10 all-time-great RPG games to replay in September 2022

RPGs are some of the most universally liked genres of video games. These games pack quite a punch, enabling players to immerse themselves in a fantasy world and carve out unique storylines.

The best RPG games are those that never rush players to move to the next quest. It’s more about character-building, world design, and lore that can keep them engaged for days.

Moreover, RPG games come in all shapes and sizes; there are JRPGs, ARPGs, Tactical RPGs, 3D platform RPGs of the 90s, and many more. It’s one of the most diversified genres.

It’s a tough call to put down a list of all-time great RPGs. However, here’s a mixed-and-match compilation of some of the greatest RPGs made in the last two decades. These games are still relevant today and can be picked to keep September occupied.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion.

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Ten engaging RPGs to pick up again this Fall

1) Pokemon Emerald (2004)

• Available on: Game Boy Advance, Android

For many gamers, the Game Boy Advance’s Pokemon games were the first taste of role-playing in an immersive open world. While Pokemon Red & Blue and Pokemon Sapphire & Ruby are all legendary games in their own right, it is Pokemon Emerald that is the integrated and more improved version of Pokemon Sapphire & Ruby.

Pokemon Emerald introduces the third generation of pocket monsters from the popular Pokemon manga series. The title takes place on the tropical islands of Japan. Users are tasked to explore the Hoenn region, capture the strongest team of Pokemon and collect all eight gym badges by defeating all the gym masters.

The storyline follows a similar progression to previous Pokemon titles of ultimately defeating the Elite Four, coupled with an enticing parallel side-story about Legendary Pokemon.

Like Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, Pokemon Emerald also features LAN connectivity zones beneath the Poke Centers and Poke Marts spread throughout the map in towns and cities.

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2) World of Warcraft (2004)

• Available on: Microsoft Windows, macOS

Growing up in the late 90s and early 20s meant it was a pleasure coming across World of Warcraft. It is an MMORPG with the fantasy continent of Azeroth inhabited by numerous races besides humans like the Elves, Orcs, Centaurs, the Undead, and hundreds of others.

World of Warcraft allows players to create their own unique avatar and explore the ever-expanding open world of Azeroth in third-person view, full of lore, magic, dungeons, and labyrinths to unravel. Immersing in the World of Warcraft is truly a magical experience worth sacrificing countless sleepless nights.

Since its launch, the World of Warcraft franchise has kept expanding its universe with several expansions. Even two decades since its launch, the franchise has enjoyed widespread popularity with millions of active users, making it one of the most successful MMORPGs ever.

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3) Diablo 2: Resurrected (2021)

• Available on: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X|S

Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of World of Warcraft, did a fantastic job in their hack-and-slash third-person RPG, Diablo 2. Released in 2000, the game dominated the genre for the entirety of the decade.

It was a pleasant surprise to gamers not to follow a linear story progression and simply hack-and-slash through the open world as per their wishes.

Diablo 2: Resurrected is the remastered version of the timeless classic, made with advanced game engines. The title also includes the Lord of Destruction expansion of the old classic.

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4) Fallout: New Vegas (2010)

• Available on: PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360

Fallout: New Vegas is arguably the best game of the Fallout series. It’s a first-person shooter RPG that offers one of the most richly detailed open-world maps.

Only a few first-person shooter RPGs managed to pull off a brilliant storyline combined with a flawless open world and action-packed gameplay. Fallout: New Vegas belongs to the upper echelons of such games.

Set in an apocalyptic world suffering from a post-nuclear disaster, each and every side-quest and minor character that players come across in the open world of Fallout: New Vegas is given massive attention and detail.

Most importantly, Fallout: New Vegas leaves various paths open to users on how they would like to navigate and finish their quests. It’s a game that every RPG fan must at least try once.

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5) Mass Effect 2 (2010)

• Available on: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows

A sequel to the original Mass Effect game, Mass Effect 2 is a traditional third-person RPG that heavily emphasizes cinematic cut scenes and character dialogs. In this third-person shooter, gamers take on the role of Commander Shepherd traversing a vast galaxy.

Set in the 22nd century, interstellar travel is possible. The human race finds itself part of an intergalactic conglomerate called the Citadel Council, which includes other alien races such as Asari and Turians.

There are other equally enticing independent races, such as the Reptilian Krogan. In Mass Effect 2, users will find themselves up against the hostile race of AI networks.

The gameplay involves futuristic space-shooter combat where players can lead a gang of up to two. Most missions are combat quests involving interactions with some very well-written NPC characters.

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6) The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (2011)

• Available on: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 5, Xbox X|S, PlayStation 3

Elder Scrolls is one of the oldest RPG series around. The franchise has a massive cult following and has produced brilliant RPG titles, including The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, one of the first RPGs to have a massive open world.

However, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is arguably the best iteration of the franchise so far in terms of the sheer size of the open world and creativity in terms of the lore it manages to provide.

The visual brilliance of the open world is a sight to behold for that era, and the gaming environment never seems to age.

It’s hard to argue about The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim’s impact in the last decade. It has single-handedly inspired a bunch of similar open-world titles to come up in the 2010s.

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7) Borderlands 2 (2012)

• Available on: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, macOS, PlayStation Vita, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Nintendo Switch

It’s impressive how Borderlands 2 manages to offer so much under one package. Not only did the game give birth to a sub-genre, shooter-looters, but exploring the artistically created world of Pandora and defeating its magnificent beasts is in itself a memorable experience.

At the end of the day, Borderlands 2 is a first-person shooter RPG where players take on the role of one of the four playable Vault Hunters up against Handsome Jack and his evil Hyperion Corporation, who have complete control over Pandora.

Each Vault Hunter has unique skills, capabilities, and weaknesses, and once gamers complete the game with a Vault Hunter, they may choose to replay the storyline with another one.

Borderlands 2 features a captivating plot that doesn’t wane as players traverse through the open world. This September, give this underrated first-person shooter a try.

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8) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)

• Available on: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Microsoft Windows

As the third rendition of The Witcher series, developer CD Projekt Red did a fabulous job in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt by creating a spectacularly huge open world spanning an entire continent with unique geographical regions.

Playing from a third-person perspective, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s main story revolves around the life of Geralt, who sets out on a voyage alongside his long-time partner Yennefer in search of Ciri.

The medieval open world contains hundreds of side missions and monster hunting quests, enough for users to keep the main story quests aside for a few days and wander around the continent for fun.

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9) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

• Available on: Nintendo Switch

The pleasant rolling lush green landscape set in a dreamy open world of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a sight to behold. The game has inspired many others to follow suit and manages to offer an exhilarating open world with complete freedom to explore.

From the start, players can explore diverse locations, from grassy meadows to thick dark forests and lofty mountains. Every object they encounter, from apples to books to stones, is a resource that can be used in the game.

Above all, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild stands out from its contemporaries when it comes to the highly interactive and responsive open-world environment the RPG title manages to give to gamers.

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10) Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018)

• Available on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, Amazon Luna

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a genre-defining game that completely saturates the open-world action-adventure RPG genre. Developers Ubisoft did a spectacular job in re-creating the setting and atmosphere of the Peloponnesian war — a historically accurate re-creation of the tussle for supremacy over the Greek Peninsula that took place primarily between Athens and Sparta in the classical era.

It’s a role-playing action adventure where users can take on the role of mercenary warrior Alexios. Right at the beginning, they are forced to choose between Sparta and Athens. Once done, they are free to go on a never-ending voyage across the beautifully created Greek countryside.

The scale of the open world in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is unbelievably huge, and each and every small decision made in the storyline may come back to haunt gamers in the endgame.

Numerous side missions and equally dangerous main quests can be approached in different ways. The decisions made in some of the quests ultimately have the potential to change the tide of the ensuing struggle for supremacy between numerous Greek city-states.