Role-playing video games with a turn-based combat system provide a moment of reflection during typically fast-paced adventures.

Confronting the enemy, you can carefully plan every move and let the rest of the story flow at its own pace – your pace!

Although role-playing games are all about unpredictable events and encounters, their turn-based (TB) counterparts balance this aspect by putting more control in the player’s hands. Isn’t that nice of them?

Most gamers had a chance to play such a game at some point, especially during the 90s – their prime time. Let’s see which old titles still evoke nostalgia today!

Dragon Quest V: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride

Release date:2008-07-17
Genre:JRPG
Developer:ArtePiazza

Considered one of the best in the entire series, DQ V is a 1992 classic, combining exploration and TB combat.

Image credit: ArtePiazza

See the playable character’s life to witness how he grows up and starts a family. Initially, you will travel with your father to marry one of three romance options and help him complete a challenging mission. DQ V is an absolute genre legend perfect for gathering a loyal team and enjoying up to 30 hours of intense adventures!

Key features
  • Play the entire protagonist’s life
  • Explore a beautiful land and fight in a TB combat
  • Choose from various romance options
  • Gather a team and complete engaging quests

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Release date:2001-08-22
Genre:RPG
Developer:Troika Games

It is a solid role-playing experience with a TB combat system. Its world of magic and steamworks is a must-play for any computer RPG enthusiast!

Select the path of evil or good to embark on a legendary adventure and solve the secrets of this unique world. After choosing a ready-made character or designing your own, you can continue straight to completing quests, developing your hero, and making choices about the future of this reality where ancient castles coexist with robots.

Key features
  • Discover a unique world of magic and technology
  • Gather your team and decide what kind of hero you want to be
  • Make decisions, travel, and solve mysteries
  • Play solo or in a multiplayer

Albion

Release date:1995-01-01
Genre:RPG
Developer:Blue Byte Studio

Created by the developers of The Settlers, Albion delivers an incredible adventure as a pilot of the Toronto mining ship traversing space to crash on a distant planet.

Play as Tom Driscoll exploring the alien Albion planet. Various life forms inhabit the place, but the ship’s AI wants to kill them all. Explore, gather a team, discover the secrets of this gorgeous place, and enjoy an adventure combining technology and fantasy!

Key features
  • Start your adventure on the faraway planet
  • Gather your team and decide the future of this place
  • Fight in a TB combat inspired by the Fallout series
  • Save the planet from ultimate destruction

Revelations: Persona

Release date:1996-11-01
Genre:RPG
Developer:Atlus

As a Megami Tensei franchise’s spin-off, this game is the first entry in the phenomenal Persona series – a trustworthy must-play!

Image credit: Atlus

Lead a group of high school students confronting unimaginable evil in their hometown. After gaining supernatural powers, the team can fight dangerous beings threatening the world in intense TB combat. It’s a game from 1996, but its beautiful pixel-art graphics look quite exciting today!

Key features
  • Lead a team of students gaining extraordinary powers
  • Explore the town and discover its secrets
  • Develop skills to fight pure evil
  • Meet fun personalities inhabiting this iconic universe

Xenogears

Release date:1998-02-11
Genre:RPG
Developer:Square Enix

In this game, philosophy meets with powerful mechs to deliver one of the most complex storylines in gaming history!

Image credit: Square Enix

Play as Fei Fong Wong – an ordinary boy realizing his incredible abilities in the face of the ultimate threat. Explore a war-torn land, meet new friends, and discover details of the forgotten past to determine your destiny. Xenogears is a classic Japanese RPG combining an epic adventure with TB battles involving powerful mechs.

Key features
  • Discover Fei Fong Wong’s forgotten past
  • Embark on a journey to battle multiplying threats
  • Recruit team members and develop their fighting experience
  • Enjoy an incredibly complex story involving science, religion, and psychology

Contrary to popular belief, RPGs are only sometimes about classic medieval themes. Arcanum gives you a world of two opposing powers, Xenogears – mighty mechs.

Albion’s action takes place on a completely foreign planet threatened by the destruction-hungry AI of a mining ship! All these stories guarantee dozens of hours of immersive fun with a TB combat system perfect for planning the outcome of the entire adventure.