We've added a number of new titles to the list to detail the upcoming action role-playing games slated for release on the PC in 2015. Take a look at what's on the slate for release this year.
Putting together a list of top role-playing games that fuse real-time action with RPG elements on the pc was quite a tall order, since there have been some great games that have hit the platform. Choices were made based on a number of different criteria, including writing quality, storytelling, player choices, and game mechanics. Every action RPG fan should play these games.
We've updated this list with none other than Path of Exile. Find out where it sits on this list!
Upcoming Action RPGs [Coming Soon]
From the makers of Titan Quest comes Grim Dawn, a game set in a post-apocalyptic steampunk universe where the world has been ravaged by magic and technology run amuck. Although primarily loot-driven like its predecessor, players get to make choices along the way, which makes it interesting for an action RPG. Strangers on the road, families, and even entire villages may live or perish based on the player’s actions.
Dead Island 2 is an over-the-top action RPG that doubles as an open world co-op playground for players to lose themselves in. Players wield a variety of over-the-top, hand-crafted weapons in their arsenal against enemies both human and zombie. There’s even vehicles for players to drive around and roll over zombies with.
Taking place in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic that sweeps across New York City, The Division puts players in the roles of government agents who must fight to prevent the downfall of society and piece the city back together. This action RPG, which plays like a third person shooter, is set in an online environment where player choices matter.
Best Of All Time [Contd. Below]
Made by Travis Baldtree, now part of Runic Games of Torchlight fame, Fate is very much a Diablo 2 clone that is entirely 3D. With charming graphics and the pet that's now a usual sight in the Torchlight games, Fate is still a game you might want to try out to see the branching paths of the ARPG from one of the threads that fate weaves.
If you took Diablo and placed it next to Oblivion expecting them to have cute demonic offspring, Sacred would probably be the offspring - a sprawling map that seemingly never ends and a colourful presentation from an isometric perspective are set before you. Keep focused or you'll be lost in all of the sidequests.
While it's not as much a lootfest as the other entries on this list, Dark Souls is an extremely atmospheric game that throws you into an unforgiving world that makes you fight for every step you take. Very difficult, but fair throughout.
Dark Souls 2 is an action role-playing game set in an open world environment. It’s regarded, and rightfully so, as one of the hardest games of all time. Sequel to the equally challenging Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2 engages players to find a cure for their curse by traveling through the dark land of Drangleic.
Westwood studio's answer to Diablo 2, Nox is the three different linear storylines of Jack, a dude from Earth who is pulled into a high fantasy parallel universe where he has to defeat people to get back home. With environment interaction not seen again for a long time and a great atmosphere, Nox is still fun to play. Novel, considering it's actually older than D2.
The definition of a game with an avid following, Titan Quest and its expansion Immortal Throne were the go-to game for people who wanted to feel the rush of the action RPG again before Diablo 3 was announced. A beautiful game even by today's standards, it sends you on a romp through the mythological ancient times of us. Oh the humanity. Also flying satyrs.
Despite being a huge flop that drove its development studio to bankruptcy, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an ambitious game with a hell of a lot of content and an intricate tale througout. You are the master of your fate.
The Sequel to the popular loot-fest FPSRPG hybrid from Gearbox Software, Borderlands 2 brings you back to the planet of Pandora to seek even more elusive Vaults and shoot even more procedurally generated guns. There ain't no rest for the wicked.
Torchlight
Runic's first effort was one that was received exceedingly well, what with the nostalgic feeling of playing Diablo 2 and the cute graphics. The lack of multiplayer of the game in this day and age makes it feel absolutely obsolete, however, but it's nice to see how much of an evolution Torchlight 2 was from the first one.
Torchlight 2
It was supposed to be released before Diablo 3, yet it came out half a year after Blizzard's game came out. It was worth the wait, though, as Torchlight 2 is every bit as charming as its predecessor while increasing the scope as much as any AAA title. Better than Diablo 3? You be the judge.
Diablo 3
Expected by millions and despised by quite a few, the long awaited sequel to the cult classic Diablo 2 is an odd beast that you can only play online. Highly polished, highly refined, it's a game that Blizz have taken to a shine - but that shine may be the one of coins in the Real-Money Auction House.
Diablo 2
Sequel to the game that invented the Action RPG genre, Diablo II takes everything its predecessor accomplished and does it better. Featuring five (or seven, if you include the expansion pack) unique character classes with distinct skills, weapons and abilities, Diablo II allows you to play cooperatively with friends (or simply make new ones!) on its free online service, Battle.net.
Combining a minimal, but well-written story with memorable characters and awesome gameplay, Diablo II is the standard to which most action RPGs aspire to.
Diablo
In spite of being the ARPG that started it all, the original Diablo has not aged all that well, at least compared to his slightly older brother. It still has the haunting Uelmen music that still sends chills down your spine, as well as the creepy gothic atmosphere, but it has been left behind by technology. Play it for a trip down the nostalgia lane, but I wouldn't see the Butcher again if I were you.
Path of Exile is a fantastic free-to-play action RPG set in the dark fantasy world of Wraeclast. Developed by Grinding Gear Games, Path of Exile is a title that supports what the devs call "ethical microtransactions," meaning players aren't charged an arm and a leg for items that give them an unfair advantage. Like Diablo and Titan Quest, players control a single character from an overhead perspective and explore a vast, expansive environment where they battle monsters and complete quests.
Don't let the fact that it's free to play deter you. Path of Exile is everything a successor to Diablo 2 should have been, and then some!