Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition is Beamdog’s remaster of Black Isle Studios’ 1999 classic, and it’s routinely named among the best-written video games ever made, full stop, not just within the RPG genre. You play the Nameless One, an amnesiac immortal waking up on a mortuary slab in Sigil, the City of Doors, chasing the answer to a single haunting question: what can change the nature of a man?
This is a party-based RPG built almost entirely around dialogue, philosophy, and consequence rather than combat, a deliberate departure from its Infinity Engine siblings like Baldur’s Gate. It asks harder questions than most games bother attempting, and it answers them with some of the sharpest writing the medium has ever produced.
Wondering how a narrative-first RPG stacks up against more combat-focused entries on this list? See exactly where it lands in our full ranking of the best party-based RPG games.
Is Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition Worth It?
Yes, unreservedly, for anyone who values storytelling as much as, or more than, gameplay systems. The praise here borders on unanimous: one user review calls it flatly “the best video game writing of all time,” another “a masterpiece of storytelling,” and a professional review from Quandary awarded a perfect score specifically because “this game has very few weaknesses.” It won RPG of the Year from multiple outlets on original release and has aged into a genuine landmark, still routinely cited alongside or above Baldur’s Gate in “greatest CRPG ever” conversations.
Here’s the honest, consistent caveat, repeated across nearly every review, professional and player alike: combat is not the point, and it shows. Multiple reviewers describe it plainly as “not the strong point,” one detailed critique noted never losing a single fight using the simplest possible tactics, calling the system deliberately “neutered” to steer players toward roleplay over violence. A few reviewers also note the pacing shifts, the story grows more linear and combat-heavy in its final stretch, a slight step down from the free-roaming brilliance of Sigil earlier in the game. None of this is really a flaw so much as a defining choice, this is a game built for readers as much as players, and it succeeds spectacularly at what it’s actually trying to do.
Gameplay & Features
You play the Nameless One, an immortal who’s died and been reborn countless times, each death erasing his memory while leaving behind consequences he must now untangle. Dialogue trees here run genuinely deep, entire hours of the game unfold through conversation and philosophical debate rather than combat, and the choices you make ripple outward in ways that reward careful thought.
Combat runs on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition rules, functional but deliberately secondary, most encounters can be talked, sneaked, or thought past entirely if you’d rather avoid them. The Enhanced Edition adds widescreen support, a combat log, quickloot, and other quality-of-life features on top of the 1999 original.
- Widely considered among the best-written RPGs, arguably games, ever made
- Deep, philosophy-driven dialogue that often takes priority over combat entirely
- A genuinely unique setting, Sigil and the Planescape multiverse, unlike typical D&D fantasy
- AD&D 2nd Edition combat, intentionally secondary to story and roleplay
- 50+ hours for a full playthrough, closer to reading a dense novel than a typical RPG
PC System Requirements
Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition is by far the lightest game on this list, a remaster of a 1999 game asks almost nothing of modern hardware.
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8.1, or 10 |
| Processor | Dual-core processor |
| Memory | 1 GB RAM |
| Graphics | OpenGL 2.0 compatible |
| Storage | 2 GB available |
There’s no separate recommended tier since requirements this low already cover virtually any PC. It’s also officially supported on macOS and Linux, playable on Steam Deck, and available on mobile through iOS and the Mac App Store.
How to Buy & Play Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition
It’s priced at $19.99, and it goes on sale regularly, historically dropping to $3-6 during major sales.
- Buy Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition on Steam, for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Also available on GOG, Epic Games Store, and mobile app stores.
After purchase, install through your chosen storefront. Go in expecting a genuinely text-heavy experience, closer to an interactive novel than a typical action-forward RPG, and you’ll get out of it exactly what generations of fans have. For a more traditional Infinity Engine classic, Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition are both worth comparing against, and our full RPG catalog covers more options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition worth buying?
Yes, unreservedly, for anyone who values narrative as much as gameplay. It’s routinely named among the best-written RPGs ever made. Combat is intentionally secondary and not the game’s strength, a deliberate design choice rather than a flaw.
Is the combat actually bad?
It’s minimal and easy by design, most reviewers describe it as deliberately deprioritized to push players toward dialogue and roleplay instead. If you’re here for tactical combat, this isn’t the game for that, and that’s intentional.
How much reading is actually involved?
A lot. Several reviewers compare the total text to a 500-1,000 page novel. If you don’t enjoy reading dense dialogue, this game will feel like a mismatch regardless of its reputation.
Do I need to know Dungeons & Dragons or the Planescape setting beforehand?
No, the game introduces its unique setting, Sigil and the Planescape multiverse, entirely on its own terms. No prior familiarity is assumed.
How long does it take to finish?
Around 50+ hours for a full playthrough, given how much of the game unfolds through extensive dialogue.
Who made Planescape: Torment?
Black Isle Studios developed the original 1999 release. Beamdog developed the current Enhanced Edition, releasing on April 11, 2017.
