The Best Cult Classic RPGs That Everyone Should Play

The RPG genre has evolved quite a bit over the years, and the definition has definitely grown blurry. Now, we have everything from games with light RPG elements to full-blown roleplaying games where you're meant to create a character and then roleplay as them.

With so many RPGs out there, it's only natural that many of them fly under the radar. Luckily, the good ones stand out, gaining dedicated groups of fans that will sing their praises eternally. Below, we'll take a look at some of the very best cult classic RPGs that you need to play, if you haven't already.

8 Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

While Dragon's Dogma 2 gained widespread popularity, it couldn't have existed without the original Dragon's Dogma, which is now combined with the Dark Arisen expansion. Dragon's Dogma has some of the best action combat in any RPG, and the Pawn system is still enjoyable to play around with.

You know a game is a cult classic when you can easily identify classic lines that players have turned into memes, like Dragon's Dogma's Pawns shouting about wolves. Dragon's Dogma is a classic RPG that every fan of the genre needs to play.

7 Fallout 1

In a similar vein, the massive Fallout franchise wouldn't exist without its humble roots as a traditional CRPG in Fallout 1 and 2. While the series has primarily moved toward FPS games, the first two Fallout games are excellent RPGs with a decent amount of roleplaying and resource management to chew through.

The world may be familiar if you've played the newer Fallout games, but the gameplay is entirely different, in a good way. It's deep and stays interesting throughout the length of the games, and the worldbuilding is still top-notch.

6 Kingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

If you love open-world RPGs like Skyrim or The Witcher 3, do yourself a favor and play Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. Just like Dragon's Dogma, this is a game with deep and satisfying combat that stays fresh due to a high amount of build customization.

The game is also packed with side quests and interesting bits of content to flesh out its world. Plus, the lore was created by R.A. Salvatore, who is best known for his Legend of Drizzt books, so you can really feel the classic fantasy inspirations here.

5 Lost Odyssey

Lost Odyssey is a largely forgotten JRPG developed by Mistwalker for the Xbox 360. If you aren't familiar with Mistwalker, it's a development studio founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who also created Final Fantasy. Lost Odyssey was also partly written by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, a renowned Japanese author, with music composed by Nobuo Uematsu.

Despite these big names, Lost Odyssey remained a hidden gem, only garnering a cult following. It's a shame, since the gameplay systems and story are exceptional for the genre. If you're a fan of more popular games like Clair Obscur or Final Fantasy 10, do yourself a favor and play Lost Odyssey.

4 Gothic

Gothic is an open-world, non-linear RPG where you start off weak and penniless, but through your own skill, you grow to gain strength, power, and respect. It's the ultimate version of an RPG, where you can go wherever you want, but the world doesn't care about making sure you have a good time.

You'll find areas with enemies that vastly overpower you, but the world is never unfair. Turn back, find somewhere else to explore, then challenge those enemies again when you're ready. There are several different intertwining systems at play here, like magic and crafting, so you're very much incentivized to use every tool at your disposal to succeed.

3 Neverwinter Nights

Neverwinter Nights is a CRPG based on the Dungeons & Dragons setting of the same name. As you might expect, Neverwinter Nights gives you all the freedom afforded by Dungeons & Dragons, with deep character customization, tons of options for how to approach combat, and a wealth of side quests to explore.

The game also features a robust set of modding tools, so dedicated fans have created thousands of hours of custom content to enjoy outside of the base game, making Neverwinter Nights the definitive video game form of D&D. If you've played more modern games like Larian's Divinity: Original Sin or Baldur's Gate 3, you'll absolutely love Neverwinter Nights.

2 Planescape: Torment

Planescape: Torment is another Dungeons & Dragons CRPG, this time taking place in the Planescape. While it's not as deep in the gameplay department as Neverwinter Nights, Planescape: Torment excels in its storytelling and setting.

The world feels alive and rich, and the story deals with philosophical ideas like the nature of mankind. The concept of morality is also deeply explored in Planescape: Torment, and your actions will change your alignment throughout the game.

1 Super Robot Wars 30

Super Robot Wars is a tactical RPG series that features mecha from dozens of different anime series, like Mobile Suit Gundam, Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and many more. The premise is essentially the pilots and mobile suits from different worlds teaming up to fight an interdimensional threat, using flashy mecha attacks.

The main selling point is the animations; watching your favorite mobile suits use their classic ultimate attacks just never gets old. The gameplay and customization are also pretty deep, considering what the game is. The series is the definition of a cult classic; there are over 60 games in the series, but only a handful have ever been localized outside of Japan, earning them a passionate and dedicated fan base.