4 RPGs objectively better than Elden Ring

Elden Ring is one of the greatest RPGs in gaming history, but while no one can dispute its quality, there are a handful of games that are even better. From fantasy RPGs with unbeatable writing to titles with deeper roleplaying mechanics, there are a few titles that excel where Elden Ring falls short.

The only RPGs that can objectively be called better than Elden Ring are the absolute best games in their genre and excel on every front. Elden Ring is still a modern classic, but these exceptional games have it beat.

Dragon Age: Origins Is One of BioWare's Best Games

An article about incredible RPGs couldn't exist without mentioning the Dragon Age series. Sadly, after the most recent game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, failed to meet BioWare's expectations, it seems like this famous RPG series may not get another entry. That said, Dragon Age as a series is phenomenal, and everything an RPG should be.

Each game is full of difficult decisions that will challenge the player's morality, tip the scales of political alliances and power, and even determine what sort of relationship the player's main character ends up in, and Dragon Age: Origins is arguably the best game in the entire Dragon Age series. Origins is a dark heroic fantasy game where the player controls a member of the Grey Wardens.

This mysterious order's main goal is to fight back against the Darkspawn, evil creatures that threaten the safety of the kingdom of Ferelden. The main goal of Origins is to hunt down the Archdemon that controls the Darkspawn, with the hopes that the Archdemon's death will finally put an end to the devastating invasion.

Players have numerous choices of what type of character they want to play. They can choose their character's race, as well as their class. Players can play as a warrior, mage, or rogue. Each of these three classes possesses unique abilities and combat styles. They can also make their character an elf, human, or dwarf, each coming with its own unique background, in-world interactions, and different reactions and personalities.

Later Dragon Age games offered more variety in class and race, making it a point of emphasis for the Dragon Age series to let players play the way they wanted. Players also get to control an entire team of characters that will help the MC in battle, each with their own unique skills and weapons.

BioWare, the developers behind the Dragon Age series, described Origins as a spiritual successor to both Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, two popular RPG series that are still recognizable today. Baldur's Gate 3 was so good that it easily could have made this list, but Origins truly stands out as a gem of an RPG. Even now, almost 20 years later, it's still an enjoyable experience that most gamers will love.

Bloodborne Is FromSoftware's Best Game

While Elden Ring gets a lot of praise and has stayed in the spotlight over the last few years, it’s far from FromSoftware’s best game. FromSoftware has plenty of incredible titles, but many Soulsborne fans would argue that Bloodborne stands above the rest. This gritty action RPG blends what makes RPGs so compelling with an unsettling, often terrifying atmosphere.

Players control a Hunter exploring the Victorian city of Yharnam. Bloodborne's strong Gothic vibe makes it both beautiful and haunting, as exciting as it is frightening to explore. This city is plagued by a mysterious bloodborne disease that mutates people into monstrous creatures stripped of their humanity.

Players control a customizable character known as The Hunter, who tracks down the source of the sickness and, maybe, a cure, all while battling infected residents and unknowable cosmic entities. Most of the gameplay focuses on exploring Yharnam, but when players do have to engage in combat, the battles focus on strategic, weapons-based combat.

Different enemies will require different methods to put them down, and players will acquire a wide variety of weapons available at their fingertips. Bloodborne expertly blends a lot of genres. It's an action RPG, but it also feels like a survival horror game, and it's also a mystery, because the entire plot focuses on uncovering the horrible truth of the disease.

The game also beautifully replicates its sources of inspiration, from the architecture of real places like Romania and the Czech Republic, to literary inspirations like Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft. With so much attention to detail, challenging yet rewarding combat and beautiful game design, Bloodborne is easily considered to be one of the greatest games ever made.

Fallout: New Vegas Is the Gold Standard for RPGs

Fallout is an RPG series that helped define the genre. It’s still hugely popular today, with Prime Video’s TV adaptation and modern entries like Fallout 76, which just received a major expansion. The original Fallout launched in 1997, and fans have flocked to its post-apocalyptic world ever since. Of all the games, Fallout: New Vegas (2010) is often regarded as the best of the best.

New Vegas is an action RPG with survival elements set mostly in New Vegas, aka what’s left of Las Vegas, Nevada, more than 200 years after the bombs fell. Players control the Courier, who’s nearly assassinated at the start. Before long, the Courier is caught between hostile factions fighting for control of the Strip.

Originally, New Vegas was just supposed to be a spin-off game, but it quickly became the most beloved and influential game in the entire series. Obsidian Entertainment, the developers behind the game, decided to heavily focus on Las Vegas and the surrounding desert because it mixed the retro 1950s aesthetic with the barren wasteland of other post-apocalyptic series like Mad Max.

Players can switch between first- and third-person perspectives while navigating the harsh Mojave Desert. Set 204 years after the Great War, the game drops players into a massive open world and pushes them to uncover the Strip’s secrets. Stats also matter, and choosing what to boost shapes how situations play out.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Is Famous for Its Writing

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an action RPG developed by CD Projekt Red and, like the rest of the games mentioned above, has been praised as one of the greatest games ever made. Conan O'Brien even called it the "best thing that ever happened."Wild Hunt is a direct sequel to The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The video game series is based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's fantasy novel series.

Players control Geralt of Rivia, a witcher, an enhanced human who can use limited magic to hunt monsters. Throughout the game, he searches for his adopted daughter, Ciri, hoping to protect her from the Wild Hunt, spectral riders who scour the skies in search of slaves. The Wild Hunt becomes obsessed with Ciri because of her Elder Blood.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features a massive open world where exploration is constantly rewarded. Resources can be gathered, monsters hunted for XP, and NPCs interacted with to learn more about the setting. Many NPCs react to Geralt in ways that add texture to the world and help shape the story. Side quests and monster contracts also offer extra XP, money, and gear.

There are so many reasons that Wild Hunt is one of the best RPGs ever made, but the immersion is definitely its biggest selling feature. Despite the game being set in a high fantasy world, the world-building and reactivity of every single character in the game make it feel more realistic than even games that take place in the real world. Players will never run out of things to do because there is so much to explore and find, and so many different endings to achieve.