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Few genres can offer the depth, mechanical freedom, and expansive worlds players can find in CRPGs. One of the most popular modern releases in the genre is Divinity: Original Sin 2 from Larian Studios. It has been hailed for its profound and exciting world, the freedom it gives players to experiment with various builds, and its profound and nuanced characters.
However, there are also tons of other great CRPGs available to interested players that explore numerous worlds, genres, and mechanics on various platforms. So, here are the best games similar to Divinity: Original Sin 2 that I recommend checking out for yourself.
Key Info Up Front
If you are looking for a game replicating the experience of Divinity: Original Sin 2 as close as possible, you don’t have to look any further than Baldur’s Gate 3. The game is currently available in early access but is developed by Larian Studios and has many of the same elements as their previous titles. However, if you want to branch out, I recommend giving Wasteland 3 a try. It puts a similar emphasis on characters, weighty choices, and character customization but does so in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Selection Criteria
When finding games similar to Divinity: Original Sin 2, it is essential to recognize the elements that give Original Sin 2 its identity. This means combat features players controlling multiple characters in turn-based encounters where every character has numerous abilities and options.
Every game on this list also features deep character building that allows players to experiment with their approach to combat and find what they prefer through trying different classes, sets of gear, and synergies between party members.
However, Original Sin 2 also features a deep world explored through captivating narratives and player choice. With that in mind, all of the games on this list have settings of similarly high quality, as well as allowing players to make their own decisions and shape them throughout their playthrough. They also feature exciting and detailed characters for players to explore and learn about through their interactions.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister
- Platforms: macOS, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Release Date: October 20, 2020
- Developer: Tactical Adventures
- Number of players: 1-4
Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a CRPG built on the bones of the fifth edition of the classic tabletop RPG system Dungeons and Dragons. This helps make it highly accessible to newcomers to the genre while giving experienced players mechanical depth to explore.
Solasta also features a unique world and narrative. While Dungeons and Dragons fans will be familiar with the game’s mechanics and rules, they will find a new world to explore that is filled with its ideas. It also builds its interpretation of the system’s iconic classes, giving players new subclasses and learning options.
If players enjoy Solasta, it also has a healthy stable of DLC. These include new classes to play with and even an entirely new campaign to run through. A post-launch update also allowed up to four players to experience the game together, making it even more fun to play with friends.
Wasteland 3
- Platforms: Linux, macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Date: August 28, 2020
- Developer: inXile Entertainment
- Number of players: 1-2
Wasteland 3 takes the CRPG to the post-apocalypse. It tasks players with leading a group of survivors in a resource-starved world filled with political tension. It requires players to make difficult decisions to keep their people alive and navigate the game’s captivating main narrative and side quests.
Along the way, players also have to overcome challenging turn-based combat encounters. While its focus on firearms makes combat play out differently than in Original Sin 2, players still have many options for customizing characters and adapting their squad to diverse combat encounters. Players can also bring a friend along the way to help them survive the horrors of the wasteland. It offers a punishing but rewarding experience that has something for every kind of CRPG fan.
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
- Platforms: macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One
- Release Date: May 8, 2018
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
- Number of players: 1
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire takes a slightly different approach to combat than Original Sin 2 by default. Instead of being traditional turn-based combat, it plays out in real-time, with the player being able to pause at any time to give commands to their party of characters. However, when starting a playthrough, players can opt for turn-based combat instead.
This allows players to jump into the game regardless of their preferences, which is excellent because of its fantastic combat. It boasts a wide array of customizable classes and allows players to mix two types to open up its possibilities even more. Even the player’s companions can be chosen to have two categories rather than just one, and players have complete control over their advancement.
The Pillars of Eternity series is also set in a brilliantly original fantasy world filled with detail and character. It is a world where death is not the end, and people’s souls are reincarnated through a system known as the Wheel. The player’s character is a Watcher, meaning they can see and communicate with the souls of people who never made it to the Wheel.
Players being able to interact directly with what makes the setting unique helps the environment feel alive. On top of that, the game’s narrative and side quests are also very written. They are deep, varied depending on the player’s choices, and challenge the player to tackle complicated subjects. Their party members are also fully realized and come with entire histories and personalities for players to explore as their relationship with them grows.
However, some players may want to play the first game in the series before tackling the sequel. The two games follow the same protagonist and feature many of the same characters. While playing the first is not necessary to enjoy Deadfire significantly, it gives players more backstory on what is in the game. It also allows them to transfer their choices from the first game, which is highly rewarding.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
- Platforms: macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One
- Release Date: September 2, 2021
- Developer: Owlcat Games
- Number of players: 1
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is built using the mechanics of the Pathfinder tabletop RPG. It puts players in control of a character known as the Commander. This puts them in charge of a small city’s resources and military to fend off recurring demonic invasion attempts. While doing so, the player grows their character’s unique mystical abilities, builds a party of dependable heroes, and plays through dozens of engaging storylines.
The sheer volume of content available to the player in Wrath of the Righteous is imposing. Players can quickly sink more than 100 hours into a single game playthrough. This allows the player to fully explore the game’s world and become immersed in it. From overcoming demon invasions to helping peasants with their daily struggles, the content gives players room to experience the world.
While playing through the game, players also have the opportunity to build their characters and the world around them however they want. Pathfinder is a mechanically intense system. There are so many classes and options that every time a player goes through the game, they can have a completely different experience.
The military management mechanics also help Wrath of the Righteous offer players a unique experience in the CRPG genre. While the systems are not as thorough as dedicated strategy titles, they help add a meta layer to the game’s progression systems.
Shadowrun: Hong Kong
- Platforms: macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Release Date: August 20, 2015
- Developer: Harebrained Schemes
- Number of players: 1
Shadowrun: Hong Kong is a CRPG for fans that want to explore a fantastic cyberpunk setting in the genre. The world of Shadowrun is also wonderfully unique because of its blend of traditional fantasy races and concepts like magic with the topics and technology of a cyberpunk setting. This allows players to choose between playing a spell-slinging orc or a troll that easily hacks computers and robots.
Hong Kong also offers players a deep combat system filled with turn-based cover tactics, a range of equipment to choose from, and unique mechanics that help every player’s party fulfill a special role on the battlefield. This opens up the possibilities for every combat encounter, allowing players to experiment with their party and approach.
Hong Kong also allows players to explore its world through its engaging story filled with mystery, subtle details, and exciting characters. However, one of its best features is supporting user-created levels and campaigns. There are dozens of campaigns for players to play through after they finish the main game’s original story, many of which are as strong as the experience of the game’s primary campaign.
The breadth of content for the game also encourages players to try out all of its classes and character-build options as they make new characters for user-made content. Any player enjoying Hong Kong never has to worry about running out of new content to experience.
Baldur’s Gate 3
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: 2023
- Developer: Larian Studios
- Number of players: 4
Baldur’s Gate 3 is likely the closest to Original Sin 2 out of all the games on this list. This is because it is the studio’s follow-up. Baldur’s Gate 3 is built on the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons and is set in the game’s iconic Forgotten Realms setting.
However, it is essential to note that the game is only available in early access at the time of writing. The game is expected to release in 2023. This means that its narrative isn’t entirely public yet and that new classes and features are still being added to the game via updates.
Regardless, it is already clear that Baldur’s Gate 3 is shaping to be a must-buy game for CRPG fans. It also has shown to be an evolution of the systems that allowed many fans to fall in love with Original Sin 2. Its characters are deep and filled with nuance, its mechanics are deep and allow player expression through their complexity, and its world is detailed and fully realized.
The majority of the differences between Baldur’s Gate 3 and Original Sin 2 is its adherence to the fifth edition ruleset. This means that its classes aren’t quite as open, its initiative system is more flexible, and the list of spells available in the game is more extensive. These changes will likely be welcome by Dungeons and Dragons fans, but they also help make the game more accessible to players.
Tyranny
- Platforms: Linux, macOS, PC
- Release Date: November 10, 2016
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
- Number of Players: 1
Another CRPG from the legendary Obsidian Entertainment, Tyranny, allows players to explore a fantasy world dominated by evil. Rather than trying to overthrow the evil that has darkened the world, players are a part of the dominating political machine. It is an evil that is fueled by the dehumanization nature of bureaucracy, and players get to decide whether or not to resist it at all.
Tyranny offers genre fans a traditional experience that is improved by its unique setting and premise. It even incorporates the player’s character creation process into the history of the world through its special conquer mode. It allows players to answer questions about how the evil force conquered the world, and every element of it is factored into the player’s character and how NPCs react to them.
The player’s character is also unique in the genre because they don’t have a class. Instead, they have access to a lengthy selection of skills, which level up and improve as the player opts to use them. The player’s capabilities are also influenced by the factions they associate with and even the companions in their party. Combined with a complete spell crafting system, Tyranny pairs its unique world with a unique approach to building one’s character for an unforgettable experience.
Fallout
- Platforms: macOS, PC
- Release Date: October 10, 1997
- Developer: Interplay Productions
- Number of players: 1
This is the oldest game on this list, but it is an absolute classic of the CRPG genre. For those who don’t know, the first Fallout drops players into a post-apocalyptic world that is just starting to attempt to rebuild itself. They are given 100 in-game days to locate a device that could help restore the destroyed ecosystems of the world, and then they are set loose into the world.
One of Fallout‘s most vital characteristics is its unrestrictiveness for players. Players can go anywhere they want, kill essential characters, and grow their character in organic ways from various skills. No matter what kind of survivor players are interested in playing, Fallout has options to make it work.
The game is also celebrated for its incredible story and world. The main storyline, and its various side stories, are filled with philosophical and moral debate for players to meditate on. There are moments for players to make impactful choices littered throughout the game, and each option carries heavy implications for the player’s character and the wider world.
FAQs
Question: What defines a CRPG?
Answer: When a game is called a CRPG, it usually means that they feature an isometric play perspective, a heavy emphasis on narrative, turn-based combat, and deep mechanics for players to customize their character and playstyle.
Question: Is Divinity: Original Sin 2 or Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire better?
Answer: Both games are excellent in their own right, but they focus on different aspects of the typical CRPG experience. Original Sin 2 emphasizes its combat mechanics and keeps players in control of every member of their party and their actions during encounters. On the other hand, Deadfire puts a lot of effort into having an incredible world filled with opportunities for players to roleplay different characters and perspectives.
Question: What type of game is Divinity: Original Sin 2?
Answer: Original Sin 2 is a CRPG that features a narrative-driven experience with complicated character builds and turn-based combat.
Conclusion
The CRPG genre was thought to be dead for quite some time. That was until new arrivals to the genre burst onto the scene and largely revitalized it. Recent releases like Orignal Sin 2, Pillars of Eternity 2, and Wasteland 3 are some of the best the genre has ever seen. With an extensive library of classics to go back to, it is a great time to be a fan of CRPGs and start experiencing unforgettable adventures.