There are plenty of games that market themselves as "RPGs," and while it's not true for all of them, many original RPGs took the combat systems from tabletop RPGs and repurposed them. This could be attributed to the fact that games like Dungeons & Dragons were more combat-orientated in their conception, which would have been arguably easier to implement digitally than a dynamic and reactive open world with minimal restrictions.
It could be argued that the actual role-playing opportunities in some video games can leave much to be desired. This has gone on to such an extent that an RPG is more often associated with a character's stat screen, rather than role-playing. However, some RPGs are defined by the player's choice, agency, and actions and allow for a great deal of role-playing freedom.
7 Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Mount & Blade: Warband is a cult-classic strategy/action RPG, and its sequel, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is much of the same, just with a fresh coat of paint and several improvements on its predecessor's shortcomings. Though it's largely centered around real-time combat, it features a lot of things that RPG lovers might enjoy.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is essentially a medieval life-sim that tasks players with building an army and carving a place for it on the map. What makes the game a must-play for role-players is the amount of freedom it offers, the variety of available play-styles that allow players to play in a way that suits their character, and the ability to engage in the politics of the world.
6 Wasteland 3
This squad-based RPG can be experienced in both single-player and co-op and takes place in the harsh environments of a post-apocalyptic Colorado. Taking control of a squad of "Desert Rangers," players must build their reputation and make decisions that impact the world around them.
Wasteland 3 gives players plenty of opportunities to flesh out their character through varied and detailed NPC interactions. The game also has six different endings, and because the world is so intertwined and reactive, the player is given an immense amount of freedom where even their smallest decisions can matter.
5 Tyranny
This isometric party-based fantasy RPG is an actively story-driven game that attempts to champion player freedom in its gameplay through branching paths and putting the player in the shoes of a character with significant authority in the game's world.
In Tyranny, players take control of a party of characters in a world run by evil, in which they are working for tyrannical leaders and are assigned to deal with rebels. Although players are put on the side of evil, they are not forced to stick to it, and the amount of player choice - even from the start - is made meaningful through the game's interactive and reactive world; it's the consequences of player actions that make them meaningful, and make Tyranny's world perfect for role-playing.
4 Dragon Age: Origins
This deep fantasy RPG was developed by BioWare and features a strong and complex narrative in a gritty fantasy world. In Dragon Age: Origins, players are allowed to role-play from the very start by choosing the origins of their character, giving the game its namesake.
The beginning of Dragon Age: Origins provides an immersive start to the game, giving players a unique insight into the world while setting up some dynamic and reactive interactions that can occur later down the line.
3 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is a short but sweet experience that is ripe for heavy replaying, thanks to its immense amount of player choice and variety of play-styles that encourages players to role-play; this could be attributed in part to the fact that the game is based on a pen-and-paper tabletop RPG.
The game's role-playing, and the options that the player has, largely boil down to the choices that players made during character selection, primarily the specific clan that they chose. Although players are still given plenty of freedom and choice, their chosen clan has a major effect on how players make their way through the game, which abilities they have, and how the world treats them.
2 Fallout New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is one of the most revered games in the franchise; its expansive open world, karma and reputation system, and player choice when taking and completing quests have made it one of the deepest role-playing experiences in both the Fallout franchise and RPGs as a whole.
What makes role-playing so meaningful in New Vegas is the consequences of player actions and the way that the game's world reacts to player choice; this is done primarily through the game's karma, which puts players on a moral scale between good and evil, and the reputation system that determines how specific local areas will treat the player. Integrally, these systems affect the gameplay, which makes these consequences meaningful, and the decisions players make are important, not just to the way they want their character to be perceived in the game world, but to the way they wish to progress in the game.
1 Baldur's Gate 3
The newest entry in the Baldur's Gate 3 franchise, set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, is a triumph thanks to its lack of restrictions placed on player choice, and the impact of player decisions runs deep into the game's main and side quests.
Not only this but depending on how players build their character, the experience can change dramatically. The attention to detail in the world's design makes the world of Baldur's Gate 3 a playground for digital role-playing, both mechanically and narratively.