Summary

• Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a beginner-friendly action RPG with a wacky story and turn-based combat system, perfect for newcomers to the genre.
• Fable offers a simple yet satisfying combat system and easy character progression, making it a great choice for beginners to action RPGs.
• Hades provides a rogue-lite experience with exciting gameplay and an easy-to-understand combat system.

It can be difficult to discern a video game's main genre, due mostly to the fact that modern titles blend them all. For instance, it can be hard to figure out the difference between a traditional RPG and an action RPG (aRPG). Bot🀅h tend to include skills trees, leveling up, rich worlds, combat of some kind, and plenty of gear to pick up.

Action RPGs simply put more focus on fighting than the standard RPG. This makes it a bit more accessible to those who aren't role-playing game experts. Yet, certain aRPGs can still be a struggle for newcomers. That is why it's good to opt for a beginner-friendly 𒀰one if you 🍸haven't played these types of games before. The following ones are perfect choices.

Updated December 13, 2025, By Ben Jessey: Action RPGs can be tough to get into for those who haven't played one before. Thankfully, there are some that are suitable for newcomers to the genre. We put a bunch of examples on this list, and we've updated it to add a few more.

Last Epoch

If you just watch some gameplay of Last Epoch, you will not think it's a game suitable for a newbie to the genre. After ꦉall, there can be a lot going on during fights. Yet, what the game doe꧋s really well is ease you into all that. There is no steep learning curve.

The game slowly teaches you the mechanics and everything you need to know. Plus, there are some in-game tutorials that you can consult that are easy to follow. It's a game worth learning, too, because combat is very enjoyable and has plenty of variety and depth. On top of that, the visuals are nice, and the enviroment is ꩵinteresting.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

Immortals Fenyx Rising is one of those games that rides the line between action-adventure and action RPG. Because there is even a suggestion that it is an action-adventure title shows that the RPG elements aren't that deep, making it easy for newcomers of the genre to get equipped ℱwith its mechanics.

Being easy to understand and appreciate isn't the only thing the game has going for it, as it also has an interesting and colorful open world inspired by Greek mythology. So, it contains all sorts of strange, mythical creatures for you to battle in real-time c🌼ombat. All of it is in service of stopping the evil villain known as Typhon​​​​​​.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

The Dragon Age series has al🐲ways been fairly welcoming to newcomers. Veilguard is especially easy for action RPG newbies, though. After all, the combat is very action-f🙈ocused. Yes, you have various different powers to make use of, but battles aren’t very tactical. That said, they still manage to be exciting and satisfying.

Also, the adventure is pretty linear as there aren’t many wide-open spaces to roam, makin🐻g it simple to navigate. Like with the combat, this more straightforward approach isn’t real⭕ly a bad thing, as while the environments aren’t huge, they’re dense and detailed.

Sand Land

Anime fans could probably tell from the visuals alone that Sand Land has some connection to Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. After all, his art style is very evident in the character models and environments. The game is actually based on Toriyama's manga series, which shares the s💙ame name as the game.

Yet, even people who know nothing about the manga can enjoy this third-pe🍸rson action RPG. The same goes for those new to the genre. The combat and traversal are easy to understand and fun to engage with. Plus, the vi🥃suals are spectacular, and the characters are interesting.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero🍬 Dawn is a hybrid of an action-adventure title and an action RPG. Therefore, it doesn't have complicated RPG mechanics. However, it does offer enjoyable combat, exciting open-world exploration, and a compelling story.

The world is fascinating, too, as it's a post-apocalyptic land, but it isn't dark and rundown like most. It's bright and colorful. However, it's st🐼ill hazardous, as the place is filled with deadly mechanical creatures. You play as one of the humans that are trying to survive in this new world. This means sneaking around and being strategic as you take on th♐e mechs.

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden

Beingᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ a ghost hunter certainly sounds like an interesting job, but it gets e♊ven more interesting for protagonist Red when his beloved and fellow ghost hunter becomes a ghost herself. As such, they need to find a way to save her. This is the basic premise of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. It's a unique and compelling tale.

Combat is equally creative, as you can switch between the human and ghost prot💖agonists on the fly. You also can do this in the puzzle-focused segments. The game is perfect for newcomers, as it doesn't have the deepest RPG elements.

Tales Of Arise

While it may be an entry♍ in the famous Tales series, Tales of Arise is a self-contai🌌ned adventure. The story revolves around two races from different planets. The people of the world known as Rena have taken over the Dahnan people's world and enslaved them. One of those Dahnan slaves is a masked protagonist who teams up with a Renian woman as they both attempt to bring down the tyrants.

The characters and the interactions between them are the main selling point of this game. Yet, the action-packed combat is a lot of fun, too. It starts off pretty simple, and the game does a good job of slowly introducing new elements as you progress in the story. After the first few hours, getting yourꦆ head around everything is easy, including the fairly simple upgrade system.

Outriders

While Outriders launched with some 𝓡technical issues, it has since received plenty of patches and is now a solid action RPG title. The stor﷽y is set in the future, where Earth is in terrible shape, so humanity attempts to colonize a new planet. Naturally, things don't go perfectly.

Yet, one good thing happens as you gain special powers. You use these abilities in battle while also shooting a bunch of people and creatures. The third-person combat is simple but satisfying, which is why it's perfect for newcomers to th📖e genre.

Torchlight 2

Torchlight 2 is an accessible and easy-to-pick-up action RPG, which is why it's perfect for beginners. It also just happens to be a great RPG in general, mainly due to its nice art style and brilliant com💛bat. It's good that the fighting is enjoyable in this game because you do a lot of it.

The title is all about battling large groups of enemies. And there is a great variety of foes and skills, which keeps things interesti🅘ng. The story is🎶n't very impressive, but the rest of the game makes up for it.

The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds is set in a universe where humanity has attempted to colonize a star system called Halcyon. One set of colonizers made it, while the others didn't and ended up being frozen in space. However, one of them (aka you) is unfrozen, and your ultimate goal is to save the rest. Naturally, there are plenty of thingཧs you have to do first.

It's a good game for aRPG beginners because the core gameplay is rather simple. You can sneak, shoot, or talk your way out of m📖ost situations. There are several mechanics that make things a bit more complicated, but the game isn't too hard, so you can still get through quests even if you don't completely understand e𓄧verything straight away.