Baldur's Gate 3 blew everyone away when it arrived in 2023, with its complex characters and epic plot. However, there is no such thing as a perfect game, and while I utterly love BG3, there are certain elements that other RPGs have done better. These range from the characterization of the player character right through to the amount of choices on offer and how the world reacts to those decisions.

This is by no means meant to imply that Baldur's Gate 3 isn't a fantastic game with rich lore, wonderful companions, and a plethora of choices with real consequences. However, the RPG genre is an amazingly rich category, with decades of games to choose from, some of which have stood out in very particular ways. So, whether diving into another epic fantasy setting or embarking on a space adventure, these RPGs stand out for all the right reasons.

10 Dragon Age: The Veilguard Offers Amazing Character Customization

Released By BioWare In 2024

Dragon Age: The Veilguard received mixed reviews from series fans, with some happy with the new team’s battle against the Evanuris, while others felt let down by some of the writing. However, whatever else can be said about Dragon Age’s latest installment, its character creator is fantastic. While BG3 offers a wonderful range of hair, eye colors, and skin tones, there are only a few facial presets for each playable race.

This obviously limits the variety when creating a custom Tav or Dark Urge. However, The Veilguard’s character creator offers much more. When deg Rook, it is possible to choose from a preset or create a completely unique face using the many sliders and options available. With so many options, the odds of getting two Rooks who look the same are very low, making each character feel that much more personal.

9 Fallout 4 Has Great Weapon & Armor Modification

Released By Bethesda In 2015

Just like any good RPG, Baldur’s Gate 3 has tons of weapons and armor for the party to find, to give them the upper hand when taking on the Absolute. However, that gear is static and cannot be upgraded or altered from the form in which it is found. Fallout 4, on the other hand, offers more flexibility when it comes to equipment by allowing weapons and armor to be modified.

With Fallout 4's workbenches, armor, weapons and Power Armor can be completely customized with different modifications. These can range from changing the barrel of a gun for better range or accuracy to improving carrying capacity or damage resistance for armor. There is even the ballistic weave mod for extra protection for clothing worn under armor. This allows gear to be adapted to gameplay styles or specific Fallout 4 character builds, rather than the other way around.

8 Knights Of The Old Republic Has One Of The Greatest Character Backstories

Released By BioWare In 2003

When starting a new game in BG3, there is the option between playing as a custom character or one of the seven Origins. Although each of these characters is brilliant, it is hard for any RPG to find a balance between a compelling backstory for the player character while still allowing freedom for players to imprint themselves onto the character. The Dark Urge comes very close to this, but I cannot think of a better example of this balance than Revan from Knights of the Old Republic.

BG3’s Dark Urge is revealed to be a Bhaalspawn and the former Chosen of Bhaal.

Just like the Dark Urge, players find themselves at the start of the game with no memory of who they once were, essentially making the character a completely blank slate for them to play with. It’s hard to describe the shock and power of the moment now, as Darth Malak gleefully reveals Revan’s true identity. This twist not only allows the player character to have a fantastically rich backstory but still allows them to be a blank slate.

7 Morrowind Shows Just How Complex The Elder Scrolls Setting Is

Released By Bethesda In 2002

Set in the world of the Forgotten Realms, BG3 has a vast history of lore to draw on, and while it does make good use of its roots, BG3 is still accessible for those unfamiliar with Faerûn. Another fantastic RPG with deep lore is Morrowind, the third installment of the Elder Scrolls series, which transports the action to the large island of Vvardenfell in the titular province of Morrowind. Vvardenfell itself is enough to give Morrowind a chance, with a unique alien environment unlike anything else seen in the Elder Scrolls.

Morrowind manages to not only make the rich and exhaustive lore of the series understandable but also the odd politics and machinations of the dunmer. The tension between the Empire and the Great Houses plays out brilliantly, and as the Nerevarine arrives, things only escalate. Mixing together gods and prophesies, Morrowind’s world is fabulously complex and nuanced.

6 Skyrim Offers A Staggering Amount Of Character Flexibility

Released By Bethesda In 2011

From one Elder Scrolls entry to another, and the sheer amount of flexibility that Skyrim offers when building a character. Unlike Baldur’s Gate 3, which adapts Dungeons & Dragons classes for a new medium, Skyrim offers a whopping 18 skills that any character can learn. This massively increases the number of builds viable for the Dragonborn, ranging from broad strokes such as stealth archers to very niche and powerful Skyrim builds.

However, the main stand-out reason Skyrim’s approach works so well is that it allows any of the skills to be improved at any time. This allows builds to be adapted as the Dragonborn levels up and takes on new challenges, and never locks them into any one class. Although BG3 does give the option for Withers to respec party at any time, Skyrim’s character building works wonderfully with its sandbox style of gameplay.

5 Mass Effect 3's Story Has Incredible Epic Scope

Released By BioWare In 2012

Baldur’s Gate 3 sees a small party of characters plucked from their lives, implanted with illithid tadpoles, and then battle through cultists to save Faerûn from a mind flayer invasion. It is a wonderful fantasy epic that places the fate of a world in the hands of the player. However, for a truly heroic story involving not just the fate of one planet but an entire galaxy, Mass Effect 3 is the game to pick up.

The final part of the fantastic Mass Effect trilogy, ME3 brings together all the different plot threads, all while the grand final battle for the Milky Way rages. The last installment of Commander Shepard’s journey is as epic as it can get, and few RPGs can match the scope of ME3’s story. The only downside here is the controversial ending, which felt lacking in comparison to what had come before.

4 Fable's World Reacts To Evil Deeds

Released By Lionhead Studios In 2004

Baldur’s Gate 3 has plenty of evil choices throughout all three acts that can twist the traditional adventuring party trope on its head. However, as awful as some of the things Tav or the Dark Urge can do while "saving" the world, few are ever directly referenced by NPCs, and many characters the party meet will react the same way regardless of the deeds they’ve done in the world. All good RPGs should allow for a really evil playthrough, and Fable does a great job at making sure every bad deed is acknowledged.

Fable 2 and 3 also changed your dog's appearance based on character alignment.

Fable uses a very basic morality system to great effect, having each quest and action and push the Hero's alignment to either good or evil. This changes the appearance of the player character as well as informs how NPCs react to them. This simple premise made any evil actions feel more impactful and meaningful, as well as very fun.

3 Mass Effect 2 Has Some Of The Best Companions

Released By BioWare In 2010

Companions are a huge part of many RPGs and often the aspect that keeps long-time fans returning to the world. Well-written companions can make a game feel more alive, give the story much-needed context, and even offer the chance of romance. BG3’s companions offer all of this and have quickly gone down in gaming history as some of the best, but there is another team that shouldn’t be forgotten so easily.

Mass Effect 2 built on the success and brilliant writing of its predecessor, adding more nuanced characters to the companion roster to great effect. Each one boasts a unique background, skill set, and personal story, which ties into their loyalty missions. Just like BG3, ME2's companions come from a mixture of backgrounds that must work together to solve the current crisis, and Mass Effect 2 ensures that each one stands out during the game's plot.

2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Sheer Number Of Story Choices

Released By CD Projekt Red In 2015

One of the things that continues to amaze me about BG3 is the amount of variables Larian Studios seems to have considered when crafting every quest. Each time I think I’ve seen every outcome, someone else will come up with a new approach, which BG3 will amazingly have a response to. But the ones that really stand out are those that impact the story much later down the line in unexpected ways, and no game has managed to pull this off like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

I can say with confidence that despite pouring many hundreds of hours into The Witcher 3, I’ve not seen every outcome possible. All throughout Geralt's journey there are choices, big and small, whose consequences are felt later in the game, helping make each choice feel important and realistic. More importantly, few of these have clear good vs bad options, with some adding up over time, such as Geralt's interactions with Ciri.

1 Dragon Age: Origins Has One Of The Best Villains

Released By BioWare In 2009

Finally, every good RPG needs a compelling villain, someone or something to spur the heroes into action. Baldur’s Gate 3 continues from its predecessors with the Dead Three reemerging with a new plan to conquer all, this time involving a Netherbrain and a cult. However, the grand scope of BG3’s plot doesn’t leave much room for a more personal or subtle approach, as seen in Dragon Age: Origins and one of my favorite RPG villains: Loghain Man Tir.

The reason Loghain is a stronger and much more interesting villain than Baldur’s Gate 3’s Orin or Gortash is that he is a deeply flawed but relatable man. Loghain isn’t the Chosen of a god or some all-powerful entity; he’s a soldier who simply wants to protect his homeland and, in doing so, listens to manipulative people and makes some horrific mistakes. What makes Loghain such a great bad guy is that, at his core, he isn’t, and the best villains are always the ones we can see ourselves in.