Video Game Genres

List of role-playing games, listed alphabetically with photos of the game's cover art when available. Spanning the entire history of the genre, these role-playing games have been enjoyed by millions. This list includes all role-playing games that have ever hit the shelves, so it doesn't necessarily have all the more obscure, future or new role-playing games. Various bits of information are available for these top role-playing games, such as when the game was released and who developed the game. In some instances you can click on the names of the games to get an even more in-depth description of them. These aren't necessarily the best role-playing games, but there are a lot of popular role-playing games listed here. This list has a variety of games in it, from <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/a-timeline-of-the-legend-of-zelda-chronology/stephanroget?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">The Legend of Zelda</a>: Ocarina of Time to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.This list answers the questions, "What are the best role-playing games?" and "What are the most popular role-playing games?"

List of All Role-playing Games

Computer Game

List of All Role-playing Games | Popular Role-playing Game Video Games

Reference

Button Mash

A complete list of Pirate games for you pirate <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/8-people-who-died-playing-video-games/autumn-spragg?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">video gaming</a>&nbsp;pleasure. This is not a ranked list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-pirate-games/ranker-games">best video games about pirates</a>, but a list of all games that features pirates. When you choose to play a pirate video game, you're not just picking a game, you're picking a lifestyle. Pirates video games and pirate ship games are your chance to live out your dream of getting scurvy and a peg leg. Who says pirates aren't cool? Rate your favorite of all pirate games by clicking my rating buttons next to the pirate game title you want to rate.What are the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/tags/best-video-games?ref=internalCrossLinking_tag">best video games</a> with pirates? What is the top pirates video game? Names of pirate video games are here on the list of pirate games, featuring the greatest pirate games for PC and console gaming. If you don't see your favorite games about pirates on this pirate games list, make sure to add them.

Complete List of All Pirate Video Games Ever Made

Video Game Info

Gaming

List of console role-playing games, listed alphabetically with photos of the game's cover art when available. Spanning the entire history of the genre, these console role-playing games have been enjoyed by millions. This list includes all console role-playing games that have ever hit the shelves, so it doesn't necessarily have all the more obscure, future or new console role-playing games. Various bits of information are available for these top console role-playing games, such as when the game was released and who developed the game. In some instances you can click on the names of the games to get an even more in-depth description of them. These aren't necessarily the best console role-playing games, but there are a lot of popular console role-playing games listed here. The list you're viewing is made up of games like Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VI.This list answers the questions, "What are the best console role-playing games?" and "What are the most popular console role-playing games?"

List of All Console Role-playing Games

List of All Console Role-playing Games | Popular Console Role-playing Game Video Games

Skies of Arcadia

Skies of Arcadia, released in Japan as Eternal Arcadia, is a role-playing video game developed by Overworks for the Dreamcast and published by Sega in 2000. Skies of Arcadia Legends, a port, was released for the GameCube in 2002. Legends was in development for the PlayStation 2 and Windows PC; both were canceled shortly before the GameCube version's release. The game's story focuses around Vyse, a young pirate in a Jules Verne-inspired fantasy world, and his friends as they attempt to stop the Valuan Empire from reviving ancient weapons with the potential to destroy the world.

These are the all-time best RPG games, including both tactical and action role-playing games across multiple platforms and franchises. 

RPGs: Role-Playing Games

Lists that rank the best, most addictive, most compelling, most punishing games in all genres for players at every level of experience.

The Best and Worst of Gaming

Best Video Games

This comprehensive list ranks the&nbsp;best pure role-playing games, action-RPG hybrids and MMORPG&#39;s of all time, as voted on by the Ranker Community. The popularity of role-playing games far predates <a href="/list/best-old-school-rpgs/kyle-townsend" target="_blank">video game technology</a> entirely, and many of the genre&#39;s standards, settings and concepts continue to draw strong influence from the <a href="/list/top-five-tabletop-rpg_s/dragolite">pen-and-paper games</a> of the past (particularly the granddaddy of them all, Dungeons &amp; Dragons, or D&amp;D.)

In <a href="/list/most-underrated-rpgs/kyle-townsend" target="_blank">traditional role-playing games</a>, the player controls a character in a fictional world or setting and takes a strong hand in determining how that character chooses to progress through the environment. They tend to be more character and <a href="/crowdranked-list/the-most-compelling-video-game-storylines">plot-driven games</a> in many ways, as opposed to games that put more emphasis on stealth, puzzle-solving or combat. In some ways, new technology has simply made RPG&#39;s easier to organize and faster to play through, removing the need for a &quot;gamemaster&quot; and reliance on dice or other physical means of determining game outcomes. What are your all-time favorite RPGs?

Many of the most popular RPGs are part of a larger franchise, set in <a href="/list/best-rpg-soundtracks/ranker-games" target="_blank">a familiar world </a>that has been established over the course of numerous games (and sometimes tie-in novels, short films, or other media.) The Final Fantasy&nbsp;franchise is perhaps the most significant and long-standing in video game history, and in fact at this point has branched out beyond traditional role-playing games to include entires focused on tactical role-playing, action role-playing, MMORPG&#39;s, racing games, third-person shooters, and even rhythm and fighting games. It has also inspired numerous animated films, tie in novels and comic books. (Unlike many other RPG series that are all based in a single setting or universe - such as the Elder Scrolls&nbsp;series Tamriel or Azeroth from Blizzard&#39;s Warcraft&nbsp;games - Final Fantasy&nbsp;entries tend to take place in different settings and have sharply distinguished plotlines.)

Vote up all your favorite titles so gamers can see which releases rank among the&nbsp;greatest RPGs ever made.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Greatest RPG Video Games Ever Made

The Greatest RPG Video Games Ever Made (Updated For 2020)

Ranker Community

These are the greatest games of all time, as voted on and reranked by gamers like yourself. Video games are <a href="/list/best-video-games-2019/ranker-games" target="_blank">more popular than ever</a>. Since the early &#39;80 when gaming systems like Atari, Nintendo and Sega first took arcade favorite and made them available to a wider audience, video games have become a part of the pop culture lexicon. Many of the <a href="/list/best-games-2020/kyle-townsend" target="_blank">best video games</a> are action and adventure games, usually with an ultimate goal to reach in the end. That could mean rescuing a princess, like in games like the Super Mario franchise and Legend of Zelda, or it could mean battling it out with iconic villains like in Goldeneye. Sometime whooping some butt is fun and if that&#39;s your favorite type of <a href="/list/video-games-that-need-sequels/terrance-w-pryor" target="_blank">video game</a>, then you would be partial to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, Contra and Mortal Kombat as the best video games.

The 00&#39;s produced some of the best video games of all time. Halo, Assassin&#39;s Creed and The Sims have remained popular decades after their respective releases. People love playing these games and they&#39;ve taken their place as classics within the gaming community.&nbsp;

Vote for your favorite games on this Ultimate List of The Best Video Games of All Time. If there are any of your favorite <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-popular-video-games-today/ranker-games?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top video games</a> that aren&#39;t on this list, feel free to add them.&nbsp;

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Half-Life 2

The 100+ Best Video Games of All Time, Ranked by Fans

The Victorian clothing, the brass designs, and the awesome airships are common staples when it comes to steampunk. As a subgenre of science fiction, steampunk games first began to appear around the late &#39;80s and early &#39;90s, when PC games like&nbsp;Myst&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;the early Final Fantasy games were first taking shape. Known for fusing futuristic technology with 19th-century&nbsp;designs, steampunk isn&#39;t confined to the realm of talented cosplayers and science-fiction novels. Depending on the franchise, <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/all-steampunk-games-list/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">steampunk video games</a> can cover a number of different related themes, from space-age pirates to fictional Victorian cities&nbsp;and more.

Determining which steampunk games are the best requires a deep dive back through the years to find the ones that may have been released years or even decades ago, but still hold up in 2020. Massively popular games like BioShock: Infinite and Dishonored are standing pillars in the steampunk canon, but lesser-known games like Alice: Madness Returns and even RPG epics like Skies of Arcadia are definitely worth mentioning.

While there are a broad number of factors that help determine what makes a great steampunk game great, this list features&nbsp;some of the most acclaimed in the series. Best of all, most of these games are either available on modern consoles, Steam, or both.&nbsp;

15 Classic Steampunk Games That Would Make Verne And Wells Proud

The 15 Best Steampunk Games To Play In 2020, Ranked

Kyle Townsend

Ranking the best anime video games across multiple platforms and genres. If you're an otaku gamer, welcome home!

The Best of Anime Video Games

Role-playing games are the perfect genre for anime video games. The epic stories; the intense combat, and beautiful animation that&#39;s well associated with anime offer the perfect ingredients to create the best anime role-playing games. Considering the insane popularity of smartphone gaming in Japan, it&#39;s no surprise that there are so <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-anime-mobile-games/leo-reyna">many anime RPG games for mobile</a>. However, console gaming has its vast library&nbsp;of anime RPGs as well. Some of which are inspired by popular anime series, such as Digimon, while others are strongly influenced&nbsp;by the art and storytelling of anime, like Ni no Kuni paying tribute to Studio Ghibli.&nbsp;

Below are 15 anime RPGs&nbsp;that every anime fan should play. Make sure to vote up the anime games you want others to play too.&nbsp;

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The 15 Best Anime RPGs You Can't Afford To Miss

The 15 Best Anime RPGs You Can't Afford To Miss, Ranked

Leo Reyna

They pillage and plunder; they rifle and loot. Drink up, ye 'earties. Yo ho!

A Pirate's Life for Me

Get ready for a swashbuckling adventure as we rank the best pirate games of all time. Whether you&#39;re tasked with searching for hidden treasure, commanding a small naval army, or are simply sailing the seven seas, these games&nbsp;are often a blast to play. Some games, like Sid Meier&#39;s Pirates! and&nbsp;<a href="/list/assassin_s-creed-games/video-game-info" target="_blank">Assassin&#39;s Creed</a> IV: Black Flag, are loosely based on historical figures and events, while others simply take the pirate theme and sail with it.&nbsp;

It&#39;s no surprise games&nbsp;about pirates have been so popular &mdash; looting enemy ships, plundering for gold, and conquering the high seas are the things that great games are made of. And while the pirate theme has been a <a href="/list/best-pirate-movies/ranker-film" target="_blank">mainstay in pop&nbsp;culture</a>, more and more games have started taking it to&nbsp;a new level.&nbsp;

From PC pirate games to&nbsp;Xbox 360 exclusives to&nbsp;modern games on the PS4,&nbsp;check out some of the best and most popular <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-pirate-video-games-/video-game-info?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">pirate video games</a>&nbsp;of all time, and vote up all the titles that made you want to hoist your flag&nbsp;and set sail.&nbsp;

25 Video Games About Pirates That Will Make You Say 'Arrrrr!'

The 25 Best Pirate Games, Ranked By Buccaneers

Best Games for Gamecube

If you owned a GameCube at any time during your life, then it&#39;s safe to say there were probably a few adventure games in your collection. There&#39;s something about exploring new places, finding treasure and fighting enemies that makes adventure games so addicting. With so many great options to choose from, there was never a shortage of games to play for fans of the genre. Since some games were much better than others, we&#39;ve decided to rank the best GameCube adventure games of all time.

This list will feature the most popular and best selling adventure games that were released for GameCube. While many of these games were console exclusive, we&#39;re allowing non-exclusives to be a part of the list as well. Top adventure games&nbsp;on this list include Luigi&#39;s Mansion and Resident Evil 4, along with many others. Vote for your <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-games-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">favorite video games</a> below.

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

The Best GameCube Adventure Games

GameCube Adventure Games, Ranked Best to Worst

Ranker Games

If you love RPGs, then you&#39;ll want to know what gamers have ranked as the best GameCube RPGs&nbsp;ever released. It&#39;s safe to say that many GameCube owners probably have several of the top RPGs on this list in their personal collections.&nbsp;There&#39;s just something about Nintendo role-playing games that really capture your imagination and make you feel like you&#39;re part of another world. Your party always has colorful characters, the abilities you gain from leveling up are amazing, and boss battles are usually nothing short of epic.&nbsp;

Since some games are much better than others, we&#39;ve decided to rank the best GameCube RPGs of all time. While not as iconic as the Nintendo 64 or the Wii that would follow it, the GameCube still came out with <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/underrated-gamecube-games/kyle-townsend" target="_blank">some incredible games</a>, especially RPGs.

This list features the most popular and best-selling RPGs that were released for the Nintendo GameCube. While many of these games were console exclusive, we&#39;re allowing non-exclusives to be a part of the list as well. You can vote for any of these items, from The Tales of Symphonia&nbsp;to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Vote for your favorite <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-games-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">video games</a> below.

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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

The Best GameCube RPGs of All Time, Ranked by Fans

The Top 25+ GameCube RPGs, Ranked by Fans

The Dreamcast may have been Sega&rsquo;s last console, but the best Dreamcast RPGs prove that Sega&rsquo;s strength has always been making quality games.&nbsp;If you owned a Dreamcast at any time during your life, then it&#39;s safe to say there were probably a few RPGs in your collection. There&#39;s something about role-playing games that really capture your imagination and make you feel like you&#39;re part of another world.

Your party always has colorful characters, the abilities you gain along the way are amazing, and boss battles are usually nothing short of epic. With so many great options to choose from, there was never a shortage of games to play for fans of the genre. Since some games were much better than others, we&#39;ve decided to rank the best Dreamcast RPGs of all time. Although it may not have been the best system, Dreamcast was responsible for bringing us some of the best RPGs, many of the franchises getting their start on the short-lived system. &nbsp;&nbsp;

This list features the most popular and best-selling RPGs that were released for Dreamcast. While many of these games were console exclusive, we&#39;re allowing non-exclusives to be a part of the list as well. This list features items like Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia. Vote for your favorite <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-games-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">video games</a> below.

L.O.L.: Lack of Love

The Best Dreamcast RPGs of All Time, Ranked

Top 20+ Dreamcast RPGs, Ranked Best to Worst

With all the photorealistic graphics, gigantic game worlds, and flashy skill trees, it&#39;s easy to get swept up in the epic adventures of modern&nbsp;role-playing games. However, there&#39;s a lot to be gained by diving into the older titles that have made the genre what it is today. From critical failures that found new life with cult followings to classics that continue to game design all these years later, these old&nbsp;RPG&nbsp;games may be dated, but there&#39;s something special out there for every <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-rpg-video-games-ever-made" target="_blank">RPG fan</a> who&#39;s willing to look past sometimes outdated UI and somewhat limited graphics.

So which games do we consider &quot;retro&quot; and &quot;vintage&quot;? Sure, it&#39;s up for debate, but for the purpose of this list, we&#39;re sticking with games that were released on or before 2002. Basically, anything <a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(fifth_generation)" target="_blank">5th generation</a> and earlier.

If you&#39;re looking to begin your journey with the best retro RPGs of yesteryear, check out our list below. From epic titles&nbsp;like&nbsp;Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana to good old-school role-playing&nbsp;games&nbsp;like EverQuest,&nbsp;vote up all the classic&nbsp;RPGs&nbsp;that still hold up.

20 Classic RPGs That Are Still Great Today

20 Old School RPGs That Are Still Great Today

RPGs

The role-playing genre has been home to some of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-games-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best games ever</a> made over the years, boasting titles like Fallout: New Vegas,&nbsp;Mass Effect 2,&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/list/games-like-the-witcher-3/jess-tyler" target="_blank">The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt</a>, just to name a few. However, some truly excellent RPGs&nbsp;haven&#39;t been as universally played, although they are just as strong as these titles when it comes to story, gameplay, or both. Whether they were panned upon their initial run or were released under unfortunate circumstances, this list ranks some of the most underrated RPGs of all time. (Note that none of the games or series listed below&nbsp;were ranked within&nbsp;the&nbsp;top 100 spots on our <a href="/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-rpg-video-games-ever-made" target="_blank">Greatest RPGs Of All Time</a>&nbsp;list at the time of publication, which was part of the initial criteria when choosing these titles).&nbsp;

One of the great things about RPGs&nbsp;is the fact that even older games often hold up. That&#39;s because, unlike other genres, role-playing games place a particularly&nbsp;heavy emphasis on plot and thematic elements, which means&nbsp;graphics and gameplay mechanics sometimes take a backseat to a good old-fashioned story.&nbsp;

Sure, there are hundreds of underrated role-playing games&nbsp;that deserve more attention, but the ones listed below are known for having&nbsp;dedicated fan bases &mdash; regardless of how old (or new) they are. From overlooked&nbsp;RPGs&nbsp;to underrated JRPGs&nbsp;to hack-and-slash hybrids, and more,&nbsp;vote up all your favorite&nbsp;underrated RPG&nbsp;games and&nbsp;downvote the titles&nbsp;you consider overrated.

Skies of Arcadia

Skies of Arcadia is listed on