RPG elements

See also: RPG genre

Elements:
* Character development (personality and such, not stats)
* Character advancement (implies leader participation in strategy games)
* Multi-choice dialogs (that affect gameplay / story)
* Inventory
* Skill, ability, spell, etc. trees
* Alternative solutions

Related group

Game genre
Role-playing game

Games by year

The first RPG elements video game was released on April 28, 1988.

2K Games and Atlus published most of these games.

Platforms

Windows	13
X360	3
PS3	3
NES	3
Linux	2
PS4	1
PS Vita	1
Neo-Geo	1
PS2	1

Most common companies

2K Games	7
Atlus	4
Ubisoft	2
Kalypso Media Digital	2
Iceberg Interactive	2
Tecmo	2
1C Company	2

Child groups

Ability dependencies	Abilities, skills, research subjects, etc. have dependencies on other such before they can be made available (e.g. shield charge requires the character already can do shield bash).	2001 / 2019	40 games
Advancement
Alternate solutions	Despite the game genre suggesting there are no alternate solutions to problems, there are.	1981 / 2019	17 games
Character creation	Player creates one or more characters to play with, from defining their physical and mental attributes to what skills they have.	1981 / 2024	340 games
Experience
Group	Player is part of a group and can issue some form of instructions to (or, in some instances, assume full control of) the other members.	1975 / 2023	1181 games
Hirelings	Player can meet people or other beings they can hire to join them temporarily until they die, become incapacitated, or their contract ends.	1975 / 2015	24 games
Interactive dialogues	Includes dialogues where the player has some control over the course they take.	1985 / 2024	325 games
Inventory	Player has an item storage of unspecified capacity they can access.	1979 / 2023	1769 games
Limited capacity	Carry capacity is limited in more ways than the quantity of ammo you can carry.	1981 / 2023	636 games
Shopping	Includes shops, merchants, traders or item dispensers where the player can purchase new items.	1971 / 2024	1779 games
Stash	Player character has a "stash" of some sort where they can store excess items for later. This stash automatically moves with the player character though is often only accessible from a town or similar safe locale.	1988 / 2021	96 games
Unit equipment	Player must handle the equipment of their underlings or similar, arming them with better tools or even arming them at all in the first place.	2000 / 2012	13 games