Rance is an eroge role-playing video-game series created, developed, and published by AliceSoft.The Rance Series. Retrieved from The Rance Series. It is the longest-running erotic video game series in history, with nearly 30 years between the first game and the conclusion of the series. The first installment, Rance: Quest for Hikari, was released in 1989, while the last main-series game, Rance X: Showdown, was released in 2018.ランス10|アリスソフト at the official AliceSoft web-site.
The Rance series follows the titular character, Rance, as he saves a number of kingdoms, defeats demon invaders, and causes mischief in the in-game world, known as "The Continent". He has appeared in most of the main series games as the playable character, accompanied by his loyal slave, Sill Plain. The series consists of ten main titles, along with several spin-off games. In addition, the first three games have been remade, titled Rance 01: Quest for Hikari, Rance 02: The Rebellious Maidens, and Rance 03: The Fall of Leazas respectively.
In 2008, along with many other early AliceSoft titles, all of the early Rance games up to Brutal King Rance were officially re-released as freeware titles. The Japanese release of Rance 02: The Rebellious Maidens was also officially re-released as freeware in 2023.
Most of the games have been officially localized and released in the west by MangaGamer starting with Rance 5D and VI in 2016. The latest English release is Sengoku Rance (RanceVII) Steam edition, released in October 2026.
Games The Rance series consists of ten main entries, starting with Rance: Quest for Hikari in 1989, and ending with Rance X: Showdown in 2018. There are also two short side story games, Rance 4.1 and Rance 4.2. Every game takes place in the same world, and events from each entry carry over into later ones; despite that, most of the games' stories are self-contained.
Brutal King Rance released after Rance 4.2, and served as a glimpse into the series' future. It is a spin-off that compiles the many ideas that the series producers had at the time, all into one large game. These ideas were later built upon in the games that came out after it, starting with Rance VI.
Rance: Quest for Hikari Rance, an adventurer working with the Keith Guild, accepts a mission to find and rescue the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Rance travels to the Kingdom of Leazas and investigates the castle town, while Sill investigates at the all-girls school, Paris Academy, where the kidnapped girl attended. This was the first game made under the AliceSoft brand, and the beginning of the Rance series. It was initially released for the PC-9800 series of computers, and was later ported to PC-8800, Sharp X68000, MSX 2 and 2+, FM TOWNS, PC88VA, and Windows 95.
Rance 01: Quest for Hikari Rance 01: Quest for Hikari, released for Windows in 2013, supersedes the original game in canon. The game features a new casino-inspired gameplay system and massively improves upon the content from the original game, while retaining the same overall story. This remake was later adapted into a hentai OVA series. The game was officially released in English by MangaGamer in 2020, bundled with Rance 02: The Rebellious Maidens.
Rance II: The Rebellious Maidens The town of Custom, a member of the Free Cities, is suddenly entombed underground by the Four Mages who were tasked to guard the town by Ragishss Cryhausen, the city's former guardian. Rance sets out with Sill to defeat them, but soon learns that their minds were corrupted by the power of the rings that they wield. Rance sets out to prevent them from receiving the magic power the rings grant. It was released in 1990 on the same computer systems as the first Rance game.
Rance 02: The Rebellious Maidens Rance 02: The Rebellious Maidens is a remaster the original game, released for Windows in 2009. The original release of Rance 02 only updated the graphics and engine, but the later release, Rance 02 Kai, completely rewrites the script to better fit in with the later games. The game was officially released in English by MangaGamer in 2020, bundled with Rance 01: Quest for Hikari.
Rance III: The Fall of Leazas The Kingdom of Leazas's castle is suddenly invaded by the Helmanian Empire, who borders them to the west. Fiends, nigh-invulnerable monsters who drank the blood of the Archfiend, are believed to be behind the unexpected attack attack, and Lia Parapara Leazas, the princess of Leazas who has fallen for Rance, calls upon him to save the kingdom. Rance sets out on a quest to find the power of Chaos, which is said to wield the ability to break the Fiends' invincibility field. This was the first game in the series to take on a larger scale, being the starting point for much of the lore and world building that the rest of the series builds upon. It was released in 1991 for the PC-9800 series, with ports to the Sharp X68000, FM TOWNS, and Windows 98.
Rance 03: The Fall of Leazas Rance 03 is a complete reimagining of the original game, released for Windows in 2015. It features modern graphics, a gameplay system building on top of the one featured in Rance 01, and massive expansions to the original game's scenario. Also being the only game in the series to feature voice acting, it is the most advanced of the Rance series' remakes. It was officially released in English by MangaGamer in 2025.
Rance IV: Legacy of the Sect Directly following the events of Rance III, Rance, shortly after having saved Leazas from the Helmanian Empire and the Fiends, is sent to Ylapu, a giant island floating above Leazas. There, Rance must find a way to return to The Continent's surface, while being hindered by agents from Helman who are attempting to revive and control the Wargod Upsilon, an ancient superweapon created by the Holy Magic Sect. This game connects heavily to AliceSoft's Toushin Toshi series. It was released in 1993 for the PC-9800 series, and was later ported to the FM TOWNS and Windows 95.
Rance 4.1: Save the Medicine Plant! Shortly after Rance IV, Rance accepts a quest to stop a horde of underground monsters from attacking the Happiness Pharmaceutical building, where Ibeprofun, a healing medicine, is produced. The ending leads directly into the next game, Rance 4.2: Angel Army.
Rance 4.2: Angel Army Continuing after the previous game, Rance 4.1: Save the Medicine Plant!, Rance chases down the remainder of the Angel Army, while himself being chased after by an assassination group and three "Rare Gal-Monsters". The two games were released in 1995 for the PC-9800 series, FM TOWNS, and Windows.
Brutal King Rance A while after the events of Rance IV, Rance, bored of his normal life, gathers a group of outlaw bandits, based in eastern Helman. The imperial army quickly strikes down the bandits, taking Sill Plain and Soul Less captive, but Rance narrowly escapes to Leazas. Desperate for aid in taking back his captured allies and enacting revenge on the Helmanian Empire, he marries Lia, who is now the Queen of Leazas, in order to become the tyrannical King of Leazas and use the country's power to save his allies and conquer the world for his own personal interests. Meanwhile, on the opposite end of The Continent, war escalates between the two opposing factions in the Monster Realm.
Brutal King Rance (also known as Kichikuou Rance) serves as a non-canonical "what if..." conclusion for the Rance series, based on the idea of Rance becoming a tyrannical king. Released in 1996, it is the first grand strategy game in the Rance series, and was the basis for Sengoku Rance and other non-Rance titles by AliceSoft with similar gameplay. It was also the first AliceSoft game released primarily for Windows, and all other Rance games would follow.
Rance 5D: The Lonely Girl A soft reboot of the Rance series, Rance 5D released in 2002 after a 6-year hiatus following Brutal King Rance. Rance 5D: The Lonely Girl is based on a unique roulette system, where the role-playing elements are determined by randomization. In the game, Rance is traveling through the Continent, when he and Sill stumble upon Genbu Castle, a castle leading to another dimension. They must then escape the dimension, along with a new ally, Rizna Lanfbitt.
The name, 5D, comes from the four different development phases the game went through (5A-5D). It was released in 2002 for Windows. The game was officially released in English by MangaGamer in 2016, bundled with Rance VI: Collapse of Zeth.
Rance VI: Collapse of Zeth Rance, shortly after his trials from Rance 5D: The Lonely Girl, travels to the magical Kingdom of Zeth while on a job. After offending a high-ranking governmental official, Rance is sent to a slave camp. While there, Rance collaborates with resistance group "Ice Flame", which seeks to change the inequality of Zethan society, in which non-magic users are treated as second-class citizens. Rance VI: Collapse of Zeth, released in 2004, is one of the most well-received installments in the Rance series, primarily due to its expansion on story elements from the non-canon Brutal King Rance. The game was officially translated by MangaGamer in 2016, bundled with Rance 5D: The Lonely Girl.
Sengoku Rance Rance sets out for Nippon, an island archipelago to the east of the Continent, which is modeled after the Warring-States Period of Japanese history. Having been entrusted by an ill Oda Nobunaga to command the Oda clan in his place, Rance seeks to unite Nippon under the Oda clan and have sex with as many of the beautiful Nipponese women as he can. Sengoku Rance, also known as Rance VII, was one of AliceSoft's best-selling titles of all time, being one of the most common entry points to the series. The game was released in Japan in 2006, and an official English translation by MangaGamer was released in 2019. It was officially released in English by MangaGamer in 2025, and Steam edition was officially released in October 2026.
Rance Quest Also known as Rance VIII, Rance Quest directly follows the events of Sengoku Rance. Rance returns to the Continent to seek a cure for the curse that was placed on Sill. While sneaking into Pencilcow, the home of the Kalar race, to find a cure for Sill, he offends the Queen with his antics, and she places a curse of abstinence on him in retaliation. He then journeys around the Continent, seeking a cure for both himself and for Sill. This installment focuses more on the individual stories of its various characters than on continuing the greater storyline of the series itself. The game was released in 2011, and an official English translation by MangaGamer was released in 2021.
Rance Quest Magnum An expansion of Rance Quest, Rance Quest Magnum adds a second, more focused storyline accessible after completing the original game's ending. The story follows the selection of a new Mulalaloux—the pope of Alicism, The Continent's most popular religion—shortly after the previous pope's death. Meanwhile, a cult acts against Alicism in the background, contaminating the souls of the depressed. The expansion's storyline includes an ending that segues into Rance IX, and was directly implemented into the official English release, without needing to be purchased separately.
Rance IX: The Helmanian Revolution The government of the Helmanian Empire has fallen into the hands of Stessel Romanov, who corrupts the country from behind the scenes. A revolutionary force led by the former Prince of Helman, Patton Misnarge, seeks to take back the government and restore it from its inner corruption. Patton solicits the aid of Rance, who agrees, with his own personal interests in mind. This game serves as a spiritual successor to one of AliceSoft's earlier standalone titles, Mamatoto: A Record of War, borrowing many elements such as characters, plot threads, and gameplay mechanics. The game was released in 2014, and was localized by MangaGamer in 2023.
Rance X: Showdown