When it comes to RPGs, every fan will want something different out of their experience. For example, one player may value story above all else, taking notice of dialogue options, voice acting, and everything in between. Other players will want to be engaged by the action and a deep progression system to expand their skills.
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Then there are players who buy a game and hope it will last them for months because of its replay value. For anyone who wants to play a game more than once and have a different experience every time, they should give these RPG gems a shot. They offer hundreds of hours of replay value within the same package, thanks to how much their campaigns branch in wildly different directions.
Baldur's Gate 3
Choices Around Every Corner
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Players will hard pressed to find a game with more choices than Baldur's Gate 3. What players choose as their class can change how they engage with combat, and what race they pick can also be a big factor, as NPCs and party members will treat them differently, and different dialogue and story options will open up.
One of the most obvious examples of branching paths is creating a Drow character, as they are often portrayed as an evil race, which players can either lean into or subvert. The dialogue system will dramatically change every playthrough just by choosing a different response in a key moment, making Baldur’s Gate 3 worth playing through at least twice, if not more.
Cyberpunk 2077
A Futuristic Departure
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that changes between playthroughs, not so much due to story diversions, but due to how players approach missions based on their builds. There are dialogue choices in missions too, like following one character’s plan over another or ratting someone out, as players can lean into being out for themselves or being a cyborg for the people.
It’s more fun to see how missions can play out with different builds, like if players weaponize their body to be a killing machine like the Terminator, or if they want to be more ninja-like with stealth mods and hacking skills. Approaching missions with different skills can also alter how they are presented in the story, demonstrating that CD Projekt Red considered every detail in this expansive RPG.
Diablo 4
Different Characters, Same Path
Diablo 4
- Released
- June 5, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
Diablo 4’s story will be the same no matter what players decide to do in the campaign, which is not bad because it’s one of the better narratives in the Diablo series. That said, this is another game, and series overall, that players love to replay because of the deep class system and how gameplay can affect the world.
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A Barbarian playthrough will be more melee-focused, while a Sorcerer playthrough emphasizes elemental attacks and spells. Not only that, but each class’ branching skill trees can make one player’s Sorcerer playthrough different from another’s, so there are many ways to make a new start feel fresh every time, even when playing the same class.
Fallout: New Vegas
Falling Into Factions
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Fallout: New Vegas is a big open-world RPG with a Karma system that is fun to see play out differently depending on character choices. Players can wander the wastes and be like a modern-day Jesus figure by helping the poor and needy with virtuous intent, or they can be in it for themselves and be a devil in the desert, or virtually anything in between.
Based on reputation, NPCs will treat players differently, which is also true depending on which Faction they align with. Between Factions and Karma, players can change how big plot moments play out, which is why New Vegas is a favorite among Fallout fans.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Bounty Hunting For Good Or Greed
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, in one playthrough, already has a lot of content that players will want to 100%, let alone if they want to go back and make different choices in the story. The hero, Geralt, will be stoic no matter what choices players make, but they can at least make him play as either a brute in it for the money or someone more logical who tries to apply reason to situations without coming across as too stern.
While Geralt may not change much, the decisions he makes will branch the narrative in wild directions, which will affect what endings players get, which characters survive, and more. Gameplay will always be the same, though, so there aren’t too many choices there either, beyond favoring one set of skills over another. That’s something players should consider before jumping in, but there are ways to build around certain preferences, like spells or potions.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Assembling The Three Families
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Released
- July 26, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Intelligent Systems
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, RPG
It’s advertised in the name. Fire Emblem: Three Houses has three different campaigns players can follow, each of which is vastly different from the others. The game starts with a prologue where players will create their character, Byleth, and attend a military academy with characters from three noble countries: Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard.
During this academy section, players will decide which house they want to align with, and then, after a time skip, they will follow that country from their perspective, fighting against the other two. Beyond different perspectives, each alliance results in different party members, all of whom bring varying skills and personalities to the campaign. These characters can grow upon leveling up during tactical combat or at home base through dialogue interactions, further expanding the differences that can occur between playthroughs.
Persona 5 Royal
Building Your Social Status
Persona 5 Royal
- Released
- March 31, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Atlus, P-Studio
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Persona 5 Royal is one of the longest RPGs ever made, but it is compelling because of how well-paced it is. Players will attend school during the day, hang out with friends in the afternoon, and then at night, they can dive into dungeons as the Phantom Thieves. There are variations to these rules, like holidays and weekends, but it is a linear experience overall, with players able to make different choices in how they want their days to progress.
Beyond that, they can change how their friendships grow, leading to a cavalcade of possible dates, which won’t affect the main story but can present new side story moments. Persona 5 Royal also has New Game+ mode, so players can take their learned skills and be better the next time around, which will open up avenues earlier, from relationship opportunities to different jobs.
Triangle Strategy
Salt Wars
Triangle Strategy
- Released
- March 4, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix, Artdink
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Tactical
Triangle Strategy is a tactical turn-based RPG that has a wide degree of varying choices that can branch off into different missions. Players are part of a neutral territory, House Wolffort, and they get caught up in a war over salt.
As a neutral entity, three nations will come to House Wolffort asking for support, and players can weigh in through a scale system as to how they want to progress, leading to different story paths, allies, and battle maps. It’s a similar design to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, albeit with fewer choices and allies, but Triangle Strategy has more meaningful outcomes when things come to fruition.
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