Chronology of computer role-playing games

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This is not a complete list of all computer role-playing games, but a list of some of the most significant, influential or well-regarded CRPGs of all time. A number of titles which were initially released for Windows were later ported to the Macintosh or to console platforms. Likewise, a number of console-specific RPGs were later ported to other consoles or to the IBM PC. Games listed below do not necessarily include pure CRPGs, but also Action RPGs, MMORPGs, FPS/RPG hybrids, etc that are commonly noted for their RPG elements. A more comprehensive list of CRPGs can be found here.

Contents 1 Chronology of computer RPGs 1.1 1974 1.2 1975 1.3 1979 1.4 1980 1.5 1981 1.6 1982 1.7 1983 1.8 1984 1.9 1985 1.10 1986 1.11 1987 1.12 1988 1.13 1989 1.14 1990 1.15 1991 1.16 1992 1.17 1993 1.18 1994 1.19 1995 1.20 1996 1.21 1997 1.22 1998 1.23 1999 1.24 2000 1.25 2001 1.26 2002 1.27 2003 1.28 2004 1.29 2005 1.30 2006 1.31 2007 2 See also

[edit] Chronology of computer RPGs

[edit] 1974

• dnd (PLATO System)

[edit] 1975

• Dungeon (PDP-10)

[edit] 1979

• Space and Space II (Apple II): An adaptation of Traveller, which was taken off the market after a lawsuit by Game Designers Workshop.

[edit] 1980

• Akalabeth, designed by Richard Garriott, is sometimes known as Ultima 0
• Rogue is released, marking the creation of the roguelike genre and inspiring future games like Diablo (UNIX, ported to many other OSes later)

• Temple of Apshai
• Tunnels and Trolls

[edit] 1981

• The Ultima series debuts (Apple II)
• Wizardry series debuts (Apple II)

[edit] 1982

• Tunnels of Doom (TI-99/4A)
• Dungeons of Daggorath (TRS-80 Color Computer)

[edit] 1983

• Ultima III is released, pioneering many innovations that would become standard on many CRPGs [for both computer and console] that followed (DOS, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64, Macintosh)
• Moria
• Questron was SSI's first (and successful) foray into the fantasy CRPG genre

[edit] 1984

• Tyrann (Oric, Amstrad, Thomson)

[edit] 1985

• Bard's Tale was one of the first CRPGs that put Interplay Entertainment on the map as a future CRPG developer (Apple II, later Commodore 64, Amiga, Apple IIgs, Atari 8-bit family, DOS, Macintosh)
• Alternate Reality
• Phantasie series debuts (Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS)
• SunDog: Frozen Legacy (Atari ST)
• Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar was the first major CRPG to move from "hack and slash" gameplay to a "virtuous" story-driven approach (DOS)

[edit] 1986

• Starflight, a rare example of a sci-fi CRPG and the spiritual ancestor to games such as Star Control 2 and Space Rangers. (Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, DOS, Macintosh)

[edit] 1987

• Deathlord
• Dungeon Master, the first 3D real-time Action RPG (DOS, Atari ST, Amiga, Apple IIGS, others)
• Might and Magic series debuts (DOS, Commodore 64, Macintosh)
• Nethack, considered by many to be the greatest roguelike of all time, is released and still in continued development

[edit] 1988

• Pool of Radiance, first game in the Gold Box series, uses AD&D rules and Forgotten Realms campaign world
• Ultima V (Apple II)
• Wasteland depicts a grim post-apocalyptic world that would later inspire Fallout (Apple II, Commodore 64, DOS)
• Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom (DOS)
• Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World (DOS)

[edit] 1989

• Quest for Glory I: So You Want to be a Hero (DOS, PC)
• Curse of the Azure Bonds Gold Box D&D RPG
• Dragon Wars
• Hillsfar
• Starflight 2 (DOS)
• Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic (DOS, Commodore 64)

[edit] 1990

• Angband spawned a new subgenre of roguelikes based on the source code of the original
• Centauri Alliance (Commodore 64)
• Countdown to Doomsday Gold Box - Buck Rogers
• Champions of Krynn, Gold Box D&D RPG , uses Dragonlance campaign world
• Eye of the Beholder (DOS, Amiga, Sega CD, Super Nintendo)
• Hard Nova (DOS, Amiga)
• Secret of the Silver Blades Gold Box D&D RPG (Amiga, C64, MS-DOS)
• Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire (DOS, PC)
• Ultima VI is the last turn-based game in the Ultima series (DOS)
• Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire is published as the beginning of a spinoff series that features the Ultima VI engine (DOS)
• Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge (PC)

[edit] 1991

• Neverwinter Nights, the first graphical MMORPG debuts; ran on AOL 1991-1997.
• Gateway to the Savage Frontier Gold Box D&D RPG
• Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon
• Pools of Darkness Gold Box D&D RPG
• Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra (DOS)

[edit] 1992

• Matrix Cubed (1992), Gold Box - Buck Rogers
• Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, Looking Glass Studios' first CRPG and an inspiration to many other first person dungeon-crawlers that came after (DOS, a PlayStation version was released in 1997)
• Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds (DOS)
• Treasures of the Savage Frontier Gold Box D&D RPG, perhaps the first game where an NPC can fall in love with a player character if their conduct earns it
• Ultima VII: The Black Gate becomes the first CRPG to offer advanced NPC activity "scheduling" and the first in the series to use a real-time engine (DOS)
• Darklands, an early example of nonlinear "sandbox" style gameplay (DOS)
• Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant (PC)
• Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen (DOS)

[edit] 1993

• Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures (DOS, Macintosh)
• Lands of Lore series debuts after Westwood Studios split with SSI over "artistic differences" (DOS)
• Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor was the first in the series not to be written by Westwood Studios and many fans felt it lacked the "feel" of the previous games
• Dungeon Hack (DOS)
• Betrayal at Krondor (DOS)
• Ultima VII Part 2: The Serpent Isle is the second part of the critically acclaimed Ultima VII, which some gamers believe to be the high-point of the series (DOS)
• Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny (Amiga, Atari ST, DOS) the original German version was released in 1992
• Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen (DOS)

[edit] 1994

• The Elder Scrolls series debuts with The Elder Scrolls: Arena (DOS)
• Realms of Arkania: Star Trail is the most well-regarded of the series (DOS)
• Jagged Alliance series debuts (DOS)

[edit] 1995

• Ravenloft: The Stone Prophet (DOS)
• Exile I: Escape from the Pit, later reborn in the Avernum series, demonstrates untapped potential in the Indie CRPG market (Windows, Macintosh)

[edit] 1996

• The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall demonstrates the power of procedurally-generated quest and buildings in a CRPG(DOS)
• Diablo is released as an Action RPG with wide appeal, renewing interest in the CRPG genre (Windows, Macintosh)
• Albion (DOS) Was released in Germany in 1995

[edit] 1997

• Fallout series debuts, quickly becoming a cult classic and influencing several future games including Arcanum (Windows, Macintosh)
• Ultima Online, the first major MMORPG, and a foreshadower of many MMORPG design philosophy disagreements, such as over "PKing" (Windows)
• Final Fantasy VII, though not as critically acclaimed as on the PS1, some CRPG developers such as Chris Avellone cite it as a minor influence on their games (Windows)

[edit] 1998

• Baldur's Gate series debuts, sparking a second revolution in the implementation of D&D in CRPGs with the Infinity Engine (Windows, Macintosh)
• Fallout 2 (Windows, Macintosh)
• Realms of Arkania: Shadows over Riva (DOS) the original German version was released in December of 1996
• Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (Windows)

[edit] 1999

• Planescape: Torment, a classic in the CRPG genre that was critically lauded but commercially unsuccessful (Windows)
• EverQuest is released, quickly defeating Ultima Online and becoming a landmark MMORPG whose profits inspired a flood of new MMORPGs in the following years (Windows, Macintosh)
• Septerra Core is a major example of a CRPG inspired and influenced by console role-playing games (Windows)
• System Shock 2 pioneers the creation of the FPS/RPG hybrid genre (Windows)
• Asheron's Call series begins (Windows)
• Jagged Alliance 2 (Windows, later ported to Linux)
• Ultima IX: Ascension, the last installment of the series by Richard Garriott (Windows)
• Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (PC)

[edit] 2000

• Icewind Dale is most often remembered for its soundtrack, considered one of the best by Jeremy Soule (Windows, Macintosh)
• Diablo II appears in stores, becoming one of the most frequently played games online in history (Windows, Macintosh)
• Nox (Windows)
• Deus Ex, another major FPS/RPG that became a smash hit, ending up on many RPG Hall of Fames (Windows, Macintosh)
• Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn becomes one of the best-selling CRPGs of all time and establishes Bioware as a major developer in the years to come (Windows, Macintosh)
• Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (PC)
• Wizards and Warriors (PC)

[edit] 2001

• Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura, Troika's first game, makes its debut (Windows)
• Gothic series debuts (Windows)
• Anachronox (Windows)
• Wizardry 8 (Windows), perhaps the most critically acclaimed game of the Wizardry series, is released with disastrous commercial results
• ADOM, another popular modern roguelike on par with Nethack (Linux, DOS, Windows, Amiga, Mac OS X) Note: public beta versions were released prior
• Geneforge series debuts (Windows, Macintosh)

[edit] 2002

• Final Fantasy XI, the first MMORPG in the series, debuts (Windows)
• Dungeon Siege represents Chris Taylor's entry into the RPG market (Windows, Macintosh)
• Icewind Dale II, Black Isle Studios' final CRPG, is released, using the D&D 3rd edition rules (Windows)
• Neverwinter Nights, designed as essentially a P&P game to be played online with a dungeon master, demonstrates the potential power of regular user-made content (Windows, Macintosh, Linux version in 2003)
• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Windows)
• Arx Fatalis (Windows)
• Divine Divinity (Windows)
• Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings (Windows)
• Gothic II (Windows)
• Freedom Force, a unique tactical RPG that parodies the Silver Age of Comic Books (Windows)
• Might and Magic IX (PC)
• Space Rangers is a landmark title integrating CRPGs with multiple other genres (Windows)

[edit] 2003

• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series debuts (Windows, Macintosh)
• The Temple of Elemental Evil released, uses D&D 3.5 rules, Greyhawk campaign world (Windows)

[edit] 2004

• City of Heroes (Windows)
• EverQuest II (Windows)
• World of Warcraft marks Blizzard's entry into the MMORPG market, defeating Everquest II among others to gain the largest MMORPG market share (Macintosh, Windows)
• Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines fails financially, marking the end of the ill-fated Troika company (Windows)

[edit] 2005

• Dungeon Siege II (Windows)
• Guild Wars begins a new MMORPG marketing strategy by not requiring monthly payments (Windows)
• Fable: The Lost Chapters becomes one of the first CRPGs to offer homosexual intercourse and marriage (Windows)
• Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords is the first game released by Obsidian Entertainment, which was formed after the collapse of Black Isle Studios (Windows)

• Dungeon Lords (PC)

[edit] 2006

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is released, featuring a new "Radiant AI" engine with mixed results (Windows)
• Guild Wars: Factions (Windows)
• Guild Wars Nightfall (Windows) ArenaNet adheres to their originally planned 6-month development lifecycle for new campaigns with the release of Nightfall in the same year as Factions.
• Neverwinter Nights 2 (Windows)
• Gothic 3 (Windows)

[edit] 2007

• Jade Empire is ported to PC despite Bioware's claims that it would be console only (Windows)

[edit] See also

• History of computer role-playing games
• List of computer and video games by genre
• Computer role-playing game