20 best RPGs on PC in 2024

The RPG genre is one of the most beloved and popular among gamers because it allows people to assume roles such as a brave warrior on horseback, a space traveler exploring the cosmos, or a medieval worker concerned with farming, small tasks from other townsfolk, and food gathering.

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In this article, we’ll review the best RPG of 2024. It is like a book of fairy tales where each chapter hides a story of an adventure with all its peculiarities.

Starfield

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The first chapter of our so-called book is dedicated to space adventures, battles, exploration. At launch, Starfield received a lot of negative reviews. Players expected something better than No Man’s Sky but were faced with the harsh reality typical of Bethesda: a boring plot, planets with no activities, poorly developed characters, and more.

Starfield is often called Fallout 4 in space, and it’s hard to deny that. Essentially, it comes down to completing missions, managing a spaceship, and exploring numerous planets. However, since many users found this boring, it’s worth downloading mods to improve the gameplay. The project was released in 2023, but it still makes our top list because, as of the time of writing, not many RPGs have been released in 2024. Such instances will appear several times in this selection.

Dragon's Dogma 2

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Moving on to the next chapter, where the gamer must take off their spacesuit from previous adventures, assume the role of Arisen, embarking on a new solo journey, bravely fighting a dragon that has stolen the protagonist’s heart.

Here, the focus is more on leveling up rather than the plot. The quests are terrifyingly simple and not particularly interesting: help a person, buy an item, defeat an enemy, and so on. Unfortunately, such missions do not help develop the characters, making them dull (even the dialogues did not help).

It is also worth discussing the combat system, but first, let’s say that the player has four classes to choose from, each of which can be changed later. In combat situations, the character has many possibilities and is almost unrestricted. The hero can nimbly dodge from side to side, lunge, jump, climb onto the enemy. New techniques are unlocked as the world is explored, the character levels up.

Now a bit about exploring the world. The map lacks precise quest markers, and many fun events occur during the journey. You’ll have to travel very often, for long distances, although there are fast travel points, but they are very few, so get ready for a long but exciting journey!

Last Epoch

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We open the third page of our book and stop at a project in the ARPG genre. It features classic elements typical of such titles: isometric view, class choices, build creation, leveling up, fighting enemies, and loot… lots of loot, which entices you to return to the game for several epic hours.

One of the main features of Last Epoch is the map. There is only one, but it spans different eras. Now you might be fighting in ancient times, and later you could visit the same place with towering structures. 

This also affects the enemies’ abilities. For example, in prehistoric times, the character will fight dinosaurs, while in another era, they’ll face necromancers. This brings a lot of variety because the same actions are performed in different locations.

Hogwarts Legacy

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The fourth chapter in front of us is filled with magic, mysteries. At last, the dream of many Harry Potter fans will come true: they can become wizards and arrive at Hogwarts to study magic in the house chosen by the player. 

The story begins in the 19th century when the main character enters the fifth year directly due to possessing ancient magic. It already sounds very intriguing. As soon as they arrive at the school, many will likely smile, exploring the familiar places, finding Easter eggs, and sheer delight from the details the developers have poured into the project. The hero can attend classes, explore the school of magic, interact with characters, uncover secrets of the estate, fight fantastic creatures, learn new spells.

Fans of the universe will enjoy the title, though others might not appreciate the project. Some might find this creation boring, uninteresting, and even somewhat lacking, especially in terms of character creation. There are too few options given for this.

Enshrouded

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The next part of our RPG epic will suit those who love the genre and enjoy survival. The action takes place in a kingdom called Embervale. However, it doesn't seem so magical because the land has been struck by a magical plague. The character must explore the remnants of the lost kingdom, fight mutated creatures, unravel various secrets. One of the distinguishing features of the game is the hero's independence.

As mentioned above, the title combines two genres. You’ll embark on a long but fascinating journey through different locations, build a base requiring many materials + furniture, craft weapons + armor. Additionally, Enshrouded features skill leveling that will help in epic battles. 

These fights demand quick reflexes and strategic decision-making from the gamer. Players will engage in thrilling battles, deftly dodging attacks, parrying blows at the right moment, casting devastating spells.

Baldur's Gate 3

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One of the most epic chapters of our "twenty-chapter book". BG3 is so impressive that it won numerous gaming awards last year. This comes as no surprise, as the title is crafted with quality from character creation to the variability of the plot. Everything depends on the player and the whims of luck, expressed in dice rolls. 

This project is perfect for multiple playthroughs to discover all the endings. It is truly a massive role-playing game, astonishing in its depth of development, attention to detail, level of production, and abundance of interesting situations.

For a comfortable gameplay experience, it's important to build the right tactics, customize your character. Our guides, for instance, for Bard or Druid, will help with this.

Horizon Forbidden West

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We turn the page and find a section with the continuation of Aloy's adventures. The heroine will once again face epic battles, deadly machines. On the shores of the former USA, she’ll use her weapons to confront enemies, uncover the island's mystery. Here, you’ll find not only exciting adventures but also a beautiful open world.

By the way, if you love wandering through such worlds, exploring every corner, finding something unusual, you can read our other top list dedicated to these types of games.

Returning to Horizon, the player enters a world on the brink of extinction, with humanity on the verge of dying out. No one knows the reason for the appearance of the formidable machines, and Aloy alone sets out to unravel the mysterious events. The vast territory includes locations such as flooded cities, the mountains of America, dense forests, beaches, island archipelagos. Sounds fascinating already!

Wasteland 3

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We do not stray far from America and the apocalypse. The chapter titled Wasteland 3 continues this intriguing theme. The story unfolds in the state of Colorado, which has experienced an apocalypse following a global conflict and is now in decline.

The game won't spare you and throws you straight into extreme conditions — a nuclear winter with all its consequences. The first quests will focus on finding a city suitable for survival. However, the player will have to worry about one crucial problem — hypothermia.

Upon arriving in Colorado, the characters become embroiled in a political conflict between the state's leader, their rebellious offspring, who aim to seize power. Other forces are also at play in the region. The user will decide whom to side with, how to resolve conflicts, and what future to choose for Colorado. Get ready for many missions requiring tough decisions.

At the start, the player is offered to create a pair of characters — either make them from scratch or choose pre-made ones with backstories, allocated attribute points. As you progress, you can recruit new members. Each character's attributes are divided into three branches.

Elden Ring

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We open the page to a book about a souls-like RPG. Naturally, we couldn't pass the famous Elden Ring, which recently received an update. This update caused quite a stir among gamers due to its difficulty. Yes, the developers outdid themselves by unfairly increasing the bosses' damage, HP, limiting players. Many enjoy challenges, but not to such an extreme. It feels like all the bosses were made similar to Malenia.

But let's talk about the positives. The graphics and the size of the open world are stunning. The entire gameplay is essentially based on the Dark Souls series.

The player controls a member of the Tarnished order, whose main goal is to seize power and become the Elden Lord. So far, none of the order members have succeeded. But you might be the one to change that.

Sea of Stars

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The next page truly sends players into a fairy tale. The graphics are pleasant, even though pixelated, but you quickly get used to it. The gameplay is engaging with many adventures. The main characters undergo military training to protect their homeland from creatures created by a powerful alchemist.

The gameplay consists of turn-based battles, traveling across an open map, and solving puzzles. For the latter, the characters' unique ability to switch between day, night will come in handy. The user will visit various locations, including cities, dungeons, meadows. If you need a break, you can engage in fishing, cooking, or treasure hunting.

The battles feature one distinctive mechanic — QTE (Quick Time Events). It is crucial to block or attack at the right moment. If something goes wrong, the character will lose a lot of HP. However, this combat system might become tiresome after several hours of gameplay. Despite this, Sea of Stars is an interesting project with a beautiful world, detailed environments, charming graphics.

Diablo 4

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We find ourselves in a chapter that reveals all the delights of ARPGs. Here we have the famous Diablo, which spurred the active development of this genre. The concept is straightforward: create a character, choose one of five classes, and embark on a journey where the player will fight strong opponents, collect loot, trade items, survive, and build effective builds. Unlike Last Epoch, Diablo 4 has a very engaging storyline. Even if you haven't played the previous parts, you’ll still understand everything.

The main feature of the game is multiplayer. The gamer can team up with friends for an exciting adventure. Fighting in a friendly company is always more interesting, fun.

Enemies are divided into monster families, defined by their theme, combat style, location. Each family contains different archetypes performing various roles. Thus, you cannot defeat all monsters in the same way: each player must develop a specific approach.

Lies of P

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It's time to immerse yourself in a dark fairy tale that may remind many of the Pinocchio's story. However, there is no cute character or bright colors here that automatically create a positive mood. Much of what the player does will be built on lies, and it's crucial not to get caught so the main character isn't exposed.

Briefly about the plot: the city is engulfed in the complete madness of the 19th century. Almost the entire population has perished, leading to a bloody struggle to become the new leader. People engage in looting, violence, and arson for fun. The protagonist, resembling Timothée Chalamet, is at the center of this chaos. Suddenly, he finds a note next to him, stating that he must find a certain Geppetto.

The battles allow the use of various melee weapons with special abilities from a prosthetic left arm. Diverse enemies and events keep things from getting dull. The game delivers pain, suffering because it is a souls-like. Yes, if you want to relax, you should definitely choose another title.

Soulmask

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This chapter of our "book" has already appeared in a survival projects selection, but we included it here because the project excellently combines these two genres. When the player starts the game, they’ll find themselves in the Stone Age. In the prologue, the user learns the backstory of the hero who escapes from a sacrificial altar and ends up in the jungle. If you’re familiar with the survival genre, you know what to do: collect sticks, stones, craft tools, light a fire, and so on.

The scale of the map is impressive, and gradually unfolds. There are several biomes — from scorching jungles to snowy mountain peaks. Each location has its own dangers. Soulmask delights with the option to join either a PvP or PvE server. Newcomers should stick to the latter, as death in PvP means losing everything.

You don't have to fight other players: the user can focus on leveling up. For example, a separate skill tree is dedicated to hunting, unlocking bonuses with each level. The player can also delve into exploring locations. There are many places to find treasures and their guardians. The player will encounter ancient ruins, barbarian camps, fortresses, and more.

Cyberpunk 2077

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Neon lights, tall buildings, cool technology — these are just the beautiful visuals of this "chapter", which hides poor neighborhoods, hopelessness, and oppression of the poor by the rich. Corporations rule the world. If you're not part of this system, survival in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 will be very tough.

The game was released in 2020, but in 2023 a major expansion, Phantom Liberty, was introduced, bringing a new city called DogTown, where anarchy reigns, and a former military leader has seized power. There isn't even a police force there.

In this expansion, the player works for the president of NUSA and ventures beyond the black wall where AIs reside. If you haven't played Phantom Liberty yet, I highly recommend doing so as soon as possible.

Jagged Alliance 3

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We open the next page, which immerses us in an interesting yet dangerous world where the player will need to use their brain to the fullest. The action takes place in a fictional country abundant in natural resources but plagued by political problems. There is a constant struggle between illegal factions and the government. One day, the country's president disappears, leading to true chaos.

Jagged Alliance 3 perfectly combines RPG + strategy, requiring users to not only play a role but also devise strategies. The main criterion for the success of the entire operation is the correct selection of quality mercenaries. Choosing certain classes will affect the play style. The key is not to engage in battles blindly: each fighter must be properly directed, focused on a specific aspect of the battle rather than a general approach.

Additionally, the player must mine diamonds, as being without money in such a state is tantamount to death.

Medieval Dynasty

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This section immerses us in the harsh life of the Middle Ages, where you’ll play the role of a person from that era, survive. 

At the start, the character wakes up in a small town and initiates a series of quests. These do not need to be completed all at once: the player can progress gradually. The main task in Medieval Dynasty is to build a village, populate it with other people. You’ll construct various buildings, such as a forge, kitchen, warehouse, and so on, improve skills, engage in farming and animal husbandry.

Recently, a cool feature was introduced to play in co-op mode. Together with a friend or partner, you can create the best village with all medieval conveniences.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

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The remaster of the legendary series is definitely worth the attention of all RPG fans. Mass Effect is a true epic in three parts, which are closely linked. The plot is captivating and complex, with side quests from companions that can be considered masterpieces within the series.

We won't discuss the story, as it needs to be discovered on your own. Let's talk about the gameplay. Most of the time, the main character will be searching for companions for their team. Each companion has an individual character, skills, so the player's build should be based on this. Notably, team members are useful not only in missions but also in dialogues.

Overall, the game is a classic modern RPG within the framework of a space adventure. The player will engage in a lot of fighting, talking, uncovering mysteries, making significant decisions. The first part has been reworked the most in the Legendary Edition. Shooting mechanics, movement, graphics have been taken from the subsequent parts.

Genshin Impact

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Now we move on to the anime section, which will include three "chapters". The epic begins with the famous Genshin Impact. Players will be delighted with beautiful characters, a gorgeous open world filled with activities, epic battles with enemies, dungeons, and more.

The main feature of the game is collecting heroes. You’ll create a dream team from characters with different abilities that complement each other, demonstrate the power of unity.

At the start, you can choose to play as either the brother or the sister. According to the story, they travel through dimensions. One day, they encounter a goddess who defeats them in battle, captures them both. After losing the fight, the main character regains consciousness and begins searching for the missing sibling. During the journey, they’ll complete quests, craft items, cook food, meet NPCs, and much more. The title keeps players engaged, especially when playing with friends.

Honkai: Star Rail

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A game similar to the previous title, where players need to do the same things: fight, complete quests, accumulate currency, materials to upgrade characters, explore dungeons, and level up the battle pass by completing various activities. There are many beautiful characters that are hard to take your eyes off.

This is a space adventure, sometimes quite mature, dark, forcing players to make difficult choices periodically. Like in Mass Effect, there is a metaphysical and almost inevitable force that destroys human civilization on Earth every time it becomes too advanced. The harbingers of the apocalypse are god-like beings.

There are many opportunities for upgrades. Besides developing characters, players need to study and improve passive + active skills, which are presented in three mechanics. Plus, there is a full-fledged equipment system. There aren't many trivial battles, but there are a lot more serious ones, especially with bosses.

Wuthering Waves

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The story begins with a girl or boy from another dimension, who doesn't understand how they ended up in a new world. This world once experienced a terrible catastrophe and now faces a new threat.

Again, the plot here is quite serious, unlike the sweet Genshin Impact. For instance, almost at the beginning, one of the main villains puts on a grand show, trying to prove that the main evil is human nature. Many side quests are also full of sorrow, often related to people's painful memories, family relationships.

You'll want to explore the world, engage in new epic battles. They take place in real-time in a hack-and-slash style. The user controls one character but can switch to another at any moment. The world is full of activities, allowing you to defeat powerful enemies, solve puzzles to unlock chests and earn rewards.

While exploring, the player might come across new settlements or interesting quests. There are also dungeons scattered throughout the world where you can fight bosses alone or with other players.

Thus, our "book" comes to an end, where we have visited different worlds, met various characters and their stories, delved into space, fairy-tale locations, and dark yet enticing cyberpunk. It's a paradise for those seeking an interesting RPG.

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