I’ve been turning to a lot of escapism lately, which means I’ve been on the hunt for games with rich worlds that allow me to inhabit them indefinitely. I’m not talking about dailies in MMOs, either.
I’m talking about the sort of games that have tons of content and a high replayability factor. RPGs tend to be the genre that fits the bill the most.
Related
10 RPGs With 100+ Hours of Content
You’ll lose track of time in these RPGs.
Most RPGs allow you to make a character or define them in some way, and then let you enter a world where you make choices that define how the story progresses. Because of the nature of RPGs, it’s easy to think that most provide infinite replayability, but that isn’t always the case.
There are some RPGs that simply provide you with a main story, some side quests, and when they’re complete, it’s time to move on. These best RPGs with infinite replayability, however, keep calling players home year after year.
To find the best RPGs with infinite replayability, we defined RPG as a game that provides choice that impacts the story in a major way. We referred to “infinite replayability” as the ability and desire to replay the game several times and still discover new content along the way.
10
Tyranny
Small Choices With Rippling Consequences
I have always loved a bit of political drama in my RPGs, and Tyranny has it in droves. You go from being a nobody enforcer to potentially the biggest and most powerful jerk in the world. Tyranny is so replayable because how you get from Point A to Point Z can change every time.
This CPRG encourages replayability by providing different “Paths” for your character to follow. Those Paths tend to be aligned with the faction you choose to support, but just like any good RPG, Tyranny has an option for those who prefer to forge their own path and side with nobody.
I’ve tried this particular Path, which is called the “Anarchy Path,” and it isn’t for the gentlehearted out there. It requires you to betray basically everyone and claim power for yourself. Yet, even while following this Path, there are plenty of chances and choices that can make your path to being the ultimate tyrant different from the time you walked it before.
Tyranny gives you so many options on how to handle situations that you’ll likely be replaying this one a few times just to see the consequences of those choices.
9
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Live Out Your Witcher Persona
There are a handful of games that always keep me coming back, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of them. While there are certainly fewer choices and decisions that impact the story compared to other games, The Witcher 3 is a great example of when an RPG is made so well that you’re never quite ready to say goodbye.
There’s just something about coming back to Geralt and riding across the distinct and beautiful landscapes of Velen, Novigrad, and White Orchard. It’s easy to lose yourself in the immersion of the world. You can slay monsters for as long as you want to without pushing the main story forward.
Stopping off at a rundown town to play Gwent with the locals or visiting Oxenfurt for a fresh cut and shave further leans into the immersion. And sure, there are certain decisions you can make to change the story (who Geralt romances, for example), but the real replayability factor here is just how fun the world and game are.
No matter how many times I’ve watched the end credits roll in Witcher 3, I always feel a desire to immediately make a new save and live out my life as a Witcher once more. Sometimes a game is just so much fun that it’s hard to say goodbye.
8
Planescape: Torment
Tons Of Builds And Branching Choices
Planescape: Torment is one of the most unique RPGs I’ve ever played, and it’s because of its uniqueness that it is so replayable. For one, the sheer number of ways to build your character can lead to new scenes and new dialogue that you weren’t able to access before.
As an example, one of my character builds had high intelligence and charisma attributes, and with those powerful setups, I was able to handle an encounter by telling an NPC that he didn’t exist. Because he believed my logic, he literally disappeared right before my eyes.
I wouldn’t have been able to experience that particular shock if I had gone in a different direction with my character build.
There’s a lot of FOMO in Planescape because if that happened with one particular build, how many other amazing encounters and moments am I missing just because I don’t satisfy the stat requirements or didn’t choose the right option to open up that encounter?
So, if you want to get the full story and know where every thread leads, you’re going to need to replay the game quite a few times.
7
Mass Effect 3
Different Choices Same Romance
The Mass Effect series as a whole is something I come back to often, but it’s Mass Effect 3 that I always look forward to playing the most again. While there are a few different ways your choices can impact the story, the real reason this game has infinite replayability is that it’s full of heart.
There’s just something special about it that keeps most BioWare fans coming back to revisit old friends. Add in the fact that Mass Effect 3 has easily the best DLC expansion ever with The Citadel DLC, and you have a pretty strong reason to play the game over and over again.
Now, obviously, you could replay it to try out different builds, different choices, and different romances, but if you’re anything like me, then you’re going to end up romancing the very same person as in all the rest of your playthroughs.
That’s fine. Some games don’t need to reveal new content to be infinitely replayable. They just need to be fun and have a vice grip on your emotions.
6
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
20+ Years Later And Still Playing
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic has the same sort of meat that makes Mass Effect 3 infinitely replayable. There are several choices and builds that you can try out during different playthroughs to see how the story changes, but it’s really all about the connections that you make with the characters you meet along the way.
Don’t get me wrong. I had a lot of fun walking the line between the Light and Dark side of the Force, but it’s the personal and touching relationships between you and your companions that bring players back to play again.
Outside of romance, Knights of the Old Republic has a unique morality system, which pushes your character to either the Light or Dark side of the Force. Your choices have a real impact, even physically affecting how your character looks.
Mixing and matching story choices with builds and leaning into either Light or Dark side offers up tons of opportunities to play the same game over and over but offering new experiences each time.
5
Dragon Age: Origins
They Don’t Make Them Like This Anymore
As old as Dragon Age: Origins is, it’s a game that keeps bringing old fans back to it. The game even manages to attract new fans, despite looking like a brown soup.
One playthrough of Origins will help you understand why so many fans are passionate about the franchise. The writing is incredible, the characters are memorable, and there are enough different outcomes from small and large quests that you can’t help but keep returning for more to see how everything changes.
Related
10 Best Games Where Choices Matter
These hoice-driven story games let you explore multiple perspectives of a story while delivering a unique experience with each playthrough.
Certain classes and races even open up different opportunities for handling certain situations or using a unique dialogue option with an NPC or companion, too. For example, my Cousland rogue playthrough has several different dialogue options compared to a Surana mage playthrough.
As Surana, I can talk to other mages about magic that my Cousland couldn’t. Seeing all the different, small, details based on who you’re playing, the things you decide, and the different outcomes of all those decisions makes Origins replayable even to this day.
4
Fallout 4
So Many Factions To Side With So Little Time
Much like BioWare, Bethesda also makes games that are infinitely replayable. Fallout 4 is no exception.
The world is large, and it’s filled with Bethesda-level detail. No matter how many times I’ve explored the same building, I always notice something new. Whether it’s a poster or a skeleton in a toilet, you can easily spend the rest of eternity finding these small, intimate, details.
There’s also the matter of factions. Not every faction in Fallout 4 gets along. As such, you sometimes have to side with one over the other. That also encourages you to replay the game and see how the story progresses by playing for the other team.
Finally, since you can only have one companion at a time, you might find traveling the wasteland with someone else rewarding. There’s plenty to discover in Fallout 4, and you’re going to need infinite time to find all of its secrets.
3
Disco Elysium
Tons Of New Approaches To Every Mission
When I first stepped into Harry’s shoes in Disco Elysium, I knew I was in trouble. I was immediately faced with character-building options and some missions that made it very clear that I’d need to create numerous Harrys and do a lot of playthroughs to play through all of its content.
The RPG takes its stats seriously. If you don’t have enough points in a certain stat, then you’re going to find trying to perform a certain action hard, if not impossible. Unfortunately, that means you might miss important information or see how that particular option impacts the story.
There are tons of different ways to solve missions, but how you complete them becomes part of the story itself. For example, if I chose a more violent means of resolving a conflict, then my reputation for being a violent cop spreads like wildfire.
It impacts how certain NPCs view and interact with me, which can then lead to further complications in the story down the line. Disco Elysium is a game you can easily play over and over again and still find new ways of working through the story.
You Might As Well Just Stop Playing Other Games
If there’s one RPG that many people likely have over 100 hours into, it’s probably The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. With so many new editions, ports, DLC packs, and mods, it’s a wonder anyone actually manages to leave the game behind.
Skyrim doesn’t just have a replayability factor. It’s the sort of game where you can just create your own life as a hunter or a thief and make the game your own. It’s a life sim without being a life sim.
That said, it also has infinite replayability value. From different builds to trying out different approaches to solving quests, Skyrim has the sort of open-ended quest system that lets players do things any way they want to, within reason.
That opens up the door to creative freedom, allowing players to try something new even if it’s the 10th time they’ve played the game.
For many players, including myself, Skyrim is a home away from home. It’s only a matter of time before we all wake up again in that prisoner wagon.
1
Baldur’s Gate 3
Tons Of Creative Freedom
Thanks to the strong community for Baldur’s Gate 3, I wouldn’t be surprised if it enjoyed the same treatment as Skyrim for the next decade. It has a thriving mod community that continues to bring new content, builds, and other exciting options to the game.
Even outside the modding community, Baldur’s Gate 3 has infinite replayability value because of how it system design works. It doesn’t restrict players in how to complete certain objectives.
For example, my partner and I often prefer to handle our combat situations by placing Smokepowder barrels everywhere and exploding our way out of a problem. BG3 allows us to do that just as much as it allows other players to engage in traditional combat.
Even something like social combat is always new, since rolling the dice adds a touch of chance. You may end up with the same conclusion if the die is kind to you, or you may find yourself launched into an entirely new situation if you lose its favor.
Different choices also impact elements of the story, and there are tons of choices to make in the game. Some might even cause your companions to leave, providing a new opportunity for a unique playthrough.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has been available for some time, but there’s a reason why it’s still as popular now as it was then. There are so many ways to make a playthrough different that it can sometimes feel like playing the game for the first time.
Next
10 Best Indie Games With Infinite Replayability
You won’t see me for a week after Terraria updates.
