8 RPG with small quests

It's no exaggeration to say that most of the mainstream RPGs people play today are high-stakes affairs. There will always be RPGs with lower stakes, but in general games of this genre usually involve escaping from mortal danger or saving the world from some underlying evil force. This focus on the bigger picture has benefited many titles, giving players some of the best narrative-driven games ever to hit the shelves.

However, part of what makes these high-stakes games so interesting is how they compare to other quests in the game. If each individual side quest too about saving the world, it diminishes the whole experience, saving the world becomes a chore, like running to the store for milk. Whether in sprawling open worlds or more linear narratives, these RPGs all have small quests that focus on adding realism to the world and increasing the player's desire to save it.

8 Red Dead Redemption 2

An exciting world filled with great side quests

A small address to the introduction, part of what has been done Red Dead Redemption 2 such a fantastic title is the focus on the smaller and more intimate story of Arthur Morgan and the Van Der Linde gang.

This game has a lot of random encounters in the wild that are either standalone moments or seeds that will eventually turn into a longer side quest. They add character and flavor to a setting in a simple but effective way.

7 Morawind

Side quests add flavor to places, people, and factions

If there is one thing that Morawind does better than Oblivion and Skyrim… that's pretty much it really. Please play this game. As far as side quests go, though, the game does a great job of making the character feel like a living, breathing part of the world, rather than just a “Protagonist” walking around in a blaze of glory.

Lower level guilds give players actual employment or minor contracts, and it's fun because it feels like you're actually a part of the guild's operations, not the savior of the guild, given the two minor quests before the big crisis threatens the entire faction, and the real story begins.

6 Cyberpunk

Exploring Night City helps V feel like a mercenary

For many players, Night City is an amazing setting for an open world title. Cyberpunk 2077 may have its flaws, but V feels like an integral part of the world from the get-go, thanks in no small part to the side quests.

Whether found in the environment while exploring or contacting a handler, the fact that V can have handlers helps to tell the player, “Hey, this person is actually a mercenary, both in name and deed.” The game offers plenty of opportunities for V to pursue a bona fide, real-life profession.

5 Fallout: New Vegas

Lots of comedic and exciting side quests

With an incredible story and some RPG elements that really set it apart from its contemporaries, Fallout: New Vegas is a truly iconic post-apocalyptic RPG. One of the ways this game stands out is the side quest content that adds more depth to each area.

Players can take on random quests to earn some caps, or encourage themselves to a smaller faction by helping them out, all of which feel like a real part of the world.

4 Shin Megami Tensei V: Revenge

Dealing with demons and gods in any capacity

A JRPG that is equal parts challenging and fun, Atlus has truly created one of the best games in its catalog with Shin Megami Tensei V: Revenge. The side quests in this game may not always seem small because they usually involve, well, creation deities, but that often makes them more entertaining than anything else.

Helping Spider-God cheat his father, chasing Grandma Turbo around Tokyo, or any of the other low-stakes quests in this game have something special about them and are more often than not a great reward for players.

3 Dragon Age Origins

A gray warden can perform many interesting tasks

BioWare's potentially magnum opus, Dragon Age: Origins makes every side quest exciting and meaningful. Aside from the merest quests from the job boards, almost every quest has different options.

In addition to this, each quest also triggers a reaction from the player's companions, so side quests are not only a way for the player to explore the world, but also to explore the mindset of their companions.

2 Outer worlds

Halcyon Colony has a lot of fun little quests

The hype for Obsidian is steadily growing He confessedand while that's the case, there are plenty of great titles in this developer catalog to check out. Outer worlds is often overlooked by players, but it has some of the most engaging side quests of any Obsidian game.

Similar to Originseach of the companions in this game has a unique understanding of which of the main factions they help in each side quest, and it really helps develop them as characters.

1 Mass effect

The game has many opportunities for interesting missions

The beginnings of a masterpiece among RPGs, Mass effect was a game that introduced players to a galactic-scale narrative with a great space opera story that helped cement Shepard as an incredibly iconic protagonist.

Whether in the Citadel or exploring the many distant planets in the galaxy, there are plenty of small side quests that help give this world its own personality. Yes, it's a world about stopping apocalyptic robots (or biosynthetic creatures, or whatever Reapers), but it's also a world about the Widower trying to bring his dead wife's body back to earth, or helping a merchant from Khanar get a trade license.