Metacritic's Best RPGs of the Decade

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A selection of excellent role-playing games for home consoles and computers.

The Metacritic aggregator collects critical scores from around the world to calculate an average score for each game. Lifehacker studied the ratings and selected the 20 most highly rated RPGs of the last ten years. The list does not include multiplayer RPGs.

1. Mass Effect 2

Platforms: PC, PS 3, Xbox 360.

The second part of the legendary space trilogy. The game successfully combines the process of exploring the world, tactical skirmishes and a non-linear fascinating storyline, written in the best traditions of science fiction. The user's task is to find allies and unravel with them the secrets of the ancient civilization of aliens.

2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Platforms: PC, PS 3, Xbox 360.

The fifth chapter in The Elder Scrolls series takes the player to the northern kingdom of Skyrim. The main character is destined to become a dragon hunter and play an important role in the history of the country. Freedom of action, a variety of quests and a large detailed world have made Skyrim an international blockbuster.

3. Divinity: Original Sin II (Definitive Edition)

Platforms: PC, PS 4, Xbox One.

A turn-based game inspired by the old-school RPGs of the 1990s. You control a group of adventurers, watching them from a height. Each has a role to play in an epic fantasy storyline. There is also a cooperative mode in which you can play with friends. In this case, each gamer gains control over one character from the group.

4. Divinity: Original Sin (Enhanced Edition)

Platforms: PC, PS 4, Xbox One.

The first part of the Original Sin dilogy. You control two characters: develop their skills, build relationships between them, control in battle and advance through the story. In cooperative mode, each user gets one hero. The game is in many ways simpler than its heiress, but has its own interesting plot, the events of which take place a thousand years before the history of the sequel.

5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Platforms: PC, PS 4, Xbox One.

The game after which the RPG genre will never be the same. The developers have brilliantly recreated the fantasy world of The Witcher, invented by the writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Bustling cities, cozy villages, picturesque mountains, forests and islands filled with fabulous fauna and flora - all this can be explored, almost freely moving around the game. The Witcher 3 has a place for spectacular battles, charismatic heroes and a catchy story that inherits the spirit of the books.

6. Persona 5

Platforms: PS 3, PS 4.

Japanese RPG in anime style. Playing as an outsider teenager, you deal with a bunch of typical school problems and at the same time meet interesting characters. From time to time, the hero has to invade another world in order to once again fight the demons.

7. Mass Effect 3

Platforms: PC, PS 3, Xbox 360.

The threat that flashed on the horizon in the first two parts is already here and seems invincible: the alien space fleet is about to destroy all the rest of intelligent life. The fate of the galaxy is in the hands of Captain Shepard, and what is happening takes on an unprecedented scale for the series.

8. Undertale

Platforms: PC, PS 4.

A small game developed by the programmer and composer Toby Fox. Traveling around the world of monsters, the user solves puzzles, and also communicates and fights with local inhabitants. Undertale has minimalistic pixel art that can scare off a lot of people. But critics praise the game for its non-linear storyline with good humor and atmospheric music.

9. Bloodborne

Platforms: PS 4.

A dark action RPG inspired by Lovecraft's myths. The events of Bloodborne take place in the city of Yharnam, where monsters and an epidemic of the magic plague are raging. The user finds himself in the role of a hunter for evil spirits: he kills monsters, explores the city and gradually unravels its terrible secrets. The game is most often praised for its complex combat system and original art style.

10. Dark Souls II

Platforms: PC, PS 3, Xbox 360.

Modern games are very user-friendly: they explain the rules in detail, chew on the plot and almost do not challenge. But the fantasy series Dark Souls takes a different path. It makes you go through difficult places dozens of times, killing your hero. In addition, the player has to independently interpret the plot, which is served with scant hints. Oddly enough, such an unusual approach has found a whole army of fans.

11. Disco Elysium

Platforms: PC.

The main part of the gameplay of this distinctive RPG is made up of text-based dialogues. The protagonist is an alcoholic policeman investigating a murder in a fictional town. Having lost his memory after a binge, the detective must not only find the killer, but also remember his life. And for this you have to comb the entire city and find a common language with its inhabitants.

12. NieR: Automata (Game of the YoRHa Edition)

Platforms: PC, PS 4.

The war with the machines turned the planet into a desert, forcing people to flee to the moon. In the hope of regaining their home, humanity sends a team of specially trained androids to Earth. This squad is to be controlled by the player. NieR: Automata combines gripping storytelling, flexible character progression, and dynamic combat.

13. Diablo III (Ultimate Evil Edition)

Platforms: PC, PS 3, Xbox 360, PS 4, Xbox One.

The third part of the classic gaming series. Diablo III has retained the top view and dynamic gameplay, which consists in the rapid destruction of demons. Another traditional element of the franchise that has migrated into the game is the variety of spells, weapons and armor. At the same time, Diablo III received destructible environments and a new visual style. As a result, the battles became more spectacular and versatile.

14. Monster Hunter: World

Platforms: PC, PS 4, Xbox One.

Monster Hunter: World lets you feel like a monster hunter. The game has a whole continent, in the vastness of which you need to hunt down, catch or destroy monsters. Each enemy needs an individual approach: special equipment, preparation and hunting tactics.

15. Dark Souls III

Platforms: PC, PS 4, Xbox One.

The third part has preserved the best that was in the cult series: complex battles with monsters, a universe with rich mythology and a gothic atmosphere. But Dark Souls III also received an updated graphics engine, which makes the game look eerily beautiful.

16. Pillars of Eternity

Platforms: PC.

Tactical party RPG. Pillars of Eternity is played just like old computer RPGs: you control a group of heroes, read a lot of text, explore the world and spend a lot of time in turn-based battles. Only the graphics look more modern. A great option for those who want to feel nostalgic.

17. Stardew Valley

Platforms: PC, PS 4, Xbox One.

You get land in Stardew Valley to be converted into a luxury farm. This will require, for example, saving resources, raising animals and harvesting crops. But Stardew Valley isn't just a farm simulator, it's also an RPG. Your character can improve skills, make friends, explore the world, and even fight monsters.

18. Dark Souls

Platforms: PC, PS 3, Xbox 360.

The game that laid the foundations for the RPG series of the same name. Dark Souls may not look as beautiful as the third part, but it is not worse at all. Intense sword fighting, a complex role-playing system and a dark style - all this was present in the trilogy from the very beginning. For the above and fell in love with Dark Souls.

19. Bastion

Platforms: PC, PS 3, Xbox 360, PS 4, Xbox One.

A very cozy game with great visual style and atmospheric music. Events take place after an unknown disaster. The main character must restore a certain bastion, perhaps the only safe place. In the game, you are guided by the narrator's voiceover, who reacts to many user actions. He will help you slay dangerous creatures, solve puzzles and unravel the secrets of Bastion.

20. Child of Light

Platforms: PC, PS 3, Xbox 360, PS 4, Xbox One.

The player is entrusted with the fate of the young princess Aurora. The heroine embarks on a journey to retrieve the light stolen by the evil queen. The plot is based on European fairy tales, and the game looks like a living illustration from children's books. But the difficulty in Child of Light is clearly not designed for children. To defeat all the monsters and other fantastic creatures, you will have to try.

Dragon Age: Inquisition (PC, PS 3, PS 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One) and Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4) do not make the top 20 on the Metacritic list. But they scored as many points as Child of Light. Therefore, they also deserve a mention.