Best RPG Series of All Time

Final Fantasy Series crush the rest in all aspects, constantly offering a new gameplay experience with breathtaking aesthetics, from music to chara-design, the pinnacle level of finesse!

How is this not first? That Ridiculous! This is by far, the most memorable, and amazing RPG franchise ever created. Having the brilliant strategy of almost never having a game in the same universe or world, they are able to keep things fresh and new very easily. Although the later ones have been lacking.. The old ones are perfection.

Final Fantasy as a whole reshaped how RPG story telling, gameplay and presentation are created. It gave the video game industry a whole new criteria for fantasy genre based games and gave us some of the most memorable stories, characters and locations in ANY media form.

The FF games are always accompanied by awesome graphics deserving standing ovations at the producers' attention to every little detail coupled with a compelling and original storyline. The fighting system is simple and definitely not sleep inducing. Flawless. Wonder why this was 2nd and not 1st. This series is a legend, damn!

Started pretty late with Oblivion in 2006. Played the crap out of it, got Morrowind, played the crap out of that, then Skyrim comes along and I play the crap out of that. All are amazing but there's how I'd rank them
1) Skyrim- feels very refined. Seems like they perfected the Elder Scrolls formula with this game.
2) Oblivion- First one I played might be biased. Interesting world, good story, and overall fun.
3) Morrowind- Love this game. Best story of them. Inhospitable and interesting world. Gameplay doesn't hold up that well today but still is one of the best games I've ever played.
4) Daggerfall- Big world. Lots of stuff.
5) Arena- Boring, lost interest after an hour.

I have played and completed almost all quests on every single TES in full depth (only the games with The Elder Scrolls titles). You may be thinking I'm full of myself and have no life, but it's true, actually it's not because I barley played Skyrim. I'm a classic gamer, and get the most enjoyment in the classics, especially RPG classics.

Daggerfall is my favorite classic rpg of all time and I still play it to this day. The world is infinite and it's truly impossible to explore everything in this game. I have played so much of The Elder Scrolls: Arena and to this day I still play it. When Morrowind was released, it was the most amazing and impressive game I've ever played, but the good vibes stopped at morrowind, of course I played Oblivion and beat all the quests but Oblivion and Skyrim doesn't give the old vibes back.

Although some games are more RPGs than others, (for example, Daggerfall, Morrowind and Skyrim are moreso rpgs, whereas Oblivion leaned more towards the immersive sim genre, which wasn't a bad thing, just something different) all of the games, even the most flawed entries, have achieved what they set out to do. Whether that be create an amazing, engrossing and believable world, tell a tale of epic proportions, or just be fun. There's something for everyone here. You can be an honourable fighter, bringing justice wherever you go. Or a cunning Mage educated in all the arcane arts, capable of summoning massive fireballs or summoning daedra from the realms of Oblivion. You may be a master Thief, acting as a shadow, passing without a trace and unseen and stealing from the rich and powerful. Or you could be a merciless Assassin, always getting his target, with no regard for anyone. There are so many ways to play and things to do, it's just amazing. Everyone should at least give one game a ...more

The Elder Scrolls series are my all time favorite. They're so cool and if you want you can explore the world or then just stay in a village for the rest of your life.. Nobody forces you to do anything, and there's still so much to do even without quests! Skyrim and Oblivion are so cool, both have unbelievable choices and graphics. I can't ever imagine myself playing something more fun!

No matter what generation you played, you still love or loved Pokemon. It's just one of those games where, even if you don't realize it, you are always remembering the good times. When I take tests, I to the Lance battle music. When I'm happy, I hum pallet town. People aren't afraid to make references to it, because everyone knows that everyone use to play it.

Pokemon is a fun game series and many enjoy the series. It is a game series that brings back memories and is a game series that has been going on for quite a while. It is a classic game that is one of Nintendo's top selling series. It is also one of the game series that Nintendo relies on.

Why on earth is this not number one. These games are quite possibly the greatest games that anyone has ever played. Ruby and sapphire are my favorite but all of them are classic and awesome. Not only are you almost never done with game its one of the few rpgs you can battle your friends with. Even doing it competitively

People tend to have a snobby attitude towards Pokemon because they think it's aimed at kids, but of course, those people obviously know nothing about EVs, IVs, natures, abilities, priority moves and breeding mechanics. Just try and find another RPG with a battle system as deep as Pokemon's

Legend of Zelda is immense. No matter if you played elder scrolls or final fantasy when you grew up, it is almost impossible that you did not play at least one Zelda game whilst growing up. To top that off, the familiar characters, storyline, amazing soundtrack AND the fact that its one of Nintendo's joint three most recognisable franchises, it just can't be beaten.

Zelda series is masterpiece that was created by Nintendo.. Although there many competitors other that that series itself it still can survived till now. Since I played Zelda for the first time it feel like my life is changing it become so much better... Thanks Zelda thanks Nintendo...

It is because of this series of RPG's that Nintendo was forced to making technology that made use of a battery to save game files. I think that in itself and the fact that it is the first open world exploration game are testaments to how great this game is.

There is no way any other game could be the best rpg. The legend of Zelda is hands down the best game I have ever played. If you don't agree you probly haven't played it, and if that is the case I highly recommend you buy it because you are missing out on a great gaming experience.

This setting and the way it's played has never been matched. Though there are complaints about the games after II, even they are solid RPG's of their own style. Fallout New Vegas is a shockingly good entry

I've thoroughly played all games listed on this ranking, and I can assure none of them has any chance at all when compared to Fallout. The Fallout franchise itself is one of the best of all time, but Fallout 2 alone, IMHO, hasn't been matched by any other RPG game ever made.

An absolutely original, mature, believable, appealing and coherent universe mixed with an absolutely incredible atmosphere; developed with so much love and dedication that it seems unbelievable that we still have to wail for a part three.

What separates Fallout 1 & 2 from all the other so-called "RPGs" out there is that they are actual, genuine, and above all, original role-playing games. Whatever you did and said affected the outcome of a certain situation, or in some cases, even the final outcome of the game. It's a pity that Fallout 3 does not share this trait with its predecessors by being more shoot-em-up and less role-playing -oriented.

To Fallout 1 & 2, the two greatest role-playing games on Earth!

Fallout is what revived a struggling CRPG genre. Not only was there an original story and background, but it was engrossing and fun to play as well. Considred one of the best RPG's every constructed, in the same vein as Ultima and Wizardry.

Baldur's Gate and all the Forgotten Realms type of games, provide a type of gameplay different than the above games. If you like a long plot full of interesting Lore, Dieties, Creatures and other such stuff you will like these games. While the graphics aren't the best in comparison to games such as Final Fantasy, its story is what matters. Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment's stories are amazing in comparison to all the stories I have played in other RPGs. Another great thing is the fact that companions have their own opinions and seem realistic unlike companions in most characters. I love that you're not forced to go on a completely set path unlike most games and that you can choose from a variety of lifestyles to live. On top of all this, Community Mods have improved upon the game making graphics better, conversations longer, and romances possible with any character. If you love story, DEFINITELY play Baldur's Gate!

Greatest Game I have ever played. I have come back to this series quite often, and have loved it each and every time. The game has been out for a while, and heard stories of re-release. The story is grand, the people memorable, and the game-play is not all that bad. Fully voiced for NPC's as far as I can tell, and the freedom to find quests in the wild, that you can talk yourself into or out of, and then the power to do a lot of what you want... With reactions. NPCs react to your actions, and can get mad and leave if you do not do what you agreed to, or fight people they do not get along with. More then just an open environment, and more then a story.

Even before you begin your tale, you face one of the best character creation system in RPG (thanks to the amazing capabilities of DnD) at it's time and only a small few, if there are any can surpass it today that also gives you an amazing adventure that you will remember for years.

You will be immerse in it's world, playing with amazing combat controls and story telling that can bring all emotions from surprise, laughter, anger, and sadness.

If you have not AT LEAST play Baldur's Gate 2, then that must be the reason why your not placing a vote for this

Simply beautiful, what else can I say? Its some kind of perfect game for me, as it delivers gameplay, characters and story you can't find anywhere else. Just to say: first time I played this game (both 1 and 2nd game) was about 10 years ago, but I find it still as entertaining as then. If you have not played this game before and you are fond of rpg games, then do not hesitate, just go and play! it's a must have game!

Kingdom Hearts games didn't just give you entertainment like the select games above, but they gave you a sense of true emotion and attachment to the characters. The emotionally powerful stories of both games makes the love story thing actually good to like, and this game not at least being in the top 5 really proves to me that gamers only play mainstream stuff these days.

I don't really like to play video games that much but these games are amazing. The story line is awesome and it has all the themes of the hero's journey, the music is great, and you get to play alongside all the best Disney characters in their worlds and fight off their villains. Classic, I don't know why this isn't number 1.

If you think Disney makes memorable stories, Kingdom Hearts is beyond it.
The music blends you and the game. You can relive the Disney worlds in a whole new way; It is expressed in powers!
And who wouldn't dig in to Sora's badass transformations?

Most people don't pay attention to KH because they think its for little kids since it has disney characters but maybe a third of the people in my school play this (I'm in middle school) and also it has one of the best rpg characters SORA!
All my cousins play the KH series!

I love the Shin Megami Tensei Franchise, it's just so much more different than your typical JRPGS, the darker themes regarding morality, spirituality etc. just make it such an interesting franchise. In the games up to the late 2000s Kazuma Kaneko made some hauntingly beautiful, amazing art that just encaptures the tone of Megaten the best way. I'm not discrediting other artists by the way they've all done a great job but Kaneko was really something else. Possibly my favorite video game concept artist. The games have a higher difficulty than most JRPGs which just make them a thrill, and the music is always just phenomenal. The aesthetics and fashion also capture late 90s-2000s japanese street culture and I love it. And then there's the spinoff Persona series which are all amazing games as well, especially Persona 2 and Persona 4. My favorite games in the series are definitely Digital Devil Saga, Persona 2, Nocturne and Persona 4.

The Shin Megami Tensei series is just awesome. The mainline games have great mature storylines and a battle system equally brutal for you and your enemies and making a good party is satisfying. Persona is also fun and has great characters and sometimes pretty good stories, even more so then the main games. Everybody likes to go back to high school! Also the music in the whole entirity is awesome

Great game series with amazing, dark stories. There are many spin-offs like Persona (Persona 4 is the best game ever made in my opinion). You can chose from dark, hard jRPGs to... dungeon crawler mixed with dating sim. If you ever wanted to play mature jRPG series with great combat system, where geting more turns in battle and exploiting weaknesses is needed to win battles this is series for you. Don't forget the Igor. He's great.

Shin Megami Tensei for the win. Persona is just epic. I've played Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3 and 4 and would recommend them to anyone, they even put Final Fantasy to shame in my honest opinion. Haven't played the other titles, but they aren't as popular and get lower ratings from what I've seen, so I'm happy with my Persona.

This is one of the most exiting games that I've ever played. There are so many different outcomes that I keep playing it over and over again, while waiting for the Dragon age 3 Inquisition.

The characters in this game really define it, as well as the fantastic gameplay. Honestly, it hooked me from start to finish. I'm sad to see it end.

A very good game... Deserves to be in the top 10, not number 20. Great story.. Can be a little difficult at first.. But once you get the hang of combat and tactics.. You will absolutely 'LOVE' this game

Best fantasy rpg franchise today. Huge amount of in game history, culture, lore. Makes you feel immersed in a living breathing world.

Technically it's the Mother series but yeah, the games are great, because it is set with a storyline that could happen in real life which makes you actually feel like the character, and everything about the games are great, like the music and dialogue.

Well, this game has a special spot in my heart, and will continue to do so. It's just so WEIRD, if you haven't played it, you have to. It may not be as wonderful as mother 3, but that IS my favorite rpg of all time, and I'm not lying. Definitely worth playing, no doubt.

This game is one of my favorite games of all time and as much as I love Pokemon this game is better. It's a shame Mother 3 wasn't outside of japan because it might have made the series popular and sell well.

The mother series in general took a turn from magic and tower and spells and, we have kids. Kids in modern age going on a adventure. Its great! Check it out! (SNES)

Along with the original paper Mario game, fire emblem is the first game that I've ever taken the time to play twice. It has great difficulty, strateg, and incredible music, story, and character development.

Best Story: Radiant dawn
Best Character: Marissa
Best Class: Hero
Best Lord: Hector
Best Chapter: The one in bern for fe7
Best Overall Game: Fire Emblem 4 (sucks cause it was only released in Japan)

The only true epic strategy series, Fire Emblem stands out in the midst of games such as Final Fantasy and Legend of Zelda for being a series that gained immense popularity worldwide with only four games released in the West.

Sacred Stones man...
Rouge and Mage Knight are the two BEST CLASSES
Rouge is my favorite class in the whole series.
Float like a butterfly sting like a bee.
The sword can't hit what the eyes can't see!

The king of Japanese style tactical games. The meat isn't necessarily the story, but the amount of options, customizations and paths one can take

Actually better than the follow up Mass Effect. KOTOR revolutionized dialogue and choice in linear cRPG gaming. KOTOR II is even better. Both games represent the greatest Star Wars stories since the originals...that is a low bar...but KOTOR nearly reaches the sun of the originals and even exceeds them in some ways

Easily the most personal, diverse story and characters in any game ever. It's simple, KOTOR is something magical, even the sequel was on par with the original game and even the MMO is great (and I really hate MMOs)! Although I have to admit, while playing TOR or any other BioWare game there is still a big part of my upset simply because it isn't Knights of the Old Republic 3 even though its been 7 years since I finished second game. It is that good. By far the best Star Wars prequel

Wow really? Final Fantasy? I admit it is a really great series and indefinitely have some of the greatest games of all time but really? The minute I held my hand on KOTOR I fell in love. Truthfully of course it is not the greatest RPG series or game of all time. But for star wars fans it is. Excellent game and with Star Wars The old Republic MMORPG coming out... heaven knows.

I was gonna say some truly elegant stuff about how astoundingly great this series is, about the mature themes, the epic storytelling and awesome twist of KOTOR I and the deeply personal story of KOTOR II, but instead I'll go with this. You get to go on a galaxy-wide murder spree with a racist assasination droid. Beat that, Final Fantasy.

The immersive impact of the characters, battles, romance, locations, story development and incremental leadership the entire trilogy distributes to the player is indescribably amazing. Even though I agree humbly with this list. I will forever love Mass Effect for all that it is.

Mass effect stands out because of the way it biotic charges you into its own world... Bringing you close to its characters, mass relays and individual stories. This incredible saga made me weep at its conclusion... But never fear, there's more to come!

Best RPG games.. Only reason why its not in top 10 is we are missing the last chapter.. If it is at the same level as the first 2 then its easily top 5

Best dialogue, best story, best character development, best in every category in my opinion.

Without a doubt the best storyline EVER written for a video game (not only RPG). The literary quality here is even superior to most books and movies.
The setting is fantastic, many doubted that the planescape setting would work on well on a video game, but it does. It is not so focused on fighting, like Baldur's Gate and other similar games, but some fights are truly epic given the context, they happen at the right time and the right. Too much "epicness" get's boring after a while, here the whole thing evolves on a perfect pace, alternating between slow parts and growing to reach authentic gaming climax... Just perfect, the best game EVER created, period.

This game deserves more... It's story is one of the greatest I've ever seen. That flying skull cracks me up all the time, the gloomy atmosphere is also a brilliant way to suck you in.

Their were hundreds of thousands of words in the narrative of this game. The story line drove older rpgs. Newer rpgs are just graphics. Games like Planescape prove you don't need story to be truly amazing.

Seriously guys, finish this game before you make any votes. Best story ever written, no RPG now days can go beyond that, really.

Please, let's limit ourselves to the only REAL role-playing games in this list (Neverwinter Nights 1-2 & Might and Magic series) and the only platform for serious gamers: the PC. Let's get rid of that childish console crap once and for all!

I second this. All those console games ARE NOT real RPGs. Yeah, you level-up, but that does not constitute an RPG. There are no real "choices" in games like FF.

One of the only games (nwn1 and 2, not the nwn online...) that feels like a true table top RPG. Where even small quests speech options can have impacts on the main story line. A plus for nwn1 + hordes of the underdark. Re-playability is great due to the giganormous quality content created by the community.

Everything about Secret of Mana is great. I love the storyline and the music. I also think the combat controls are some of the best of any game. I have been playing this game since I was a kid, and I still enjoy playing it over and over again.

By far the best RPG I have ever played... And I have played many. Perfect music and storyline to match. This game actually helped shape me into the person I am today. Seems ridiculous...? Play it and I doubt you'll argue.

Classic, Innovative, Memorable, Fun, Epic, Unique, Captivating... Etc., etc.

A handful of words are just not enough to describe the scope of this game. Go back and play it. It's that good.

Fantastic storyline and atmospheric music. I have many great memories of pulling all-nighter sessions with friends to complete the game in mulit-player.

After 20 years still absolutely awesome!
Now I am writing only to increase the comment quality or whatever.
You should be warned that if you pirate this game, you will not be able to play multi-player, only local. That is via Hamachi and such.
However, it is definitely worth buying even now!

This is just the best Blizzard game ever until now. There's no way someone can't enjoy the monster-slaying it gives to you, neither the way that you can ignore or pay full attention to the story, depending on what you want from it.

Diablo was the first of it style of game and influenced the rpg genre today, Diablo based off the board game dungeon and dragons.

Without Diablo all the main mmorpg wouldn't be made. They are all break away's from diablo

I haven't played any other game as much as I have played Diablo II but maybe it was because I DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO!

Totally engrossing and very hard to defeat without cheating.

I'm surprised that thus is so low, behind games that hardly qualify as RPGs (Paper Mario, really? ). It's also weird how DQ Monsters is higher than its parent series. I love this series because you almost always have the option to play the game as a solo character.

Better known to some as "Dragon Warrior" 1-4 on the NES. How this series is not a top ten I'll never know. Come on...
A Slime Draws Near!
The Slime Attacks!
The Slime Misses!
Erdrick Attacks!
Erdrick Lands a Tremendous Blow!
427 Damage!
(the DDDAa! )
Thou art defeated the Slime
Thou art gained 1 gold.
Thou art gained 2 Exp.

It should be up there... you know you've played it.

I play tested Dragon Warrior I for NES. I hated it at the time, but played it some months later and ended up enjoying it.

The original console RPG and still the best series, and it's stuck down at the bottom of this list?

Far too underappreciated. When played from start to finish, you'll find one of the most complex universes created, and an epic tale that cannot be missed!

My two favorite games are Final Fantasy VII and Suikoden 2. I think out of those two Suikoden II is the better game. I also enjoy the original Suikoden and Suikoden V, and yes I own every Final Fantasy game and Every Suikoden game. The best thing about Suikoden is that it's a continuing story in a large and interesting world, with many mysteries yet to be uncovered. The series as a whole has a much much deeper world and and story than any single FF game can ever accomplish.

I say that this game is release too fast. Especially suikoden II. I said that because the graphic is not really good. But the storyline and the gameplay is so AWESOME! So awesome that even though the graphic is not that good, we still see this game as the best game we ever played. And the mystery in suiko world makes me really curious. The best RPG ever!

"as far as I played all rpg, suikoden 2 is the best I have played. Suikoden 2 is the game that make me know how great rpg are. Suikoden have very great world and we can't imagine how big it's world is? The world have great history, much nation and some unknown nation that still not discovered and have the 27 true rune, which some still unknown and mysterious. Cannot wait to see another series of this game, especially suikoden 6"

Suikoden 2 is definitely one of the best rpg games of all times, if not THE.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of great titles out there, but I find it so hard to beat a game like that, and I've played quite a few rpg titles...
The variaty of things to do, the lenght and depth of the story, the incredible music, it just has it all...

The world's most popular free MMORPG and not even in the top ten! Runescape is a game for a serious and committed gamer who wishes to explore 26 skills combat and non-combat wise. With thousands upon thousands of hours of gameplay and limitless paths to take, you can never fully take it all in. That's what makes Runescape unique and worthwhile.

Very good quality game play, it should be at least 4th on this list because it is free and there is no download whatsoever required to play, it has the largest base of players which also means it is the most popular and the graphics have really improved over the last couple years.!

Played runescape for 10 years off and on and never even came close to trying everything in the game... Definitely a game for anyone to play but be aware that once your hooked you wont ever want to let go of it. Hence why I played for ten years..

Fable 3 might be just OK, but Fable and Fable 2 are two games that I replay on a regular basis. They are easily done if the most enjoyable games I've part partially for their sense of humor

This game is so underrated. Not only is the game actually good but the characters are funny and the story lines are always good stories.