Special Features

The RPGs That Made Us

The RPGs That Made Us Text over faded RPG character art

I think we all remember the game that got us into RPGs. But what about the ones that really set the standard, that taught us what we want, that helped define our tastes? You know, the ones where you thought “oh, I like this” and you keep looking for it afterwards?

With those questions in mind, we gathered together a bunch of our staff to list out the five RPGs that “made” us, along with a couple of non-RPGs, too. You will, of course, see a wide variety of games, but it’s also a good chance to get to know a lot of us! Check out the menu below for all 19 of our participating staff — as you can see, this was a popular topic!

We even loved the idea so much we recorded an episode of Retro Encounter about it, so you can get some more perspectives if you want after reading!

What are some of the games that made you? Be sure to let us know on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Discord, Bluesky, or however you most enjoy interacting with us!

Intro by Zach Wilkerson


Zach Wilkerson

After avidly following RPGFan for years, Zach joined as a Reviews Editor in 2018, and somehow finds himself helping manage the Features department and running our Retro Encounter podcast now. When he's not educating the youth of America, he can often be heard loudly clamoring for Lunar 3 and Suikoden VI.