RPGs often put players in the shoes of some grand hero, destined to save kingdoms, slay monsters, and save the princess. But sometimes, the best stories come from playing as a nobody with no title or great prophecy attached to their name.
The Best RPG Of All Time
The RPG genre is one of the largest in existence, with games from all over the world; there are countless games that fall into this genre. Considering it is so large, it can be difficult to decide which is the best one ever. We have seen games like Skyrim, World of Warcraft, Fallout 4, Hades, Diablo, Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7, and so many more games that have blown fans expectations out of the water. I think that when trying to decide which game is the best, we need to consider the core elements of the genre. The major points of RPGs are that your character has to develop based on your decisions, your character's experiences in combat and conversation should be affected by your attributes, and your character exists in a fleshed-out world that has a deep storyline. Looking at this, I think that the best RPG is Baldur's Gate 3. I think that Larian Studios nailed it when it comes to creating a world that you affect, they thought of everything that players
It makes every victory, every little achievement, feel earned, and the change from where you begin to where you end up? That contrast can be absolutely staggering. These are 7 RPGs that prove the most unforgettable journeys can start with the quietest, most unremarkable voices.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
A Blacksmith’s Son With No Plot Armor
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Released
- February 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Henry, the son of a blacksmith, lives in 15th-century Bohemia. He’s never even held a sword properly, let alone fought in a war. He’s no noble knight, just a kid who gets caught in the middle of a brutal civil conflict. And that lack of heroism is the whole entire point. Henry fumbles through fights, can't read to save his life and has to learn skills the very same way anyone else would in his world.
The real magic here is in the game’s realism. It’s slow and punishing to earn your place, whether you’re finally getting the hang of swordplay, trying not to starve, or navigating really messy political squabbles. There’s no prophecy to guide you, just your own sheer grit and a bit of perseverance. By the time he’s actually able to hold his own in battle, the player feels every single drop of sweat that went into making him a fighter. It’s a proper feeling of accomplishment.
Disco Elysium
A Detective Who Can Barely Hold It Together
Disco Elysium
- Released
- October 15, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Developer(s)
- ZA/UM
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia
Few protagonists embody “nobody” quite like the disaster of a cop in Disco Elysium. He literally wakes up face-down on the floor of a hotel room that looks like a bomb went off, so hungover he’s got amnesia. And his job is to solve a politically explosive murder. The only thing he seems to be great at is being a total mess.
But that's exactly what makes the game work. His weaknesses are what drive the whole show. Every single skill check is a gamble, his inner voices are always fighting for control, and even remembering his own name becomes a huge milestone. You aren't guiding some legendary hero. You're steering a broken man who’s trying to piece together a case and at the same time, his own identity. Success here isn't about being powerful, it’s about choosing which of his many flaws you’re willing to embrace.
Undertale
The Monster-Hating Boy With No Destiny
Undertale
- Released
- September 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Undertale sees players take control of a kid who tumbles into a world ruled by monsters, called the Underground. Unlike in most other RPGs, this protagonist has no backstory, no destiny, not even a name the game gives you. They are simply a child trying to get home. And that lack of definition is the whole key.
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It allows players to completely shape their own role in the story. Are you going to be kind and spare the monsters? Or are you going to kill them all just for the experience? The world reacts in truly shocking ways to the player’s choices. This “nobody” of a character becomes a mirror for the player’s own morality. What starts out as a nameless kid ends up with one of the most talked about finales in the history of all RPGs.
Tyranny
Serving Evil Without a Résumé
Tyranny
- Released
- November 10, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Obsidian's Tyranny flips the script completely, dropping players into a world that's already been conquered by an evil overlord. You aren’t the hero leading some rebellion; you’re just a Fatebinder, a mid-level bureaucrat whose job it is to enforce the overlord's law. Not exactly the stuff of epic legends.
And yet, it’s that very anonymity that makes the game so compelling. As a tiny cog in this ruthless machine, the player gets to decide just how much power to seize. Do you enforce the law with mercy, with cruelty, or just plain old opportunism? Your "nobody" status doesn't stop your choices from shaping the fate of entire nations. The player is not some chosen savior. They’re just the ones who happened to be holding the pen on history's first draft.
Final Fantasy X
From Island Boy To Guardian
Final Fantasy XI
- Released
- October 28, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
Tidus begins Final Fantasy X not as a destined hero but as a cocky blitzball player swept from his hometown into a completely foreign land. He knows nothing of Spira’s customs, gods, or wars. To most of its people, he’s just an outsider with no place in their world.
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That outsider’s perspective becomes the game’s emotional core. Tidus questions traditions that others blindly accept, especially the sacrificial pilgrimage of summoners like Yuna. While he may not start with any heroic standing, his willingness to challenge ancient cycles of death makes him more important than any prophecy. Tidus begins as nobody, but he becomes the one who dares to ask “why” when no one else will.
EarthBound
A Kid In Sneakers Against Cosmic Weirdness
Earthbound
- Released
- June 5, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Crude Humor
- Developer(s)
- HAL Laboratory, Ape Inc.
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- SNES, Nintendo Game Boy Advance
Ness from EarthBound is as unremarkable as they get. He’s just a boy from the suburbs, wears striped shirts, and carries a baseball bat. Nobody calls him a chosen one, and no legendary bloodline explains why he’s special. But the real magic of EarthBound is how it takes the completely ordinary and pushes it right into the bizarre.
Ness and his friends fight against piles of sludge, alien invaders, and even nightmarish cosmic beings, all while still calling their moms to avoid getting homesick. That contrast is what makes his rise feel so surreal. He never stops being a kid with sneakers and a backpack, yet somehow, that’s enough to face down Giygas, one of the strangest final bosses in RPG history.
Darkest Dungeon
A Bunch Of Nobodies Marching to Their Doom
Darkest Dungeon
- Released
- January 19, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
In Darkest Dungeon, every adventurer is a nobody. Recruited from stage coaches and taverns, they show up with flaws, traumas, and bad habits instead of heroic destinies. Most won't even survive their first few trips into the cursed ruins, and that very expendability is the whole point of the experience.
The brilliance here is how the game treats failure as something that is totally inevitable. Heroes don’t really rise here. They get stressed, they lose their sanity, or they just die in the dark. Victories feel so hard won, not because you were a prophesied savior, but because you somehow managed to keep a handful of these fragile nobodies alive long enough to see the light again. In a game about despair, being "nobody" is what makes it so haunting.
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