Random encounters

Video game concept

A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby combat encounters with enemies at random, usually without the enemy being physically detected beforehand.

196

games

platforms

Dragon Quest V

PS2 2004

Phantasie III: The Wrath of Nikademus

9801 1988-06

Dragon Quest IV: Michibikareshi Monotachi

NES 1990-02-11

Kaijuu Monogatari

NES 1988-11-18

Telengard

DOS 1985

The Dark Heart of Uukrul

DOS 1990

Final Fantasy VIII

PS1 1999-02-11

Loren the Amazon Princess

WIN 2012-05-04

Nahlakh

DOS 1994-07

Phantasie II

C64 1986

Phantasie III: The Wrath of Nikademus

MSX2 1989

Shadow Hearts

PS2 2001-12-12

Preset encounters commonly coexist with random ones. General enemies are random. Bosses and minibosses are set.

This is mostly for the kind of encounters that appear out of nowhere, usually when traveling on the world map.

Especially common in old console RPGs.

More modern games have these cleverly guised by spawning the encounter just outside your visibility radius or behind other visual blocks, making them almost seem scripted or part of some grand simulation.

Parent groups

Encounters, Randomized content

Games by year

The first Random encounters video game was released on August 1979.

SSI, Enix and Starcraft published most of these games.

Platforms

Linux		25
Windows		19
MS-DOS		13
NES		11
Apple II E		9
NEC PC9801		6
PS2		6
MICRO 7 - FM7		5
PS3		5
NEC PC8801		5
MSX2		5
Sharp X1		5
Mac OS X		5
Nintendo DS		4
SNES		4
X68000		4
PS		4
C64		4
Atari ST		4
Mac OS Classic		3
Switch		3
MSX		3
Atari 400/800		3
Mega Drive		3
Famicom Disk System		3
TRS-80		2
Tandy Coco		2
OS/2		2
GBC		2
Master System		2

Most common companies