Key Takeaways
- Modern open-world games thrive on rich lore for engaging gameplay.
- Sandbox-style games offer fantastic roleplaying opportunities.
- Games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield provide immersive roleplay experiences.
Open-world games often offer a player a rich and detailed setting for their adventures, with quests and challenges under every rock and around every corner. Sometimes these games aim to be historically accurate or present a complex political scenario. Other open-world games rely on a compelling narrative and a well-crafted plot to provide the fun.
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Something that many sandbox-style open-world games offer, as a fantastic backdrop for some great roleplaying. This could be playing one of the roles the game provides, or players coming up with their own unique place in the game world, that they stick to throughout a playthrough, even if it makes the game more difficult to complete.
7 Cyberpunk 2077
From Disaster To Open-World Greatness
- Released
- December 10, 2020
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
To say that Cyberpunk 2077 had a bad launch is a bit of an understatement. However, the game has been knocked into shape over the last couple of years, and the new Phantom Liberty DLC was a fantastic addition to the game as well. For fans of the cyberpunk genre, there is probably no better game for roleplay.
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Even though playing as V, the player is forced into the role of a mercenary, and the storyline has a huge impact on what happens in the game, there is still plenty of wiggle room for roleplaying. Dialogue responses can be impactful, and the player is free to customize their character however they wish. Gameplay mechanics such as the skill system also open up roleplay possibilities in Cyberpunk 2077.
6 EVE Online
Be Whatever You Wish
EVE Online is one of the most successful MMORPGs of all time, and has been in operation for over two decades, and still has 10s of thousands of players online each day. Renowned for setting world records in the number of players in a single online battle, the game is entirely unique in many ways.
When it comes to roleplaying in EVE Online, players don’t so much roleplay, as become the role they have chosen. CEOs of player-run corporations perform duties that align closely with real-world CEOs. Space pirates are free to rob other players at the point of a gun, and traders have to keep an eye on market trends as they would in the real world. The entirely player-run political landscape and economy means there is a lot of room for roleplaying.
5 Starfield
Space Is The Background Not The Playground
- Released
- September 6, 2023
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
At launch, Starfield received mixed reviews. Many players were upset that what they thought was going to be a space game, is actually a ground-based RPG that uses space as a form of quick travel, with some space combat thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, this meant that it took the community some time to realize that despite this, Starfield is actually an incredible game.
Roleplaying in Starfield is a dream, with so many options that can lead to a real sense of belonging in the game world. The player can decide who they wish to romance, their background, and the polarity of their morality. Dialogue choices can have a lasting, permanent impact, offering players a choice to join sides in certain scenarios, and decide who they want to help and when.
4 Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA Online)
GTA Online
Racing
Shooter
Action-Adventure
- Released
- October 1, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
This entry is meant to cover just the GTA Online gameplay which is one of the gameplay options in GTA 5. It must be said that GTA Online had a few problems at first. It was haunted by explorers and cheaters, and largely avoided by the greater GTA 5 community. However, when GTA 5 transitioned to a live service model, GTA Online became much more popular.
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Players can choose to play on the official GTA Online servers, or one of the privately operated servers. Whichever they pick, they are free to live an alternative life in the city of Los Santos. Some players choose to stick with the general GTA ethic of committing crimes, whilst others carve out more intricate niches for themselves.
3 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Historically Accurate Roleplaying
- Released
- February 13, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an RPG that is set in a historically accurate, open-world recreation of Bohemia. The game aims to immerse the player into a believable representation of a medieval world, which is something it does very well. Instead of following the tired old sword and sorcery trope, the focuses more on the political backdrop.
Players are free to take on a role they prefer, creating a solidly believable avatar, ready to take on the political challenges the game poses. Because the game promotes realism over all else, this can lead to a rich and rewarding roleplaying experience.
2 ARK: Survival Evolved
Form A Tribe And Wage War
- Released
- August 29, 2017
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
At first glance, a survival game like Ark: Survival Evolved doesn’t seem to fit on this list. And if the game only featured a single-player mode, this would be true. However, it is in multiplayer, PvP-enabled gameplay that the roleplaying aspects really come to the fore.
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Community servers often enforce strict roleplaying rulesets, ensuring that players stay within their roles, and avoid immersion-breaking habits such as meta gameplay discussion in public chat channels. Players can form tribes, build settlements, and go to war with enemy tribes in this well-crafted open world.
Long Running MMORPG Based On The Elder Scrolls Lore
- Released
- April 4, 2014
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
At the top of this list is The Elder Scrolls Online, or ESO as it is widely known. This is an MMORPG that makes full use of the heaps of established lore from The Elder Scrolls franchise. The game features a truly massive open world, which is made much more exciting by the various dynamic events a player can trigger.
From a roleplaying point of view, the player needs to find a role within their preferred faction or factions. Race, alignment, and class are all important roleplaying aspects of ESO. The game has plenty of DLC to keep it fresh, and new content and events are added regularly. Overall, it can be said that ESO really focuses on the RPG aspect of MMORPG.
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