Action RPGs (ARPG) sorted by release date
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.
Most popular action RPG games
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ICON: Quest for the Ring
DOS1984 Macrocom
Autoduel
DOS1985 Origin Systems
What do you get when you mix Mad Max, Car Wars, and a fondness for vehicular homicide? You get Autoduel (1985, DOS), a top-down driving RPG where your car is your castle and your guns are your diplomatic policy. Part racing game, ...
Moebius
DOS1987 Origin Systems
The Faery Tale Adventure: Book I
DOS1987 MicroIllusions
Alien Fires 2199 AD
DOS1988 Paragon Software
Released in 1988, Alien Fires 2199 AD looks and plays like someone tried to translate a fever dream into a sci-fi RPG. You control some dude with a chin of steel and a crew that seems perpetually confused. The interface is clunky,...
Dragons of Flame
DOS1989protected U.S. Gold
Hillsfar
DOS1989protected Westwood Studios
Prophecy: the Fall of Trinadon
DOS1989 Activision
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...
Windwalker (Moebius 2)
DOS1989 Origin Systems
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...
DarkSpyre
DOS1990 Event Horizon
Sorcerian
DOS1990 Nihon Falcom
Spirit of Excalibur
DOS1990 Synergistic Software
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...
Conan: the Cimmerian
DOS1991 Synergistic Software
Vengeance of Excalibur
DOS1991 Synergistic Software
X-Men 2: The Fall of the Mutants
DOS1991 Paragon Software
Legends of Valour
DOS1992 Syntetic Dimensions
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...
The Adventures of Robin Hood
DOS1992 Millennium Interactive
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
DOS1992protected Blue Sky Productions
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss is one of the first free-roaming first-person 3D ARPG (action RPG) ever created. The Stygian Abyss is the dungeon of the same name, part of the land of Britannia, and it's set in the Ultima uni...
Burntime
DOS1993 Max Design
Post-apocalyptic survival meets real estate management in Burntime, where the world is ruined, but you still need to hire employees and secure water rights. It’s like Mad Max if Max decided to open a franchise of fortified r...
God of Thunder
DOSWindows XP/98/951993freeware Adept Software
God of Thunder is a classic computer game developed by Adept Software and released in 1993. It's a puzzle platformer with a fantasy theme. In the game, you control Thor, the Norse god of thunder, on a quest to save Midgard (Earth)...
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...
Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds
DOS1993protected Looking Glass Studios
Warriors of Legend
DOS1993 Synergistic Software
Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse
DOS1994protected Cyberlore studios
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 & Dr...
System Shock
DOS1994protected Looking Glass Studios
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