PC has long been the natural home of fantasy, from deep party-based role-playing games to real-time strategy, hand-drawn adventures and punishing action games. Mods, high frame rates and a huge back catalog mean both decades-old classics and brand-new releases are a few clicks away. The games below cover the breadth of the genre, and each entry notes one honest drawback.
1. Baldur's Gate III#
Larian Studios released Baldur's Gate III on PC in August 2023, adapting Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition into a sprawling turn-based role-playing game. Nearly every scene can be solved by combat, persuasion, stealth or sheer trickery, and the companions are some of the best-written in the genre. Up to four players can go through the campaign together online. Its rich reactivity is the standout quality. The third act is noticeably more bug-prone than the first two, and the rules can overwhelm newcomers, but few games reward curiosity so generously.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt#
CD Projekt Red launched The Witcher 3 in May 2015, sending monster hunter Geralt of Rivia across war-torn kingdoms and the Skellige Isles. Even minor side quests tell small morally grey stories, and the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions are as good as many full games. Its dark, folklore-inspired fantasy feels grounded and lived in. Combat is the weak spot, as sword fights and controls can feel stiff next to modern action games, but the writing and atmosphere carry it.
3. Elden Ring#
FromSoftware released Elden Ring in February 2022, with worldbuilding contributed by author George R. R. Martin. Its Lands Between can be explored in almost any order on foot or on the spectral steed Torrent, and dungeons, catacombs and colossal bosses are hidden around every ridge. It takes the studio's demanding combat and opens it up into a full open world. The difficulty is high and explanations are sparse, so newcomers may struggle, and the PC version had notable stutter problems at launch.
4. Hollow Knight#
Team Cherry's Hollow Knight arrived on PC in February 2017 as a hand-drawn action adventure set in the ruined insect kingdom of Hallownest. You explore a vast interconnected map, fight precise, demanding bosses and slowly uncover a sorrowful backstory. Its tone is melancholy and mysterious rather than heroic. Navigation is deliberately unhelpful, since maps must be bought and filled in by hand, and some areas are punishing, but the atmosphere and scale are extraordinary for a game from a small team.
5. Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition#
Larian Studios' Definitive Edition of Divinity: Original Sin II came out in 2018 and polishes a game that first appeared in 2017. It is a turn-based role-playing game in which fire, poison, oil and electricity interact in delightfully chaotic ways, and in which origin characters bring their own personal quests. It supports four-player co-op and a game master mode. The story starts slowly and the inventory quickly turns into a mess. The final act is weaker than what precedes it, but the tactical combat remains superb.
6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition#
Bethesda Game Studios released the Special Edition of Skyrim on PC in October 2016, updating its 2011 original with better lighting, textures and mod support in the game itself. You play the Dragonborn in a snowy northern province full of dragons, guilds and ancient ruins. The freedom to ignore the main story and wander is the big draw, and the modding scene gives it an endless afterlife. Combat and dialogue feel dated and bugs are common, but the world still pulls players in.
7. Dragon Age: Origins#
BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins reached PC in November 2009 and revived the tactical party-based role-playing style of Baldur's Gate in a darker original world. Six different origin stories change how you start, and the decisions you make shape the fate of Ferelden in the face of the Blight. Its companions and moral choices remain memorable. Graphics and animations have aged, and combat is slow on lower difficulties without the tactical pause, but it is still among the best classic fantasy stories on PC.
8. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33#
Sandfall Interactive released Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in April 2025, a turn-based role-playing game set in a painterly world inspired by Belle Époque France. Every year a being called the Paintress erases everyone of a certain age, and the titular expedition sets out to stop her. Turn-based attacks are combined with real-time dodges and parries, which keeps fights engaged. The music and art direction are exceptional. Some players find the later chapters' story turns divisive, but it is a striking debut from a small team.
9. Hades#
Supergiant Games released Hades in full in September 2020 after a long early access period. You play Zagreus, prince of the underworld, who fights his way out through procedurally arranged chambers with weapons and boons granted by Greek gods. Each failed escape advances the story, which makes repetition feel rewarding. The writing, voice acting and combat are superb. It is a roguelike at heart, so players who dislike repeating runs may tire of it, but it is one of the most polished games on PC.
10. Dark Souls III#
FromSoftware released Dark Souls III on PC in April 2016, a dark fantasy action game set in the crumbling kingdom of Lothric. Fast, exacting combat, brilliantly interlocked level design and some of the series' best boss fights make it a high point of the style. Its gloomy, decaying world is one of the most recognizable in games. It is more linear and less mysterious than the first game, and it is unforgiving for newcomers, but it is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy.
11. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos#
Blizzard Entertainment released Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos in July 2002, blending real-time strategy with role-playing elements through powerful hero units. Humans, Orcs, Undead and Night Elves each play very differently, and the campaign's story of the Scourge and Arthas' fall is among the best in strategy games. It also gave rise to the custom-map scene that inspired many later genres. The graphics are very dated and the pace is demanding, but the campaign still holds up.
12. Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia#
New World Computing's Heroes of Might and Magic III appeared in 1999, a turn-based strategy game in which you lead heroes and armies of knights, demons, necromancers and dragons across a fantasy map. Its simple, addictive loop of exploration, town building and tactical battles has kept a dedicated community playing for over two decades. The computer opponents are not especially clever and the interface feels old, but hot-seat matches and custom maps give it lasting appeal.
13. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn#
BioWare released Baldur's Gate II in September 2000 as a sequel built on the Dungeons & Dragons second edition rules. Its sprawling campaign across the city of Athkatla and beyond, its memorable villain Jon Irenicus and its deep companion interactions made it one of the most beloved role-playing games ever made. Real-time combat with pause is tactical and demanding. The rules and isometric presentation are dated, and newcomers should expect a steep learning curve.
14. Black Myth: Wukong#
Game Science released Black Myth: Wukong in August 2024, an action role-playing game based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. You play the Destined One, wielding a staff and a range of transformations and spells against a parade of spectacular mythical bosses. The visuals are stunning and the setting feels fresh compared with Western fantasy. Its chapters are fairly linear, and the difficulty spikes can frustrate, but its boss fights are among the best recent ones.
15. Ori and the Will of the Wisps#
Moon Studios released Ori and the Will of the Wisps in March 2020, a hand-painted platformer and sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest. Ori explores the forests of Niwen, with smooth movement, flowing combat and a moving fairy-tale story about friendship and loss. The music is lovely. It is relatively short compared with other games in this list and lighter on challenge than the most demanding platformers, but its look and feel are hard to forget.
16. Tunic#
Andrew Shouldice's Tunic, published by Finji in March 2022, casts you as a small fox in a vibrant, mysterious world, in the spirit of classic top-down adventures. Much of its charm comes from an in-game instruction booklet written in an unreadable language, which you slowly piece together. Exploration and discovery are the main rewards. Combat can be unforgiving, and the deliberately obscure design will annoy anyone who wants clear instructions, but it is full of secrets for patient players.