This is a comprehensive index of commercial role-playing video games, sorted chronologically by year. Information regarding date of release, developer, publisher, operating system, subgenre and notability is provided where available. The table can be sorted by clicking on the small boxes next to the column headings. This list does not include MUDs or MMORPGs. It does include roguelikes, action RPGs and tactical RPGs.
Dragon Slayer is a series of role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. The first Dragon Slayer game is an early action role-playing game, released in 1984 for the NEC PC-8801 and ported by Square for the MSX. Designed by Yoshio Kiya, the game gave rise to a series of sequels, most of them created by Falcom, with the exception of Faxanadu by Hudson Soft. The Dragon Slayer series is historically significant, both as a founder of the Japanese role-playing game industry, and as the progenitor of the action role-playing game genre.
An action role-playing game is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre.
Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, also known as Ys: The Vanished Omens or The Ancient Land of Ys, is a 1987 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the first installment in the Ys series. Initially developed for the PC-8800 series by Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki, the game was soon ported to the Sharp X1, PC-98, FM-7, and MSX2 Japanese computer systems.
Hydlide is an action role-playing game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and PC-8801 computers in 1984, in Japan only; ports for the MSX, MSX2, FM-7 and NEC PC-9801 were released the following year. A Nintendo Switch port based on the PC-8801 version was released on December 21, 2023 by D4 Enterprise.
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun is an action-platform video game developed and published by Jaleco for the Famicom. It was released in Japan on November 15, 1985, and was ported to the MSX in 1986. The MSX version was released in Europe as Ninja II, being marketed as a sequel to Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken, a game that used the name Ninja for its European MSX release.
Dragon Slayer is an action role-playing game, developed by Nihon Falcom and designed by Yoshio Kiya. It was originally released in 1984 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, X1 and FM-7, and became a major success in Japan. It was followed by an MSX port published by Square in 1985, a Super Cassette Vision by Epoch in 1986 and a Game Boy port by the same company in 1990 under the name Dragon Slayer I. A version for PC-6001mkII was in development but was never released. A remake of Dragon Slayer is included in the Falcom Classics collection for the Sega Saturn.
Zemina was a South Korean software maker brand of Saehan Trading founded in 1981. They primarily made games for the Daewoo Zemmix, but because it was an MSX computer made to look and be played like a game console, they work on other MSX computers as well. Although many of them were copies of other games, like Super Boy I, they also produced some more original ones in their later years.
Xanadu, also known as Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II, is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and released in 1985 for the PC-8801, X1, PC-8001, PC-9801, FM-7 and MSX computers. Enhanced remakes were later released for the Sega Saturn, PC-9801 and Windows platforms. It is the second entry in the Dragon Slayer series, preceded by Dragon Slayer and followed by Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia, which, as most games in the Dragon Slayer series, have very little relation with each other.
JaJaMaru Gekimaden: Maboroshi no Kinmajou is an action role-playing game for the Famicom (NES). It was released in 1990 by Jaleco to a Japan-exclusive market. This video game has not been localized for any other region.
While the early history and distinctive traits of role-playing video games (RPGs) in East Asia have come from Japan, many video games have also arisen in China, developed in South Korea, and Taiwan.
Aleste Gaiden is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Compile for the MSX2 home computer. A follow-up to Aleste (1988), it was included as part of the autumn special edition of Disc Station, a monthly disk publication by Compile. It is a sidestory to the main series, taking place in an alternative continuity. Controlling the soldier Raymond Waizen, protagonist of the first game wearing a cybernetic ninja suit, the player must overthrow the supercomputer DIA 51 by fight waves of enemies and bosses, while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles.
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