Role playing games have a long and important history with video games. Since their creation video games have gathered a large number of fans, as well as critics. One of these critics being Metacritic, a site that rates movies, video games, music, and more. Metacritic also has subcategories such as RPGs, Shooters, and Action.

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An important aspect of RPGs are the characters. From being given a specific player character to character creation menus, video games have provided many options for fans. One of these options being female protagonists. Women have been gaining much-needed representation across multiple media platforms and video games are no exception.

10 Mass Effect 2

Cover for Mass Effect 2 featuring Commander Shepard, Miranda Lawson, and Thane Krios

The sequel to Bioware's Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 is the highest-rated RPG on Metacritic with a score of 96. Released in 2010, it won numerous Game of the Year awards. The plot follows Commander Shepard racing against the clock to save human colonies in the Milky Way.

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Along the way, they must recruit allies and complete missions to assure their loyalty. Players are given the option to play as male or female with many players praising Jennifer Hale's performance as the female lead.

9 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim cover featuring Imperial dragon symbol

Released in 2011, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is considered to be one of the best video games. Skyrim has a score of 96 on Metacritic placing it in second place with a handful of reviewers less than Mass Effect 2. Like many RPGs, Skyrim allows players to choose which gender and race to play as. The plot follows a prisoner who discovers they are the Dragonborn, a mystical hero with the soul of a dragon. The game takes players across the province of Skyrim searching for a way to defeat the ancient dragon Alduin.

8 Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

Baldur's Gate II logo

Another game developed by Bioware, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn received a Metacritic score of 95. Baldur's Gate II was released in 2000 and picks up where the last game ended. Players get the option of playing as either male or female, as well as choosing whether to be good or evil. The plot follows the hero and their companions facing off against an evil wizard who conducts experiments on the protagonist for nefarious purposes.

7 Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition

Divinity: Original Sin - Definitive Edition cover featuring main characters

Divinity: Original Sin 2 was released in 2017 and has been released several more times over the next two years for the other consoles. The game received a Metacritic score of 95. The plot begins centuries after the events of the first game.

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The protagonist is revealed to be a Sourceror and must decide the fate of a world descending into chaos as monsters and a dark god wreak havoc. Like the previous game, players are given the option of who and how they want to play. Players can also choose to play solo, or with a party of three as they progress the story.

6 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Oblivion cover with the symbol in the background

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was launched in 2006, is the predecessor of Skyrim, and  received a score of 94 on Metacritic. The game follows the tradition of many other RPGs by allowing the players to choose who they want to play. Players are charged with taking on a demonic cult that wants to open portals to other dimensions. Oblivion is an open-world game, allowing players to traverse the world as they see fit.

5 Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition

Divinity cover featuring both male and female playable characters

Divinity: Original Sin released in 2014. Metacritic gave the game a rating of 94 on the RPG list. The game allows for solo and co-op gameplay with the option of two characters, a man and a woman. Players take on the role of Source Hunters and are tasked with hunting users of Source, a dangerous magic. Their search leads them to investigate the murder of an official and a cult of Source users. Along the way the Source Hunters will discover secrets of their own past.

4 Diablo

Diablo 1 cover

Diablo came out in 1997 and has since gotten a 94 on Metacritic. Developed by Blizzard, the game was originally released on PC. Players would move with point and click mechanics and use a keyboard to preform actions. Players can choose which character to play, each with their own play styles. The Rogue being the female option for fans. Diablo featured sixteen randomly generated dungeons that led to the final boss fight.

3 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic cover with HK-47, a Selkath, Bastilla Shan, and Darth Malak

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is another Bioware title that launched in 2003 and received a Metacritic rating of 94. 4,000 years before the events of the movies, a Sith Empire threatens the galaxy.

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The player character, either male or female, must embark on a journey to become a Jedi and stop Darth Malak. In Bioware tradition, players can decide whether to lean more towards the light or dark sides of the Force.

2 Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir title sith main characters

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir was an updated release of the original Odin Sphere that arrived in 2016 with a score of 93. The rerelease added and augmented existing features to the game. The plot follows a young girl reading several storybooks, five of them focused on the five protagonists individually. The characters include three female protagonists and two male protagonists.

1 Transistor

Transistor cover with Red holding the sword 'Transistor'

Transistor follows Red as she is pursued by a robotic force in a sci-fi city. With a Metacritic score of 93, Transistor sold one million copies in a year and was released on multiple platforms. The game begins as Red is the target of the robotic force for unknown reasons. To protect herself she now wields the weapon that was supposed to be used to kill her. Along with being a formidable weapon, the Transistor holds the voice of Red and of the man she found it impaled on.

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