Of all the genres of video games available, none have the ability to suck you in for hours on end like a good old-fashioned role-playing game. Once exclusive to PCs, RPGs can be found on all platforms these days and are very popular on consoles. Often set in fantasy worlds full of fire-breathing dragons, magical beings, and strange beasts, RPGs offer the perfect escape from the real world. Choose your character type, grab a broadsword, and head out on adventures for hiddenꦐ treasures and mystique amulets or take down some monsters.
Over the years RPGs have evolved from simple tabletop games to epic 3D quests with lifelike graphics and challenging enemies to face. The best RPGs more often than noꦍt combine a detailed and immersive storyline with thrilling gameplay and eye-catching visuals. Recent releases have also incorporated science fiction into the world, with many great RPGs set on a fut൲ure Earth or in space.
But for every incredibly detailed game like The Witcher 3 or classic Japanese RPG like Final Fantasy 15, you'll encounter a dozen duds. Games like the problematic Two Worlds and mind-numbingly boring Lunar: Dragon Song are just two examples of RPGs gone wrong. To guide you through the hu🎃ndreds of RPGs on the market here's a selection of the 15 best you have to play along with the 15 most disappointing to avoid at all costs.
30 🌠 Best: Final Fantasy XV ﷽
When it comes to RPGs, few franchises are as long-running and successful as Final Fantasy. After six years without a new entry in the series, the long-awaited Final Fantasy XV delighted fans and critics alike when it dropped in 2016, thanks to its massive open world, in-depth storyline, and gorgeous visuals. The game features some top-notch vocal talent (Sean Bean, Lena Headey, and Aaron Paul) and an emotionally stirring plot, with the detailed world of Eos a joy to discover. It might still be fairly new but Final Fantasy XV is not only one of the best games in the series, but one of the greatest RPGꦗs of all time.
29 😼 𝔍 Disappointing: Dungeon Siege III
The Dungeon Siege series of games is well-liked by RPG fans, but the poorly-performing Dungeon Siege III put a♌n𝓀 end to that in 2011. The first in the series to be released on consoles, as well as PCs and the first developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Dungeon Siege III, failed to connect with gamers.
Underwhelming graphics, a tedious storyline, and a haphazard multiplayer mode all contribute to the game's downfall.
You spend most of the time trawling similar looking dungeons for🐎 boring treasures, resu🥃lting in a repetitive snooze fest that quickly wears thin.
28 Best: Terranigma ღ
This 1995 Super Nintendo Japanese RPG still holds up as an exciting game today, even if the graphics aren't up to scratch. Featuring a top-down perspective, Terranigma has quite an original plot, with players taking control of aℱ young boy named Ark who is responsible for Earth's resurrection and continued evolution. These heavy themes of life and demise run throughout the game and give it a grown-up feel.
The music and sound effects are surprisingly terrific considering the year of the game's release while the gameplay is also fantastic, with Terranigma one of the better SNES RPG titles available.
27 ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Disappointing: Might And Magic III: Isles Of Terra
The Might And Magic franchise hardly put a foot wrong but when they decided to port Might And Magic III: Isles Of Terra to the SNES they🦹 did a terrible job. The game fails to capture the fun and action of the turn-based PC version, with horrible graphics and long waiting times between t🍌urns adding to players dismay.
While the game does adhere to the plot of the PC game, the interface just doesn't work and ওis hard to navigate when using a controller pad. Stick to the original PC game and you'll be fine.
26 🏅 💖 Best: Phantasy Star II
The first RPG ever to be released on the SEGA Mega Drive, Phantasy Star II is a turn-based game that hoꦗoks💫 you in from the get go.
The graphics are incredible for a 16-bit game and the combat system works really well.
The science fiction setting is a masterstroke and something rarely seen in RPGs of the time, helping Phantasy Star II attract a wider audience than anticipated. Add in solid music and sound effects, an intriguing plot, and some great characters and you have yourself one of the most reverಌed RPGs to hit the console market.
25 Disappointing: The 7th Saga 𝓀
The Japanese are responsible for some of the best RPGs of all time but The 7th Saga certainly isn't one of them. Another SNES release, this 1995 turn-based RPG involves players searching for seven ancient rꦰunes to become the new heir to the throne.
The game is unique in that it allows you to pick from seven characters who all interact with each other in the game at some point and go down different parts. Unfortunately, this isn't enough to save The 7th Saga, with the annoying music, dull graphics, anꦺd repetitive combat system making it a complete failure.
24 📖 𒁃 Best: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The fifth and largest game in The Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim is an absolute beast of an RPG that will keep you entertained for hours on end. Set 200 years after the previous game, the main aim of Skyrim is to defeat Alduin the ♊World-Eater - a dragon📖 who is prophesied to destroy the world - but there is so much more to do.
The world created by Bethesda is ginormous and you can spend hundreds of hours exploring the beautifully rendered environments, tackling side quests or just admiring the scenery. It's going to be hard for Bethesda to top this on𓄧e.
23 D🏅isappointing: Two Worlds
Trying to cash in on the success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Two Worlds is a real-time 3D action-adventure RPG that pales in comparꩵison. The storyline is weak, the graphics at times laughable, and the sound effects and music annoying.
Parts of the game feel unfinished and the ending is a major letdown.
It's not all bad though, with the ability to invest in different character skills as the game progresses a great addition and the open world fun to explore, but these two things aren't enough to save Two Worlds from being a major disappointment.
22 ⭕ Best: Fallout 4
Many recent RPGs switch the fantasy setting for the modern day or a futuristic environment, and Fallout 4 is one of the best. Taking place in a post-apocal🍎yptic world you take on the role of the "Sole 🐎Survivor" as you journey the barren lands to find your taken child.
Fallout 4 has a solid story balancing humor and drama in a detailed open world you'll never want to stop exploring.
The combat system is much easier to master than previous entries in the series and the ability to manage settlements and the attention to detail when crafting items is fantastic. While a few technical issues do occur from time to time, they aren't enough to dampen the joy of playing Fallout 4.
21 Disappointing: Ephemeral Fantasia ♛
Here's another Japanese RPG that fails to capture what makes the genre so great. The game takes place over a looping period of five days, ripping off The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask without any of the quirks that make Zelda great.
The worst thing about this game is the repetition involved, with players having to engage in monotonous battles over and over again. The plot's also a little shaky and the overall game design poor, making Ephemeral Fantasia another disappointing RPG.