an overwhelming encounter into a recognizable sequence.

Choose DARK SOULS III for a concentrated dark-fantasy challenge without ELDEN RING’s enormous open world. It demands patience but gives every area and boss a clear place in the journey.

6. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

Best fantasy CRPG for party customization

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire follows the Watcher across an island archipelago while a god moves through the region and rival factions compete for control.

The player’s ship connects islands, settlements and encounters. Crew and supplies add another layer to the journey, while exploration provides faction quests, ruins and unusual communities.

Character development supports single and multiclass builds. Party composition, positioning, defenses and ability combinations become increasingly important during difficult encounters.

The game offers real-time-with-pause combat and a separate turn-based mode. Each changes the value of speed, action timing and certain builds, so players should choose the format before investing heavily in a character plan.

Faction conflicts rarely provide one solution that satisfies everyone. Supporting a group can create political gains while damaging another relationship or changing the future of the archipelago.

Choose Deadfire for dense systems, seafaring exploration and party control. Baldur’s Gate 3 is more cinematic, while Deadfire keeps the classic isometric CRPG structure.

7. Monster Hunter: World

Best co-op fantasy action RPG

Monster Hunter: World builds progression around tracking enormous creatures, learning their behavior and crafting equipment from recovered materials.

Its weapons are closer to distinct combat classes than interchangeable gear. Great Swords reward timing and commitment, Insect Glaives add aerial movement, Hunting Horns support a group, and ranged weapons change positioning entirely.

Monsters interact with the environment and with one another. Tracks, traps, elevation and hazards can turn preparation into an advantage before direct combat begins.

Co-op supports groups tackling hunts together, but each player still needs to understand the chosen weapon and the monster’s significant attacks. More players increase firepower without removing the need for positioning.

Choose Monster Hunter: World if large boss encounters and equipment crafting are the central appeal. It provides less dialogue role-playing than Baldur’s Gate 3 but offers stronger long-term combat mastery for a regular group.

8. Tyranny

Best fantasy RPG for morally difficult decisions

Tyranny begins after Kyros has largely conquered the Tiers. The player serves as a Fatebinder empowered to interpret laws, settle faction disputes and impose the conqueror’s authority.

That premise changes the normal fantasy role. The player is not beginning as an unknown hero trying to stop an evil empire. The campaign asks how power should be used inside a regime that has already won.

The opening Conquest sequence defines earlier military decisions. Those choices change locations, faction relationships and the conditions encountered during the main story.

Combat uses real time with pause and classless skill growth. Spell components can be combined into customized magical effects, while repeated weapon and skill use develops the character organically.

Tyranny is shorter than many major RPGs, which makes another political route practical. Choose it when replaying with different faction loyalties sounds more appealing than exploring one enormous open world.

9. Darkest Dungeon

Best tactical dark fantasy RPG

Darkest Dungeon asks the player to maintain a roster of adventurers exploring corrupted locations beneath a ruined estate.

Heroes suffer stress, disease and negative traits as well as physical damage. A party may survive a dungeon and still require expensive recovery before another expedition.

Combat uses fixed positions. Abilities work from particular ranks and reach specific enemy locations, making party order central to every battle.

Permanent loss changes how players relate to recruits and equipment. The campaign is not about protecting one perfect group. It is about maintaining enough capable heroes to continue after injuries, breakdowns and deaths.

Choose Darkest Dungeon for difficult roster management and gothic pressure. Its turn-based systems reward preparation more than reflexes, while uncertainty ensures that a strong plan can still require adaptation.

10. Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

Best fantasy RPG for fast and flexible combat

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning places the Fateless One in a colorful world shaped by prophecy, conflict and a magical cycle of fate.

Its Destiny system supports warrior, rogue, mage and hybrid builds. Players can reset and redirect development, making experimentation less punishing than in stricter class-based RPGs.

Combat uses weapon combinations, dodges, blocks and magical abilities. Switching between close-range, ranged and spell attacks produces a faster rhythm than Skyrim’s basic combat.

The world contains faction stories, towns and side quests across several large regions. The remaster also includes refined presentation and access to the original major content.

Choose Re-Reckoning for responsive action and easy build experimentation. Skyrim offers greater mod support and sandbox freedom, while Amalur provides smoother combo-driven fighting.

11. Torchlight II

Best lightweight co-op fantasy RPG

Torchlight II delivers a straightforward action RPG loop through randomized areas, dungeons, quests and large amounts of loot.

Four classes support melee, ranged attacks, magic, summons and defensive builds. Skill trees are readable enough for beginners while still allowing several directions within each class.

Pets fight, carry items and return to town to sell unwanted equipment. This reduces interruptions during a dungeon run and keeps progression moving.

Online and LAN multiplayer make Torchlight II useful for a group, while its modest hardware and storage requirements allow it to run on older PCs.

Choose Torchlight II for accessible co-op and frequent equipment upgrades. Monster Hunter: World offers deeper boss combat, while Torchlight II reaches its loot loop more quickly.

12. FINAL FANTASY

Best classic fantasy RPG for beginners

FINAL FANTASY follows the four Warriors of Light on a quest to restore the elemental crystals and rescue a world affected by growing disorder.

Players choose the party’s jobs at the beginning. Warriors, thieves, monks and several forms of magic create different strengths and resource demands.

Turn-based combat is straightforward, making the game a useful introduction to classic party-building. Equipment, spell levels and formation still reward preparation without the complexity of a modern CRPG.

The Pixel Remaster updates graphics and audio while preserving the compact structure of the original adventure. Its small installation and simple controls make it the lightest technical commitment in this list.

Choose FINAL FANTASY for a foundational turn-based journey. Players wanting a longer modern campaign should choose Baldur’s Gate 3 or Dragon Age Inquisition.

For other entries in the series, see our guide to the best RPG games.

Which fantasy RPG should you play first?

Match the game to the adventure you want:

• Open-world action and challenge: ELDEN RING
• Choices and tactical combat: Baldur’s Gate 3
• Exploration and mods: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
• Companions and faction leadership: Dragon Age Inquisition
• Focused Souls-like progression: DARK SOULS III
• Deep isometric party building: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
• Cooperative monster hunting: Monster Hunter: World
• Morally difficult role-playing: Tyranny
• Tactical stress management: Darkest Dungeon
• Fast and flexible combat: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
• Accessible co-op loot: Torchlight II
• Classic turn-based fantasy: FINAL FANTASY

Skyrim and FINAL FANTASY are the most approachable starting points. ELDEN RING and DARK SOULS III expect patience, while Deadfire and Tyranny require comfort with text and party systems.

Action RPGs versus CRPGs

Action RPGs place execution at the center of combat. ELDEN RING, DARK SOULS III, Monster Hunter: World and Kingdoms of Amalur ask the player to move, dodge and attack directly.

CRPGs emphasize character statistics, dialogue, party composition and tactical decisions. Baldur’s Gate 3, Deadfire and Tyranny provide more opportunities to solve problems through skills or conversation.

Dragon Age Inquisition sits between the formats by combining action controls with party switching and tactical commands. Darkest Dungeon uses turn-based combat but follows a roguelike roster structure.

Choose action if mastering the controls is part of the desired role. Choose a CRPG if defining a character through abilities and decisions matters more.

Best open-world fantasy RPG

ELDEN RING offers the strongest sense of danger and discovery. Its world rewards players for investigating distant landmarks and returning to difficult encounters with a new plan.

Skyrim offers the greatest freedom to ignore the central story and develop a personal routine. Faction quests and mods give it unusual long-term flexibility.

Kingdoms of Amalur provides the most immediately fluid combat of the three, although its world is arranged into broader connected regions rather than relying on the same environmental mystery as ELDEN RING.

Best fantasy RPG for co-op

Monster Hunter: World is the strongest choice for a group focused on action and repeatable challenges. Every weapon changes the hunter’s contribution, and crafting creates a clear reason to repeat difficult targets.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is better for a cooperative story where players share conversations and consequences. Torchlight II offers the easiest drop-in loot progression and runs on modest hardware.

ELDEN RING and DARK SOULS III include online cooperation, but their summoning structures are less suitable for a seamless start-to-finish shared campaign.

Best fantasy RPG for choices

Baldur’s Gate 3 provides the broadest quest reactivity. Character abilities, dialogue and environmental systems can all alter an outcome.

Tyranny provides the most unusual moral framework by placing the player inside an occupying empire. Deadfire offers complex faction politics across the archipelago, while Dragon Age Inquisition focuses on leadership and companion relationships.

Players seeking choice should consider what kind matters most:

• Systemic quest solutions: Baldur’s Gate 3
• Political and moral compromise: Tyranny
• Faction allegiance: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
• Leadership and companions: Dragon Age Inquisition

Tips for starting a fantasy RPG

Pick a loose character identity

Decide whether the character should emphasize martial power, magic, stealth, support or a hybrid approach. The plan can change, but an early direction prevents scattered upgrades.

Learn before optimizing

Use the first hours to understand resources, defenses and core abilities. A fashionable late-game build may be awkward for a new player who does not yet understand the combat rhythm.

Explore with a purpose

Optional areas often provide equipment, companions or story context. Exploration is most useful when connected to a current weakness or unanswered question.

Read important descriptions

Quest logs, skill text and item descriptions often explain systems that are easy to misinterpret. This is especially important in Deadfire, Tyranny and ELDEN RING.

Change the difficulty when needed

Difficulty should support the desired experience. Lowering it for a story-focused campaign or increasing it after learning the systems does not invalidate the playthrough.

Final fantasy RPG recommendations

ELDEN RING is the best fantasy action RPG for exploration and combat mastery. Baldur’s Gate 3 is the strongest choice-driven RPG, Skyrim Special Edition provides the greatest sandbox freedom, and Dragon Age Inquisition delivers a broad companion-focused epic.

Choose Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire for classic party systems, Monster Hunter: World for co-op hunts, Tyranny for difficult political role-playing, or Torchlight II for an accessible loot adventure.

The best fantasy RPG is the one whose world and progression support the role you actually want to play. A precise warrior in ELDEN RING, a persuasive adventurer in Baldur’s Gate 3 and a wandering mage in Skyrim require different games, even if all three begin with magic and monsters.