No other tabletop roleplaying game has brought as much amusement, stress, humor, and amazing tales as D&D. This 50-year-old game has entrapped generations into its mystic world of power and magic.
Although D&D can seem far away from today’s most popular video games, a lot of them drew their inspiration from D&D. The stats system, warrior classes, interesting races, magic abilities, and more that came from this tabletop were all well integrated into a number of very popular video games.
So, if you wish to find great game recommendations that remind you of D&D, you’ve come to the right place. Not all games on this list are inspired directly by the original books, though. Nevertheless, they still carry the original D&D charisma with them to every player!
Baldur’s Gate series
Baldur’s Gate is one of the most well-known D&D video games. Originally released in the 1990s, the game has had a couple of more releases, with the last one being in 2016.
The series is set in the Forgotten Realms part of the D&D campaign, and a lot of people consider it the original digitalization of D&D adventure (although it wasn’t the first one). A lot of later CRPG games will be influenced by Baldur’s Gate, so this game is not only a continuation of the famous tabletop but an inspiration for many games that came in the 2000s.
You will have a chance to navigate your character through a finely crafted storyline followed by a fascinating cast of prospective party members. Help an orphan from Candlekeep become a hero with the thrilling experience this game offers.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
With similar core values as Dungeon & Dragons, Pathfinder: Kingmaker gives a great opportunity to anyone who wishes to play with classes that have bigger freedom. You begin the journey with a character whose class, talents, and abilities are totally up to you.
The decisions you make with numerous interactions will have a real effect on the world and characters around you, thus making the game pretty dynamic. Besides, you won’t be only going to dungeons massacring demons and monsters.
You will get a chance to even manage your own kingdom, which will give you a totally new perspective on the game.
Pillars Of Eternity series
Pillars of Eternity, developed by the same team that created Fallout: New Vegas, is a fantastic RPG to play if you enjoy the role-playing part of Dungeons & Dragons. It gives you the ability to shape your own fate while still battling to be a hero in the same manner that you and the rest of your party would in a tabletop encounter.
You will seek your destiny as a “Watcher,” a person which is given the magical power to glimpse into the past and has divine wisdom from ethereal spirits. To a certain degree, we can say it has all the trademarks of the best CRPGs.
A stunningly drawn and immersive universe, as well as vivid, meticulously made characters with which to engage and explore. The mechanics are unique, yet they are definitely influenced by rules from Dungeons & Dragons.
In a way, we can say that it’s a worthy successor to Baldur’s Gate.
Dragon Age series
Dragon Age has had a couple of sequels, but the original one, Dragon Age: Origins, is the one we fell in love with the most. This game will take you to fight the Darkspawn (crossover between zombies and Uruk-Hais) while simultaneously dealing with betrayal and exile.
While it reminds us of its counterparts from the world of D&D video games, Dragon age has a trick up its sleeve. It offers pausable gameplay during combat which allows you to carefully plan your moves, in order to synergize your party’s spells and, in the end, maximize your damage output.
You can even decide if you want to have romances with several of your companions and if you would befriend or fight some of the NPCs. Reducing the premeditated segments of the game and adding to that realistic feel D&D has.
Dark Souls series
The famous video game that has generated a lot of frustrations (and a lot of memes) with its difficulty is definitely one for D&D fans. Known for its really innovative and horrifyingly intriguing adversaries, Dark Souls lets you personalize your battle as you navigate scenic ruins and dungeons, fighting out all kinds of creatures and demons.
The gameplay Dark Souls offers is perfect for you if you love a challenge and if you’re not easily demotivated by a couple of backtracks. You will need to use all of your D&D thinking ahead tricks to complete this game.
Interesting fact: Dark Souls has released its own roleplaying tabletop game, which includes a complete system based on Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition.
Divinity: Original Sin series
Divinity: Original Sin will see you go on a quest with a party of four that you can put together on your own. You have the freedom of choosing one of the six origin characters or creating your own. Moreover, you can even build your own campaign or play some the other players have built.
One of Divinity’s most appealing features is its fluid and straightforward multiplayer implementation, which enables you and your friends to journey together in seamless, local, drop-in cooperative sessions.
You shouldn’t expect an adaption of existing D&D rules, but the gameplay should be recognizable and comfortable for enthusiasts of the D&D.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (& KOTOR II)
One of the CRPG classics, KOTOR games essentially present D&D adventures based in the Star Wars world. The rules and mechanics aren’t a carbon copy of D&D, but they’re more than familiar and comfortable for anyone who has previously played the latter.
You will be a Jedi that will explore different locations from the Star Wars world, while totally customizing your skills and your party as you wish. With over 40 different skills to learn, choosing whether to go on the light or the dark side and building your own lightsaber, KOTOR’s possibilities are close to being endless.
Conclusion
These are some of the most popular games a D&D fan would love. If you are a video game fan, you probably already played or heard about some of these titles.
Ultimately, whatever you choose, you won’t miss. If you want to go old school, origin style, definitely try Baldur’s Gate and Pathfinder: Kingmaker. On the other hand, if a challenge is what you seek, Dark Souls and KOTOR are the way to go.
