It’s easy to say that isometric RPGs have undergone a renaissance in the last few years. Ever a niche genre, I don’t think anyone would have believed you if you’d said in 2020 that very soon a CRPG would become a cultural touchstone and Game of the Year.
Those who have been playing these games for a long time, though, know that we’ve been in a golden age for a decade or more!
If you’re looking for expansive narratives, unmatched character creation, and choices that matter, you can get hundreds upon hundreds of hours of top-quality gameplay from these amazing isometric CRPGs. These aren’t just some of the best RPGs of the last few years; they’re some of the best ever, period. Which ones are your favorites? Let me know in the comments inside the Reddit Community.
Baldur’s Gate 3
- Developer: Larian Studios
- Release Date: 3 August 2023
- Platform: Windows, Mac, L:inux, PlayStation, Xbox
- Steam Page
Baldur’s Gate 3 is more than just the return of a beloved, classic RPG series. Its depth, writing, and cast of characters all cemented it straight away as one of the all-time greats. It’s the kind of game that every RPG fan is sure to play at some point, and the staggering amount of detail with which the world reacts to even the tiniest choices means that it has tremendous replay value.
If you’ve managed to avoid spoilers almost three years later, first of all, congratulations! Secondly, try to keep it that way; Baldur’s Gate 3 is definitely a game that is best enjoyed with as little foreknowledge as possible.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition
- Developer: Larian Studios
- Release Date: 14 September, 2017
- Platform: Windows, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
- Steam Page
Of course, BG3 developers Larian Studios didn’t just come out of nowhere; their Divinity series has been the gold standard in fantasy isometric RPGs for years. Divinity: Original Sin 2 was raking in awards and recognition years before the likes of Astarion and Karlach came along, and it offers even more freedom to build your character.
With a true open world, endless choices and consequences, and some of the best combat you’ll find in an isometric RPG, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is another must-play, especially if you’ve finished BG3 and are looking for something to fill the void.
Wasteland 3
- Developer: inXile Entertainment
- Release Date: 27 August, 2020
- Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox
- Steam Page
If you’ve had your fill of epic fantasy and are looking for something a little more modern for a change, Wasteland 3‘s post-apocalyptic world shows us what Fallout could have been if it had stayed true to its roots as an isometric RPG.
Set in the snowy mountains of Colorado a century after a devastating nuclear war, Wasteland 3 challenges you with deep squad-based combat, important decisions to make, and richly-imagined characters.
You also get to upgrade and customize a war rig, Mad Max-style, as you drop yourself into the middle of a war between the dangerous factions of the mountains. It’s like Baldur’s Gate meets New Vegas, which is a hard combination to beat!
Broken Roads
- Developer: Drop Bear Bytes
- Release Date: 10 April, 2024
- Platform: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
- Steam Page
Broken Roads has some serious indie charm to it, made all the more enjoyable by its post-apocalyptic Australian setting. As you wander the dusty Outback you’ll uncover loads of secrets and meet a compelling cast, facing moral dilemmas and deadly combat in equal measure.
Broken Roads also dispenses with a simple dichotomy between good and evil, instead tracking your actions based on their philosophical merits.
Are you a logical Utilitarian or a self-serving Machiavellian, or something else entirely? How you interact with the denizens of the Outback will affect not just your dialogue choices, but your perks and stats as well!
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous – Enhanced Edition
- Developer: Owlcat Games
- Release Date: 2 September, 2021
- Platform: Windows, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
- Steam Page
Before establishing themselves as the masters of dark sci-fi CRPGs with Rogue Trader, Owlcat offered some excellent fantasy fare with titles like Wrath of the Righteous.
Inspired by the tabletop campaign of the same name, this adventure puts you at the center of a struggle against demonic forces and offers chances to become a truly Mythic Hero!
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous offers a truly stunning amount of character options, with even more choices coming your way as the story progresses. If you’re looking for a game that feels familiar at first but comes into its own as something truly unique, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better example than this.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
- Developer: Owlcat Games
- Release Date: 7 December, 2023
- Platform: Windows, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch 2
- Steam Page
Owlcat’s real masterpiece, of course, if Rogue Trader. Set in the famously dark Warhammer 40,000 galaxy, it casts you as a dynastic lord of unimaginable wealth and influence while pitting you against threats capable of bringing ruin to an entire sector.
Between its immersive dialogue, engrossing story, and top-tier tactical combat, it’s one of the best sci-fi RPG experiences you can get.
Best of all, a sequel is on the way. Dark Heresy will focus on the Inquisition, so it will be smaller in scope, but should have all everything that made Rogue Trader great and more.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game
- Developer: Iron Tower Studio
- Release Date: 9 November, 2023
- Platform: Windows
- Steam Page
Colony Ship is also very dark, but in a different way. As denizens of a slower-than-light ship bound for Proxima Centauri, neither you nor any of the NPCs you meet will ever reach your destination; your job is just to survive so that future generations can make planetfall.
In the darkness of deep space, you’ll explore the new cultures that have risen up inside the ship, and your actions may have consequences that impact the rest of the journey long after you’re gone.
The setting alone is worth checking out, but Colony Ship has lots of options for character customization and deep tactical combat that make the gameplay just as much of a draw. It’s also offered as part of a few different Steam bundles, which is always a plus!
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
- Release Date: 8 May, 2018
- Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox
- Steam Page
Standing alongside juggernauts like Divinity, Pillars of Eternity is another series that defined CRPGs in the 2010s. The swashbuckling, seafaring adventure Deadfire is some of the best RPG gameplay you can find, even almost a decade later, as you pursue a renegade god across the ocean.
Not only can you recruit and customize companions with a fantastic multiclass system, but you also get to outfit and upgrade your ship, which is important since you’re likely to face a lot of peril while you’re out sailing. If you’re looking for a fantasy RPG with flair, definitely check out Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister
- Developer: Tactical Adventures
- Release Date: 27 May, 2021
- Platform: Windows, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox
- Steam Page
Where Baldur’s Gate adapts the core D&D experience into a fantastic video game, Solasta fully immerses you in tabletop gameplay, bridging the gap between the digital and pen-and-paper worlds. Whether you’re playing a campaign or creating your own with its robust tools, Solasta feels like D&D in all the best ways.
Better still, your customized party of four comes to life, with each character imbued with personality and character to make them more than just an assemblage of stats. Solasta is the kind of game that’s impressive to hear about, but even more so to play for yourself.
Expeditions: Rome
- Developer: Logic Artists
- Release Date: 20 January, 2022
- Platform: Windows
- Steam Page
The Expeditions series lets you visit flavorful periods of history with all the depth and immersion of their fantasy cousins.
The latest, Expeditions: Rome, is a sprawling campaign that sends you across the ancient world as a Legate in the service of the Republic. There’s plenty of fighting to be done against the Gauls, Greeks, and other foes, but your rivals in the Senate may turn out to be just as dangerous.
There’s a ton to do in Rome, and more historical adventures are on the way as Expeditions: Samurai was recently announced! There’s no release date yet, but it’s certainly an RPG that we’ll have our eye on.
The Thaumaturge
- Developer: Fool’s Theory
- Release Date: 4 March, 2024
- Platform: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
- Steam Page
Where Expeditions is a fully historical game, occult RPG The Thaumaturge takes history as its inspiration to tell a tale of demons, ambition, and power at the dawn of the 20th century. As Wiktor, you’ll use your powers to understand the thoughts of others while conjuring dangerous spirits to do your bidding.
Even if you’re not a big history buff, there’s still plenty to love in The Thaumaturge‘s richly-depicted setting, especially once the creepier magical elements are thrown in. The inclusion of historical figures like Rasputin and Tsar Nicholas II adds an extra layer of intrigue and fun, Assassin’s Creed-style.
The Necromancer’s Tale
- Developer: Psychic Software
- Release Date: 17 July, 2025
- Platform: Windows, Mac
- Steam Page
In a similar vein to The Thaumaturge, The Necromancer’s Tale casts you as a practitioner of the forbidden arts in 18th-century Europe. You have the power to command the dead, but you’re still mortal, so you’ll need to keep your gifts a secret if you don’t want to contend with an angry mob.
The Necromancer’s Tale is heavy on story and writing, so if you like a lot of roleplaying, with an emphasis on whom to trust, you’ll find all the intrigue you could possibly want in this atmospheric adventure.
Esoteric Ebb
- Developer: Christoffer Bodegard
- Release Date: 3 March, 2026
- Platform: Windows
- Steam Page
There’s a pretty good chance by now that you’ve played Disco Elysium, so you know that there’s no other game like it. The bizarre, open-ended detective RPG is truly one-of-a-kind… or was, until Esoteric Ebb came along.
Esoteric Ebb is like a fantasy Disco Elysium, with all the freedom that you’d expect and the strange, unexpected consequences that come with it. It’s a smart, replayable tale of a faceless Cleric trying to deal with a host of cascading problems, and it goes far beyond simple parody to establish itself as one of the best deconstructions of fantasy adventure in a long time.
Solasta II
- Developer: Tactical Adventures
- Release Date: 12 March, 2026 (Early Access)
- Platform: Windows
- Steam Page
It’s only in early access thus far, but from everything we’ve seen, Solasta II makes the original look like a proof-of-concept, which is saying a lot considering how much you could do in Crown of the Magister.
This is an ambitious sequel, intent of setting up Solasta alongside genre names like Divinity and Baldur’s Gate.
Solasta II keeps the focus on being the best possible adaptation of D&D gameplay to a video game, with a new story campaign and even deeper focus on exploration and world-building. With a new region to explore, there’s plenty for newcomers and longtime fans to get excited about.
Encased
- Developer: Dark Crystal Games
- Release Date: 7 September, 2021
- Platform: Windows, Linux
- Steam Page
Imagine classic Fallout inspired by ’70s sci-fi rather than the retro-futurism of the ’50s, and you’re already halfway to understanding what makes Encased great.
As a pawn of a giant corporation inside a mysterious alien dome, you’ll make strange discoveries, manage your reputation with groups inside, and ultimately decide the fate of a destroyed world.
Encased really does let you explore on your own terms, with options for diplomacy or violence and an underlying system where your choices have a dramatic impact.
The possibilities for multiple playthroughs are vast, and the game happens to be on sale for 90% off on Steam until 16 July – if you’re looking for lots of gameplay at a low price, it’s hard to beat $2.99!
