The best RPG games on consoles 2023

What are the best RPG games right now? The roleplaying genre of games has come a long way in recent years on PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC, and our list of the best RPG games reflects that. While there are a lot of games that are classics, a fair few of these titles are redefining the genre in new and exciting ways.

While they all have their differences, the best RPG games aim to keep you immersed and playing for dozens – if not, hundreds – of hours. Of course, if you get tired of roleplaying, you can always have a look at our general best games list to see some great console titles to play in other genres. Otherwise, there’s plenty of new PS5 games and new Xbox games coming out all the time that could scratch your gaming itch. However, if you’re ready to head into some of the greatest RPG stories and worlds, look no further.

The best RPG games are:

1. Baldur’s Gate 3

With Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios has made one of the best RPG games of all time, going down as an instant classic. And it’s not just us that thinks that, as it was nominated for both the Game of the Year award and the Best RPG award at The Game Awards. When you dive into this rich world for yourself, it’s not hard to see why.

BG3 has an answer for seemingly everything. Whether you happen to kill an NPC, set someone free, complete a side objective, or anything else, these events ripple through the world and your playthrough, as characters, quests, and more react. At the end of the day, isn’t this one of the core pillars of the genre? A world that feels alive and reactive to give you absolute freedom while also immersing you in its surroundings? Baldur’s Gate 3 makes it look easy.

Outside of this incredibly rich world and story, packed full of player choice, there’s an equally deep BG3 classes system. Though with 12 classes and 46 subclasses, picking the best Baldur’s Gate 3 class isn’t easy. No matter what class you choose though, you’ll get to engage in incredibly intricate turn-based combat, letting you move, use a variety of ranged and melee attacks, use the environment, and even throw objects around.

Along the journey, you’ll level up your character, spend time with the various entertaining and well-written companions, solve quests, and explore dense and visually stunning locations. It’s a traditional RPG in every sense of the word, putting all the cards in your hands to experiment and explore.

With all these layered systems, it can be quite hard to get into it, even with the bombastic introduction. If you need a hand, we’ve got you covered with guides to the best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds, the best Baldur’s Gate 3 party, and even things like the best BG3 spells – there are over 200, after all.

PCGamesN gave the game a 10/10 and called it “an instant RPG classic” in their Baldur’s Gate 3 review. Larian has promised to keep supporting it too, so there really is no reason not to jump in.

2. Divinity Original Sin 2

While Baldur’s Gate 3 brought with it several great additions, Larian’s previous game, Divinity Original Sin 2, is just as spectacular – so it’s a shame it’s often overlooked. Whether you’ve played BG3 and looking for more, or you’re brand-new to the classic RPG genre, Divinity Original Sin 2 is one of the best RPG games you can play. With slightly less moving parts than BG3, it’s a little easier to get into as well, and you don’t even need to have played the previous Divinity games.

Nevertheless, you can expect Larian’s impeccable writing to take center stage, especially as it’s not needing to conform to the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Gathering your party of four, you’ll develop relationships with a variety of great characters. This is crucial as, with the Divine dead, you’ll have to decide who takes its place. It’s not an easy journey, as the world reacts to your every decision, and there may be unintended consequences of your actions.

Pair this engaging narrative and world of Rivellon with similarly superb turn-based action, and you’ve got your hands on a must-play RPG in our eyes. Like BG3, you can pick from a variety of different classes and races to change how you play, though the world will also react differently to who you are, so there’s lots of replay value in this already long and detailed game.

3. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is known for its brutal combat, seamless open world, and in-depth class and builds system. It ruled the 2022 Game of the Year discussion, and for good reason. FromSoftware brought us its magnum opus, a role-playing game so beloved and difficult that once you sink your teeth into it, you won’t want to stop. And no matter which Elden Ring boss order you decide to take, you’ll be treated to some amazing, memorable, and challenging encounters.

There’s a good reason this game won the highly coveted The Game Awards’ Game of the Year 2022, as well as the fact it came out top in our The Loadout Awards 2022 as GOTY too. Check out our Elden Ring review to see exactly why we adored it so much.

4. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt

The third game in The Witcher series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is renowned for its incredible narrative and amazing world, among many other things. The game is so incredible that The Witcher series went from niche to pop culture fame, catapulting CD Projekt Red into stardom.

Now, on PS5 and current-gen Xbox consoles, you can experience an enhanced and improved version of the RPG full of content, including two expansive, massive DLC packs. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best RPG games out there and one of the most highly-rated RPGs ever, and it’s usually on sale too. You can pick it up on all major consoles – even on the Nintendo Switch.

5. Starfield

Bethesda is one of the all-time greats when it comes to making immersive, massive RPGs, and Starfield is its most ambitious project yet. This takes Bethesda’s tried and tested RPG formula and spreads it across an enormous galaxy of over a thousand Starfield planets.

Our Starfield review goes into more detail about what makes the game so great, but rest assured that whether you buy the game outright or play it through Game Pass, you won’t be short of content.

Both hand-crafted destinations and procedurally generated planet landscapes play host to hundreds of story missions, Starfield factions quests, and side quests. Oh and did we mention there’s also ship and base building? That’s right expanding on Fallout 4’s brilliant settlement system is the Starfield ships and Starfield outposts mechanics. You can build ships and bases from scratch, letting you flex your creative muscles before heading out on another interstellar adventure with your Starfield companions. It’s enormous, and it’s excellent.

It also boasts a great story, full of twists and turns as you seek to solve the mystery of the universe. Once you reach the end, there’s even a very interesting implementation of NG+, though you can read our Starfield New Game Plus guide to find out more.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

A complete reinvention of the Zelda franchise, Breath of the Wild is one of Nintendo’s most successful games to date and their most successful RPG before Tears of the Kingdom. Focusing on player choice, you can explore Hyrule how you like and see everything it has to offer, or just as much as you want.

With tons of Shrines and quests to complete, secrets to find, and experimentation to be had with the new powers, you can easily spend dozens of hours exploring Hyrule before even cracking on with the main story. The massive amount of engaging side content to uncover is the true draw of Breath of the Wild, giving players more freedom than ever in the series, all while venturing across a crumbling kingdom oozing with style and heart.

7. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Tears of the Kingdom turns the dial up a notch on many of the accomplishments of Breath of the Wild to create arguably one of the best games ever made.

With a new toybox of Tears of the Kingdom powers and a huge open world calling your name, TOTK encourages a sense of exploration and discovery that is very rare to come by. Match that creative flair with a more intimate and involved story than its predecessor, with so many interesting Tears of the Kingdom characters, and you’re in for an open-world adventure and sequel you won’t forget. Somehow, TOTK manages to top its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, which was already an incredibly strong RPG.

You can find out more in our Tears of the Kingdom review.

8. Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut

Sucker Punch hit us with, well, a sucker punch, when it dropped Ghost of Tsushima. This RPG sees you take the role of Jin Sakai, a Samurai and the last descendant of the Sakai clan. When the Mongol Empire, led by Khotun Khan, attacks the island of Tsushima, Jin will have to become the Ghost of Tsushima, bending and breaking the Samurai code to outsmart the Mongols.

Ghost of Tsushima has very exciting combat, faithful to the Samurai style, as well as the fact that the Director’s Cut boasts a decently sized expansion of a new island for those on PS5 and PS4 wanting extra content. It’s one of the best modern PS5 games, unmissable if you are a PS5 owner, and a huge step up for the studio.

9. Final Fantasy 16

If the more modern Final Fantasy games haven’t been to your taste, then you’re in luck. Final Fantasy 16 puts you in the boots of Clive Rosfield, the first son of an empire at war in a medieval setting. Of course, in a high fantasy setting it’s not any old war, and the protagonist must call on the powers of the gods – Eikons – to exact his revenge.

In our Final Fantasy 16 review we praise everything from its dynamic, Devil May Cry-style combat, to the impressive depth of its narrative. Should you choose to pick up one of the best PS5 games, then be sure to bring our Final Fantasy 16 walkthrough with you on your adventures throughout Valisthea. You won’t regret parting with your pennies.

10. Lies of P

Lies of P is very much inspired by From Software’s Bloodborne, but no other developer has quite captured the same magic in a bottle as Neowiz has – it’s arguably the best Soulslike game not made by From Software itself. As our Lies of P review explains, despite it borrowing “heavily from a tried-and-tested formula indicative of the Soulslike genre”, “it still has combat mechanics and secrets that set it apart from the rest of the pack”.

Set in a grim retelling of the classic Pinocchio story, you can immediately tell you’re in for a wild and unique adventure. Featuring references to the original story through, including Pinocchio himself, Gepetto, and more, the narrative is one of the main draws. For a Soulslike, this was quite surprising for us, as it’s common for the ‘story’ to be hidden away in dense lore pages. However, Lies of P puts it at the forefront, and it’s exciting to see how the story takes inspiration from the classic tale, while also keeping you on your toes as it’s reinvented.

Perhaps most importantly and surprisingly of all though is just how much Lies of P feels like a true Souls game. In fact, it would be easy to think it was developed by From Software themselves, as it’s as silky smooth as Elden Ring. Whether you’re fighting packs of corrupted puppets or a towering boss, combat is incredibly tense and challenging, though always fair. We found the Lies of P bosses’ designs to be one of the highlights, as we were always looking forward to finding out what they would look like and how best to beat them.

This Bloodborne Pinocchio edition is undoubtedly one of the best RPG games for those up for a challenge. If that’s you, then you’ll need the best Lies of P builds and best Lies of P weapons by your side. Trust us, this game is hard.

11. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

The remake of the hit classic Final Fantasy VII isn’t exactly a direct retelling of the original version of the game brought up for the current generation, but instead more of a sequel, expanding upon the world and story crafted decades ago.

The party is still here, including Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and more, alongside a new and improved combat system that focuses on real-time battles and blending those battles with classic tactical choices. There are a few big changes towards the end that set the stage for radical changes in the next two games in the trilogy. Those who want to give the Final Fantasy VII Remake a try can purchase a copy on PS5, PS4, and PC ahead of the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth release date.

12. Genshin Impact

While Genshin Impact may often be overlooked due to its gacha mechanics gating characters behind a luck-of-the-draw, a rich RPG experience lies under the surface that is consistently being built upon and expanded three years on from its initial release.

Besides the story and world, which are key to any RPG experience, Genshin Impact also boasts fast-paced combat. Making use of an ever-expanding roster of Genshin Impact characters, you’ll assemble a team and make use of various Elemental Reactions to devastating effect. You can also use some Genshin Impact codes to get you started when you first arrive in Teyvat, which is great for keeping up with the Genshin Impact tier list. Start playing Genshin Impact for free on PS5, PS4, PC, and mobile.

13. Cyberpunk 2077

Despite a rocky launch, Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely the best it has ever been. With a next-gen update and the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty expansion now here, Night City is more enticing than ever before. After a number of stability patches, improvements, and system reworks, the game is finally what it should have always been.

It’s good that it has reached this point too because CD Project Red has finished updating it and Phantom Liberty is the final piece of content before The Witcher 4 and the sequel arrives. But, those are years away. Either way, if you love a sci-fi cityscape and CD Projekt Red’s style of gameplay, then Cyberpunk 2077 is worth your time.

14. Mass Effect Legendary Edition

What’s better than one great RPG game? Well, three of course! And that’s exactly what you get in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. The Mass Effect trilogy is consistently praised and loved for being one of the best RPG series out there, with this sci-fi RPG offering a variety of incredible planets, an interwoven narrative with consequential moral choices, and a crew of characters worth taking a bullet (or laser) for.

While Mass Effect 3 was controversial for how it ended the trilogy, it is still absolutely worth playing the whole series, and the Legendary Edition is the perfect package for newcomers, especially as we approach the Mass Effect 5 release date. You can pick it up on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC, and last-gen consoles.

15. Tales of Arise

The Tales series is a franchise that has gone under most mainstream players’ radar. However, Tales of Arise brings the game to modern consoles with an updated art style, enhanced gameplay, and an ambitious open-world RPG format. The game is set across two worlds, Dahna and Rena, where a man and a woman from these opposing worlds must work together to stop the Renan’s reign of oppression on the Dahnans.

It might sound like a simple story, but the cast of characters, the fast and fluid combat, and the visuals really create one of the more memorable and exciting RPGs of the last decade. It is also a great jumping in point as its the most modern game and each Tales of game is set in a unique world with its own story.

16. Final Fantasy XV

The Final Fantasy series is one of the biggest and most celebrated in the world, so it’s no surprise that Final Fantasy XV is the third Final Fantasy game to appear on our best RPGs list.

While not quite as accessible as Final Fantasy 16 or 7 Remake, Final Fantasy XV features Noctis, heir to the throne of Lucis, who is on a quest with his friends to defeat the empire of Niflheim, which seeks to control a powerful Crystal protected by the royal family of Lucis. It does stand out from the rest due to its unique setting, and road trip story, offering a distinctively different experience from other games in the long-running series. And since it’s the last major Final Fantasy game to come on Xbox, it definitely stands out as one of the top games there.

17. Monster Hunter Rise

Sometimes, fun can simply come in the form of killing large things. Enter the Monster Hunter series, a set of games that offers hundreds of hours of fun, so long as you have the time. Monster Hunter Rise, the latest in the series, is by far the most accessible with its tools and gameplay options.

If you love using a variety of incredible weapons, crafting specific gear, and taking on big monstrosities in their habitats, Monster Hunter Rise is likely for you. You can play the game on all major platforms and Game Pass players can play it as part of the Xbox Game Pass games list.

Check out our Monster Hunter Rise review to find out more.

18. Honkai Star Rail

If you love a good anime experience and are a turn-based RPG enjoyer, then Honkai Star Rail is undoubtedly the game for you. Boasting a great cast of Honkai Star Rail characters to meet, a compelling story, and some of the most forgiving gacha mechanics in the genre, there’s a lot to like – our Honkai Star Rail review can attest to that.

What you might not expect is such simple yet engaging turn-based combat, considering it’s a gacha game available on mobile as well as PS5 and PC. Each character has only a handful of abilities, but it’s how you use these characters to form a coherent party that’s able to take on all the challenges the game throws at you, from boss fights to round-limits.

With frequent updates adding more characters, items, quests, and even new locations to visit and explore, HSR is only getting better with each update.

To help get you started, check out our Honkai Star Rail codes guide – you’re going to want to pick up as much extra Stellar Jade as you can to ensure you get the characters you want as the Honkai Star Rail banner schedule rotates.

19. Diablo 4

The long-awaited sequel to one of the best action RPG franchises of all time, Diablo 4 has not disappointed so far. If big damage numbers and mounds of loot are to your liking, then Blizzard’s game is for you. It is packed with replayability and quests for you to lose your life too. Overall, the seasonal content has been underwhelming so far, but there is still enough in the base game to warrant your time.

Should you travel to Sanctuary, then be sure to bring our Diablo 4 walkthrough with you. You’ll be thankful for it when you’re tearing up the Diablo 4 endgame. Diablo 4 is available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

20. Pokémon Legends Arceus

The Pokémon series might be over two decades old, but that hasn’t stopped it from pushing the boat out. In fact, Pokémon Legends Arceus is the most ambitious entry yet. Developer Game Freak sought to overhaul the formula with a large open-world setting that invites exploration and adds a lot more depth to the setting. There’s nothing else quite like seeing Pokémon in their natural habitat.

Like all Pokémon games, you can expect a beautiful and diverse world to explore, this time the Hisui region of Sinnoh where you’ll be building the region’s first Pokédex. With Mount Coronet rising from the center and the various biomes dotting the landscape around it, it’s a joy to move through, even if it is marred by the occasional performance issue – though it is to be expected on the Nintendo Switch, unfortunately.

As for gameplay, this is where the biggest changes can be seen. Taking place much earlier in the timeline, you’re a researcher tasked with studying the Pokémon to create the first Pokédex. This places a much greater emphasis on the cute creatures themselves, rather than the typical story of moving up the Pokémon fight club. Nevertheless, this entails catching wild Pokémon, which is where the new catching mechanic comes in. Rather than lobbing a ball by pressing a button, you’ll instead have to sneak and aim the Poké Ball to enter battle and catch the little critters.

With new Pokémon to find and catch, as well as a wide, open landscape to traverse by land, water, and even the sky, it’s hard not to be enamored with Pokémon Legends Arceus.

Before entering Hisui in this Switch exclusive, get to know all the Pokémon Legends Arceus new Pokémon and use our Pokémon type chart to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

21. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Following on from Legends Arceus, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet takes things up a notch when it comes to the open-world exploration, though performance did plummet. While it performs better after several patches, it’s far from perfect when it comes to graphics and frame rate. If you can look past this, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are among the best games on the Nintendo Switch, and certainly some of the best RPG games you can play.

While we’re sad to see the removal of the innovative real-time aiming required to catch Pokémon in Legends Arceus, nearly everything else has seen an upgrade. For example, there’s even more character customization, including letting you change aspects of your character’s facial features. Scarlet and Violet also have the biggest world yet, Paldea, with very few loading screens. The less linear narrative approach works well and has led to an overall more interesting story than previous games, outside of Legends Arceus. There’s even an expanded co-op mode that lets players explore Paldea together.

To give you a head start in this Switch exclusive, find out all the best Pokémon Scarlet Pokémon and the best Pokémon Violet Pokémon so you know what to look out for in either version. If you find yourself enjoying it, there’s also the DLC, which adds even more creatures to catch, so we’ve got a list of all the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC Pokémon too.

22. Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West tops its already excellent predecessor by taking full advantage of the next-generation PS5 hardware to offer up breath-taking graphics and an immersive world that “has raised the bar for open-world action adventure games”, as our Horizon Forbidden West review notes.

Following on from the powerful story of Horizon Zero Dawn, Forbidden West sees Aloy… head west. Here she finds a stunning but dangerous new frontiers that’s home to all-new threats, including viscous storms and a malicious blight that’s destroying the last remnants of humanity – another extinction is looming.

Exploring this detailed environment with overhauled movement mechanics, you’ll fight bigger and even more awe-inspiring robotic dinosaurs than even the first game accomplished. What’s most surprising about the Horizon series is how engaging and tactical the combat is. With a variety of weapons, tools, and traps, including Aloy’s trusty bow, you have to think strategically about how to take down the metal monsters in your path.

Overall, it’s the perfect sequel to Zero Dawn, expanding on the already excellent gameplay with an equally intimate and intriguing narrative – and robot dinosaurs.

If this has you interested in diving into this PS5 exclusive, then we’ve got a Horizon Forbidden West walkthrough just for you, as well as all the best Horizon Forbidden West skills and best Horizon Forbidden West weapons to use. No one ever said taking down a hulking robot crocodile monstrosity would be easy?

Those are the best RPG games that you can play right now on consoles, but if you want something a little different to pass the time, you can check out our rundown of the best FPS games for those who love a bit of competition, or our best horror games list if you want an intense, spooky experience.