Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Easy top 5 RPG of all time, great voice acting, great worldbuilding too.

I have loved this setting since 1991 and this game was a beautiful culmination of most of the lore and brilliant game design. (Use the patch)

A unique rpg from 2004 running on the hl2 engine.
Its far from perfect and is rough around the edges.
You play as a vampire in a 2004 Los Angles and explore the night life and introduced to a society of vampires, im bad at explaining but thats the jist of the setting.
I highly recommend anyone who likes rpgs to pick this game up and give it try and download the community patch, i kept crashing to desktop loading a save from the downtown map for whatever reason until i installed the community patch.

Arguably Troika's masterpiece (though I consider Arcanum to be it), this game is outright a class on how to build an incredible, if somewhat linear, RPG. I do suggest getting it on GoG instead of Steam however, but either version is fine.

"Dude..that shit is WACK." a real line of dialogue in this game. 10/10 would recommend.

seriously though this game is amazing, I can only describe it as a perfect mix between skyrim GTA and resident evil, I usually find it hard to get into older game but trust me this is a gem, also its SO funny, the most memorable parts of this game come from the dialogue alone. Only issue in my opinion is you need experience with modding, the game simply isnt playable without the unofficial mod, if you're unsure how to mod but still wanna give it a try I believe on GOG the game has it preinstalled.

The definition of a cult classic. Bloodlines is janky mess that needs to be modded to work. That being said you won't experience a story better designed. The level design is legendary. Every playthrough I play of this game is a treat. All the edge of the 2000's in a condensed package. (9/10)

A cult classic, which deserves all the praise and all the criticism that it receives.

For anyone coming to the game fresh, be prepared for the mechanical shortcomings. This game is buggy and contains more than it's fair share of jank. The early game is phenomenal but some of the later game segments are underdeveloped and linear owing to the game being shipped out before it was ready. There are patches maintained by the community that address some of the biggest issues and even restore content. Look for it online.

The game truly succeeds on the atmosphere, ethos and story telling. There are a couple of cringe performances here and there, but the nature of WoD and the VtM setting, make some eccentricity work better than it otherwise would. Otherwise voice acting and script are damn solid, even to this day. The story is engaging and sits nicely in the lore of the franchise. It doesn't seem out of place in the least. Various factions are lovingly and accurately portrayed, perhaps with the exception of the Sabbat, who are slightly caricatured. But the game needs villains and you can't beat shovelheads for that role.

The lore of the world isn't dumped on you either, atleast not too much so. If you are unfamiliar with the world of darkness or Vampire the Masquerade in particular you will be overwhelmed with the lore right out the gate. Equally, if you are a returning fan of the IP, you'll find all the little details here, with the meta plot referenced here and there if you go out of your way to look for it.

The sound design is on point, atmospheric and grungy and helps to set the tone. Voice acting is incredible, though no voiced protag. This was before that time when voiced MC's was common.

I think, that for some people the age and jankiness of this game will prevent them from enjoying this rough diamond. But for those that can look past the shortcomings, you'll be treated to what can perhaps be considered the best computer game adaptation of the WoD ever made.

The unofficial patch and mods can really bring this game to life, definitely a sleeper hit,

The game is a little cult in his genre and still remains today very good. My thumbs down is for the fact that is full of bug, even a lot of crashes that prevent to play. I have an old cd version of Vampire with a patch inside really easy to install that resolves every matters. Today the patch recommended that in theory should resolve the matters is very difficult to use, and is not always working. So the important fact is that people who wants to buy this version of Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines should know before that like I said the game is full of bug and crashes, the patch, despite the many fine speeches that are made, is hard to use and sometimes works bad, then made a reflection before buy it. It's really pity and shame.

I finally got around to playing Bloodlines, and I’m so glad I did. This was my first VtM game I've played (no tabletop, video or Vis. Novel). I played as a Tremere on my first run, and it was such a great fit for me. I liked that the dialogs and choices change depending on where you spend your points. I tried to figure out every little puzzle and password on my own (I can be stubborn like that), but eventually I gave in and used a guide here and there. No regrets. It let me enjoy the story without getting stuck too long in the technical bits. Despite its age and a few clunky mechanics (load times, no tutorial, combat mechanics, etc), the game holds up incredibly well.
And the music? So good. The soundtrack really sets the tone, There's Ministry (very problematic, I know), Lacuna Coil, Chiasm, Genitorturers, to name a few. It really gives the game like an atmospheric and immersive feel/experience. I caught myself leaving the game running just to listen. It’s that good.
And yes, full disclosure: I’m probably a little biased. I’ve always loved vampires—stories, films, games, you name it. I even have my own custom set of fangs (see pfp lol). So when a game dives deep into vampire lore and lets me play as a blood mage in platform boots? I’m in.

Next run? Malkavian for the crazy dialogue and a possible 3rd run as Nosferatu for the difficulty.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Doesn't work without unofficial patch mod. Why should download mod from shady websites for a game I paid for? Just fix it or integrate mod into your game. Like how you did on GOG. Refunded, gonna buy it from GOG.

The original vampire imsim. It looks and feels kind of janky, and you should definitely get the plus patch, but it's so *very* good.

Classic game, a lil janky but in the good way. Solid 8/10

Will forever dream of this game and what more it could've been if given the time it deserved. With unofficial patch mod it runs decently and is always a great time.

Try setting exe file to Windows 7 compatibility should it not run for you.

Ah the memories that return! Loved this game when it first came out. Played it a few times through. The story is definitely great and the voice acting is still as amazing as I remember despite the years. Graphics are a bit dated of course. Still, pretty good considering. Level design was never a strong point, but tis not terrible. I have and still highly recommend this title.

I love this game SO much! Such a classic. It makes me so excited for the sequel!!!

This one is a cult classic for a reason. There's really nothing else quite like it. It does need a community patch to work, and some mods go a long way to improving some of the shortcomings of it, but this game really does stand out as something special. It's a tragedy that Troika's vision was never fully realized, and that we'll likely never get something like this again.

one of my favorite crpgs of all time. i have low expectations for the sequel, but i can play this game at any point in my life and i will love it just as much, if not more. its one of those experiences you really cant get anywhere else, and it remains my favorite vampire crpg and gaming franchise, next to legacy of kain. a certified banger must play for old school crpg fans

You know it is pretty hard to drag yourself to older titles these days but I'm glad I have been doing it.

Vtmb is one of the best storytelling games I've ever played, it's definitely the high praise here. Despite the combat being junky for nowadays games, give the game a try you will love every single minute of it.

The characters will make for everything, every NPC was well made, you can sense they really want you to drag around with the development of them. Definitely one of the best RPGs out there.

This game is something else man, I didn't think much of it when I first played it back in 2019, but now in 2025 giving it a fair shot. I can't stop thinking about it, the characters, writing and world building is some of the best I've ever seen in a video game. And I'm not the biggest RPG guy and this game sucked me in like a black hole. Even though the game has been rushed and is glitchy at times, even with the unofficial patch, it is still incredible. I think this is a game that time and time again I'll be finding myself playing again and again.

I used the Unofficial Patch. I see why this is so beloved by its fans. Had a great time, got into the world and characters. Can definitely see myself revisiting it. It is still a bit buggy even with the patch. There's probably only so much you can fix, just mentioning it so people know going in. There are some frustrating parts and some mechanics could have been implemented better. It's worth it though and I recognize it had a troubled development

to this day, one of the most unique and fun RPGs ever made. Embrace the darkness and your Affliction T-shirt as you are forced to dive into the nightlife of Santa Barbara, California as a freshly sired vampire, and reckon with the deep set of rules vampires must abide by to, well, not get caught and hunted. The Masquerade are those rules, namely, don't feed on a human to an extent it kills them, don't get caught feeding, and pretend to be normal.

During your new life, you'll have to deal with your racial traits--one vampire type is so ghoulish looking, they have to remain in the sewers, emerging very carefully. Others are typical strength, dexterity, or seduction specialists. For a second playthrough, the Malkavian race has a lot of like hallucinatory and psychic elements. You'll also have to get acquainted with these racial factions--the lines blur some but Bruha's stick amongst each other, Sanguines work the upper echelon of society, etc.

the closest comparison i can make is to Deus Ex 1; they both feel a little small these days, albeit dense with exploration. They both can feel a little lifeless, yet have worlds that immerse. they both have such a density of choices and levels that reflect those choices. Depending on your playstyle, you could skip just like half the game.

I don't know why a 20 year old game got a "price correction" when the real price is three times lower

It's hard to say something new about this game. I think that the term "Flawed masterpiece" describes it the best. The game has great dialogues, OST, lore, and atmosphere. Unfortunately, I never experienced it earlier, but there is a time for all things. I think I liked this game because it reminded me of what I felt when I watched Blade during my childhood. Vampires with their own set of rules, an underground society we are not familiar with, a gothic atmosphere, and new metal. If you like the above-mentioned things, this game is for you.

P.S. I am playing with the Unofficial Patch. Fortunately, I have not experienced bugs so far, so I recommend it. From what I've heard, it improves the gaming experience.

Despite couple (3-4) moments that I had use cheats, I had tons of fun in the game <3 It's worth the struggle. Remember to use the Unofficial patch, so you wont get stuck like me :)

Bloodlines is one of those rare games I replay every 10 years or so, and I just finished my third playthrough.

Of course, combat feels really clunky by nowadays standards, but it felt like that even 20 years ago when the game was first released. Other than that, it's a perfect role playing game with a great main storyline, tons of side quests, dozens of memorable characters, and great writing. Some side quests feel a bit boring and involve a lot of backtracking, and some combat areas are too long for their own good, but otherwise it's still a great game, and Unofficial patch that fixes tons of bugs and restores some content removed from the original release is just a cherry on the top.

It's hard to imagine that Bloodlines 2 (after its troubled development) won't suck, especially given how cool this game still is, but I still have hopes.

If I ever came across this on the steam store I'd probably skip over it on the assumption that it's not for me based on the subject matter and themes. I've also never been huge on RPGs but this game is something else entirely.

My first play-through I couldn't put it down. I wasn't even halfway through the game and I was already thinking about what I was going to spec into on my next. Incredibly fun and bleeds early 2000's PC aesthetic.

You can really feel the passion put into this project while playing

5 into seduction gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss 10/10 rpg of all time

This RPG encapsulates one of the most interesting takes on the 'real world meets real myths' type of setting, and the game just really slaps to put it bluntly - especially in terms of storytelling, designs, replayability and memorable characters.

Amazing game.
Download the unofficial patch, its a 21 year old game, obviously there will be problems running it on a modern system. it's not hard and improves the experience. I was able to play for the fist time without the patch but I've seen some people say it would crash/is unplayable without it.

Just understand that it's an old game, (you should get the patch,) and you will love it unless you hate games made with love and attention to detail.

One of the best rpg games i've played and the best vampire game i have ever laid my hands on. I can see now why this game is a cult classic. Playing this game makes me kinda sad that bloodlines 2 is deviating so much from the first game but i'm still gonna give it a shot when i comes out because of how good this game is.

Where to start? Just an incredible RPG in all honesty. If there's an RPG out there with better dialogue than this one then I'm really hard pressed to think of what it is. Love the atmosphere of the setting, super memorable characters, awesome music etc, etc. My only bitter feeling about this game is imagining what the third or so of it might have been if Troika hadn't been forced to rush it. The early 2000s really were the golden age of video game RPGs.

I'm obsessed with vampires and playing this game has been a much needed escape into that. So much detail and thought in this world and even though I'm just getting into the main plot I already want to restart it to play with different character builds.

Game is fully playable without patches so don't listen to the kids crying that you need one! Only grab one if you're experiencing gamebreaking bugs

They say that every time someone mentions "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines." Someone, somewhere in the world, reinstalls it.

Get the unofficial patch (probably won't even run without it).
Despite it's tragic history and the bugs and issues, still one of the best games ever made,

It's a one of a kind game. The Warriors (PS2 game) with Vampire powers vibes. If it had today's modern graphics. This would be as popular as Call of Duty.

By far one of my favorite games! The combat feels bad all the time and honestly its not what I'm here for so I don't care. Every time I restart the game, which is often, it doesn't feel like absolute sludge to get through the beginning handful of quests, no matter how recently I just started, whereas other games I can restart after years of not playing and I just want the beginning to end.

10/10 game. i didnt finish it yet. but with all the clans and lore. its a very replayable game, story is so rich and very funny at times when you wanna be evil lol.

Cult classic that dared to be different, delivering a brutally raw, mature, and richly layered RPG experience. Released in 2004 by Troika Games, it was undeniably ahead of its time—a game brimming with bold ideas that stumbled only because of the technical limitations and a rushed launch.

Set in a dark and twisted version of modern-day Los Angeles, Bloodlines thrusts players into the violent, seductive underworld of vampire society. It doesn't hold back—there’s sex, nudity, drug dens, shady nightclubs, and enough political backstabbing to rival a Shakespearean tragedy. You don't just play a vampire—you live as one, navigating clan politics, manipulating humans, feeding to survive, and hiding your true nature from the world (“the Masquerade”).

The game masterfully blends RPG mechanics with immersive storytelling. Dialogue options shape your path, your clan choice alters gameplay (e.g., the insane Malkavians or grotesque Nosferatu), and missions often allow for stealth, persuasion, or full-on violence. It’s heavy on investigation and dripping with dark humor—sometimes grotesque, often witty.

Combat is rough around the edges, but enemy variety—from humans and vampire hunters to supernatural horrors—keeps things tense. One moment you’re seducing a clubgoer, the next you're battling twisted monstrosities in haunted hospitals or sewers.

Despite all this brilliance, Bloodlines launched with a litany of bugs and unfinished features, made worse by releasing just days before Half-Life 2, stealing any spotlight it might’ve had. But thanks to a dedicated fan community patching it for years, the game still lives—sharper and more playable than ever.

In short: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is a flawed masterpiece—brilliant, broken, unforgettable. If you can see past the cracks, you’ll find one of the most daring RPGs ever made.

The graphics are a bit dated, combat is a little janky, and it needs the unofficial patch to really reach top form, but this is still one of my absolute favorite games ever

Great RPG I'd compare to Fallout New Vegas, I love the goth atmosphere of this game which is a sin that the bloodlines sequel some studio are making is gonna be boring modern slop. Roaming in 2000's LA as a vampire was sick with amazing music on top of it with the dark guitar ambiance, dark streets, and sexual night club music straight out of the movie blade. Combat's rusty so try exploiting it as much as you can. Although the gameplay of trying to get blood and using your powers without being seen by the public was engaging, you never see this with modern games. If you wanna play this game i'd recommend using a mod patch to run it as it was made for older software back in 04 that's why it says I only have 1 hour. Also it's worth it for the vamp girls
Gangrel Gang

Get to be an ugly son of a bitch that wears bondage gear and scares an old lady to death with his appearance. 10/10 true to life minus the bloodsucking and stuff.

game really shows its age but with the unofficial patch it works perfectly fine zero issues, only problem is sometimes voicelines lose quality mid conversation and get fixed the next voice line

This and Hunter the Parenting got me into World of Darkness, despite the buggyness this game is well written and fun until the end...literally the last mission becomes a shooting gallery.

The game is awesome for its time. Just remember to put it in compatibility mode (Win 7 works for me) and install the unofficial patch.

unable to allocate 200mb is the replay it gets after it opens then closes its unplayable please fix this bug

Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines is a 2004 gothic horror RPG set in L.A. This game is oozing with atmosphere and has some of the best writing in a game and despite being more than 20 years old which is mindblowing. The gothic vibe which the game is drenched in, sinks you deep in a world with rich lore, engaging characters and feels more alive than alot of modern rpgs today. The writing really does help with that, certainly if you do a malkavian playthrough.
The main downside of this game is probably the combat which can feel dated a times especially the sewer section, it isnt the worst and is surprisingly okay for being 20 years old but likely won't be anything special for you.

Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines is amazing gothic horror with some of the best writing in the medium with truly memorable characters. And even though Im not a big vampire fan had me playing multpile playthroughs just to see all the options in the way the story can unfold. I really hope Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is good despite the rough development.

VtM Bloodlines is in equal parts an underrated gem and a hot mess. The game is pretty rough if you don't play with the unofficial patch, but aside from that it's pretty stable if you do go out of the way to download it.

As a whole, the game thrives with its writing, atmosphere, and roleplaying opportunities. There aren't many games that manage to really get me immersed in their dialogue systems, but Bloodlines is just genuinely very well written and presents a wide variety of different character types for you to try out. You're given ample opportunities to play the kind of vampire you're interested in without ever being given choices that feel tacked on or immersion breaking. This game immediately ranks up there along with other titles like Fallout: New Vegas, Baldur's Gate 3, and Disco Elysium as experiences that I was able to truly immerse myself in and become somebody else. Any game that can do that is worth a shoutout.

With all of that being said, the gameplay is definitely the game's weak point. Combat is clunky and unsatifying, with some really poor balancing with regard to specific build types such as stealth. The AI can often be comically bad, although this is only super noticeable if you try to avoid combat in most cases. I'd also like to highlight that in terms of enemy layout and level design, the last stretch of the game is legitimately pretty terrible and feels like a punishment for wanting to reach the end. The sewer level in particular feels like an unfinished Garry's Mod map you'd use for playtesting, rather than something that should be in any sort of finished project. It's sort of a shame that Bloodlines sputters out in the end, because it sort of leaves a bad final impression even if you've managed to appreciate the game's strengths.

As I said at the start, VtM Bloodlines is a game defined by duality. It ranges from being a genuine masterpiece to unfinished garbage that I really did have to force myself to get through. However even keeping the bad in mind, I still think it deserves its status as a cult classic and is a must play for fans of TTRPG and WRPG experiences.

Hands down the best RPG I've played, and the most engaging foray into the World of Darkness out there. Sure, it's Source jank, but it was made with genuine passion, and there is nothing quite like it out there. Just save yourself a headache and play with the Unofficial Patch.

And remember. Wherever we go, it is the blood of Caine which makes our fate.

Legend has it every time you mention this game, someone reinstalls it.

Timeless, get the Plus+ patch, Wesp5 one of the few steam gold borders (community) goat. Check'em