Dungeons and Dragons has had a huge influence on the world of gaming. Even if you leave the tabletop world behind, you’ll find that influence in play in many video games.
If you’re looking for an electronic way to get something close to the classic D&D experience, you may want to take some time to look at the games discussed below.
In the post below we will describe 6 great games like D&D that you can play right now.
1) Divinity: Original Sin 2
One of the great things about worlds like those featured in Dungeons and Dragons is that they touch on fairly universal concepts.
It’s easy, then, to see systems very similar to D&D crop up and to feature very similar worlds in which developers and players alike can adventure.
One of the best worlds in recent years is that featured in Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Though Divinity doesn’t use the D&D license, it absolutely shares a lot of DNA with the system.
This fantasy world feels a lot like it could be any of the D&D setting worlds, with classes and races that sometimes feel a little more like they are simply reskins of classic D&D materials with the serial numbers filed off.
With that said, the story featured in the game is excellent and the mechanics got a long way to scratching the tabletop itch for those who are looking for a new way to play in a classically-styled universe.
2) Baldur’s Gate 3
If you’ve ever been interested in Dungeons and Dragons video games, you’ve probably run across the name “Baldur’s Gate” in your search for something new to play.
The original games, which were released over 20 years ago, are some of the most beloved D&D video game experiences of all time. The newest iteration of the series, developed by the same team behind Divinity, has kept the core of what made those games work in order to create something suitable for modern players.
Available now in Early Access and releasing some time in 2023 as a finished product, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a gorgeous game that makes good use of the D&D 5e rule set.
Players are encouraged to make characters based on many different D&D races and can pick from among some of the most famous classes in the hit game.
The story, though, is entirely original to the new game even though it does take place in the same universe as current Dungeons and Dragons continuity. If you are looking for a truly special D&D experience, this game might be the right pick for you.
3) Dungeons & Dragons Online
It’s hard not to go for the game with Dungeons and Dragons right in the name when you’re looking for a good D&D computer game.
Dungeons and Dragons Online isn’t quite the same kind of experience as a true game of D&D, but it was made to simulate the experience in a form that’s more reasonable for a video game.
Though this particular entry is over a decade old at this point, it’s important to note that it’s still a very unique way to play the game.
Dungeons and Dragons Online is a free-to-play MMO that allows players to explore the world of D&D circa Edition 3.5.
The MMO was unique for its time because it absolutely required teamwork in a way that most MMOs really didn’t require, making it one of the more social games of the time.
Though there are obviously some major tweaks that have occurred over the game’s decade of life, it still stands out as a D&D game that you can play for free with friends whenever you have time to sit down and get an adventure going. Definitely look at this one for an authentic, old-school experience.
4) Final Fantasy IX
There’s absolutely no doubt that the earlier Final Fantasy games were at least influenced by the same kinds of stories as Dungeons and Dragons.
Given that Final Fantasy is as close to a video game equivalent to Dungeons and Dragons as one would can get in terms of popularity, it does make sense that there would be at least one iteration of the long-running series that feels like D&D.
Though the first game probably captures the dungeon-crawling aspects a little better, it is Final Fantasy IX that really feels like it gets the party mechanics down.
After two entries in the series that had been fairly sci-fi based, Final Fantasy IX was a return to pure fantasy for the series.
Taking place in a world that was still replete with knights and wizards, players followed a party that initially consisted of a thief, a mage, a knight, and a princess as they went on an adventure that wouldn’t be out of place in a D&D campaign.
Though the plot has some twists and turns, it does still feel like the closest that there has ever been to a real crossover between these two genre giants.
5) Solasta: Crown of the Magister
One of the biggest problems with some of the more popular games based on Dungeons and Dragons is that they just feel a little too big.
While these sprawling games can be fun for those, people who are looking for experiences that can be gone through a bit more quickly can often feel left out.
Fortunately, games like Solasta: Crown of the Magister fill an important niche for those gamers who are looking for a quick introduction to roleplaying games.
Solasta is a tactical, turn-based RPG that puts a lot of focus on its D&D heritage. Based on a variant of 5e rules, the game features D&D races and classes but uses them to tell a story in a fairly unique world.
Though the plot is linear and it’s nothing to write home about, the game does a great job helping new players to figure out what’s going on.
If you’ve never played D&D before and want a quick crash course, you can do a lot worse than playing this game.
6) Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Pathfinder isn’t Dungeons and Dragons, but it’s a close competitor. Essentially a spin-off of D&D made by designers who weren’t terribly happy with the direction the game went after 3.5E, Pathfinder plays and feels very much like Dungeons and Dragons from the late 90s/early 2000s.
It’s not that surprising, then, that Pathfinder would also have some video games based on the tabletop setting.
Kingmaker is a very old-school, isometric RPG that feels like it comes from the same general school as the original Baldur’s Gate games but with some excellent quality of life improvements.
Kingmaker is a unique game that allows players to not only engage in combat, but to deal with some political intrigue and world-building at the same time.
While the character class names and races are a little different in Pathfinder than they are in Dungeons and Dragons proper, they’re close enough that any skilled player should be able to make the connections without much work.
If you’re looking to play a great D&D-like game on an old-school system, you might want to give Pathfinder a try.
Image Sources
By http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/08/12/larian-studios-heads-back-to-kickstarter-for-divinity-original-sin-ii.aspx, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47679311
By http://rpgland.com/games/reviews/dungeons-and-dragons-online-stormreach/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4070107
By Deep Silver – Giant Bomb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60824185
