Best games
Best RPG games of 1994
The 8 best RPG games released in 1994, ranked from 1,408 critic and player ratings.
The best RPG game of 1994 is EarthBound, with a critic score of 93/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1994.
- 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,408 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 8
01
S
EarthBound
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to then-Japan-only Earthbound Beginnings (1989) in which Ness, a young boy living in a land based on the USA, leaves home to go on an adventure through strange locations, get to know quirky characters and defeat an unknowable alien threat called Giygas while facing up to the realities of growing up and becoming familiar with the real world.
93
/100
02
FINAL FANTASY VI
Final Fantasy VI is the sixth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, developed and published by Square. It was the final title in the series to feature two-dimensional graphics, and the first story that did not revolve around crystals. The game gives players up to fourteen playable characters, the largest cast in the series, and features the Active Time Battle pseudo-turn based menu command system. A party can consist of up to four characters, though some events require the player to assemble three different parties of up to four and switch between them. Each character has a unique command ability, such as Terra's Trance, Locke's Steal, Edgar's Tools or Sabin's Blitz, and can also learn Magic spells from earning AP from battles with magicite equipped. Each character's rare Desperation Attack will randomly activate after using the Attack command when at critical health.
92
/100
03
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls - Arena is the first RPG fantasy game of the Elder Scrolls series. The game takes place on a planet called Nirn in the empire of Tamriel. The emperor of Tamriel, Uriel Septim, is planing to gather the whole Nirn under the imperial flag. He allies himself with the mage Jagar Tharn who is unfortunately intent on stealing the emperor's throne. Jagar Tharn imprisons the emperor in another dimension and locks the key inside a dungeon under the imperial city. Your job is to find all the pieces of the key, reassemble it, kill Jagger Tharn and free the emperor.
88
/100
S
EarthBound
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to then-Japan-only Earthbound Beginnings (1989) in which Ness, a young boy living in a land based on the USA, leaves home to go on an adventure through strange locations, get to know quirky characters and defeat an unknowable alien threat called Giygas while facing up to the realities of growing up and becoming familiar with the real world.
93
/100
02
FINAL FANTASY VI
Final Fantasy VI is the sixth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, developed and published by Square. It was the final title in the series to feature two-dimensional graphics, and the first story that did not revolve around crystals. The game gives players up to fourteen playable characters, the largest cast in the series, and features the Active Time Battle pseudo-turn based menu command system. A party can consist of up to four characters, though some events require the player to assemble three different parties of up to four and switch between them. Each character has a unique command ability, such as Terra's Trance, Locke's Steal, Edgar's Tools or Sabin's Blitz, and can also learn Magic spells from earning AP from battles with magicite equipped. Each character's rare Desperation Attack will randomly activate after using the Attack command when at critical health.
92
/100
03
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls - Arena is the first RPG fantasy game of the Elder Scrolls series. The game takes place on a planet called Nirn in the empire of Tamriel. The emperor of Tamriel, Uriel Septim, is planing to gather the whole Nirn under the imperial flag. He allies himself with the mage Jagar Tharn who is unfortunately intent on stealing the emperor's throne. Jagar Tharn imprisons the emperor in another dimension and locks the key inside a dungeon under the imperial city. Your job is to find all the pieces of the key, reassemble it, kill Jagger Tharn and free the emperor.
88
/100
04
System Shock (1994)
A seminal cyberpunk first-person exploratory adventure game with RPG elements in which, waking up in the Citadel Space Station, a lone hacker has to survive corrupted enemies and collect audio logs and equipment from former station workers in order to shut down SHODAN, the station's artificial intelligence that has killed everyone on board and now intends to destroy the world.
85
/100
05
Master of Magic
You came to the world of Arcanus as a fledgling wizard. Sparsely equipped with but a spell or two, you begin as the ruler of a tiny hamlet and its people. With these raw materials, you must build a thriving city, explore the two worlds of Arcanus and Myrror, expand your empire and learn new spells. In time, you will meet other wizards, each rising from equally humble beginnings, each having the same goal as you, namely conquering the worlds. How well you allocate resources, make use of your races’ potentials, seize opportunities and negotiate with other wizards determines your eventual success. In the end, though, there can be only one Master of Magic!
90
/100
06
Twinsen's Little Big Adventure Classic
Chilling dreams of destruction and doom fill your mind. You feel compelled to warn the world, but in so doing are imprisoned by the tyrannous Dr. Funfrock. Imprisoned because of a dream? You know in your soul that you must escape somehow and discover the meaning behind this mystery. As Twinsen, prophet and savior, you embark on a surreal and suspense-filled journey. You cross continents in your quest to save the world and stop your evil nemesis. At any moment, your enemies may overtake you, stopping you in your pursuit of the Legend. Relentless you must be, for only those who remain pure can overcome the peril that awaits. Twinsen's Little Big Adventure Classic is a real gem in the genre. There is nothing else like it. The game is filled with surreal action and adventure that will make you laugh many times because you can hardly believe the kind of crazy things they've thought up. So if you are in a mood for a crazy adventure with great story, clever puzzles with more than one solution, and open world then you can’t go wrong with this masterpiece of a game.
82
/100
07
Demon's Crest
This is the third game featuring Firebrand from the Gargoyle's Quest series. It is side a scrolling platformer.
80
/100
08
Beyond Oasis
Prince Ali has excavated a gold armlet which belonged to a powerful sorcerer. As soon as Ali tried on the armlet, a strange fire with a face appeared and spoke to him. “The power of the gold armlet is now your’s to wield. Find the four spirits this gold armlet governs and stop the evil ambitions of the one with the silver armlet.”
76
/100
System Shock (1994)
A seminal cyberpunk first-person exploratory adventure game with RPG elements in which, waking up in the Citadel Space Station, a lone hacker has to survive corrupted enemies and collect audio logs and equipment from former station workers in order to shut down SHODAN, the station's artificial intelligence that has killed everyone on board and now intends to destroy the world.
85
/100
05
Master of Magic
You came to the world of Arcanus as a fledgling wizard. Sparsely equipped with but a spell or two, you begin as the ruler of a tiny hamlet and its people. With these raw materials, you must build a thriving city, explore the two worlds of Arcanus and Myrror, expand your empire and learn new spells. In time, you will meet other wizards, each rising from equally humble beginnings, each having the same goal as you, namely conquering the worlds. How well you allocate resources, make use of your races’ potentials, seize opportunities and negotiate with other wizards determines your eventual success. In the end, though, there can be only one Master of Magic!
90
/100
06
Twinsen's Little Big Adventure Classic
Chilling dreams of destruction and doom fill your mind. You feel compelled to warn the world, but in so doing are imprisoned by the tyrannous Dr. Funfrock. Imprisoned because of a dream? You know in your soul that you must escape somehow and discover the meaning behind this mystery. As Twinsen, prophet and savior, you embark on a surreal and suspense-filled journey. You cross continents in your quest to save the world and stop your evil nemesis. At any moment, your enemies may overtake you, stopping you in your pursuit of the Legend. Relentless you must be, for only those who remain pure can overcome the peril that awaits. Twinsen's Little Big Adventure Classic is a real gem in the genre. There is nothing else like it. The game is filled with surreal action and adventure that will make you laugh many times because you can hardly believe the kind of crazy things they've thought up. So if you are in a mood for a crazy adventure with great story, clever puzzles with more than one solution, and open world then you can’t go wrong with this masterpiece of a game.
82
/100
07
Demon's Crest
This is the third game featuring Firebrand from the Gargoyle's Quest series. It is side a scrolling platformer.
80
/100
08
Beyond Oasis
Prince Ali has excavated a gold armlet which belonged to a powerful sorcerer. As soon as Ali tried on the armlet, a strange fire with a face appeared and spoke to him. “The power of the gold armlet is now your’s to wield. Find the four spirits this gold armlet governs and stop the evil ambitions of the one with the silver armlet.”
76
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best RPG game of 1994?
EarthBound currently tops the ranking with a score of 93/100 across 557 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.