The best RPGs leave a mark on those that play them. With unforgettable casts of characters, thrilling setpieces, and rich storylines, the best roleplaying games are a dialogue, allowing us to write our own stories within a beautifully constructed playground.
Though not every RPG on this list is open-ended, all of them will take you on a journey, immersing you in its world and characters. Some offer bespoke, tailored stories that closely follow carefully calibrated story beats, while others give you free rein in vast world, letting you chart your own course. Others blend these trends, offering a pleasing mix of wide-angle and narrow-focused experiences.
Whether or not you're looking for an open-ended experience like Baldur's Gate 3, or you're in search of a more on-the-rails tale like Final Fantasy 16, our list has you covered. Every title on our list impresses with its commitment to delivering on a specific fantasy, whisking you away to somewhere special. Read on for new worlds, new adventures, and new possibilities.
Best RPGs
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Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch
Skyrim may be over a decade old, but this open-world fantasy epic still remains one of the best RPGs around and is well worth playing before The Elder Scrolls 6 releases.
One of Bethesda's best roleplaying games, Skyrim sees you, the Dragonborn, on a quest to defeat a cosmically powerful dragon before he destroys the world. But Skyrim's main storyline is only a single facet of this incredible adventure. You can spend hundreds of satisfying hours completing side quests and exploring every nook and cranny of Skyrim's massive world. Offer as rich an environment as this. What's more, if you pick up the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, you can indulge in all the game's DLC and even enjoy the benefits of an official graphical upgrade.
Platforms available: Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
Disco Elysium is an RPG like no other. Set in a grimy rundown city full of downtrodden characters, you play a hungover, amnesiac detective trying to solve a murder. Thanks to his amnesia this (initially) nameless cop is yours to mold as you play.
What makes Disco Elysium special is its choices. There is rarely a clear "right" or "wrong" choice, and you can have wildly different playthroughs by leaning into different parts of your character. You can be corrupt, lazy, belligerent, or, dogged and dedicated. Disco Elysium's protagonist contains multitudes, making him one of the best roleplaying game characters out there. This is a must-play for RPG fans, especially now that it's been upgraded to The Final Cut, a version that features even more content and full voice acting.
Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Amazon Luna
The Yakuza games have always mixed mature themes with utterly bonkers shenanigans, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon really lets loose in the latter regard. While you can still expect plenty of hard-hitting plot points during the game’s lengthy and turbulent story, the series' entire fighting system has been re-imagined as a turn-based JRPG – and it works surprisingly well.
Each character can take on various classes, such as becoming a crooning musician or cutesy J-Pop idol, and each has their own abilities in battle. It’s certainly a different approach, but seeing as you're fighting nudists and cult members, it's only right that your magical summon should be a giant lobster. This is one of the best roleplaying games for players who enjoy a bit (or a lot) of the ridiculous.
Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC
Persona 5 might be the most stylish JRPG you’ll ever play. Everything aspect of the game, from the battles to the loading screens, insists upon you with an unerring commitment to slick aesthetics.
This JRPG tells the story of a group of jaded teens who quite literally change the hearts of evildoers, uncovering stories of abuse, breaking free from societal norms, confronting corrupt officials, and much more. There’s a profound depth to Persona 5's story, which tackles dark themes through nuanced storytelling. This is a game that belongs on any list of the best RPGs, both for how engrossing it is and how well it introduces you to all that makes JRPGs great.
Platforms available: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S
The Witcher 3 sees you stepping into the well-trodden boots of Geralt, a gruff and gray-haired monster hunter who is trying to hunt down his adopted daughter Ciri before the ghostly Wild Hunt does. His quest leads him on a sprawling adventure through the massive open world of the Continent, where you'll encounter bizarre and terrifying creatures, oddball NPCs, and even some romantic interests.
If you're after a medieval fantasy RPG with detailed world-building, quality storytelling, and enticing sidequests, then you can't go wrong with The Witcher 3 – even if you've not played the other games in the series. What's more, thanks to The Witcher 3 next-gen upgrade that was released in late 2022, this top-notch RPG looks and performs better than ever. It's definitely worth playing ahead of The Witcher 4's release and remains one of the best RPGs ever made.
Platforms available: PC
Baldur's Gate 3 brings Dungeons & Dragons to life, offering a roleplaying game experience that provides a mind-boggling degree of freedom. Not only is character customization open and full of possibility but the game's fleshed-out companion characters and sprawling fantasy story offer a masterclass in immersion.
Larian Studios' latest RPG is a creature of contrasts. On one hand, it asks you to make tough narrative decisions weighing up moral complexities as you attempt to navigate its harsh and unforgiving world. On the other, it lets you talk to animals and push enemy necromancers off of cliffs. Baldur's Gate 3 is a wonder that rewards playfulness and creativity, capturing the spirit of Dungeons & Dragons with panache.
Platforms available: Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom takes the formula established in its critically acclaimed predecessor The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and runs with it, offering a slick adventure game that amounts to one of the best Switch games out there. Despite the hardware limitations of the Nintendo Switch, Tears of the Kingdom looks breathtaking, making heavy use of verticality in its environment design to help portray an incredible sense of scale.
In addition to these soaring landscapes, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom adds new layers of interactivity to the game world. With the Ultrahand, players can use objects in the world to craft structures and even vehicles, rewarding player creativity and unorthodox solutions. You can also fuse objects with your weapons, creating deadly combinations. The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom isn't just one of the best RPGs, it's also a playground.
Platforms available: Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is, without a doubt, the boldest Pokemon game to date, delivering on the pocket monster fantasy in a big way. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet takes place in an immense open world. Getting to see fully realized 3D Pokémon in their natural habitat is an absolute treat. Plus, with your own legendary Pokémon to ride around on, you’re able to zip across the snowy mountains and luscious fields of Paldea with ease.
What’s most charming, however, is how Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s systems come together. You’ll be given three questlines to do as you venture about the world: the classic “beat 8 gym leaders” schtick, the classic “foil the evil team” storyline, and a novel set of missions based on defeating giant wild Pokémon in search of healing herbs for your friend’s sickly Pokémon. This trifecta adds a nice sense of variety that often seems lacking in previous Pokémon titles, helping Pokémon Scarlet and Violet stand out from the pack as the best of the bunch. Though the title does suffer from performance issues, the raw ambition behind the title makes it one of the best RPGs to play at the moment.
Platforms available: PS5
From many of the big names behind critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy 14, this gritty, dark fantasy tale is bursting with heart and soul. Final Fantasy 16 follows Clive Rosfield, on his quest to unravel a dark conspiracy that threatens his world. Set against an intricate backdrop of geopolitical tension and interpersonal drama, Square Enix's latest is a masterclass in storytelling and dialogue.
Contrary to many previous entries in the series, Final Fantasy 16 opts for an action-oriented approach to combat, more in the tradition of Devil May Cry 5 than a turn-based action game. The result is a thrilling and rewarding combat system, which allows for fully-realized cinematic battles. In Final Fantasy 16, the setpiece battles are almost characters in themselves, providing heart-stopping action that had us at the edge of our seats.
Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
This remastered sci-fi trilogy follows the adventures of Commander Shephard as they traverse the cosmos with their ragtag crew in an effort to stop a race of machines, known as the Reapers, from taking over the galaxy. The original trilogy is one of the best RPG series ever made. Fortunately, this remaster does its predecessors justice.
The Mass Effect trilogy that released during the Xbox 360 era was beloved by gamers the world over thanks to its immersive role-playing gameplay, deep science fiction lore, and, if we're being honest, the charming romanceable aliens. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition makes these games even better by significantly cleaning up all three with a number of visual, audio, and gameplay enhancements, bringing the series into the modern age while keeping our rose-colored memories of it completely intact.
Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
The latest entry in Blizzard’s longstanding action RPG titles, Diablo 4 offers a welcome return to the series’ fundamentals while modernizing the experience in almost every way possible. In Diablo 4, you play as The Wanderer, an adventurer who finds themselves swept up in a cosmic battle between the forces of heaven and hell.
Choosing from five classes, you’ll be able to take advantage of Diablo 4’s deep character customization system, allowing you to tailor your talents and abilities to fit your playstyle – a hallmark of the very best RPGs. Though the game’s gothic art style does a great deal to captivate, it’s the dynamic open world and slick multiplayer that keep fans coming back. Through occasionally light on story Diablo 4 more than makes up for this by allowing you to build a character that’s truly your own.
Best RPGs: FAQs
What is the most popular RPG ever made?
In terms of publically available sales numbers, the Pokémon franchise is the best-selling RPG series of all time, having sold over 480 million units since the series began back in the 1990s. Between them, Pokémons Blue, Yellow, Green, and Red sold 59 million units worldwide, making them the best-selling individual RPG title.
However, for most RPGs out there, we simply don't have the date. For instance: though it is possible that Skyrim has eclipsed Pokémon, Bethesda has yet to unveil official public figures. Some speculated that the sales sat at 30 million, but Todd Howard, in an interview with IGN, claimed that Skyrim has sold "far more" copies than that.
Is Red Dead Redemption 2 an RPG?
The term RPG is unhelpfully vague at times. While, in a technical sense, it refers to any game in which you "role play", there is often an implication that an RPG will come with strategic combat or branching narratives in the tradition of the tabletop roleplaying games that inspired the genre.
Though Red Dead Redemption 2 isn't on this list, its immersive storytelling and meticulously crafted world do invite players to play the "role" of protagonist Arthur Morgan. Though the RPG is in the eye of the beholder, I would personally argue that Red Dead Redemption 2 is sufficiently story driven and immersive that it could well qualify as an RPG from a certain point of view.
How we made our best RPGs list
Our best RPGs list is the product of fierce debate amongst the TRG team. What we settled on, however, was a list that could accommodate as wide an audience as possible. While the intense melodrama of Final Fantasy 16 might appeal to some, others might find it a bit too much, and prefer the more grounded stories of the Mass Effect series.
That said, all of these games faithfully deliver on a role-playing fantasy, each standing as one of the most immersive experiences in video games. These are the titles that will take you to other worlds - the question is, however, which world would you like to go to?
If you're looking forward to future RPG releases, check out our list of the best upcoming games for everything you need to know about what's coming up.
