Timeline of tabletop role-playing games

The following is a timeline of tabletop role-playing games. For computer role-playing games see here.

The publication year listed here is the year of the first edition in the original country. Additional editions, translations or adaptations for use in other countries are not included in this list. For editions other than the first, consult the corresponding article.

Some games started out as generic role-playing supplements, supplements for other games, or even a different kind of game. Those games are listed in the year when they made the transition to a standalone role-playing game.

Unique games with identical or similar titles are listed separately. Unique means games that use different rules or settings but does not include rule revisions by the same author or publisher.

1970s

1974

• Dungeons & Dragons

1975

• Boot Hill
• Empire of the Petal Throne
• En Garde!
• Tunnels & Trolls

1976

• Bunnies & Burrows
• Knights of the Round Table (role-playing game)
• Metamorphosis Alpha
• Monsters! Monsters!
• Starfaring

1977

• Chivalry & Sorcery
• Flash Gordon & the Warriors of Mongo
• Space Patrol, later renamed Star Patrol
• Space Quest
• Superhero: 2044
• The Realm of Yolmi
• Traveller

1978

• Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
• Bifrost (role-playing game)
• Gamma World
• High Fantasy
• John Carter, Warlord of Mars (role-playing game)
• Legacy (role-playing game)
• RuneQuest
• Starships & Spacemen
• Star Trek: Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier
• What Price Glory?!

1979

• Adventures in Fantasy
• Buccaneer
• Bushido
• Commando (role-playing game)
• Gangster!
• Heroes (role-playing game)
• Ironhedge
• Villains and Vigilantes
• Ysgarth

1980s

1980

• Archaeron
• Basic Role-Playing
• Castle Perilous
• Dallas (role-playing game)
• DragonQuest
• Land of the Rising Sun (role-playing game)
• Melanda
• Odysseus
• Skull and Crossbones
• Space Opera
• Supergame
• The Fantasy Trip
• The Morrow Project
• Thieves' Guild (role-playing game)
• Top Secret

1981

• Aftermath!
• Arduin
• Call of Cthulhu
• Champions
• Crimefighters
• Fantasy Wargaming
• Heroes of Olympus (role-playing game)
• Merc
• Midgard (German RPG)
• Star Rovers (role-playing game)
• Stormbringer
• The Mechanoid Invasion
• The Spawn of Fashan
• Universe
• Wild West (role-playing game)
• Wizards' Realm

1982

• Alma Mater
• Behind Enemy Lines by FASA
• Daredevils
• Drakar och Demoner (Trudvang Chronicles)
• Fringeworthy
• FTL:2448
• Gangbusters
• Inner City
• Knights and Berserkers and Legerdemain
• Man, Myth and Magic
• Middle-earth Role Playing
• Pirates and Plunder
• Recon
• Rolemaster
• Space Infantry
• Starfleet Voyages
• Star Frontiers
• Star Trek: The Role Playing Game
• Swordbearer
• Worlds of Wonder

1983

• Droids (role-playing game)
• Element Masters
• Espionage!, later renamed Danger International
• James Bond 007
• Lands of Adventure
• Légendes (French RPG)
• Lords of Creation
• L'Ultime Épreuve (French RPG)
• Mach: The First Colony
• Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes
• Other Suns by FGU
• Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game
• Powers and Perils
• Privateers and Gentlemen
• Stalking the Night Fantastic
• Star Quest
• Super Squadron
• Superworld
• The Valley of the Pharaohs
• Timeship
• To Challenge Tomorrow
• Victorian Adventure
• Warhammer The Mass Combat Fantasy Role-Playing Game
• Witch Hunt by StatCom Simulations

1984

• Chill
• Das Schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye)
• DragonRaid
• Elfquest
• Fighting Fantasy - The Introductory Role-Playing Game
• Flashing Blades
• Golden Heroes
• Heroes Unlimited
• Justice, Inc. (role-playing game)
• Kata Kumbas
• Maelstrom
• Marvel Super Heroes
• Mega (French RPG)
• Mutant (role-playing game)
• Paranoia
• Phantasy Conclave
• Psi World
• Ringworld
• Skyrealms of Jorune
• Star Ace
• Swords & Glory
• The Adventures of Indiana Jones
• The Arcanum
• Time & Time Again
• Timemaster
• Toon (role-playing game)
• Twilight 2000

1985

• Challengers
• Conan Role-Playing Game
• DC Heroes
• Dinky Dungeons
• The Doctor Who Role Playing Game
• Dragon Warriors
• Dragonroar
• Fantasy Hero
• Hawkmoon
• Hidden Kingdom (role-playing game)
• Judge Dredd: The Role-Playing Game
• Maléfices
• Mekton
• Midnight at the Well of Souls Role-Playing System
• Pendragon
• Sandman - Map of Halaal
• Space Master
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness

1986

• 2300 AD
• 9th Generation
• By the Gods
• Delta Force: America Strikes Back!
• Eternal Soldier
• Ghostbusters
• Freedom Fighters (role-playing game)
• GURPS
• HârnMaster
• Hunter Planet: The All Australian Role Playing Game
• MechWarrior
• Mythworld
• Phoenix Command
• Robotech
• Robot Warriors
• The Price of Freedom
• Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
• Year of the Phoenix

1987

• Ars Magica
• Beyond the Supernatural
• Cyborg Commando
• Enforcers
• Expendables (role-playing game)
• Future Worlds
• Living Steel
• MEGA Role-Playing System
• Miekka ja magia
• Night of the Ninja
• Ninjas & Superspies
• Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game by West End Games
• Talislanta
• Teenagers from Outer Space (role-playing game)
• Robotech II: The Sentinels
• Timelords
• TWERPS

1988

• Animonde
• Albedo (role-playing game)
• Bullwinkle and Rocky Role-Playing Party Game
• Cyberpunk 2013
• High Colonies
• Justifiers RPG
• Macho Women with Guns
• Manhunter (role-playing game)
• Phantasia (role-playing game)
• Second Dawn
• Space: 1889
• SpaceTime
• Woof Meow

1989

• Advanced Fighting Fantasy
• Adventurers of the North - Kalevala Heroes
• Batman Role-Playing Game
• Blackwatch
• The Confederate Rangers
• Cyberspace
• HeroQuest
• In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas
• It Came From the Late, Late, Late Show
• Lace & Steel
• Mutazoids
• Omnigon
• Prince Valiant: The Story-Telling Game
• Shadowrun
• Star Hero
• Sword World RPG

1990s

1990

• Age of Ruin by Cutting Edge Games
• Aquelarre (Spanish RPG)
• Attack of the Humans
• Battlelords of the 23rd Century
• Buck Rogers XXVC
• Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (role-playing game)
• CORPS
• Fifth Cycle
• Hero System
• Morpheus (role-playing game)
• Nightlife
• Reich Star
• Rifts
• Ruf des Warlock (German RPG)
• Torg
• Worlds Beyond

1991

• Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game
• Aliens Adventure Game
• Dark Conspiracy
• Kult
• Lord of the Rings Adventure Game
• Lost Souls
• Millennium's End
• Tales from the Floating Vagabond
• The World of Synnibarr
• Time Lord: Adventures through Time and Space
• Vampire: The Masquerade
• Warp World

1992

• Dangerous Journeys
• Dream Park: The Roleplaying Game
• Duel by Nightshift Games
• Fanhunter, el juego de rol épicodecadente
• Fudge
• Fuzzy Heroes by Inner City Games Designs
• Nephilim
• Over the Edge
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse

1993

• Amazing Engine
• Earthdawn
• Fate of the Norns
• Forgotten Futures
• High Adventure Cliffhangers Buck Rogers Adventure Game
• Kryształy Czasu
• Macross II: The Role-Playing Game
• Mage: The Ascension
• Manhunter
• Mutant Chronicles
• Nexus: The Infinite City
• Pandemonium!
• Prime Directive
• Risus
• Shatterzone
• SLA Industries
• Space Gothic (German RPG)
• The Beast Within
• The Whispering Vault
• Theatrix (role-playing game)
• Underground

1994

• 3D&T
• Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth
• Castle Falkenstein
• Don't Look Back (role-playing game)
• Gardásiyal: Adventures on Tékumel
• GateWar by Escape Ventures
• HoL
• Immortal: The Invisible War
• Inferno by Death's Edge Games
• Masterbook
• Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game
• The World of Bloodshadows
• The World of Indiana Jones
• Wraith: The Oblivion

1995

• Changeling: The Dreaming
• Cybergeneration
• Everway
• Heavy Gear
• Nightbane
• Project A-ko
• The End by Scapegoat Games
• The World of Necroscope
• The World of Tank Girl

1996

• Blood Dawn
• Bubblegum Crisis (role-playing game)
• Conspiracy X
• The D6 System: The Customizable Roleplaying Game
• Deadlands
• Dragonlance: Fifth Age
• Fading Suns
• Feng Shui
• Gatecrasher (role-playing game)
• Hong Kong Action Theatre!
• Infinite Domains by Infinite Concepts
• Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar: The New Adventures of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser
• The World of Tales from the Crypt
• Vampire: The Dark Ages
• CJ Carella's WitchCraft

1997

• Armageddon: The End Times
• Armored Trooper Votoms (role-playing game)
• Big Eyes, Small Mouth
• Blue Planet
• Champions: New Millennium
• Dzikie Pola (role-playing game) (Polish RPG)
• Fuzion
• In Nomine
• Jovian Chronicles
• Legend of the Five Rings
• Men in Black
• Multiverser
• Neverwhere by Postmortem Studios
• Puppetland
• Æon/Trinity
• Werewolf: The Wild West
• Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game

1998

• Alternity
• Blood of Heroes
• Deadlands: Hell on Earth
• Hercules & Xena
• Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade
• Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game
• QAGS
• Runeslayers
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Role-playing Game
• The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen
• Tribe 8
• Tribes by Steve Jackson Games
• Unknown Armies

1999

• 7th Sea
• Aberrant
• Agone (French RPG)
• All Flesh Must Be Eaten
• Brave New World
• Continuum (role-playing game)
• DC Universe Roleplaying Game
• Dominion Rules (online)
• Dragon Ball Z: The Anime Adventure Game
• Furry Pirates
• Hunter: The Reckoning
• Lejendary Adventure
• Nobilis
• Powerkill
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Role Playing Game
• Star Trek: The Original Series Role-playing Game
• Violence
• Weird War Two: Crusade for Europe

2000s

2000

• Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium
• Hero Wars (later renamed HeroQuest)
• Orkworld
• Star Wars Roleplaying Game by Wizards of the Coast
• World Tree

2001

• Adventure!
• After the Bomb
• De Profundis
• Exalted
• Forbidden Kingdoms
• Gear Krieg
• Godlike
• HackMaster
• Little Fears
• Mummy: The Resurrection
• Sorcerer
• The Dying Earth Roleplaying Game
• The Metabarons Roleplaying Game
• The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game
• The Witcher (Polish RPG)
• Weird War II: Blood on the Rhine

2002

• Active Exploits
• Arcane Codex (German RPG)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game
• Call of Cthulhu (d20)
• Cartoon Action Hour
• Children of the Sun
• d20 Modern
• Demon: The Fallen
• Engel (role-playing game)
• Discworld Roleplaying Game
• Donjon
• Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium
• EverQuest Role-Playing Game
• Farscape Roleplaying Game
• InSpectres
• The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game
• Mechanical Dream
• Mutants & Masterminds
• Silver Age Sentinels
• Sláine: The Roleplaying Game of Celtic Heroes
• Spaceship Zero
• Spycraft
• Star Trek Roleplaying Game
• Terra Primate
• Steve Perrin's Quest Rules
• The Burning Wheel
• Transhuman Space
• Victorian Age: Vampire

2003

• Angel Roleplaying Game
• Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game
• D6 Adventure
• Dead Inside
• Deliria
• Diana: Warrior Princess
• EABA
• F.A.T.A.L.
• FATE
• Fates Worse than Death
• Grimm (role-playing game)
• High Adventure Role Playing
• Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game
• My Life With Master
• Neuroshima
• Orpheus
• Savage Worlds
• Silhouette CORE
• Sine Requie
• Stargate SG-1 Roleplaying Game
• Tri-Stat dX
• Unisystem
• Victoriana

2004

• Castles & Crusades
• Chronicles of Darkness
• Conan: The Roleplaying Game
• Dogs in the Vineyard
• D6 Fantasy
• D6 Space
• Fireborn
• Lone Wolf: The Roleplaying Game
• Monastyr
• Paranoia XP
• Primetime Adventures
• The Shadow of Yesterday
• Tibet: The Roleplaying Game
• Vampire: The Requiem

2005

• Anima: Beyond Fantasy (Spanish RPG)
• Army of Darkness
• Artesia: Adventures in the Known World
• Atlantis: The Second Age
• Blue Rose
• City of Heroes by Eden Games
• Dawning Star
• Dread
• Etherscope
• A Game of Thrones
• Hollyworld
• Jeremiah: The Roleplaying Game
• Mage: The Awakening
• The Mountain Witch
• Omni System
• Serenity
• Starship Troopers: The Roleplaying Game
• Tékumel: Empire of the Petal Throne
• True20
• Truth & Justice
• Usagi Yojimbo by Sanguine Productions
• Werewolf: The Forsaken
• World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game

2006

• Basic Fantasy
• Big Bang Comics
• Cadwallon (role-playing game)
• Chronicles of Ramlar
• Corporation
• Cold City
• Crystalicum
• Don't Rest Your Head
• Heroic Visions
• Hollow Earth Expedition
• Nemesis - Roleplaying in Worlds of Horror by Arc Dream Publishing
• OSRIC
• Promethean: The Created
• Shab-al-Hiri Roach
• Spirit of the Century
• Wild Talents (role-playing game)
• The Zantabulous Zorcerer of Zo

2007

• Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontier
• Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game
• Changeling: The Lost
• The Esoterrorists
• Fear Itself (role-playing game)
• Grey Ranks
• Labyrinth Lord
• Monte Cook's World of Darkness
• Reign
• Scion (role-playing game)
• Star Wars Saga Edition
• Tenra War
• Witch Hunter: The Invisible World

2008

• CthulhuTech
• Dark Heresy (role-playing game)
• Dead Reign
• Demon Hunters Role Playing Game
• Ghosts of Albion by Eden Studios, Inc.
• Houses of the Blooded
• Hunter: The Vigil
• Innocents
• Hot War
• Legend of the Burning Sands
• Monsters and Other Childish Things
• Mouse Guard
• Mutant Future
• Starblazer Adventures
• Swords & Wizardry
• Trail of Cthulhu

2009

• A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying
• Diaspora
• Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space
• Eclipse Phase
• Fantasy Craft
• Fiasco
• Geist: The Sin-Eaters
• Mutant City Blues
• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
• Rogue Trader (role-playing game)
• Supernatural: The Role Playing Game

2010s

2010

• Apocalypse World
• Capes, Cowls & Villains Foul
• Dark Dungeons
• Dark Harvest - The Legacy of Frankenstein
• DC Adventures
• Deathwatch (role-playing game)
• Dragon Age
• Eden: l'Inganno (Italian RPG)
• Lamentations of the Flame Princess
• Legends of Anglerre
• Leverage: The Roleplaying Game
• Smallville Roleplaying Game
• Stars Without Number
• The Dresden Files
• The Laundry

2011

• Abney Park's Airship Pirates
• Arcanis
• Ashen Stars
• Black Crusade (role-playing game)
• Fabled Lands
• The Kerberos Club (Fate)
• The One Ring Roleplaying Game

2012

• Dungeon Crawl Classics
• Dungeon World
• Iron Kingdoms
• Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
• Night's Black Agents (role-playing game)
• Space: 1889 (Ubiquity)
• Wolsung (Polish RPG)

2013

• 13th Age
• Blueholme
• Numenera

2014

• Star Wars: Age of Rebellion
• Atomic Robo
• Demon: The Descent
• Demonworld
• Firefly Role-Playing Game
• Splittermond (German RPG)
• The Strange

2015

• Cypher System
• Catalyst
• Night Witches
• Shadow of the Demon Lord

2016

• Adventures in Middle-earth
• Beast: The Primordial
• Bubblegumshoe
• Degenesis
• Delta Green
• No Thank You, Evil!

2017

• Blades in the Dark
• City of Mist (role-playing game) by Son of Oak Game Studio
• Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of
• Paranoia: Red Clearance Edition
• Starfinder Roleplaying Game
• Tales from the Loop by Free League Publishing
• Vurt
• Zweihänder (role-playing game)

2018

• John Carter of Mars by Modiphius
• Tails of Equestria by River Horse
• The Witcher by R. Talsorian Games

2019

• Never Going Home by Wet Ink Games
• Quest by The Adventure Guild
• Pathfinder Second Edition by Paizo
• Alien by Free League Publishing

2020s

2020

• Burn Bryte by Roll20
• Cyberpunk RED by R. Talsorian Games
• SLA Industries: 2nd Edition by Nightfall Games
• Vaesen by Free League Publishing
• Depués d'Ochobre by Ediciones Radagast

2021

• Shadow of Mogg by Manic Productions
• Fallout: The Roleplaying Game by Modiphius

Sources

• Darkshire, in English
• RPGGeek, in English
• Le Grog, in French
• PSNROL, in Spanish (archived)
• DRoSI, in German
• Martinolli, Pascal. 2019. « TTTTRPG: Timeline Tree of Tabletop Role-Playing Games, celebrating more than 40 years of game design innovations » Dataset and dot language code.

See also

• History of role-playing games
• List of role-playing games, restricted to notable games.
• List of role-playing game designers, including a short list of games to which each designer made a significant contribution.