The best action RPG games
ARPG games (the acronym stands for Action Role-Playing Game) borrow gameplay elements from the action genre and mix them with real-time gameplay still retaining core RPG concepts that makes a CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game) what it is. Combat is often dependent on the players' own reflexes while combat tactics usually play a minor role.
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Divine Divinity
Windows 10/11Mac OS2002protected Larian Studios
Don’t let the tongue-twister title fool you—Divine Divinity is a classic in the sprawling world of RPGs. Think of it as Diablo’s eccentric cousin who insists on telling stories at family gatherings. Released in 2...
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall
DOS1996freeware Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall is an old school first-person 3D RPG developed by Bethesda Softworks and released in 1996 for DOS. Daggerfall is the second chapter in popular The Elder Scrolls series. The open world gameplay, the ...
Conan: the Cimmerian
DOS1991 Synergistic Software
Conan: The Cimmerian lets you brawl your way through the Hyborian Age like a shirtless rage machine with a sword and questionable dialogue. It’s got all the ingredients: dark sorcery, evil cults, and enough loincloths to out...
Beyond Divinity
Windows XP/98/95Windows 10/112004protected Larian Studios
Beyond Divinity is an action RPG developed by Larian Studios and released in 2004 as the direct sequel to Divine Divinity. It builds on its predecessor’s isometric, real-time combat and party-based exploration. You play...
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
DOS1992protected Blue Sky Productions
Before immersive sims were a buzzword, there was Ultima Underworld. Dropping you into a massive first-person dungeon, it gave players freedom unthinkable at the time. Want to negotiate with monsters instead of killing them? Go ahe...
Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS2000protected Nihilistic Software
Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption is an action role-playing game released in 2000 by Nihilistic Software and published by Activision. It is based on the "Vampire: The Masquerade" tabletop RPG by White Wolf Publishing. The ...
X-Men 2: The Fall of the Mutants
DOS1991 Paragon Software
Nox
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS2000protected Westwood Studios
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight
DOS1992 Mindscape
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight is an action-RPG and strategy game developed by Rob Anderson and published by Mindscape in 1991 for the Amiga and later for MS-DOS. The game is famous for its combination of strategic, RPG elements wi...
Legends of Valour
DOS1992 Syntetic Dimensions
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Windows XP/98/952002protected Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a critically acclaimed open-world action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. It was released in 2002 and is the third installment in the Elder Scrolls series. The game is...
Anachronox
Windows XP/98/952001protected Ion Storm
Anachronox is a 2001 role-playing video game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive with a futuristic, cyberpunk-inspired setting. The game was written and directed by Tom Hall, one of the original developers be...
System Shock 2
Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS1999protected Irrational Games
System Shock 2 is a first-person action role-playing video game developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios. It was released in 1999 and is known for its innovative gameplay, atmospheric setting, and deep narrative.The...
Diablo
Windows XP/98/951996protecteddemo Blizzard Entertainment
In 1996, Diablo descended onto PCs and basically defined the “click until everything dies” genre. The gothic town of Tristram sits atop a dungeon stuffed with demons, loot, and an alarming number of barrels. You pick a...
Ys: The Vanished Omens
DOS1989 Nihon Falcom
Welcome to the Ys series, where you swing swords by running headfirst into enemies. The Vanished Omens introduces Adol Christin, red-haired hero extraordinaire, as he embarks on a journey filled with ancient ruins, awkward transla...
Ultima 8: Pagan
DOS1994protected Origin Systems
Ultima 8 drops the Avatar into a grim, volcanic world where “fun” is defined as plummeting to your death from badly timed jumps. Yes, the infamous platforming mechanics nearly sank the whole ship. Beneath that frustrat...
Amulets & Armor
DOS1997freeware United Software Artists
Imagine Doom and Ultima Underworld had a low-budget child who was homeschooled in a basement filled with Mountain Dew cans. That’s Amulets & Armor. A mix of first-person dungeon crawling and RPG elements, it’s got ...
Times of Lore
DOS1989 Origin Systems
Times of Lore is an abandoned action RPG designed by Chris Roberts, developed and released by Origin Systems in 1989 for DOS and many more 8 bit and 16 bit platforms. Compared to Ultima (the much more popular franchise also by Ori...
ShadowCaster
DOS1993 Raven Software
Shadowcaster is a first-person action role-playing game developed by Raven Software and published by Origin Systems. It was released in 1993 for MS-DOS computers.In Shadowcaster, players assume the role of Kirt, a young man who di...
Warriors of Legend
DOS1993 Synergistic Software
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
DOS1994freeware Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the first installment in the highly acclaimed Elder Scrolls series of fantasy ARPG (action role-playing games), developed and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was initially released in 1994. Are...
Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds
DOS1993protected Looking Glass Studios
Building on its predecessor, Labyrinth of Worlds expands the formula by throwing you across multiple dimensions. Each world has its own flavor—icy wastelands, alien landscapes, and more. It’s ambitious, sometimes to a ...
Deus Ex
DOSMac OS2000protecteddemo Ion Storm
Deus Ex is a critically acclaimed action role-playing video game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released in 2000 and was designed by Warren Spector, combining elements of first-person shooters, s...
Ultima 9: Ascension
Windows XP/98/951999protected Origin Systems
By the time Ultima 9 rolled around, expectations were sky-high—and the result was… divisive. It looked gorgeous for 1999, with sweeping 3D landscapes and dramatic voice acting. But the story was muddled, bugs were ram...
Zeliard
DOS1990 Game Arts
Zeliard is a fantasy platformer/RPG hybrid that has all the trappings of a classic quest: a brave knight, an evil demon, a princess in distress, and an unreasonable number of bats. With charming pixel art and a hauntingly catchy s...
Dink Smallwood
Windows XP/98/951998freeware Robinson Technologies
With a name like Dink Smallwood, you’d expect something ridiculous—and you’d be right. Released in 1998 for Windows XP, this action RPG follows a pig farmer with delusions of heroism. The game pokes fun at fantas...
An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire
Windows XP/98/951997protected Bethesda Softworks
Battlespire is the weird, dark cousin of the Elder Scrolls family - the one who shows up late to the reunion with a sword and no pants. This first-person RPG strips out all the comfy open-world stuff and throws you into a linear, ...
Vengeance of Excalibur
DOS1991 Synergistic Software
Sorcerian
DOS1990 Nihon Falcom
System Shock
DOS1994protected Looking Glass Studios
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