The best role-playing games, according to hackers
33 role-playing games were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 8 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended role-playing games with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Strong story and campaign
Praised as a deep, freely explorable role-playing game with a strong campaign and no DLC; critics note combat frustrations and Linux performance issues.
Beautiful art and visuals
Recommended for its music, art, world-building and addictive parry combat. Main caveat: critics say it shipped AI-generated and placeholder assets.
3D remake with updated camera
Revisited rebuilds the classic RPG with a 3D world and updated camera, and people praise its NPC schedules and living simulation. Critics note its fetch-quest structure.
All 33 role-playing games, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baldur's Gate 3 | 71 | 11 | 87% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | 58 | 10 | 85% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 3 | Ultima VII Revisited | 24 | 7 | 77% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 4 | Disco Elysium | 23 | 1 | 96% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Tied 4 | Chrono Trigger | 23 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 6 | Undertale | 16 | 1 | 94% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 7 | Phantasy Star IV | 15 | 1 | 94% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | Grandia | 15 | 3 | 83% | 1 | 21 yrs3 owners | — |
| 9 | Grandia II | 12 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| 10 | Fallout 2 | 11 | 1 | 92% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Tied 11 | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | 10 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Tied 11 | Phantasy Star | 10 | 2 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 13 | Baldur's Gate | 9 | 2 | 82% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 13 | Final Fantasy VII | 9 | 4 | 69% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 13 | Dragon Age: Origins | 9 | 2 | 82% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 16 | Final Fantasy VI | 8 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 16 | Baldur's Gate 2 | 8 | 2 | 80% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 18 | Kingdom Come: Deliverance | 7 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 18 | Mass Effect 2 | 7 | 7 | 50% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 18 | Dragon Age 2 | 7 | 6 | 54% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 21 | Planescape: Torment | 6 | 2 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 21 | Neverwinter Nights | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 21 | Citizen Sleeper | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 21 | Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | 6 | 4 | 60% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 21 | Phantasy Star III | 6 | 3 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Pillars of Eternity | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Octopath Traveler | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Ultima Underworld | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Ultima V | 5 | 2 | 71% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Divinity: Original Sin 2 | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Kenshi | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Chrono Cross | 5 | 3 | 63% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | The Bard's Tale | 5 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same role-playing game in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to role-playing games that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.