Summary
If you’re looking for an immersive and intense experience,RPGswith gritty realism beckon with a promise of captivating journeys through dark and unforgiving worlds. These games stand out in their ability to depict harsh realities of life, where consequences carry weight, and choices shape the narrative.
Prepare to be drawn into atmospheric settings, face moral dilemmas, and witness the consequences of your actions. From post-apocalyptic wastelands to medieval realms plagued by war, the RPGs on this list deliver an unparalleled sense of realism. Brace yourself for tough challenges, deep storytelling, and memorable characters that will leave a lasting impression.
Updated on July 13, 2025 by Gabrielle Castania:We first wrote this list almost a year ago, and as we continue to add new features to our site, we’re periodically updating some of our older content. Now, this list of gritty RPGs contains new suggestions and even more info than before.
It’s pretty safe to say that, given the nature of these stories, the games in this list contain mature ratings from the ESRB and PEGI.
9The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The third installment of The Witcher series was the first for most of us, throwing us headlong into the boots of Geralt of Rivia. You set out between cities and strongholds on the Continent in search of Geralt’s adoptive daughter, Ciri, as she flees from the titular Wild Hunt.
A heart-heavy RPG with plenty of instances where your decisions in dialogue lock and unlockstory paths and endings, you’ll battle terrifying monsters of every species. Well-versed in both magic and combat, there’s not many fights Geralt can’t handle.
8Fallout: New Vegas
Another show whose impressive catalog of games made for one heck of a TV show recently, Fallout: New Vegas is a 2010 classic that allows you to customize your courier intheir own S.P.E.C.I.A.L. waybefore heading out into the wasteland. You’re soon attacked as you attempt to deliver a critical package, kicking off the events of the game.
After being left for dead and nursed back to health, you’ll head back out into the wasteland in search of the man who stole your package and tried to take your life. Turns out your attacker was acting on political motivations, tossing you into a political war with four possible endings.
7Deus Ex
The titular 2000 classic that kicked off a legacy, the first Deux Ex game sees you take up control of JC Denton. He’s a “nano-augmented” anti-terrorist agent who learned early in the series that he’s been made part of a conspiracy, ina world where conspiracy theories, it seems, reign supreme.
We may not love the real-world parallels, but that’s exactly what makes the Deus Ex game land on our list. You’ll make plenty of decisions in the game, but don’t expect any of them to beparticularly easy to handle.
6Dark Souls
Renowned for being one of the most punishingly difficult video games, the first Dark Souls game is a true test of fortitude. Your character is undead, and you’ll need to quest through this terrifying world to figure out what will become of you.
For the most part in Dark Souls, you’re engaging in combat, and oh man, is it brutal if you’re not learning from your mistakes. You fight to find out what your fate is, you fight to fulfill your fate, and you’ll eventually fight yourself between preserving the fire you’re destined to carry or ushering in darkness.
5Metro Exodus
A bleak FPS set in the barren wasteland of what once was Russia, Metro Exodus is about what it suggests – leaving the city. Told in linear missions over the course of an entire year, your protagonist, Artyom, leaves Moscow with a group and must fight to survive as they cross the changing lands via train.
With an open world begging you to explore, you’ll come up against radiation, limited ammo, and needing to quickly figure out which (living) survivors are friendly – your life literally depends on it.
4Kingdom Come: Deliverance
If you’re feeling a more medieval setting than an apocalyptic one, consider Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Set in 1403 in war-torn Bohemia, your character will advance and level up in different ways depending on how you choose to play the game, lending nicely to multiple playthroughs in the name of experimentation!
There’s plenty realistic about this Kingdom Come: Deliverance, including the wear-and-tear on your clothing and gear, horses that act on their own accord, and a whole host of NPCs who have their own set schedules and behaviors.
3Disco Elysium
If you’re not particularly interested in the combat that often comes with realistic RPGs, consider Disco Elysium if you’re looking to scratch that gritty game itch. You play asa detective with amnesiain a small town that’s still showing clear signs of ravage from a revolution long before the game begins.
Since there’s not a lot of combat to level up, you’ll instead be pouring your experience points into 24 unique skills under four categories. To add to the heft of the game, Estonian developer ZA/UM included a reported 6,000 years’ worth of history to this off-putting world.
2The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
While certainlynot the most infamousof The Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion is one of its darker entries thematically. You’ll work to develop a character with 21 possible skills to handle the Daedric Prince of Destruction – no pressure, though.
The portals to Oblivion opening across the world of Cyrodiil are causing quite a commotion, to say the least, and it’s up to your character to “close shut the jaws of Oblivion.” There’s plenty of important main questing to do, but plenty of the best parts of the story lie in its side quests.
1Pathologic 2
Pathologic 2 doesn’t have an ESRB/PEGI rating, but we’d stick it pretty firmly in the Rated M/18 category.
Looking for a heaping helping of unsettling creepiness with your realism? Look no further than Pathologic 2. Set in a town slowly dying from a plague, society is breaking down with it, and it’s up to you totake up the helmas its new chief healer.
While there are plenty of physical combatants you’ll need to handle in the game, the big bad looming ever-present in the background is the plague itself. You’ll have the option of trying to win over the locals who will help you survive, or you can pillage and loot for what you need. No matter how you approach the situation, you’ve only got 12 days to do it.
