Dungeons & Dragons is a name that rings familiar even to non-tabletop players and PC gamers. Ever since its release in 1974, the pioneer in fantasy tabletop role-playing has been an influential force in pop culture. A recent Hollywood flick played out its DnD inspiration to a tee, knocking up a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Dungeons & Dragons also spawned a string of spiritual successors in gaming. So, from story-rich odysseys to action-packed adventures, let’s look at three DnD-like games worth playing.
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Baldur’s Gate 3
We kick off with the most obvious contender for the best DnD game ever, none other than the latest GOTY. The mere fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 snatched the Game of the Year award from under the nose of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is proof enough that this game is built different.
Funnily enough, the smashing success of this fantasy RPG caught even its developers off guard. Decades in development limbo, this long-awaited sequel exceeded all expectations and achieved a staggering 10 million units sold on Steam alone.
To this day, many gamers and critics hail Baldur’s Gate 3 as the quintessential RPG of a generation, if not the new pinnacle of the genre. The key to this unanimous triumph lies in its impactful plot, characterized by narrative depth, interwoven storylines, and in-depth customization that stand unrivaled in creating an experience unique to each player.
Complex turn-based combat mechanics may seem daunting to players unfamiliar with CRPGs. Still, this love letter to DnD lore is a treat to fans appreciative of its intricate world-building and faithful – if modernized – adaptation of the DnD Fifth Edition ruleset.
Neverwinter Nights 2
Not to be confused with the standalone action-MMORPG Neverwinter, which is by now essentially dead in the water, Neverwinter Nights 2 is a phenomenal RPG that can easily rub shoulders with the original Baldur’s Gate entries.
This sequel to BioWare’s Neverwinter Nights is based upon DnD 3.5 edition rules, translating it to perfection on the computer screen. The game’s representation of the classic Forgotten Realms campaign ticks all the right boxes, with completionists pouring well over 110 hours to see it through.
First released in 2006, the game definitely shows its age, and its finicky camera doesn’t help make combat more legible. Even so, non-retrogamers with a knack for traditional fantasy may still enjoy its tightly-written characters and well-crafted world-building.
Several expansions took Neverwinter Nights 2 up a notch, with the Mask of the Betrayer stepping up the game with epic-level characters and a mysterious plot on par with the best DnD has to offer in the story department.
Call of Cthulhu
Both deliberate and subtle homages to the works of H.P. Lovecraft permeate the world of tabletop role-playing. In Dungeons & Dragons, most aberrations have quite a Lovecraftian ring. Creatures like the Mind Flayers share distinct similarities to Chthonians of the Cthulhu Mythos. Just as many games blend Lovecraftian horror with role-playing.
Developed by French indie studio Cyanide, Call of Cthulhu adapts the eponymous pen-and-paper tabletop game published by Chaosium in 1981. This survival horror RPG also draws direct inspiration from a short story penned by the master of horror fiction in 1928. With its emphasis on mystery and exploration within a semi-open world setting, this spine-shivering tale of existential dread is as atmospheric as spine-shivering.
Players are plunged into depths and depths of madness in this terrifying world of conspiracies and cosmic horrors. While nothing revolutionary in gameplay, Call of Cthulhu is one robust take on the Lovecraftian genre. Many more games come up with Lovecraftian undertones, such as the open-world investigation title The Sinking City.
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Several games closely resemble Dungeons & Dragons while others find clear inspiration in its mechanics and fantasy lore. In this list, we could have also mentioned games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which emulates the DnD formula – only in outer space. The DnD influence is just as plain to see in tactical top-down RPGs like Pillars of Eternity or cult souls-like titles such as The Elder Scrolls III.
