Looking to play the best D&D games? Dungeons and Dragons games have a long and decorated history, so you have a small army of titles to choose from. This guide recommends the very best videogames based on the classic tabletop RPG, from classic ‘90s DnD RPGs to modern MMOs.
Like the original tabletop RPG, most of these games feature great storytelling and exciting combat encounters. You’ll have your pick of DnD classes and DnD races, and you’ll likely pick up a party to adventure with along the way. If you like strategy, stories, and fantasy, these games are for you.
These are the best DnD games:
Baldur’s Gate 3
Pros:
- Endlessly replayable
- Compelling characters
- Top-tier RPG mechanics
Cons:
- Late game areas feel weaker
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the most recent entry in the D&D games pantheon, and it’s the best by far. Using its CRPG know-how from the Divinity series, developer Larian has seamlessly ported tabletop’s fifth edition rules to the digital world. The result is an enormous, immersive setting that offers more creative customization options than you can throw a Fireball at.
The varied Baldur’s Gate 3 classes, combined with dynamic environments and compelling encounters, mean that we keep coming back to the world of Baldur’s Gate, even after hundreds of hours. It also helps that the narrative writing – and the Baldur’s Gate 3 companions you’ll travel with – are absolutely phenomenal.
Smooch everyone, stab everything in sight, or stick to a peaceful Paladin oath. This is an RPG you can truly play your way, and your choices really mean something. Baldur’s Gate 3 cleaned house at the 2023 gaming awards, and those accolades are richly deserved.
Read our full Baldur’s Gate 3 review here.
Baldur’s Gate
Pros:
- Outstanding writing
- Excellent adventuring
- Strong core gameplay
Cons:
- Unapproachable for newcomers
Baldur’s Gate wasn’t the first Dungeons and Dragons videogame, but for many, it’s the first that comes to mind. BioWare’s groundbreaking CRPG hit the scene with a compelling story, an open world ripe for exploring, and a complex RPG system designed to suck in strategic minds. Plus, even after 25 years, this trailblazer (mostly) holds up.
Playing as an orphan with a mysterious past, you’re free to roam the fertile fantasy lands of the Sword Coast before approaching the titular city of Baldur’s Gate. Along the way, you’ll pick up a cast of colorful traveling companions, lend aid to various communities, and figure out what kind of hero you really are. As far as story-driven RPGs with customizable character classes go, this is the template.
While good writing never tarnishes, there are plenty of places in Baldur’s Gate where things start to look rusty. It lacks any real tutorial, has plenty of antiquated D&D mechanics working behind the scenes, and you can freely wander into the map’s most dangerous zones at any time. Playing Baldur’s Gate is rewarding, but figuring out how to play can be a ruthless uphill struggle for newcomers.
Baldur’s Gate 2
Pros:
- Excellent writing builds on the original
- Heaps of content and replay value
Cons:
- Still not newbie-friendly
Baldur’s Gate 2 is a worthy successor to the CRPG series’ debut, offering even more in-depth storytelling, complex combat, and adventuring to sate your D&D-loving stomach. The 24-year-old game is dense and difficult to understand for newcomers, but returning veterans (and novices who don’t mind reading a lot of online tutorials) will find a treasure trove of classic RPG goodness.
You’re playing the same character from the original Baldur’s Gate, and you’re traveling with many familiar faces. Only now you’re significantly more powerful and must go toe-to-toe with a dastardly mage called Irenicus. You learned a lot from your original adventures on the Sword Coast, but now you’re in the land of Amn, and your new enemies pose just as much of a threat.
With so much content packed into a reasonably small game, plus an army of nuanced companions to travel with, there’s enough here to justify multiple playthroughs. Before Baldur’s Gate 3 hit the scene, Baldur’s Gate 2 was at the peak of Dungeons and Dragons videogames.
Neverwinter
Pros:
- Entertaining combat
- Explores iconic D&D settings
- Free to start
Cons:
- Grindy if you don’t spend real cash
Neverwinter is a mid-complexity MMORPG that lets you explore all manner of classic DnD settings. Things may have started in the once-great city of Neverwinter, but regular new modules and events have taken gameplay to Avernus, Ravenloft, the Underdark and beyond. With a decent-sized player base and new content still arriving as of 2023, you can still jump into this decade-old game with relative ease.
It’s free to start playing Neverwinter (though you’ll be grinding for a long time if you want the best in-game items). Once you’ve chosen one of the DnD classes and formed your adventuring party (with real or computerized companions), you can get stuck into some dungeon-crawling, combat-heavy quests.
Experienced MMO fans might not be overly impressed by Neverwinter’s low complexity and level caps. But if you love the Forgotten Realms setting and enjoy a story-driven online multiplayer game, there’s plenty to love.
Dungeons and Dragons Online
Pros:
- In-depth character customization
- Engaging quest storylines
- Free to start
Cons:
- Looks and feels dated
Before Neverwinter, there was Dungeons and Dragons Online. This MMORPG is almost 20 years old, and it certainly looks its age. However, those dated graphics hide a wealth of unique settings and customizable DnD character builds to explore. With gear that actually matters and a reincarnation mechanic that lets you bring characters back stronger, there’s enough replayability here to span several decades.
It helps that there’s a significant amount of content to play without having to pay anything. And, for those who are willing to invest, the developer is still bringing out adventure modules. These span all sorts of settings, from Eberron to the Feywild.
A lot of the old guard from Dungeons and Dragons Online will say that the game’s quality has gone downhill since its early days. However, if you ask them whether to start playing, many will still say an emphatic ‘yes’.
Planescape: Torment
Pros:
- Incredible writing
- Unique setting
Cons:
- Old-school combat is dense and dated
Planescape: Torment is widely considered one of the best CRPGs of all time – and many would call it one of the greatest videogames of all time. You don’t get that kind of reputation for nothing.
This 1999 RPG uses the same AD&D system as the first two Baldur’s Gate games. It also sets the scene using one of Dungeons and Dragons’ most original locations. You play The Nameless One, who recently awoke in a morgue in the City of Sigil. Sigil is a dark, bizarre place ruled over by the enigmatic Lady of Pain. You’ve already died when the game begins, but that isn’t going to hold you back.
What follows is the most philosophical, thoughtful writing we’ve ever seen in a D&D game. Yes, the UI feels very ‘90s, and the combat system is still complex and obscure, which raises the barrier to entry for newcomers. But it’s worth pushing through – there’s literally no RPG quite like Planescape: Torment.
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
Pros:
- Simple and approachable
- Filled with iconic D&D characters
Cons:
- Too many microtransactions
Looking for a way to enjoy D&D that’s a little less rules-heavy? Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms might be the game for you. This is a free-to-play strategy management game where you collect various adventurers with different abilities, form a party, and send them off to battle bosses in various settings in your stead. There’s loot and level-ups in it for you, too.
The phrase ‘idle’ in the title comes from the idea of an ‘idle game’ or ‘incremental game’ – these are games that ‘play themselves’ to a certain degree. Like a simulation game, the strategy comes from managing a resource (here your adventurers and their abilities) rather than engaging in an activity like combat. We did say this was one of the less intense D&D videogames.
Lords of Waterdeep
Pros:
- Engaging strategy game
- Approachable for tabletop newbies
Cons:
- No story or combat like other D&D games
If you want to play something that’s truly faithful to the tabletop experience, you might want to pick up Lords of Waterdeep. Yes, this really is just a digital port of the classic D&D board game of the same name – but sometimes that’s the perfect kind of videogame to scratch the D&D itch.
Lords of Waterdeep places you in the role of one of the rulers of the famous D&D city Waterdeep. To win, you’ll need to earn points by assigning your underlings to various tasks – whether that be completing quests or constructing buildings. Manage your people well enough, and your wealth and control over Waterdeep will grow. There’s plenty of strategy here, and the turn-based gameplay that’s been translated from the board game offers a slower, more thoughtful videogame experience compared with some of the real-time alternatives in this list.
Looking for more gaming recommendations? Here are the best grand strategy games and free war games to try.
Source: Wargamer
