If you’re playing an RPG, you’re in it for the long haul and want an experience that’s going to immerse you and keep you entertained the whole way through. A genre that is both familiar and constantly evolving, RPGs are often tasked with having the total package. The best ones contain all the key ingredients, masterfully combining exciting combat, memorable characters, larger-than-life bosses, and a gripping storyline.
If you’re looking for RPGs that excel in those aspects, look no further than this list. The following games all share common elements but carve out their own unique path in the genre and promise a narrative-focused adventure full of thrilling encounters around every bend. Listed in alphabetical order, here are 10 stellar modern RPGs worth the time and effort. This is an evolving list that we’ll periodically update with exceptional titles as they release.
Baldur’s Gate 3
<a href="https://comicvibe.com/sony-confirms-2028-deadline-to-kill-playstation-game-discs/” title=”Sony Confirms 2028 Deadline to Kill PlayStation Game Discs”>PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Every RPG in video games owes a debt to Dungeons & Dragons, and Baldur’s Gate 3 captures the spirit, mechanics, and thrilling unpredictability of the tabletop game more faithfully than any title before it. Player agency has never felt more meaningful or impactful. Multiple routes to success – or failure – exist, from the daring to the ridiculous, and the game seemingly accounts for nearly every possibility. This staggering sense of freedom and possibility makes guiding the memorable band of (maybe) heroes feel like a truly personalized adventure. This also makes replaying new campaigns a fresh and exciting proposition. Tack on the stellar writing and characterizations along with great co-op, and Baldur’s Gate 3 is a shining new benchmark for the role-playing genre. | Our Review
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Game Informer’s 2025 Game of the Year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 somehow managed to strip the frustrations we often hold against turn-based RPGs out of the experience and leave behind wholly satisfying combat and exploration with an emotional and genuinely unique story about the nature of reality and how family can be really difficult sometimes. In Clair Obscur’s world, the enigmatic Paintress decides at what age everyone dies, and the number is getting smaller and smaller. Expeditions are sent to confront her, and you happen to follow one of those journeys. Its additional themes of sacrifice and appreciating the world around you are relevant and fulfilling; its characters are easy to fall in love with; and its soundtrack is fantastic. The combat is also flashy and rewarding and is totally okay with you exploiting its systems to create a broken build. You know what’s fun? Feeling like you’re smarter than the game you’re playing. | Our Review
Cyberpunk 2077
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t crack this list when we first conceived it due to its famously poor launch state, but the improvements CD Projekt Red has implemented in the years since have paid off. From the literal game-changing 2.0 update to a fantastic expansion in Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally where it should have been in 2020. Now that players can enjoy V’s journey with fewer caveats, the entertaining dystopian adventure that always existed can shine much brighter. Night City is home to plenty of great world-building, customization, characters, action, and style. If you’ve been holding out, it’s finally the time to explore this seedy metropolis. | Our Reviews (Phantom Liberty/Current-Gen/Last-Gen)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Coming off the transformative Final Fantasy VII Remake (which used to occupy this very spot on the list), Square Enix’s team continued to renovate one of the most iconic role-playing games of all time with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Whereas Remake tells an extended tale of Cloud and the party within the walls of Midgar, Rebirth brings fans up to the famous Aerith scene, reimagining one of the most well-known moments from ‘90s gaming. In addition to continuing the story and expanding the universe, Rebirth also shifts to a much more open-world format, with various biomes full of exploration, side quests, and, of course, minigames. While admittedly a drastically divergent experience from the original Final Fantasy VII, Remake and Rebirth have given us a new appreciation of the characters, world, story, and gameplay that many of us grew up with. Now, we can’t wait to see how Square Enix pulls it all together with Final Fantasy VII: Revelation in 2027. | Our Review
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Not only does Kingdom Come: Deliverance II improve on its predecessor in impressive ways, it’s also one of the most immersive RPGs ever made. On its surface, and thanks to its cinematic setpieces, you might assume this is a more traditional Western RPG adventure, but KCDII is more of an immersive sim than anything else. Breaching into LARP territory with its devotion to 15th-century Bohemia, developer Warhorse Studios wields its prowess confidently throughout the game’s 65-hour runtime.
Though you don’t get to create your own protagonist, a trademark of many RPGs, your Henry will differ vastly from anyone else’s, and how so is completely based on your actions. Use swords if you want to be a better swordsman; brew potions if you want to be a better alchemist; if you want to be the best blacksmith across the lands, get comfortable at the anvil. This role-playing extends beyond mechanics, too, letting you shape your Henry into the knight you want to be, whether that’s a ruthless killer, a charismatic charmer, or the kingdom’s most unlucky soldier – it’s all up to you. An excellent story, endless systems and mechanics to engage with, and a land brought to life with painterly visuals and unforgettable characters create one of the best role-playing experiences this generation. | Our Review
Metaphor: ReFantazio
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer Studio Zero makes Persona games, which will be abundantly clear to anyone who spends a little time with the excellent Metaphor: ReFantazio. You’re not a student in contemporary Japan trying to navigate school and friendships, but you are building a party of memorable characters while carefully managing your daily schedule to achieve as much as possible while the narrative counts down to an intimidating conclusion. Metaphor’s combat is deep and challenging, and despite taking place in a medieval world with missing kings and monstrous threats (often inspired by 1500s Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch), its story is shockingly relevant to today’s political climate. The music is also fantastic. | Our Review
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
When Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launched on Switch in 2022, they were not ready. Game Freak clearly had a compelling vision for where the franchise was heading with its newly implemented open world, but technical and performance issues held back an otherwise strong mainline Pokémon entry. In 2025, the developer released a free Nintendo Switch 2 update that made it the game Pokémon fans hoped it would be. While many Pokémon fans are hoping the series will further evolve with Pokémon Winds and Waves, if you have a Switch 2, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are now well worth a look. | Our Review
Sea of Stars
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch PC
This loving homage to Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG puts its own entertaining spin on the tag-team moves and timed-button press attacks of its inspirations, creating some of the most strategically satisfying and dynamic battle systems in recent memory. Exploring Sea of Stars’ beautiful, retro-inspired series of islands is engaging thanks to fun traversal mechanics such as a grappling hook which lets you fling yourself to distant platforms. Where the combat and exploration got us in the door, a compelling and charming narrative filled with surprising twists made us stay. Well, that and Garl. He’s just the best.
And in 2025, developer Sabotage added a free expansion to the game, Throes of the Watchmaker, which adds a substantial side story that is designed with lapsed players in mind. It makes it very easy to jump back into the game even if you haven’t played Sea of Stars in some time. | Our Review
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade series quickly became one of Nintendo’s premier RPG series, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 might be one of its best jumping-on points. In it, the world of Aionios is torn between two warring factions, Agnes and Keves. Soldiers are born to fight for the entirety of their 10-year lifespans, engaging in massive conflicts to feed their respective Flame Clocks.
Two bands of fighters find themselves entwined by fate on a dangerous mission, and are forced to band together as they’re hunted by both their respective authorities and the mysterious Consuls. Drama, death, despair, and heartache abound, as do heartwarming moments around campfires and hope for a brighter future beyond their woefully finite existences. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a grand journey with tons to explore, a combat system to sink your teeth into, and a memorable crew that you won’t want to leave behind anytime soon. It’s hard to think of many better RPG options on either the Switch or Switch 2. | Our Review
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
Life is not easy for Hershel Wilk, codename CASCADE. After a big job gone bad scattered the spy’s crew and put her on ice, she’s back in the field for one last shot to prove she’s not the screw-up her agency believes her to be. Except, well, her counterpart is catatonic and she has no idea what the mission is. This is the chaos you’re dropped into with Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, the Disco Elysium-esque RPG from the studio named ZA/UM.
Though it carries the baggage of Disco Elysium’s post-launch fallout and tensions between those involved, the team that remained at ZA/UM built something remarkable with Zero Parades: a dark thriller about redemption and rediscovery, in the midst of cultural cold wars and dead drops, where every alley could hold either a fresh clue or a knife in your back. It’s tense, moody, witty, and full of vibrant characters and expressive moments of spying, where every success of Hershel’s feels like your own. Some may have issues with the way it came about, or even with how the team has been treated in the wake of its launch, all of which are valid; it still remains that this crew built something worth the time, attention, and discussion for those who adore a dialogue-laden role-playing thriller.
