Risen

Open-world fantasy RPG battling monsters on an earthquake-shaken island

Piranha Bytes, THQ Nordic · Published by THQ Nordic · Released Oct 2, 2009

RPG

Reviews: Very Positive; 89% of 11K
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 86% of 45 in 30 days
Playing now: 50; right now
Steam Deck: Playable
Last update: 3 years ago; Jan 24, 2023

Free demo available, 0 playing it now: get the demo.

Metacritic: 77/100 (critic reviews)

What is Risen?

Risen is a third-person, single-player fantasy RPG set on Faranga, an island troubled by mysterious earthquakes. You explore its open world, complete side quests, and fight with swords, staffs, or magic as your choices affect the island.

For you if...

+you like exploring open worlds and finding side quests
+you enjoy starting weak and gradually gaining strength
+you prefer gritty fantasy settings and single-player adventures

Not for you if...

−you want forgiving combat from the start
−you expect combat to feel smooth and responsive
−you dislike repetitive combat-heavy late-game sections

What players say

89% of 10,845 reviews are positive · 86% of 45 in the last 30 days

Players praise the island's atmosphere, exploration, and sense of character progression. Common complaints include clunky, punishing combat and repetitive later chapters. Some players also report progression-blocking bugs or trouble launching the game.

Screenshots and trailer

Risen system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10/11
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD CPU 2 GHz or equivalent
Graphics: 256 MB DirectX™ 9.0c compatible graphics card (nVidia® GeForce® 7900/ATI Radeon™ X1800 or better)
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 5 GB available space
DirectX: Version 9.0c