Why are Hentai RPGs More Popular Than Ever?

Role-playing games aren’t just for us nerds anymore. From big-screen movies to small-screen streaming mega-hits, RPG games and the people that love them are in the mainstream more than ever. This is true for the world of erotic gaming, too. Today, the porn game marketplace is full of old-school homages (think Genesis era) and big-budget 3D projects alike – not to mention the countless smash hit mobile RPGs. If you are curious about the many types of RPGs that exist, take a look at our detailed list of every RPG genre. Hentai RPGs are one of the industry’s biggest moneymakers, and they’re here to stay. We even made a top 10 of some of the best free Hentai RPG games the industry has to offer, so be sure to check it out!

Porn’s never been a stranger to role-playing. (Wink.) While early erotic gaming didn’t start out with role-playing games – it was more focused on text-based adventures and arcade experiences – eager developers in the early ‘80s were quick to incorporate elements. Japanese developers, in particular, were instrumental in the introduction of hentai RPGs. Early releases by companies like Enix and Falcom wrote the playbook for how to create erotic RPG experiences going forward. Out of this era, big successes like the Rance series proved that role-playing porn could make big bank.

Why, though? The answer lies in the original core demographic for erotic RPGs: otaku. Before everybody could pick up their phone and tap their way through a sexy role-playing fantasy, the otaku fanbase embraced the genre in a big way. RPGs are largely successful today because of how Japan responded to the genre in the 80s and 90s. After growing out of nerd circle success, high-profile fantasy games like Dragon Quest put the genre in the limelight, where it’s only gotten more popular to this day!

C. Dragon Quest, Square Enix Games (1986)

That otaku culture connection we mentioned earlier is important here, because both RPGs and hentai grew out of that same scene. Naturally, horny otaku with programming and art skills put their talents to work in order to bring their fantasies to life. For decades, though, this was seen as a niche offshoot of both porn and gaming. Despite some of the profound adult role-playing experiences on the market, and despite the rabid fanbases many titles accrued, it took a while for hentai RPGs to start being taken seriously.

So – what changed? Two big things heralded the shift of porn RPG games from niche fandom to multi-million-dollar juggernauts. First, several successful adult games were given Safe for Work alternatives on major home consoles. This led to an unprecedented level of spread for previously niche titles, as titles like the Fate VN and RPG series ended up finding mainstream success among wider audiences. Soon, in the mid-2000s, it was commonplace to see sanitized adaptations of adult properties popping up in retail stores – even in America! Audiences got familiar with certain mechanics, character archetypes, and art styles through things like the Persona series.

The second major factor has to do with a little thing called the iPhone. iPhone RPGs burst onto the scene quickly – first with ports of the best RPG games of all time, then with bite-sized exclusives, and finally, full-scale hours-long adventures. Then, around the 2010s, a little game about dragons and puzzles changed everything. Mobile RPGs were rebirthed seemingly overnight, with a massive focus on longevity and free-to-play accessibility.

C. Kamihime Project R is one of the best free Hentai RPG games available.

To say this changed everything would still be an understatement. Suddenly, anything and everything could become a successful mobile game juggernaut. Major anime and console gaming series alike started taking their crack at mobile role-playing games. Pedigreed directors and artists, responsible for iconic gaming IPs, saw the potential in the mobile space and shifted their focus there. By the mid-2010s, the writing was on the wall when gameplay elements, aesthetic choices, and narrative themes from mobile RPGs found their way onto console games. In fact, some juggernaut mobile games even found their way onto consoles with full-priced installments or spin-offs. Things were coming full circle!

But wait – what’s this have to do with porn? Believe it or not: everything.

See, big players like DL Site were quick to capitalize on the mobile RPG boom. In the early 2010s, big games started launching in smutty and smut-free flavors for mobile devices. This worked on multiple levels. One: erotic games got to be enjoyed on their own merits, instead of simply for the porn. Two: people who really liked the mild variety of a particular game could upgrade to the spicy one, and have it be their first big foray into hentai. It was a win-win for the hentai industry.

One game towers above all else, though: Fate. After growing out of an erotic visual novel into a multi-media juggernaut, the legendary otaku property set its sights on the mobile gaming arena. It had a huge international launch at Anime Expo 2017, where massive billboards and bus adverts of iconic characters like Saber and Lancer decorated Los Angeles. That weekend, thousands of attendees downloaded the fresh new game, and over the next few weeks it blew up all over the Western internet. Soon, the small Fate fanbase was hit by an influx of fresh-faced fanboys and fangirls. Nowadays, you can find Fate merch and media in countless big box retail stores.

C. Fate: Grand Order, full bus decal during Anime Expo 2017, Los Angels (Twitter: @Sup3rHobo 2017).

And to think: it all started from an erotic visual novel!

This is the landscape that allowed hentai RPGs to flourish. Mobile juggernauts paved the way for otaku franchises to inch into the space, and RPGs proved to be a successful business model for free service games of all genres. Eventually, even the most niche hentai games discovered mainstream success among the broadest audiences.

And really? It makes perfect sense! Role-playing games are all about lengthy, girthy (stop laughing!), meaty (seriously!) experiences centered around making the player feel special. Each hour spent, level ground, statistic managed is in service making the player feel a certain degree of control and agency – or lack thereof. These are the trademarks of some the best RPG games of all time. Apply that to porn, and the genre makes perfect sense.

Over time, players build a strong relationship with their player character. Along the way, they develop certain attachments to party members and NPCs. That attachment turns into sexual interest, and that interest turns into an active effort to get closer with that character. Over the course of your Hentai RPG adventure, you get stronger, and the object of your affection notices that growth. Through hours of gameplay, dialogue, and other mechanics, you get to experience full sexual gratification with your favorite characters. 

In other words: imagine your favorite AAA or AA or indie game experience. Imagine your favorite adult character that you’ve spent hours with. Then imagine the possibility of having sex with them. Yeah! It’s very easy to understand why this genre works. Just ask the creators of those space and dragon RPG porn games…

RPGs and porn go together like lube and your hand, and RPG porn games are the lay of the land. Going forward, you’re going to see more and more mainstream takes on porn, and more porn going mainstream. Kinky, fun smut fests like Taimanin Asagi are already courting mainstream mobile appeal! So get ready – the future of erotic role-playing games is a bright one.