Top 5 D&D Video Games

Let's Be Clear

I am fully aware that some of the selections on this list may not be the most popular with all of our readers. Perhaps more controversial may be the wildly popular Fantasy Video Games which will be left off this list. With that in mind, I will state the two criteria by which these games were chosen.

Firstly, each game on the list must maintain Dungeons & Dragons rules/structure as the baseline for the gameplay. The more clearly the gameplay aligns to Dungeons & Dragons, the better. Secondly, I have to enjoy the game - immensely. After all, that's why I play games. Video games which I've found myself able to enjoy over longer stints of time, were more likely to make the list or find their way to the top.

#5 Lord of the Rings: War in the North (Xbox 360)

Any game with Lord of the Rings theming certainly has a leg up over the competition, although I promise this is the only LotR game to make this list. Also please don't mistake this game for Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth which is a fantastic video game (although it does not maintain Dungeons & Dragons as a structural baseline).

War in the North is an action role-playing hack and slash video game. Usually this isn't my style of game, but between the LotR theming and the option to play the entire game in split screen co-op, I felt this game deserved a spot on the list. Not to mention, it was the first video game to be based on both Tolkien's original trilogy and Peter Jackson's film adaptations.

#4 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2/Nintendo Gamecube)

I worked hard to check my biases at the door before starting these recommendations, but if my nostalgia creeped into the rankings - it happened here. This was the game I grew up playing for hours and hours with my siblings and the greatness of the game has certainly merged with the thrill of beating my brother and sisters to all the best treasure. Aside from that, I still think it's a fantastic game.

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is another action role-playing hack and slash video game, although it has less of the cinematic appeal to it and more of the classic feel of Dungeons & Dragons. In this split screen co-op game, each player has the option of playing as a Human Ranger, Dwarven Fighter or Elven Mage. As you work your way past Beholders, Ice Dragons and trapped labyrinths, you acquire classic D&D loot and level up along exciting and customizable class paths.

Dark Alliance is not as intellectually stimulating as the remaining three games on this list, but it's a ton of fun to sit down and play for hours with a friend. Even as great as the game is, I can't say I fully recommend it at its currently steep "collector's item" level price.

#3 Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition (PC)

As we move away from the "wait was Mackenzie the only one who played those games?" category of Fantasy video games, we are left with three of the greatest PC games of all time. Icewind Dale, originally released in 2000, combined the magic of the Forgotten Realms setting with 2nd Edition (my personal favorite) Dungeons & Dragons rules.

One of the particularly enjoyable facets of Icewind Dale is that you create and control an entire party of Dungeons & Dragons characters. This allows for a new level of customization, as players experiment with not only the creating and leveling up of one character but of a dynamic collaboration of up to six player characters.

The Enhanced Edition of Icewind Dale was released in 2014, capitalizing on not only a major graphics improvement, but also a renewed platform for online multiplayer co-op play. Icewind Dale is a fantastic game, which was nominated for several prestigious awards, the majority of which it lost out on due to the greatness of the next game on our list…

#2 Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (PC)

Baldur's Gate, also set in the Forgotten Realms, is a game that everyone should have heard of. Unlike Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate starts you off with just one customizable character, and allows you to choose which companions you would like to add to your party as you play your way through the game.

What sets Baldur's Gate apart from every other fantasy role-playing video game I have ever played is the incredibly immersive and riveting storyline. This is a game with dialogue that you can't simply "click through," as each choice has drastic consequences for both your characters' development and for the plot of the story around you.

Each of the 25 potential companions who you meet on your quest have the potential to not only help or hinder your party mechanically, but also play a vital role in the progression of the story around you. Some of the companions even wind up in conflict with one another, or turn on you based on the decisions you make throughout the story. It's absolutely genius!

The re-released Enhanced Editions only make the game that much more exciting. Baldur's Gate III released in September, 2020 and if it's anything like the first two games, then it's likely one of the greatest Fantasy video games of all-time!

#1 Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition (PC)

It is hard to contain my love for this game. I could write an entire blog about this game alone (literally), although I will do my best to reel it in for the sake of our readers. I've played this game pretty much non-stop for the past fourteen years of my life, and I'm still thrilled by every moment I spend playing it.

Neverwinter Nights offers a single player game that is set in the Forgotten Realms and based on 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. If I were recommending the game based only on its single player game mode, it would probably have come in at third or fourth on our list - it's a good game. Thankfully, it's so much more than that!

Neverwinter Nights includes the Aurora Toolset, which allows players to create custom modules for the game. Players may then take these developed modules and release them to the world in the form of multiplayer servers. Which is incredible!

Since its release in 2002, Neverwinter Nights players have developed hundreds of fascinating modules, enjoyed in multiplayer gameplay by people around the world. Everything from hack and slash arena servers to action-less roleplay experiences. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Star Wars - you name it!

I've played on dozens of these modules and some of them are mind-blowingly amazing. Still, one of them rises above the rest - Ravenloft: Prisoners of the Mist. PotM offers a gothic horror setting, a player based devoted to a rich roleplay experience, a team of developers committed to continuing releasing and refining module content for over a decade, and a team of active Dungeon Masters who keep the game moving smoothly and develop ongoing DM plots and events.

I'll stop talking about Neverwinter Nights and Ravenloft: Prisoners of the Mist (for now), but seriously - go buy this game, download the bonus content for the PotM server and enjoy the best Fantasy/Dungeons & Dragons video game EVER! Leave a comment on this story and I'll even meet you in-game to show you the ropes.