Free RPG Online Games
Anarchy Online – A futuristic science fiction MMORPG, Anarchy Online takes place in an age where common surgical implants and microscopic nano-bots can relieve most forms of human suffering. They can even change a person into a weapon of destructive force. AO used to be a pay-to-play MMORPG, but now it is free to play with the option to pay for additional features. AO is now available as one of the best free RPG online games.

Twelve Sky – Over five million players and growing, Twelve Sky is an award-winning game with large scale PvP, thousands of authentic items, an in-depth skill system, and customizable armor and weapons. The game is a fast paced MMORPG based on an oriental fantasy theme of middle-age China. Best of all, Twelve Sky is a free online RPG game.

Fiesta – Fiesta is a free-to-play 3D MMORPG. It currently has more than two million players worldwide. The game is now available for European players in English, Spanish, French, and German. Players can experience exciting adventures in a stunning online fantasy world through the unique character development of four different classes. Fiesta contains both PvE and PvP game play, as well as numerous quests for single adventurers or groups. The game also contains extensive guild support.

Galaxy Online – Galaxy Online is a strategic online game that combines a powerful battle system and abundant expressive battle force. It is set across the vast universe. Players from different forces can kill each other freely. The game attempts to offer a free development space for players so that they can design their own warships, arrange battle teams and recast planets according to their wishes. It is a great game for players who like strategy and challenge.

Cabal Online – Cabal Online is a third person 3D online RPG. The game is based around the continent of Navereth which has been destroyed by the laws of nature. The game play is mixed with teamwork that involves puzzles, battles, and quests. These are key to defeating the second rising of evil and to win the world war. It has over three hundred solo and party dungeons as well as a wide variety of quests and challenges.

There are many other free RPG games available online. Anarchy Online, Twelve Sky, Fiesta, Galaxy Online, and Cabal Online are just a small selection of what free RPG online games are out there. Most of the games require you to download and install the software. Then once you’re fully updated you can log into your account, connect to the game, and start playing.

What free RPG games do you recommend playing?

The Best RPG PC Games
I’ve played a lot of PC RPGs and MMORPGs in my day. So I wanted to develop a list of the best RPG PC games that I’ve played. In general, I really enjoy playing MMORPGs, traditional PC RPGs, and any popular RPG series. Here are some examples of each category that I’ve enjoyed playing over the years.

MMORPGs
World of Warcraft – This is the MMORPG of all MMORPGs. I can honestly say I disliked World of Warcraft when I started playing it. But the fact that everyone I knew was playing it kept me interested. So I gutted it out and stuck with the game for a couple years and really grew to like it. It has like ten bazillion subscribers and is firmly entrenched as the number one MMORPG in the world. It is definitely one of the best RPG games out there, if not THE game.

Warhammer Online – War was marketed as a potential WoW killer when it came out. It definitely was not that, but it delivered a new MMORPG that was more PvP-focused. The game is alive and kicking and is probably the best alternative to World of Warcraft if you are looking for a newer fantasy MMORPG that is PvP-focused.

Dark Age of Camelot – DAoC was the game that got me into MMORPGs. It had decent PvE but was completely PvP-focused end-game, which is my big focus with MMORPGs. The one thing they did better than any other game so far was their realm vs. realm PvP using a three-side system. Using three different sides for players allowed for much easier and better balance on each server. It also allowed for a ton of different and fun classes and group make-ups for people to play. Even as old as it is, DAoC is still a great MMORPG.

Best RPG Games for PC
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – I love the Star Wars universe and KotOR was a groundbreaking game for LucasArts. It allowed you to really play a Jedi the way you wanted to play them. It also gave you the choice of whether you wanted to go towards the light side or the dark side, and you paid the consequence for either. It spawned a sequel game as well as games that were created for that era. BioWare and LucasArts are currently working on an MMORPG based on this original game which will be called, Star Wars: The Old Republic (TOR). I predict it will be one of the best online RPG games ever.

Diablo – Some people may not consider Diablo a true RPG. I definitely think it has all the elements of an RPG, but at its core it probably feels and looks a lot more action-based. Diablo could be played solo on your PC or online with a small group of friends. So it wasn’t a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, but it had a lot of the same essentials that an MMORPG does.

Final Fantasy – This game series is probably the most successful and best RPG game series of all-time. Final Fantasy has always been both a huge hit in Japan and the United States. They’ve created tons of games not only for the PC but for consoles as well. Final Fantasy XI is also a very popular MMORPG that has been out for several years now and is still going strong.

Might & Magic – I’ll always have a soft spot for the Might & Magic series. I first played Might & Magic on my Apple IIe when I was a little kid. Since then, I can’t say I’ve played every single game in the series and spin-off series, but I’ve played a lot of them. This is the one of the best RPG games for the PC that I grew up playing. Unfortunately it didn’t keep that same following that it had many years ago, but it has been a steady seller since its inception. I get a little nostalgic every time I see this game title.

Overall – Best RPG PC Games
Choosing the best RPG game for the PC is going to drastically depend on what type of player you are and what type of game you like. I know a lot of my choices are what other people consider to be some of the best RPG games ever. World of Warcraft and the Final Fantasy series are some of the best-selling and most iconic games of all-time. There are also a lot of other great RPGs that didn’t make my short list.

What do you think are the best RPG PC games ever?

• The game must be available on the PC.
• The game must not be an MMORPG.
• The game must be considered an RPG.
• Only one game per game series can be chosen (i.e. There cannot be three Final Fantasy games on this list)

Here is my own personal list of the top 10 PC RPG games.

10 – Might & Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven – This game is considered to be one of the best of the long-running Might & Magic series. The game came out in 1998 and was praised for its interactive and detailed game world, user-friendly premise, non-linear game play, and bug-free initial release.

9 – Planescape: Torment – Released in December 1999, the game won RPG of the Year and Game of the Year by several different reviewers. The game is considered one of the best implementations of an evil character in RPGs up to that point. Although not a significant commercial success, the game received high acclaim upon release.

8 – Baldur’s Gate – The game received top scores from nearly every gaming publication upon its release. It won both Game of the Year and RPG of the Year in 1998. Baldur’s Gate was the first in a three title series before the story arc was concluded.

7 – Neverwinter Nights – NWN won E3 awards in 2000, 2001, and 2002. It met with very positive reviews and was praised as “having something for everyone”. The game was originally built on a model similar to MMORPGs but allowed the end users to host the servers.

6 – Diablo – Blizzard released this title in 1996. It received extremely high ratings from nearly all game reviewers and was even named Game of the Year by several game reviewers. Diablo has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

5 – Fable: The Lost Chapters – Released in 2005 and published by Microsoft, the game received critical acclaim from the very beginning. It was the top selling game upon its release and ended up selling over two million copies in just over two years.

4 – Final Fantasy VII – FFVII has been credited with allowing console role-playing games to find a place in markets outside of Japan. This game is considered the most popular in one of the most popular game series ever. Although some consider it overrated, the game was both a critical and commercial success.

3 – Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – The third installment of the Elder Scroll series was released in 2002. It sold more than four million copies and won more than sixty awards, including several Game of the Year awards. The game had high review scores and spawned multiple expansions and follow-up games.

2 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – One of the highest scoring RPGs ever, Star Wars: KotOR won numerous awards including Game of the Year, best console RPG, and best computer RPG. The game is considered to have of the best video game plot twists of all time.

1 – Fallout 3 – An action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios. Fallout 3 sold over 610,000 units during its initial month of release. It has won awards for Game of the Year, Best PC Game, Best Xbox 360 Game, Best RPG, and many more awards.  It definitely is one of the top RPG games recently, if not the best RPG game ever.

Overall, this is a very solid list for the category of ‘Best RPG Games For PC”.  As I stated in the beginning of the article, it doesn’t include the best online RPG games, such as MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.  In my opinion, that is another list entirely.  In the end, each player will have to choose what they consider to be the best RPG games.

10 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – This RPG was developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. The gameplay is based off of the d20 System from the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. It won numerous awards when it was released. An MMORPG based on this game series, called Star Wars: The Old Republic, is currently in development.

9 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – This game was first released in Japan in 1991. The plot focused on Link as he travels on a journey to save Hyrule, defeat Ganon and rescue the seven descendants of the Sages. The game itself has sold more than four million copies and spawned one of the best RPG series of all time.

8 – Xenogears – Xenogears follows Fei Fong Wong and several other characters as they struggle to survive in a world torn apart by war between the nations of Aveh and Kislev. It was released in 1998 and has sold over a million copies worldwide. The game has never officially had a sequel or prequel, but some claim that Xenosaga is related to the game as it had many of the same designers.

7 – The Ultima Series – This series contained a total of ten games. Ultima 1-3 introduced the tenants of heroic Virtue. It also established the enchanted world of Britannia. Ultima 4-6 has the humans from Earth become the embodiment of the eight Virtues. The role these people play is that of the Avatar. Ultima 7-9 tell of the fall of the Avatar. The Guardian is a mysterious entity that comes to defame everything the Avatar stands for. The final game in the series, Ultima X, was canceled partway into development.

6 – Diablo II: Lord of Destruction – Although not considered a completely full RPG, Diablo II’s hack-and-slash adventure style captured players once again. It is possibly the most action-oriented RPG on the list. It was described at Metacritic as an expansion that “should reinforce the staying power of an already legendary RPG.” And it has, as Diablo III is due out in 2009.

5 – Fallout 3 – Voted the best RPG of 2008 by many game reviewers, this game was a smashing follow-up in what is turning out to be one of the most successful series of all time. This series has followed the post-apocalyptic genre in a world that has been ravaged by nuclear destruction. Fallout 3 takes place in a future Washington D.C. devastated by the destruction. It gives players both a first person shooter feel and a great RPG. Both Fallout 4 and a Fallout MMORPG are currently in development.

4 – Chrono Trigger – Developed by three of the most famous game designers ever (Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuuji Horii, and Akira Toriyama), Chrono Trigger follows a group of adventurers who travel through time to prevent a global catastrophe. Originally released in 1995, it sold millions of copies and was the third best-selling game the year it came out. Its multiple endings, plot-related sidequests which focused on character development, unique battle system, and detailed graphics were considered revolutionary for the time.

3 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – Ocarina of Time is the fifth game in The Legend of Zelda series in terms of release, but is set before the first four games. The game placed second in Official Nintendo Magazine’s “100 greatest Nintendo games of all time”, in addition to winning many other awards. It sold millions of copies and helped entrench and continue the legendary series of Zelda and Link.

2 – World of Warcraft – This game redefined what was possible with MMORPGs. The game has recently been hovering around the 12 million subscriber mark and shows no signs of ever letting up. The game is a cultural phenomenon. Almost everyone knows someone that plays it. With the primary game and two very successful expansions, World of Warcraft continues to redefine what is possible with an RPG.

1 – Final Fantasy VII – The ultimate console RPG of all time. This RPG was the best of the Final Fantasy series. And, the Final Fantasy series is the best of all RPGs. Final Fantasy VII brought a more mature theme to RPGs and proved that they didn’t have to be like a childish game. The game brought a complex story that had depth. This is the game that redefined RPGs and brought the genre to more gamers around the world than any other.

Fallout 3 – Best RPG of 2008

As voted by nearly every major game reviewer, the best RPG game of 2008 was Fallout 3. Fallout 3 was developed by Bethesda Softworks and released at the end of 2008. The storyline picks up where Fallout 2 left off. It is 200 years after a nuclear war has devastated the world. The player’s father goes mysteriously missing so you venture out on your 19th birthday into the wasteland in search of him. The area around Washington D.C. has become a devastated wasteland.

Fallout 3 utilizes 3d graphics and a free-roam gaming world. The player’s actions throughout the game have far-reaching consequences that affect the world around the player and they way they play. The gameplay is in real-time, but you can pause certain parts of combat to fire off special, area-targeted attacks. The game is played in a primarily first person shooter point of view, but it does have an oddly-working third person point of view as an option. The game has a heavy emphasis on slaughtering the mutants and other enemies you’ll meet around Washington D.C. The game doesn’t have a wide variety of enemies which can make for predictable combat at times.

The game was released for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It garnered impressive reviews on all systems, but sadly scored the lowest on the PS3. The PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game have small issues, but the PS3 version displays jagged edges, washed out lighting, and other visual bugs on the platform. Overall, the game is great on any platform, but is considered to be better on the PC and Xbox 360 platform over the PS3 platform.

Fallout

The original Fallout was released in 1997. This game took place in a post-apocalyptic southern California in the year 2161. Ironically, the game was originally intended to run under the pen and paper RPG system, GURPS (Generic Universal Role-Playing System), by Steve Jackson. However, this did not happen and a new system was developed for the game called the SPECIAL System. The game’s artwork and atmosphere are reminiscent of post-WWII America.

Fallout 4 and the Fallout MMORPG

Fallout 4 is also to be developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Pete Hines, of Bethesda Softworks, stated that their company acquired the license to Fallout with the full intention of making it one of their primary game lines, like The Elder Scrolls. They’ve stated that Fallout 4 will not be an MMORPG, but there is a Fallout MMORPG currently being developed. There is currently no released date for either of these games.