6 games to explore

RPGs with Great Stories, Choices and Exploration

Build a character, shape a story or master a party. Six different ways to role-play.

Which should you try first?

Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 suit party tacticians. Cyberpunk 2077 offers first-person action and flexible builds; The Witcher 3 follows an established hero. Expedition 33 mixes turn-based choices with reactive timing, while Disco Elysium puts conversation ahead of combat.

About this selection

Some RPGs give you a party and time to plan; others put a weapon in your hands and let character builds shape the action. Begin with how you want to make decisions, then choose the setting. These picks range from tactical fantasy to a conversation-led investigation.

Selected to contrast character building, combat and story choices. A shared RPG label does not promise the same pace, amount of reading or control over the narrative.

Compare two games before you choose

Keep the kind of play you want. Compare what you will spend time doing and what might put you off.

First game

Second game

Baldur’s Gate 3

Choose it for: Party tactics and consequential decisions
What you will do: Character choices sit alongside party management and turn-based battles. Start here if you want conversations, exploration and the abilities of your companions to influence the same adventure.
Consider first: Learning the rules and managing a party take attention. It is not the quickest route to constant action.

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Cyberpunk 2077

Choose it for: Shape your approach to first-person action
What you will do: Cyberware, weapons and character skills let you lean into different ways of handling Night City’s jobs. Pick it when building a character should change what you actually do during a fight or infiltration.
Consider first: Combat plays out in real time. Character customization does not turn it into a turn-based party RPG.

Explore Cyberpunk 2077 →

Party tactics and consequential decisions

Baldur’s Gate 3

Character choices sit alongside party management and turn-based battles. Start here if you want conversations, exploration and the abilities of your companions to influence the same adventure.

Consider first: Learning the rules and managing a party take attention. It is not the quickest route to constant action.

Find games like Baldur’s Gate 3 →

Compare with Divinity: Original Sin 2Choose this for action-point combat and combinations of elemental surfaces, rather than Baldur’s Gate 3’s D&D rules and spell slots.

Shape your approach to first-person action

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberware, weapons and character skills let you lean into different ways of handling Night City’s jobs. Pick it when building a character should change what you actually do during a fight or infiltration.

Consider first: Combat plays out in real time. Character customization does not turn it into a turn-based party RPG.

Find games like Cyberpunk 2077 →

Compare with The Witcher 3: Wild HuntChoose this for Geralt’s monster contracts and sword fighting, rather than Cyberpunk’s first-person shooting and hacking builds.

An established hero in complicated stories

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Geralt’s monster-hunting work gives you a route into local disputes and larger conflicts. Choose it for following stories and making decisions as a defined character rather than inventing a blank-slate protagonist.

Consider first: The adventure is substantial, with travel and dialogue between fights. Geralt’s identity is already part of the story.

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Compare with Cyberpunk 2077Choose this to build your own first-person fighter around guns, hacking or blades, rather than playing Geralt’s established role.

Turn-based planning with active timing

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Party choices and turn-based attacks combine with real-time defensive actions. It offers a middle ground when you enjoy planning a move but still want to react directly as a battle unfolds.

Consider first: Dodging and parrying ask for timing. Choose a fully turn-based option if you want every combat decision to wait for you.

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Compare with Disco ElysiumChoose this for investigation and dialogue without conventional combat, rather than Expedition 33’s party battles and timed reactions.

Role-playing through conversation

Disco Elysium

An investigation unfolds through dialogue, observation and competing inner voices. Pick it when shaping a personality and interpreting people sounds more appealing than collecting weapons for a combat party.

Consider first: Reading and difficult subject matter are central. This is a different proposition from a battle-led fantasy RPG.

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Compare with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Choose this when you want party battles with timed dodges and parries. Disco Elysium puts its decisions in conversations instead.

Experiment with tactical combinations

Divinity: Original Sin 2

Party abilities and interacting battlefield surfaces make positioning matter. Try it if testing how skills affect one another is as attractive as following the characters through their journey.

Consider first: It uses its own rules rather than Baldur’s Gate 3’s Dungeons & Dragons system. Expect another learning curve.

Find games like Divinity: Original Sin 2 →

Compare with Baldur’s Gate 3Choose this for D&D classes, spell slots and dice-driven checks. Divinity instead centres combat on action points and interacting surfaces.