Something that’s being heavily overlooked in this thread is the difference between a CRPG and an RPG/ARPG. I’m not sure which one OP is referring to, but if you want an easy guide, Fallout 1-2 are CRPGs, Fallouts 3-4 are not. Skyrim, the Witcher, latter Assassin’s Creed games, Elden Ring, etc are not CRPGS. Games like Divinity Original Sin 1-2, Baldurs Gate 3, Pillars of Eternity, Pathfinder, etc are CRPGS

[–] Kelly 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 55 minutes ago) (1 children)

I'm not sure I agree.

Claiming that Skyrim is not a Computer Role Playing Game requires some supporting reasoning.

Something like the Berlin Interpretation might help but as it is we don't know which features you use feel qualify/disqualify a title for inclusion.

[–] EncryptKeeper 0 points 27 minutes ago* (last edited 19 minutes ago)

A CRPG is the video game sister-genre of the table top role playing game.

“Computer Role Playing Game” doesn’t mean “A Role Playing Game that’s on the Computer”, the word computer is used here specifically to distinguish it from tabletop, meaning it’s intrinsically tied to tabletop RPGs.

So if a game plays with very similar mechanics to a tabletop rpg (Turn based, tile or distance based movement, top down or isometric views, unique player-created characters, plus the other hallmarks of the greater RPG genre), then you can call it a CRPG. Games like XCom are closer to being CRPGs than the likes of Skyrim, though it wouldn’t itself qualify because it’s not an RPG.

Games like Skyrim are well established in the “Action RPG” genre which is intentionally distinct from the CRPG genre so the burden of supportive evidence and reasoning would really be on you to try and make the claim that Skyrim is a CRPG.

Wikipedias list of video game genres has a brief distinction explanation. The most important being turn-based vs real time combat.