RPG is a diverse genre of gaming that has something for everyone, a landscape where your choices and dialogue often have a greater impact than bullets, and every path you take can shape your story.

The many lives you live inside RPG games can take you from a knight in shining armor to a space soldier aiming to take over the stars, but it’s not the journey that truly sets RPGs apart, it’s knowing that you are not on a linear path but one where your choices can forge your destiny.

From my first RPG to the latest, each felt like a cinematic masterpiece in its own beautiful way. Some games pulled me in through their immersive worlds, good graphics, and gracefully unfolding tales. In contrast, others let me experiment with mechanics, steer the lives of characters, and explore different play styles that I loved as soon as I pressed play.

10

Cyberpunk 2077

Wake Up, Samurai!

Fed up with swords, maces, and magic? How about a new kind of trouble? Boot up Cyberpunk 2077, a first-person sci-fi shooter RPG set in the neon-lit metropolis of Night City, where everyone wants to be more than a human, and reality is hard-coded by the Authority.

As V, you carry a chip with a terrorist’s mind, threatening to overwrite your identity, forcing you to navigate through cyber mercs and corruption in Night City to find a way to survive.

Despite its RPG label, the game highly focuses on just action, whether it’s huge explosions or just stealth, it even lets you ignore crafting, and keeps the RPG elements optional.

I honestly had a blast playing the game when it was released, even though it had one of the most controversial releases in gaming history. However, the break that Cyberpunk gave me from the dark and gritty world of other RPGs truly set it apart for me.

9

Mass Effect Trilogy

Inherit the Stars

The fate of the galaxy lies in your hands. Every choice echoes across the stars in Mass Effect, a sci-fi trilogy set in space that puts you in control of Commander Shepard, a first-class Spectre agent who must do everything in his power to stop ancient machines known as the Reapers before all sentient life is wiped from existence.

Though it’s an RPG through and through, the game focuses more on just helping you complete the story with its simple dialogue choices, action gameplay, and auto-level system, meaning you don’t have to spend hours allocating powers, skills and points to your squad, so just hit play and enjoy the epic tale unfold in three unforgettable games.

I loved Mass Effect from the moment I pressed play. it featured an immersive world, beautifully made characters, and the ending to the entire saga made me shed a tear. A journey I won’t forget.

8

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Turn-Based Hero!

Yakuza: Like A Dragon is one of those games where bizarre is a baseline. One moment you’re collecting cans off the street, the next you’re fighting a bunch of old men in diapers, but don’t let its hilarious and weird side fool you away from the dark and emotional story, packed with backstabs, lowlifes, and a city crawling with thugs set on ruining your day.

You play as Ichiban, a yakuza member who is on a quest to rebuild his life and uncover the truth behind his patriarch’s betrayal. Although the story sounds simple, it is one of the best in the Yakuza franchise, focusing more on humor and story than character classes, gear optimization, or turn-based combat strategy.

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As a big fan of the Yakuza Franchise and its beat ’em up gameplay, I loved the changes they made with Like a Dragon. It really made the game shine more, and seeing some returning characters made it even better.

7

Outer Worlds

Space Capitalism

The darkly comedic premise of the Outer Worlds throws the player into a corporate-run galaxy, where everything from jobs to lives is controlled by the authority, whether you cash in on it, help revive other passengers like yourself, or simply make your own story is totally up to you.

The game is a first-person shooter that lets you travel between planets, recruit characters, and ultimately shape your life.

I won’t lie, the RPG elements are there but simplified, leveling up is easy, dialogue options are labeled, and you are never overwhelmed by thousands of menus that the classic RPGs tend to have, it’s more like Bioshock with its combat, while easier on quests and character progression systems.

6

Final Fantasy XV

Road Trip

What starts as a simple journey spirals into a fight for survival in Final Fantasy XV, an action RPG set in a war-torn world ruled by gods, empire, and fate itself.

You play as Prince Noctis, heir to the throne of Lucis, on a journey to reclaim his throne, uncover his destiny, and stop the dark forces threatening the world.

With its real-time combat and the freedom to explore the world, Final Fantasy XV is definitely a step further in gameplay than its predecessors. Rather than fighting with mechanics that feel like an Excel sheet, you get to have fun with fast action, character bonds, and a cinematic adventure.

The more intricate RPG elements are either optional or automatically handled by the game, making this the perfect Final Fantasy game for anyone not fond of classic RPGs.

You’re Finally Awake

No doubt, the name Skyrim has reached your ears before, an open-world action RPG that has laid the foundation for many RPGs and is the inspiration for many studios, as it was one of the most immersive games of its age.

You are the chosen mortal, destined to kill Alduin, a dragon prophesied to end the world, sounds something straight out of an epic tale, right? Well, that’s your journey in Skyrim, and although it is an RPG giant, it still gives the player freedom to play however they want, even if they want to ignore the skills and just force their way through the world with nothing but a sword.

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The leveling system in Skyrim is passive, so you get stronger as you play without caring about upgrades or stats.

If you are a medieval theme-loving fan but can’t be bothered with the hassles of gear management, XP grinding, or skills, then Skyrim is for you. Fighting dragons on top of a snowy mountain felt like something out of a movie, definitely one of the greatest RPGs that even the haters will enjoy.

4

Fallout 4

Nuclear Wasteland Blues

In the apocalyptic Genre, no game does better than Fallout 4, a sci-fi open-world RPG, that puts you in control of a sole survivor who wakes up from cryogenic sleep, desperately searching for his missing son in post-nuclear America, a wasteland ravaged by war, mutants, and political conflicts, that ultimately has you deal with the greed of humans and the abomination of the world.

The main story can be played without touching most of the RPG features, the perks are simple to understand, and you get guns, so you can shoot your way through most problems without ever building a mathy character.

I have always enjoyed the Fallout series, every game offers a plot worth remembering, but Fallout 4 feels like a step forward with its hundreds of side activities and the amazing lore of each and everything going around you, which makes the game more immersive than the others.

3

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Erase Or Be Erased

When a few devs left Ubisoft and decided to make their own game, they absolutely cooked with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a turn-based action RPG set in the sorrow drenched lands of The Continent, where you command a team of flawed heroes known as Expedition 33 to defeat the Paintress, an entity that erases people from existence by painting them out of reality.

The game grants you a rich tapestry of easy-to-understand classes and skills that help you with the horrors hiding in the Continent, so be wary of the danger and enjoy the soul-stirring music as you spend your time finishing this painted odyssey.

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With its linear structure, story, and a simple turn-based combat system, it’s more digestible than sprawling stat-centric games like Divinity or Baldur’s Gate, where every point, perk and gear you have on matters.

I honestly didn’t expect a few devs to make a game of this scale. Every aspect was perfect, which makes sense why Ubisoft is struggling with devs like these leaving the company.

2

Elden Ring

Foul Tarnish

Death shall greet you often, so often you might forsake the entire journey, in that suffering lies the true beauty of Elden Ring, a Souls-like action RPG set in the ruined world of The Lands Between.

A tarnish has only one goal: to restore the Elden Ring and become the Elden lord, but the journey isn’t easy with dread foes waiting at every corner, although every one of the bosses are insanely hard to defeat, when at last you rise above them, that triumph outshines every death endured, so if you are looking for a challenge, there is nothing better than Elden Ring.

With great boss lore, straightforward combat, and a beautiful map thanks to the help of George R.R Martin, you’d be surprised to learn that Elden Ring is incredibly forgiving when it comes to RPG systems, as your reflexes and how many hours you put in matter more than other typical RPG elements.

It can be very brutal, and it took me some time before I finally got the hang of it, but the satisfaction of finally becoming an Elden lord after countless deaths made me appreciate the grind needed to be good even more.

1

The Witcher 3

The Butcher of Blaviken

By far the greatest Action RPG I have ever played, The Witcher 3 is a game you should play at least once in your life. Set in the vast and dangerous world of The Continent, The Witcher 3 has so much to offer that even now it puts new releases to shame.

From the busy town of Novigrad to the cursed land of Valen, every corner holds a secret. Perfect for gamers who love deep narratives and complex choices.

The story follows Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher bound by steel in search of his beloved adopted daughter Ciri, who is being hunted by the spectral horrors known as the Wild Hunt, the same group Geralt once called his own.

You may think the game is a heavy RPG, but believe me, other than your skill progression, the game helps you with literally everything, what armor is the best for the situation, what sword damages the most, or which potion to brew for an advantage, it’s all displayed on the screen.

Don’t let my obsession with Witcher 3 cloud your judgment, give the game a go and you will definitely thank me later.

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