Best Historical Fantasy RPGs

Key Takeaways

• RPG quality is heavily impacted by the setting.
• Historical fantasy RPGs take players to past eras.
• Titles like Nioh, Kingdom Come, and Sekiro offer unique historical settings.

The RPG genre has given players some of the most powerful, important, and moving games in history. Whether they’re text-based explorations of a setting or fast-paced ARPGs, roleplaying games have been at the crux of the gaming scene for some time now. The main thing that makes an RPG high-quality is its setting. A fantastic story will still fall flat in an uninspired setting, and conversely, having a world that feels lived in and real can make up for a lot of other missteps in a title.

Many RPGs take the opportunity to tell a story set in a huge fantasy world or a grim dystopic future. But some titles, instead of looking to the future, or into worlds beyond human understanding, look to the past for inspiration. Historical fantasy games blend fantasy elements with settings from humanity’s past, often (but not always) including magic. These RPGs in particular take fantastical perspectives on periods in time from humanity’s past.

8 Nioh

A Fast-Paced RPG Set In A Mythical Japan

One of those first soulslikes that helped define the genre and its goals, similar to Salt and Sanctuary,Nioh was a fantastic action RPG, with an equally strong sequel. The game focuses on an Irish sailor washing up in a grimdark fantasy Japan.

Yokai have taken advantage of the chaos in this pre-Tokugawa era and are terrorizing the land — leaving William Adams, who arrives in pursuit of an old and bitter longtime foe, to defeat the Yokai with swordsmanship and fast reflexes. This title is an excellent take on a historical setting that incorporates its own myths in an engaging way.

7 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

A Fantastical Hero’s Journey In Bohemia

Kingdom Come: Deliverance prides itself on the lack of fantastical elements in the game, being one of the most grounded RPGs of its era with a great emphasis on historical authenticity and combat.

This doesn’t make Henry’s story any less fantastical, however. This is a classic coming of age tale worked into the Hero’s Journey. Players who want to see an authentic historical Bohemia will be hard-pressed to find a title that tops this game… at least until the sequel comes out.

6 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

A Grim And Dangerous Exploration Of Japan

Saying that Sekiro felt like a passion project of FromSoft’s might feel disingenuous, as all games from this storied developer are imbued with passion. Yet, the game still feels like the developers wanted a specific story to tell in this rich historical period, owing to how different it feels from other FromSoft titles.

With some fantastic combat, great puzzle bosses, and a rich take on Sengoku-era Japan (slightly earlier than Nioh‘s time period), this is one of the best historical fantasy titles players can get their hands on today.

5 Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

An RPG Fueled By Greek Myths

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey was one of those titles that will probably be considered anomalous one day in the great Ubisoft timeline. It’s an Assassin’s Creed title that is focused almost entirely on RPG elements, to the point that the “assassin” part of things becomes optional.

Regardless, the game is still a rich exploration of Hellenic Greece. It’s a fantastic title that lets players interact with the gods and shape fate with immense detail and nuance.

4 Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

A Gothic Celebration Of The 90s

Children of the 90s, please, do not begin to weep and watch your hair fall out. This title is not here to call anyone old. The 90s is still a contemporary time period, but it’s one that technological and social developments have clearly left in the past. That makes this game a very interesting time capsule.

Exploring the rebellious era of the 90s through the violent, bloody world of vampirism is this game’s strong suit. RPG fans all over have fallen in love with this title because of the diversity of its options in quest and story design.

3 The Thaumaturge

An Amazing, Magical CRPG

This dark and slick CRPG features some excellent design choices. Set in 20th Century Warsaw, this game takes an excellent spin on both magical realism and historical realism. There are elements of body horror here that make the game a confronting, but compelling affair.

Playing a clandestine mage during a tumultuous time in history is one of the most interesting tacks taken by a CRPG. And yet, and the classic return to form for the genre is something players will not want to miss.

2 Vampyr

An Amazing Atmosphere And a Great Story

If Vampyr has one core message to drive home to players, it’s that being good is not always easy. Post-WWI London is a fascinating time period for players to explore as a member of the undead, and Vampyr’s unique mechanics make it one of the greats.

Players can either try to get the most out of the blood feeding system, learning about their prey before feeding on them. Alternatively, they can try and struggle to resist their newfound dark urge, and be weaker because of it.

1 Pentiment

Obsidian’s Story Is Like No Other

Everything about Pentiment is fantastic. The art style is iconic, the time period is interesting and not often touched upon in video games, and the story is one of the best ever put to a game, by the masters of narrative RPGs at Obsidian.

This historical fantasy game will leave players enthralled with the unique world of Pentiment, and will also give them a broader understanding of the job that an Illustrator truly had in that time period.