Defining the fantasy genre isn’t that easy, but it sure as hell isn’t anything new. Fantasy games often indulge players in a fantasy world, filled with characters, monsters, and environments that are just… fantasy. In most cases, fantasy games include fighting, crafting, building stuff, dialogues, and much more, so they are often RPG genres but can be some hack & slash genre combined with many other genres. Nevertheless, fantasy games are still one of the most popular and some of them are so big that they are MMO games, which we’ll also mention later.
Top 20 Fantasy Games of All Time
Today, we are going to list out some of the best fantasy games of all time. In this list, we will list the most popular fantasy games that have been around for a while. Millions of gamers spending their gaming time on these games, because they are simply addictive. The great fantasy, action, adventure, all give such games huge popularity in the gaming world. So, let’s cut this short and straight to the point. Our list of 20 best fantasy games for PC is just below.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
When talking about great fantasy, RPG and action-packed games, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes the crown easily. Not only that The Witcher 3 is the best RPG and fantasy game, but it’s also considered one of the best games EVER. The game follows the story of Geralt of Rivia, who is on his quest to locate Ciri, an adopted daughter and fight versus Wild Hunt. Aside from the interesting story, the game will offer you few hundreds of hours of gameplay, as well as some of the best graphics world, has ever seen in a video game. Although the gameplay is based on fighting and engaging in dialogues, there is also crafting, buying items, selling them, making decisions and much more.
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Skyrim is the epitome of a great RPG, but its setting is fantasy. It’s set in a world where you can be attacked by dragons and various monsters, so it’s very a hard game, and challenging for the most time. You begin the game by creating your character and then the world is yours. You can fully explore the map of TESV: Skyrim, and as you progress, your character will gain levels, so you can add a new piece of armor, a new weapon, spell, or any other item to your disposal. Being an older game, Skyrim is insanely cheap now, so you can get it right now!
3. Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War released just about two weeks ago, and it’s our top contender for being the best fantasy game. Being set in a world of Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, Shadow of War will grant you a compelling RPG, hack & slash, and fantasy experience. The protagonist, Talion, returns from the first game and now he is on the quest to finally beat Sauron. Will he be able to do that with all of his powers and new ring? It’s up to you to find out. In our opinion, it is one of the best fantasy adventure games.
4. Pillars of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity is a spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate, which was a great game, and still is. Nevertheless, we’ll mention that game later; for now, let’s focus on this one. Pillars of Eternity is a fantasy, RPG game set in the fantasy world of Eora. However, this place is plagued by a phenomenon that makes the people in that world soulless, and our protagonist is one of them, being a Watcher. Watcher can, unlike ordinary soulless NPCs, see past lives and interact with souls. The game is played from the top-down perspective, and the gameplay is pretty simple, but effective. The story is also great, which is a key factor for a fantasy game. Overall, Pillars of Eternity is one of the best fantasy games you can play.
5. World of Warcraft
Blizzard is known for its epic fantasy games, one of them being World of Warcraft. This one has legendary status amongst gamers, being played even today, with many updates that Blizzard introduced to the game. This is an MMORPG game, allowing the players to create and customize their own character and engage in either normal, PvP, or RP mode. This means that you can also focus more on a story if you decide to play alone, and the great thing is that WoW actually HAS some great story behind it.
6. Diablo III
Diablo II was often characterized as the greatest RPG of all time, and Diablo III made its debut being a better-looking and more streamlined game. Diablo III is a hack & slash role-playing game in which you can choose the class of your character like Crusader, Barbarian, etc, and play the game however you wish. There are classic elements of RPG here, where you can pick up various items, craft potions, weapons or armors, and all of these things that you can do in every RPG. On top of that, Diablo III sports a great PvP multiplayer, worth trying.
7. Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy series is known to be one of the best fantasy RPG series, and the newest installment Final Fantasy XV brings its best to the table. The game is a great combo of open-world, RPG, and action genre, combined with a great fantasy, set in a world of Eos. Unlike previous games, Final Fantasy XV introduced better real-time combat, firearms, and even vehicles that you can drive. You must play it to see how the great game is. A strong contender for one of the best fantasy games ever.
8. ELEX
What happens when you combine both science and fantasy? Well, ELEX happens. ELEX is a new fantasy game from Piranha Bytes, set in a post-apocalyptic, fantasy world that is one of the most original game worlds I’ve ever seen. You are required to survive, gather items, craft weapons, and armor, and fight to be able to maintain yourself in life. However, ELEXE is not the most polished and streamlined experience, and there is a lot of talking about this game. So if you like to engage in dialogues and make decisions, then ELEX is great for you.
9. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade is one of the most engaging games I’ve played recently, and yes, I also recommend you to play it with headphones. The game puts you in the role of Senua, who is on a mission to save her love interest Dillion. However, she suffers from psychosis, hearing various voices, which are actually the only HUD you’ll have. You have to listen to voices in Senua’s head to progress through the game, fight enemies, and solve puzzles. It’s a cheap game but looks and plays like a true AAA game.
10. Total War: Warhammer II
Who thought that a turn-based strategy can be a great fantasy game? Total War: Warhammer II released almost a month ago, and it’s set in a fantasy world of Warhammer games. There are four continents in the game: Lustria, The Southlands, Ulthuan, and Naggaroth, and as the game progresses, you’ll be able to explore those continents and fight against enemies in turn-based combat mechanics. However, the game is AAA and it’s fully-priced, so it’s best to buy it if you really like these types of games.
11. Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a classic RPG title, set in a fantasy world, where the player’s task is to fight against Bishop Alexandar the Innocent, and his evil forces. Upon starting the game, it will let you choose the character stats, race, and backstory. You can also recruit three other characters to be your companions, and if you decide for multiplayer, these companions can be your friends, making it damn fun to play.
12. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon’s Dogma is known for its huge, open-world fantasy environment and if you really like this game, I recommend Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, which is an expanded and better-looking version of the game, with DLC and a new world to explore. The gameplay here is simple; you choose your character’s class and play it from a third perspective, following an interesting story that I’m not going to spoil for you. Oh, I forgot to tell you that this game is cheap right now, so go get it if you like great old-school fantasy RPG.
13. Dungeons 3
Dungeons 3 is surely a fantasy game, but it sports a gameplay different from the mentioned games. The focus here is to build a maze-like dungeon and set traps in order to trap and kill your enemies. You can fight either in a dungeon or above ground, where you can use an army of evil creatures in your attempt to save the dungeon. Dungeon 3 is a really challenging game, and it’s definitely not for everyone, but those who want a hardcore experience.
14. Neverwinter Nights 2
I remember when my best friend told me about Neverwinter Nights 2, and he was playing it like crazy. And then I tried it and I was impressed. It’s played from a third-person perspective, and you can have other players to help you in a fight. At the beginning of the game, you chose the race and class of your character and add some skill points, upon beginning to venture into the dangerous and immersive world of Forgotten Realms. The game received many positive reviews being one of the most important fantasy RPG games.
15. Risen
Risen is another game from Piranha Bytes and it’s a solid action RPG fantasy game. The game is played from the perspective of an unnamed character, whose ship is destroyed by a Titan, and he is left on the island with the other inhabitants. The player then ventures into an adventure, exploring the island, interacting with the inhabitants, fighting, and making decisions.
16. Torchlight
Torchlight is a fantasy game made simple. The main setting of the game is in a fictional town called Torchlight, filled with various caverns and dungeons, which players need to explore, loot and fight the hordes of monsters on the way. While there isn’t much of a story in the game, Torchlight can be proud for having a fluid, top-down combat experience and great graphics for a game that came out in 2009. Torchlight is one of the best fantasy RPGs on Steam, so take a look there if you are interested.
17. Dota 2
Dota 2 might not appear on Google search when you type “fantasy games” but hey, Dota 2 is indeed a great fantasy MOBA game and also the most popular E-Sports game, played by millions of players. As this is a multiplayer game, the game plays in teams consisting of five players each, trying to destroy each other’s structures built by the players. Each hero has standard attacks along with special abilities which can be used in a real-time fight that this game offers. Being a well-optimized and E-sports game, Dota 2 can be played on almost every PC configuration, offering years of fun!
18. Baldur’s Gate
Back when Mass Effect didn’t even exist, BioWare released one of the finest fantasy RPGs called Baldur’s Gate, in 1998. The game uses the pre-rendered world, which the players can explore with their characters created at the beginning of the game. The story is also great, divided into eight parts, where the player needs to complete a particular task in order to complete the part. If you like old-school fantasy RPGs, with less advanced features, like an absence of crafting and more simplified inventory, Baldur’s Gate is a still worthy game to play.
19. Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment was released one year after Baldur’s Gate, but uses the same engine for graphics- Infinity Engine. A protagonist, The Nameless One is an immortal, who is on his journey through Sigil and other planets in order to regain the past memories of his former lives. The game is a pure fantasy RPG, focusing more on storytelling and not strictly on combat. You can also consider this as one of those fantasy strategy games.
20. Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale throws you in the fantasy town of Easthaven, where you are playing with your 6-member crew. Your characters can be named differently and you can add various weapons to each of the characters, as well as names, attributes, and similar. The game follows the identical gameplay of Baldur’s Gate, so there is great combat, on top of solid storytelling. It’s released in 2000, and looks great for the time, even better than Baldur’s Gate, because of the updated engine.