10 Best Dungeons & Dragons Video Games, Ranked By Metacritic Scores

Dungeons & Dragons fans still have to wait until 2023 to play Baldur’s Gate III, although the early access version is getting a patch in December. The series is interesting for how it has branched so far away that many of the quality titles don’t even carry the Dungeons & Dragons name.

But the fact remains that the likes of Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights are part of the franchise, which reviewers on Metacritic have given their approval of. The site has ratings for both the flagship series entries and its spin-off release, and it’s interesting to see which ones scored the best and what the best things about them are.

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II (2004) – 78

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II is a relatively unappreciated entry in the Dungeons & Dragons series due to its more popular predecessor. It follows five protagonists picking up from the previous game’s heroes on an adventure to save Baldur’s Gate.

The criticism went toward Dark Alliance II’s lack of innovation since the title has the same mechanics as the first part, but it’s also entertaining in its own right. Dark Alliance II’s hack-and-slash gameplay can be addictive due to the many enemies onscreen, with the RPG elements taking a back seat for the most part.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard (2005) – 80

Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard is notable for blending real-time strategy with traditional Dungeons & Dragons rules. While the combination isn’t without its flaws, it deserves credit for trying to take the board game hand in hand with video game mechanics.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard was criticized for its short single-player campaign, though, as players can finish it off in just a few hours. The lack of a challenge’s entertainment factor depends on whether a player likes added difficulty or would prefer to breeze through the game at their leisure.

Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006) – 82

Neverwinter Nights 2 follows the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition rules, with a straight-up focus on the RPG elements. The high point of the title was its story, which was praised for revolving around a single playable character on a journey to confront the King of Shadows.

Neverwinter Nights 2 was riddled with technical glitches, which could ruin the gameplay experience. But the solid plotline and otherwise good-looking graphics were enough to suck players in, with a great amount of replay value present due to the breadth of RPG factors.

Icewind Dale II (2002) – 83

Icewind Dale II has players take control of a group of mercenaries, with the story taking place in the Forgotten Realms setting. It’s far more action-oriented than other entries in the series that employ the isometric perspective, which ended up as its major plus point.

Icewind Dale II’s combat was lauded for cutting out unnecessary fluff and enabling players to go about the world with an aggressive mentality. The rather humdrum story wasn’t the best thing about Icewind Dale II, although many fans were more than happy to indulge in gameplay over the plot.

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara (2013) – 83

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara is a compilation of Shadow over Mystara and Tower of Doom, which are side-scrolling beat-em-up games. Despite being a departure from the usual brand of gameplay, it turned out to be the best-reviewed title with the Dungeons & Dragons name.

Partly what makes it fun is how uncomplicated Chronicles of Mystara is, as players don’t need to do much apart from progressing forward and defeating enemies. It has a surprisingly entertaining challenge level and runtime that allows Chronicles of Mystara to be action-based fun.

Icewind Dale (2000) – 86

Icewind Dale follows the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules, with real-time combat as opposed to a turn-based system. Icewind Dale’s fighting style keeps players on their toes since they don’t get the chance for a breather, so the difficulty is amped up to truly test fans’ mettle.

Icewind Dale focus on combat over storytelling can be a double-edged sword for delivering on one front and lacking on another, but the solid fighting mechanics more than makes up for it. The fast-paced atmosphere of the title is seldom seen in the Dungeons & Dragons series.

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance (2001) – 87

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance blended the hack-and-slash, role-playing, and 3D fighter mechanics all in one go. The title was praised for balancing so many different forms of gameplay without compromising its quality, offering something for every type of gamer.

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance also features enemies with varying skill sets, which means that players need to adapt to each new environment. The dynamic quality of foes keeps the playthrough fresh from start to finish, so Dark Alliance never feels like it has overstayed its welcome.

Neverwinter Nights (2002) – 91

With over 60 hours of gameplay, Neverwinter Nights takes players on the classic hero’s journey. The protagonist is built from the ground up, progressing from a nobody into the protector of Neverwinter. The focus on the dashing aspects of the story sets fans up for a thrilling experience.

Neverwinter Nights was positively received for the many customization options available, along with the toolset that allowed players to power up their protagonist to their liking. There’s not as much attention on the action as there is on world-building, which sucks gamers right into the heart of the story.

Baldur’s Gate (1998) – 91

Baldur’s Gate is credited with revitalizing interest in the RPG genre, as this entry made going on quests feel like a remarkable journey. Those who check out Baldur’s Gate find a world of options to choose from, whether it’s the character’s customization to the interactions they have.

Baldur’s Gate’s success also served as the springboard for the later Dungeons & Dragons games to feature the isometric gaming format. It does a great job of representing the board game in a visual format, providing a whole lot of material filled with challenging missions.

Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) – 95

Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn is generally seen as the go-to game for those hosting a Dungeons & Dragons party. It’s based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules, featuring real-time combat that can be paused, along with a variety of character kits available.

The majority of reviewers agreed that Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn took all the positive aspects of previous games into account and polished them to perfection. There are no complaints in any area, making it the perfect Dungeons & Dragons entry for those wanting to spend hours exploring the deep magical world.

NEXT: 10 Best Stealth Games of All Time, According To Metacritic