The best fantasy games

Beneath Apple Manor is a pioneering game in the roguelike genre, originally developed and released in 1978 by Don Worth for the Apple II and later re-released for DOS as a "Special Edition". It's one of the earliest known role-playing video games (RPGs) with procedurally generated dungeons.In Beneath Apple Manor, players take on the role of an adve...

Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne is a turn-based strategy game developed by Triumph Studios and published by Gathering of Developers. It was released in 2002 as a sequel to the original Age of Wonders. The game is set in a fantasy world where players take on the role of a leader, either as a wizard or a warlord, and compete for control of the...

Ah, Betrayal—a game with a name that really sets the tone. Is it about backstabbing? Politics? Lost love? Not really. It’s actually a hybrid of strategy and role-playing where you move pieces around a map like a fantasy general with trust issues. The real betrayal might be the interface, which hasn’t aged gracefully. But stick wit...

Long before Minecraft let us build worlds, Adventure Construction Set handed you a digital Lego box and said, “Go nuts.” Want to make a dungeon full of orcs and ham sandwiches? Sure. A sci-fi epic with talking robots and lava floors? Absolutely. It’s like a make-your-own-adventure kit with just enough user interface to make you qu...

Dungeon Keeper 3 was a cancelled dungeon management strategy game being developed by Bullfrog that was never released. Dungeon Keeper 3 was cancelled in 2000 and the Dungeon Keeper franchise ended without a third chapter.

Wizardry III: Legacy of Llylgamyn is a classic role-playing video game developed by Sir-Tech and released in 1983. It is the third installment in the Wizardry series. Originally released for the Apple II, it was later ported to other platforms, including the Commodore 64, IBM PC, and various Japanese computers. The game is set in the fant...

Ishar: Legend of the Fortress is a first-person grid-based RPG developed by Silmarils and released in 1992 for DOS, Amiga and Atari ST. Ishar: Legend of the Fortress is the second game, part of the Ishar game series (the first being Crystals of Arborea). Ishar is a classic RPG like Wizardry or Might & Magic and it plays the same way, but the en...

From the people who brought you Dungeons & Dragons, here's Blood & Magic (1996), the RTS that nobody remembers but definitely deserves a second glance. You summon golems from magical “blood forges” because apparently swords and fireballs weren’t metal enough. The gameplay is surprisingly chill for something with “Blo...

In Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse (1994), you’re not some grizzled barbarian or pointy-hatted wizard - no, you’re a noble corsair with charm, a sword, and a knack for getting into magical messes. This is Dungeons & Dragons meets Arabian Nights, with sand, spells, and more genies than you can reasonably fit into one bottle. The combat&r...

In Ambush at Sorinor, tactics meet fantasy in a land where ambushing people is apparently the national sport. You’re a mercenary commander picking the right team to win missions and not get horribly skewered. Battles play out in real-time, and positioning is everything - unless your units decide they’d rather walk into a tree than follo...