5 Greatest RPG Series From the 2000s, Ranked

The 2000s were a haven for fans of role-playing games. More powerful consoles enabled massive projects, giving players hundreds of hours of compelling storylines to play through. Plus, the PC side of the industry was going through a boom, opening the doors for some of the best Western RPGs of all time. That said, only a few series can stand tall as the best of the decade.

Here are the best RPG series of the 2000s. This list only counts games released during the decade, so you won’t see series like Mass Effect, which only had one game launch during the 2000s.

5) Baldur’s Gate

• Games Released: Baldur’s Gate II, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II

If we could count the original Baldur’s Gate, this series would likely go up a few spots on the rankings. Unfortunately, that game launched in 1998, so it is not eligible for this list. Thankfully, the developers at BioWare, Snowblind Studios, and Black Isle Studios still gave fans several games in the series that show off the property’s versatility.

Baldur’s Gate II and its 2001 expansion, Throne of Bhaal, are classic RPGs in every sense of the word. If you’re looking for a throwback to computer RPGs of yore, this is the game to get. It’s played from an isometric viewpoint and features a compelling narrative, filled with memorable characters.

Dark Alliance and its sequel are spin-offs of the first two games and are much more action-heavy. This switch in style mostly worked, giving fans two fun hack-and-slash games in the series. Of course, neither of them hit like the RPGs, but they were a blast with friends and an easy way to ease new players into the series.

4) Kingdom Hearts

• Games Released: Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, Coded, 358/2 Days

The 2000s just barely miss out on Birth by Sleep, which launched in 2010, but it’s still a solid lineup of games from the developers at Square Enix. When Kingdom Hearts was first announced, players were left a little baffled. The beloved RPG company was partnering with Disney to make a new RPG series? Even typing it out now, it’s kind of surprising it worked.

Despite how odd the project was, it did gangbusters for Square Enix, bringing in a new audience of Disney fans. Getting to run through your favorite films and TV shows from The Mouse was such a joy, and Square Enix continued to invest in the series. KH2 took things to a new level, and while the spin-offs are generally not as good, they are must-play games. Part of that is because of Kingdom Hearts‘ trademark lore, which is as confusing as it is compelling. Either way, the 2000s were an excellent start to a series that’s still going today.

3) The Elder Scrolls

• Games Released: Morrowind, Oblivion

We don’t quite get Skyrim for this list (it launched in 2011), but some Elder Scrolls will tell you they don’t need it. After all, many longtime fans consider Morrowind and Oblivion to be the peak of the series. Getting both of those games and all their expansions was a massive win for the decade.

Morrowind can be a little tough to go back to these days because players are so used to games holding their hands. Morrowind requires you to read quest text to understand what’s happening, and it will kill you at the drop of a hat. However, it’s one of the most engaging storylines Bethesda has ever put to disc and features an exceptional progression system that rewards creativity.

Oblivion sanded down many of those edges, which helped make the series even more popular and helped set the stage for Skyrim. Part of that trade-off is because Bethesda wanted to bring the series to consoles, but it’s hard to say it wasn’t a smart move given the success, even if veteran fans were a bit miffed that some of the depth was lost in translation.

2) Final Fantasy

• Games Released: Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII

It was another great decade for the Final Fantasy franchise. Final Fantasy IX is sometimes forgotten by fans, but it was beloved at the time and ended the series’ history on the original PlayStation in style. Then, Final Fantasy X came around to set a new standard on the PlayStation 2. That game, much like Final Fantasy VII, was drop-dead gorgeous for the time and proved the series still had plenty of juice.

Final Fantasy XI was the series’ first stab at making an MMORPG. It wasn’t as successful as Final Fantasy XIV would later become, but it still did big numbers for the developer. Final Fantasy XII and XIII couldn’t quite live up to the hype of FFX, but that doesn’t make them bad games. Granted, FFXIII is seen as the weak point of the series by many fans, but it’s still a nifty, action-heavy RPG.

I’m not listing the excellent Final Fantasy X-2 or the two Final Fantasy Tactics games that came out during the decade. That said, those games are also generally great, further solidifying Final Fantasy‘s spot.

1) Persona

• Games Released: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, Persona 3, Persona 4

For Persona fans, the decade started with Eternal Punishment. It took the Innocent Sin formula and added several improvements, which helped it gain traction in the West. It wasn’t quite a worldwide phenomenon, but it set the stage for Persona 3 to make a splash.

The fourth game is where Persona really became Persona. The developers at Atlus established a rhythm that they still use to this day. Persona 3 features several memorable characters and an atmospheric dungeon filled with tough battles. It became a hit, showing everyone outside of Japan how good the series was.

Persona 4 (which is technically the fifth game in the series) blew any expectations out of the water. It’s a beautiful game that perfectly mixes laugh-out-loud humor with deeply emotional storylines. The combat is some of the best of its kind, and the twisting narrative is almost impossible to predict. The series has only gotten more popular since then, but the 2000s were when Persona became a hit.

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