5 Best RPGs That Truly Defined the 1990s

For fans of role-playing games, there might not be a better decade than the 1990s. Between the Super Nintendo, PlayStation 1, and PCs, there were dozens of all-time bangers in the genre. It was also an explosion of change for what it meant to be an RPG. A genre previously dominated by fantasy was consistently proving that things like sci-fi and 1950s Americana could work just as well. Not only that, but developers were also experimenting with mixing in elements from other genres, adding a dash of turn-based strategy or a helping of action-heavy combat. That said, only a few games can truly capture what it was like to play RPGs in the ’90s.

Here are the five RPGs that best represent the decade.

5) Earthbound

There might be better RPGs from the ’90s than Earthbound, but there’s something special about this relatively difficult game featuring a more kid-friendly look than many of its contemporaries. You’re playing as a young boy named Ness who, at the start of his journey, fights off enemies with a baseball bat and a yo-yo. It only gets weirder from there.

If you’ve never played Earthbound, there really isn’t anything quite like it from the decade. Since then, many developers have certainly used it for inspiration, but Earthbound stood out at the time for its novel look for the genre and truly wacky plot. It proved that you didn’t need to use the fantasy genre to make a best-selling RPG in the ’90s, while also giving many young players an easy way to dip their toes into the growing world of RPGs.

4) Baldur’s Gate

The 1990s saw PC become much more commonplace, which opened up a new audience for mechanically complex RPGs on the platform. Several games could take this slot. Between games like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, and Diablo, the end of the ’90s was filled with great Western RPGs on PC. However, Baldur’s Gate probably best represents the rise of the genre on PC.

Developer BioWare took classic Dungeons & Dragons‘ settings, mixed in a modified version of the 2nd Edition ruleset, and created one of the best RPGs of all time. Future Baldur’s Gate games might be better, but this one kicked off the craze that helped push Western RPGs in front of millions of players. It helped revive the genre, showing that D&D still had a spot in the digital world.

3) Pokémon Red and Blue

Pokémon was an instant craze when it launched in 1996. Nintendo launched a massive franchise around its success, giving fans dozens of games, several films, a long-running TV series, and a best-selling collectible card game. If you were alive in the ’90s, you could not escape the pull of Pokémon. It was a genuine phenomenon that is still going on nearly 30 years later.

It’s fair to say that Pokémon isn’t a traditional role-playing game, but the genre was evolving quite a bit during the ’90s. The turn-based battle system provided depth for players who wanted to master combat, while also being simple enough for children to power through. The real star is the monster-catching, which convinced millions of players to pour hours into the series in their quest to “catch ’em all.”

2) Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger is, similar to Earthbound, an example of developers finding new ways to push RPGs in a new direction. However, Chrono Trigger uses time travel to show players several different versions of a world. There are elements of fantasy in Chrono Trigger‘s story, but there’s also sci-fi and even a trip to the time of dinosaurs.

It’s an innovative game that opened up new avenues for in-game storytelling. The time travel mechanic was a masterstroke, but it’s worth noting that the characters you meet are as captivating as the worlds you’ll visit. That’s important because it helps buy into Chrono Trigger‘s story. You’ll want to see this journey through its many endings to see what happens to Crono and his friends.

1) Final Fantasy VII

Look, Final Fantasy VII might not be the best Final Fantasy, but I would argue it’s the most important. Square’s first foray into 3D was a stunning achievement on nearly every level. Obviously, Final Fantasy games before this one earned critical and commercial acclaim, but FF7 took that to the next level.

At the time, FF7 earned praise for nearly every aspect: story, visuals, gameplay, and music. If you can name it, chances are reviewers and fans loved it. Final Fantasy VII was a landmark release for the ’90s, easily sweeping most Game of the Year awards. Importantly, that love has held up since. Not only has the ongoing Remake project been one of Square Enix’s best games of the last decade, but FF7 has turned into a multimedia franchise with CGI films, new games that expanded the story, and a series of books. Simply put, if you weren’t playing FF7 in the ’90s, you were missing out on one of the biggest games of the decade.

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