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 first tabletop RPG, from classic ‘90s RPGs to modern MMOs.
Like the tabletop version played with pen and paper, 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
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 performances of Baldur’s Gate 3 companions you travel with – are absolutely phenomenal.
While we think it’s a 10/10 D&D game, it’s worth mentioning that the late-game areas are less exciting to play than the first acts. Plus, if you’re not used to the CRPG genre, you might find that there’s not enough hand-holding in the tutorial.
But if you can forgive these sins, you’ll understand why Baldur’s Gate 3 cleaned house at the 2023 gaming awards. This is an RPG you can truly play your way, and your choices really mean something.
Read Baldur’s Gate 3 review.
Baldur’s Gate
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
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
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.
The game still has a decent-sized player base in 2024, and one of its latest updates added new content for the sea-faring space setting of Spelljammer. Basically, 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. The combat that fills much of your time in these dungeons is approachable yet entertaining.
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
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 in this free-to-play title, the developer is still bringing out adventure modules. These engaging quest storylines 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
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.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister
Though it’s not an officially licensed Dungeons and Dragons game, Solasta: Crown of the Magister still makes this list thanks to its turn-based combat system. It uses an incredibly faithful representation of the 5e ruleset, made with free content released by D&D’s tabletop publisher, Wizards of the Coast.
This means that you won’t encounter a Mindflayer or any feature unique to the official D&D settings. However, Solasta offers a closer proximity to how Dungeons and Dragons plays at the table than most other titles on this list – even Baldur’s Gate 3.
Adventuring through its vast dungeons, taking on the denizens of a necromancer’s castle, or exploring a volcanic cavern feels highly satisfying. Despite some jankiness or lack of polish in places, it’s a very solid tactical combat and exploration game, scratching that DnD videogame itch for longtime fans, or offering a promising introduction for newcomers.
While Solasta stumbles a little on the story front, let down by mediocre writing and subpar voice acting, it’s propped back up by a dedicated modding community, with over 350 fan-made campaigns and modules on the Steam Workshop. Obviously some of them are going to be underwhelming, but there are plenty of good ones, offering unmatched replayability.
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
As a button-mashing, side-scrolling beat-em-up, DnD: Chronicles of Mystara is an oddity amidst all these CRPGs and their dense worlds of tactical combat. Originally released as a pair of arcade games by Capcom, this retro title was dredged up and re-released in 2013. Some may argue that nostalgia is the main reason to try this re-vamped D&D game, but we think it has plenty of merit for newcomers, too.
Chronicles of Mystara is actually a compendium of two games: Tower of Doom and Shadows over Mystara. They’re very similar, but the latter is pretty much a straight upgrade, offering more variety in class options and special moves. While a single playthrough is very quick, the game is rightly praised for its branching paths, offering different enemies to fight and magic items to collect, which will keep you coming back.
Best played with friends, Chronicles of Mystara lets you tackle a range of DnD monsters in classic beat-em-up style. If you’ve ever wanted to mash buttons and stab a beholder in the face, this is the game for you. It also gets bonus points for being a great port with online multiplayer, leaderboards, and plenty of graphics options.
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
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.
If you’re a big fan of D&D actual plays, other videogames, and the general Dungeons and Dragons IP, there’s a small army of iconic characters you’ll enjoy collecting. However, as with many mobile-friendly games, the true final boss is all the microtransactions you’ll fend off on your free-to-play adventures.
Lords of Waterdeep
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 DnD 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 engaging 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. It’s also perfectly playable for people who’ve never picked up a heavy strategy board game, as its strategic gameplay is ultra-approachable and easy to pick up.
Looking for more gaming recommendations? Here are the best grand strategy games and free war games to try. Or, for more D&D content, here’s a few more Dungeons and Dragons board games to try.
Source: Wargamer
