This is for transmigration, not:
- Second chances in fantasy (https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10749/)
- Transmigrated as a monster (https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10686/)
- Transmigrated as a dungeon core/master (https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10742/)
- Traditional fantasy (drafting this one)... more>>

Great EN transmigration novels:
- Metaworld Chronicles
- Castle Kingside
- The Calamity of a Reborn Witch
- Memoirs of your local small-time villainess
- Rebirth as a wind cultivator
- Surviving the Succession
- Jackal Among Thieves
- The Essence of Cultivation
- Elydes
- Borne of Caution/Desire (Pokemon)
- Dreaming of sunshine (Naruto ff)
- Delve
- Beneath the Dragoneye Moons
- Beware of chicken
- Deathworld Commando Reborn
- Mark of the Crijik
- Eight (discontinued)
- Victor of Tucson
- The Calamitous Bob
- The Last Orellen
- He Who Fights with Monsters
- Unbound
- Savage Divinity
- Worth the Candle
- The Many Lives of Cadence Lee
- Way of the Shaman (translated from Russian, published, with VRMMO elements)
- How to avoid death on a daily basis
- Azarinth Healer
- Wandering Inn
- Ar'Kendrithyst
- The Arcane Emperor
- Cursed Era <<less

How would you bring technology into a fantasy world? Make sense of the magics? Feed people and get rid of the corrupt nobles? This is specifically on developing a city or territory, not:
- Developing a dungeon/core (see my other list: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10742/)... more>>

First, a few worthy mentions that aren't on NU:
1. The iron teeth - although territory development comes late in the story, it's well done and exotic, being based on a goblin kingdom
2. Castle Kingside (rewrite) - a lot of inspiration from Release that Witch, imo improved! Warning: it's slow. Kingdom only begins around c60ish.
3. Chosen of the Endless One
4. The Eagle's Flight - highly intricate fantasy webnovel
5. 1632 (published book) - an American village goes back to the 30 years war. It's much less fantastical, but has a lot of similar elements to other kingdom building novels.
6. Defiance of the fall
7. Randidly Ghosthound - neither Randidly nor Defiance of the Fall focus on kingdom building, but they both have elements related to setting up a post-apocalypse system city - complete the quest to get the village crystal/coin!
8. The Expansion (Legend of the Arch Magus) - [have not yet read] - recommendation from Hitexh in the comments
9. Enlightened Empire - weaker than the others <<less

This list is specifically for second chances/age regression in fantasy, historical or VRMMO settings. 
- Not transmigration stories (see: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/16246/)
- Not time loop stories (see: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10681/)
- Not second chances in modern society (see:  https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10745/)... more>>

I'll start with a big recommendation for:
1. Metaworld chronicles - wonderful series with well developed characters, magic, monsters and dragons, all set to a really well explored alternate modern Earth fuelled by magi-tech. It's the best in the genre and you should try it out!
2. Selena's Reign - only around 20 chapters out so far, but they're really well done. Beautiful descriptions (though sometimes a bit verbose) and the best depictions of a late 18th century setting that I've seen in an online fantasy. Read this for the magical second chance messiah in a gritty, Louis XIV->Napoleon type time frame world.
3. The Calamity of a Reborn Witch - more of a shoujo take on things, it's filled with political plots and conspiracies of a cinderella type heroine in a rather dark fantasy world
4. Forgotten Conqueror (this was on hiatus for a long time but restarted on the author's site) <<less

There are so many amazing works that feature regressed MCs that are going through a second chance in management, corporate ladders, sports, cooking, etc. Definitely stronger list than the second chance in fantasy. Wanted to make a list that specifically targets this genre.... more>>

First, some of the best that aren't on NU:
1. Trailer tr*sh - wonderful depiction of a second chance high school life with strongly developed characters
2. Metaworld chronicles - only barely qualifies because it's really a fantasy world, but it's an alternate modern day Earth, with great detail and development of cultures and places and set in a modern society, if magic based
3. Let me make you a star - [have not yet read] but has good ratings, comment if you've had a chance to read it!

In addition, there are a number of great drama/TV shows (JP, CN and KR) of second chances that I highly recommend if you like this genre. I've added them in a comment below the list.

If you enjoy second chances, you can also try my other lists on:
- Second chances in fantasy (https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10749/)
- Time loops (includes movies and webnovels not on NU - https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10681/) <<less

Reincarnation took a turn for the strange: becoming a rock became a dream that some dared to dream. This is actually more a N. American genre:... more>>

1. The bound dungeon (discontinued but my favourite)
2. The divine dungeon (published)
3. Dungeon heart
4. There is no epic loot here, only puns
5. Dungeon Life
6. The Dungeon Child
7. Gaia awakens
8. Bone dungeon (published)
9. Slime dungeon (published)
10. The Obsidian Core (discontinued)
11. Dungeon robotics (sci-fi)
12. Futuristic dungeon core (published; also sci-fi)
13. Station core (published; also sci-fi)
14. Dungeon Core Online
15. Dungeon hive (published)
16. Dungeon lord (published)
17. Core of fear (published)
18. Ancient ruins (published; s*avery, mind break, read at your own peril)
19. Dungeon deposed (published; harem dungeon)
20. Rogue dungeon (published; only barely counts as dungeon core)
21. Cultivating dungeon (discontinued; fuses dungeon core with xianxia cultivation concepts)

(Credits to Gramis and Bellow: https://www.royalroad.com/forums/thread/97848?page=1, https://litrpgreads.com/blog/litrpg/top-ten-dungeon-core-litrpg-books)

If you like this type of story, you might also want to check out my other list if for reincarnated as a monster! <<less

Now a classic sub-genre of the Isekai genre, getting transformed into a monster is often accompanied by game elements or ability to evolve...... more>>

So many outside NU:
1. The Iron Teeth - goblin - by far the best - goblin MC is not reincarnated...
2. Realm of Monsters
3. Journey of Black and Red - vampire
4. A Dragon's Curiosity - dragon/human
5. The Dark Herbalist (Russian) - goblin - VRMMO goblin series
6. Chrysalis - warrior ant fighting for queen and hive
7. Threadbare - teddy bear
8. Queen in the mud - salamander with cute magic and city building
9. Demon's virtue - an imp
10. Life reset - yet another goblin - VRMMO like Dark Herbalist
11. I don't want to be the hive queen - Vex (humanoid/ant/zerg?) - [have not read yet]
12. Fork this life - fork [have not read yet]
13. Lament of the fallen - chimeric demon/kitsune/angel - [have not yet read]
14. Vainqueur the dragon - dragon - comedy
15. Parasite king - parasite (not reincarnation)
16. Archaic princess - zerg
17. Everybody loves large chests - mimic
18. Is that a wisp - wisp
19. Tree of aeons - tree - good premise, inconsistent mechanics and lots of plot armour
20. The snake report - snake

Classic: Metamorphosis (Kafka) - bug (cockroach?)

If you like this type of story, you might also like Reincarnated as a Dungeon Core novels. You can check my other list if you want to see some of those. <<less

The world as we know it has ended... now we live in the apocalypse, fighting the monsters with superpowers and magic... wait, what?... more>>

I have no idea why apocalypse became a fantasy genre, but there you go. There are a bunch of entertaining tales of reincarnator, magicians and just people who were around at the wrong (right?) time!

First, here are some good webnovels that aren't on NU:
1. Cyber Dreams (an AI rather than a system, but professional level writing)
2. Super supportive
3. Double-blind: A modern litRPG
4. Defiance of the Fall
5. The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound (this novel has practically created a sub-genre of its own in RRL)
6. The Gam3 (Discontinued? Author said he would come back, but it's been a long time... a shame, since it was great)
7. Paladin
8. The Primal Hunter (had some really good characters... and really poor ones... and it really falls off by the end of the tutorial...)
9. Change: New world (discontinued)

As for published novels, you can try out:
1. World War Z
2. The Stand
3. Swan's song

Or go see some other recommendation lists like this one: https://best-sci-fi-books.com/21-best-post-apocalyptic-science-fiction-books/ <<less

Most time loops aren't on NU either, so here are some to look for:
1. Mother of Learning
2. The Perfect Run
3. Dear Spellbook
4. The Years of Apocalypse
5. Reroll - Worm meets timeloop.
6. Butler to Core Lord
7. Master of the Loop - time loop to messiah on the wall against the zombie hordes
8. The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Victorian mu*der mystery in a body swapping time loop
9. Truth Seeker - a Mother of Learning mimic. Not original, but it is fun and decently written.
10. The Menocht Loop - a fusion of inception's idea of layers with a time loop. Great start, falls off later...... more>> /> 11. Replay (1987) - one of the original loop novels with s*x, drugs and rock and roll
12. The Great Core's Paradox - ouroboros LitRPG
13. RE: Monarch - a prince in a loop... unfortunately, the writing is pretty bad...

And more I have not yet read:
1. The first 15 lives of Harry August
2. The bleak walker
3. Darkmatter/recursion
4. Strange Life of Ivan Osokin
5. 11 birthdays
Skeleton soldier who couldn't protect the dungeon (webtoon)

Time loop movies in the first comment. 

If you like Time loop novels, check out second chance novels: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/10749/ <<less

As a man, I am not interested in shoujo novels in general... However, there are some that I've dared to try out that I've quite enjoyed. Here's a list!... more>>

Some I've admittedly not yet tried but soon intend to do so since they look like they would appeal, so my confidence level in the appeal is high for the first 15 titles, and... more experimental for the following...

Also, check out:
- The calamity of a reborn witch on RRL, it's a really great novel

I welcome thoughts and comments, particularly on ranking, additions and unsuitable novels for this list. <<less

Don't expect many harems with characters who can't think for themselves or fall in love with the MC before page 1. Many might have a slow moving plot... have to invest yourself into the characters to find the tragic, beautiful and poignant!... more>>

First, some English original webnovels that are superb and easily googleable (in order of best characters, not necessarily plot): 
1. Trailer tr*sh
2. Iron Teeth
3. Castle Kingside (rewrite)
4. Metaworld Chronicles
5. The Good Student
6. Worm (Parahumans)
7. AnimeCon Harem (18+)
8. Mother of Learning
9. Selena's Reign
10. Double Blind: A modern litRPG
11. Tidal Lock (unfinished)

Note that I've been recently pruning and updating the list to remove some that were just good stories with average characters and move them over to new lists that are top of their genre. You can see all my rec lists at https://www.novelupdates.com/user/10378/tallrice/ <<less