10 RPGs With The Deepest Lore Ranked | Game Rant
Diving into a good RPG for a gamer is a lot like committing oneself to a good book. The idea is for players to lose themselves in these deep worlds of fantasy, science fiction, and even the modern-day. Perhaps more than any other genre, the RPG is capable of building deep and meaningful worlds with characters that can become personal to the player.
The beauty of a good RPG is its ability to draw the player in and allow them to discover a world or a universe for themselves that has its own history and lore. The lore in a game can be accessed through in-game history books, codex’s, diaries, conversations with NPCs, and more. Here are some of the best Western RPGs with the deepest lore.
10 The Deus Ex Series
The Deus Ex series are action RPGs that first launched back in 2000. On a visual level, it was heavily inspired by Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. However, its story filled with conspiracy and intrigue tapped into the popularity of the X-Files TV show. It's a series that fans of the cyberpunk genre should look into and it certainly deserves to make a comeback.
There are four mainline games that released on consoles and PC and two spin-off titles that launched on handheld devices. As a result, there is a lot of lore to tap into throughout the series’ history. The games are littered with historical references and information to read which expand the series lore and history, bringing the world of Deus Ex to life.
9 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Released in 2018, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an open-world action RPG developed by Warhorse Studios. Its story takes place in 1403 Bohemia and is set in a real historical setting. As a result, there is no magic, dragons, elves, or orcs and the game makes every effort to be realistic as possible.
Despite its real-world setting, Kingdom Come: Deliverance uses a world-building technique that is similar to The Elder Scrolls series. It fleshes out its world with various lore books and stories that build upon the real-world history and culture of Bohemia.
8 Divinity: Original Sin II
Taking inspiration from CRPG classics like the Baldur’s Gate series, Divinity: Original Sin II offers its players the same amount of freedom and flexibility. The player’s decisions and actions help mold the world around them as they make their way through the story.
All this would feel shallow, however, if the Divinity series didn’t already have a great deal of lore to back it up. In addition to the Original Sin games, they were preceded by Divine Divinity. Beyond Divinity, and Divinity II. The series has a lot of lore for players to dive into and there’s a lot of books and items for players to read up on.
7 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Whether one is playing Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls series has always been about letting the player get lost in its worlds and creating a story of their own. The main campaigns in these games have never been that complex and the side content often has better-developed character and narratives.
However, where The Elder Scrolls games can’t be faulted is their ability to draw the player into their worlds with immense world-building and lore. There is never a shortage of history books to read up on and characters to interact with. Fans of RPGs with great worlds should dive into any of The Elder Scrolls games but Skyrim is the most accessible title by far.
6 The Dragon Age Series
When BioWare stopped developing the Baldur’s Gate series for the PC they set out to create a brand new universe of their own. That universe was built around the Dragon Age series. It’s a series that takes more inspiration from dark fantasy like A Song of Ice and Fire as opposed to The Lord of the Rings.
As a result, there’s a deep and layered history centered around politics, religion, war, and tragedy. It’s very easy to tell that BioWare wanted to create a believable world to draw players in. Even the designs on the game’s currency have a story to tell. Despite the fact that it’s showing its age, fans should definitely start with Dragon Age: Origins. It’s a great mix of old-school mechanics with newer modern perspectives and exploration.
5 The Pillars Of Eternity Series
Released in 2015 and 2018 respectively, Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire are modern RPGs that took inspiration from the Baldur’s Gate series. It was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and has some of the most accessible yet deepest lore in the genre.
It’s beautifully written and attainable through what seems like hundreds of in-game books that can be discovered throughout the game’s worlds. Its world-building is further achieved with the in-game narration and some of the best writing in the genre.
4 The Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic Series
The Star Wars universe has been one of the most well-established sagas in film and now TV for decades. In addition to the nine movies in the Skywalker Saga, there was also a foundation of history and lore for fans to dive into and for games like The Knights of the Old Republic to tap into.
Developed by BioWare and Obsidian respectively, The Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel are set 4000 years before the Galactic Empire established itself. The time setting allowed the developers to have more creative freedom and create something that is just as special as the movies. There is a ton of depth and history for fans to get into that will help expand their knowledge and even provide some backstory for The Mandalorian Wars and the events that lead up to Knights of the Old Republic.
3 The Baldur’s Gate Series
Developed by BioWare Baldur’s Gate and its sequel Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn are still considered two of the greatest RPGs of all time. The games are set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe which is already one of the deepest in the fantasy genre thanks to its Table Top games, books, TV shows, and films.
The Baldur’s Gate games are seriously deep and packed with content and meaningful side quests that flesh out the Forgotten Realms universe. Furthermore, there are tons of lore and in-game materials to discover. Baldur's Gate III is being developed by Larian Studios of Divinity fame is currently in development and in Early Access.
2 The Mass Effect Trilogy
After BioWare moved on from the single-player Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series they created a brand new space opera trilogy of their own. Originally released on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, the trilogy has been remastered and set to release in May 2021.
Much has been said about the trilogy’s ending, but nothing can be taken away from BioWare’s ability to create an amazing and believable universe with great characters. There are different cultures across several planets, languages, and codex’s packed with information and history.
1 The Witcher Series
The Witcher videogames are based on the high-fantasy novels of the same name. The books were written by Andrzej Sapkowski and have now been adapted into a big-budget fantasy series for Netflix starring Henry Cavill.
There are three mainline games two of which are available on Xbox One and Series X/S and spin-off titles like Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. The Witcher’s world feels alive, every town has its own set of distinct characteristics, history, and lore for players to delve into. Everything about this series – The Witcher III in particular – is unbelievably detailed and rich but it also grows around the actions and choices of the player.
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