RPGs make up more than 30% of PC Gamer's Top 100, so clearly we've settled on a favourite genre
Our annual Top 100 games list was published this week—a monumental undertaking that involved more than 30 writers and editors debating, discussing, pleading and even putting on presentations to sway colleagues. We are very tired. But that might also have something to do with the fact that we spend so much time playing massive RPGs
A whopping 31 RPGs made the list this year, and even more impressive is the fact that six of them are in the top 10: Baldur's Gate 3, Disco Elysium, The Witcher 3, Crusader Kings 3, Caves of Qud and Elden Ring.
Then there are all the games that borrow from RPGs but that aren't RPGs themselves. Games like XCOM 2 and Dishonored 2. You just cannot escape the influence of this ancient genre. It slithers into everything. And thank goodness for that.
Now, if all of us just gravitated towards the same thing, PC Gamer would be pretty boring. Instead, what the Top 100 shows is that there isn't really another genre as wildly diverse as RPGs.
We've got classic CRPGs, ARPGs, JRPGs, roguelikes, soulslikes, immersive sims, deck builders, and one game where you're a terrible cop with a chatty necktie. Some are linear, some are laden with choices and optional paths. Some are combat focused, but others let you avoid combat entirely, or simply don't have combat at all.
That's really why they are so prevalent. The genre has become so massive, so all-consuming, that it's hard to imagine anyone who doesn't have at least one favourite RPG. Whether you crave thoughtful stories, min-maxing opportunities, relentless deaths at the hands of cruel enemies, or you just like cards, you are catered for.
But at the heart of them, or at least most of them, are familiar systems. And these systems let us experiment. Sometimes that means experimenting with different character builds. Or different decks. Or different personalities. That's what we crave, it turns out.
Even the more linear among them let us go off the beaten track in some way, sometimes literally, as we set off to explore an open world, but other times it's by creating busted powerhouses and mucking around in ways even the developer hadn't considered.
The best RPGs offer us agency. It might be through the narrative they construct, or it could be mechanically. And that's ultimately one of the most compelling features of videogames generally. It's what separates them from the passive entertainment provided by movies, TV shows and books.
RPGs, then, cut to the heart of what makes gaming such an incredible hobby.
But you may have noticed that something's missing. 31 RPGs, and none of them are MMOs. We've got some live service games in the list, but not many, and none from the MMORPG pantheon. No more Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy 14 or even World of Warcraft.
So while we still love our RPGs, now more than ever, we're definitely moving away from those that demand our constant attention. We want games we can finish, without subscriptions and microtransactions and daily quests. It's why Diablo 2 made the cut but Diablo 4 didn't. Well, that and several other reasons.
We adore RPGs, then, but we hate time-wasters. It's a good policy.