Planescape: Torment

Planescape: Torment
Game box art of a man's face—with rough features and shaded blue—looking out of the box against an orange background of a city. The title is justified middle and top in stylized letters.
Cover art featuring The Nameless One as portrayed by producer Guido Henkel
Developer(s)Black Isle Studios
Publisher(s)Interplay Entertainment
Producer(s)
Designer(s)Chris Avellone
Programmer(s)Dan Spitzley
Artist(s)Tim Donley
Writer(s)Chris Avellone
Composer(s)Mark Morgan
EngineInfinity Engine
Platform(s)
Release
December 10, 1999
  • Windows
    • NA: December 10, 1999
    • UK: January 7, 2000
  • Enhanced Edition
  • Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows
  • April 11, 2017
  • Switch, PS4, Xbox One
  • October 15, 2019
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Planescape: Torment is a 1999 role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment for Windows. The game takes place in locations from the multiverse of Planescape, a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy campaign setting. The game's engine is a modified version of the Infinity Engine, which was used for BioWare's Baldur's Gate, a previous D&D game set in the Forgotten Realms.

Planescape: Torment is primarily story-driven, with combat taking a secondary role. The protagonist, known as The Nameless One, is an immortal man who forgets everything if killed. The game focuses on his journey through the city of Sigil and other planes to reclaim his memories of previous lives, and to discover why he was made immortal in the first place. Several characters in the game may join the Nameless One on his journey; most of these characters have encountered him in the past or have been influenced by his actions in some way.

The game was not a commercial success, but it received critical acclaim and has since become a cult classic, claimed by video game journalists to be the best role-playing video game of 1999. It was lauded for its immersive dialogue, for the dark and relatively obscure Planescape setting, and for the protagonist's unique persona, which shirked many characteristics of traditional role-playing games. It is commonly cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. An enhanced version for modern platforms was made by Beamdog and released for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS in April 2017 and for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in October 2019.