More CRPGs to Check Out For Fans of ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’
Looking for more CRPG action like Baldur’s Gate? Here are a few options you can really sink your teeth into!
Baldur’s Gate 3 has been out officially for over a month now and folks are likely nearing the end of their first playthrough. Or the end of several playthroughs. Whatever the case is if you’re looking for a few other suggestions to try out to help wean you off that BG3 fix then here are a few that you should definitely give a try.
Divinity: Original Sin I & II
Did you boot up Baldur’s Gate 3 and wonder “what’s up with this whole ‘Dark Urge’ thing?” Or perhaps you wonder how the environmental combat was so good in BG3. Well, that’s because Larian had practice with their original IP, Divinity: Original Sin. That’s right, there are actually two previous games and both are 100% worth checking out. Do they have anything to do with Baldur’s Gate? No. But they were the games that Larian darn-near perfected their brand of CRPG with. All the Larian flair without the D&D IP.
Tyranny
Tyranny is another amazing CRPG. It’s from Obsidian Entertainment and if you’re a certain vintage of gamer you should recognize that name. I personally think this game is criminally underrated for various reasons. But most of all, I think it’s unique because it asks the question: “What if you worked for the big bad in a Fantasy RPG setting?” No spoilers here but it’s one heck of a ride with a lot of really great storytelling via a highly replayable campaign.
Pillars of Eternity I & II
Pillars of Eternity has another really interesting backstory in how it got made. I’m not going to get into here but it’s another banger from Obsidian Entertainment. The follow-up sequel also expanded this unique setting by allowing you to set sail with the cast of Critical Role. Aside from the voice talent this gameplay is a ton of fun and will scratch that CRPG itch for hours on end.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker / Wrath of the Righteous
Okay, before we get into the whole D&D vs. Pathfinder debate let’s focus on the Computer part of the CRPG genre, okay? For a long time, the genre itself was pretty quiet and few companies were making these types of games.
Owlcat was one of the few that helped to keep this genre alive and well with some big, chonky games like Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous. Both of them are 100+ hour epics and very much worth the time investment. They might use the Pathfinder system as a base for the game but that’s okay! Turns out it works well for CRPG to keep track of everything.
Wasteland 2 & 3
This next one is a bit of a different direction. We’re leaving the Fantasy genre and jumping into post-apocalyptic Sci-fi with these two entries. You could make the case these are closer to Action RPGs because they use an action point system …but honestly if you consider Fallout 1 & 2 to be CRPG classics (like I do) then these should be on your playlist.
And there’s a VERY good reason for that. I won’t get into all the history there but if you’ve ever played Fallout and wondered “gee, I wonder what the middle of the country is like instead of just the coastline” well…you need to check out Wasteland 2 & 3.
Bonus: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
Okay–this one is a little bit of a preview/cheat which is why it’s a bonus. Rogue Trader isn’t out yet but I’ve gotten to play in the beta test as well as gotten a preview copy of the game directly from Owlcat and …it’s good. Like, REAL good. This will be another 100+ hour game in the CRPG genre and it’s pretty much nailing everything you’d expect from a Rogue Trader RPG set in the Grimdark.
If you haven’t wishlisted this one yet, you need to get on that. Because by the time you’re finally coming down from that BG3 high, it will be time to fire up Rogue Trader and get sucked right back in.
Many, Many More Games
There are SO MANY classic CRPGs out there. If Baldur’s Gate 3 was your first taste of the genre I’m a little jealous of the back catalogue of games you can play. The graphics might not be as crisp but the stories they tell will be on par. Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2, Fallout 1 & 2, Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2, Icewind Dale 1 & 2, KOTOR, Jade Empire… I mean, I could just keep going.
Let us know which CRPGs you love in the comments and give some suggestions for folks who might have never played them!
