Felipe Pepe, CRPG historian, wrote an article listing 35 CRPGs one should play to get a general outline of the history of the genre. In the article, the list is displayed as an image, which is good for sharing on Twitter and the like. Here’s a version with links to buy or play them.
| Title | Year | Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| dnd | 1975 | free | web |
| Rogue | 1980 | free | browser |
| Wizardry I: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | 1981 | free | browser |
| Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | 1985 | free | Win, Mac |
| Dragon Quest | 1986 | $2.99 | Smartphone port |
| Starflight | 1986 | $5.99 | Win, Mac |
| Dungeon Master | 1987 | — | Atari ST |
| Pool of Radiance | 1988 | — | |
| Wasteland | 1988 | $5.99 | Win, Mac, Linux |
| Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero? | 1989 | $9.99 | Win |
| Darklands | 1992 | $5.99 | Win, Mac, Linux |
| Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | 1992 | $5.99 | Win, Mac |
| Ultima VII: The Black Gate | 1992 | $5.99 | Win, Mac |
| Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol | 1995 | free | Win |
| The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall | 1996 | free | Win |
| Diablo | 1996 | — | |
| Final Fantasy VII | 1997 | $11.99 | Win |
| Fallout | 1997 | $9.99 | Win |
| Baldur’s Gate | 1998 | $19.99 | Win, Mac, Linux |
| Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven | 1998 | $9.99 | Win |
| Planescape: Torment | 1999 | $9.99 | Win, Mac, Linux |
| System Shock 2 | 1999 | $9.99 | Win, Mac |
| Deus Ex | 2000 | $9.99 | Win |
| Gothic | 2000 | $9.99 | Win |
| The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind | 2001 | $14.99 | Win |
| Neverwinter Nights | 2002 | $9.99 | Win |
| Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | 2003 | $9.99 | Win |
| Fable | 2004 | $9.99 | Win |
| Mass Effect | 2007 | $19.99 | Win |
| Fallout 3 | 2008 | $9.99 | Win |
| Dragon Age: Origins | 2009 | $19.99 | Win |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | 2011 | $19.99 | Win |
| Dark Souls | 2011 | $19.99 | Win |
| Divinity: Original Sin | 2014 | $39.99 | Win |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 2015 | $39.99 | Win |