Great rpg games for consoles

Packing in remastered version of both Nioh and Nioh 2, plus all the DLC to date, this definitive collection is the best way to experience the action RPG series. You can play it on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Those who are on the latest generation will be able to take advantage of some PS5 enhancements, including 4K support at up to fps. The Legend of Zelda franchise has long been known for quality, but in leaning into Western sensibilities and taking inspiration from the likes of Skyrim, it has reached its zenith.

From dozens of puzzle-focused shrines, chances to experiment with a robust physics system, or tough but rewarding combat, few games reward exploration like Breath of the Wild. Even years on from launch, players are finding fresh ways to play in this version of Hyrule. It might not be the quantum leap forward many were hoping for, but like its protagonists, the franchise is edging closer to being the best there ever was with every instalment. Able to be played as both a relative newcomer and a hardened veteran of the series, Three Houses does away with characters found in earlier iterations and instead brings in a vast new cast.

Ready for punishment? Dark Souls III is the latest game in the series that wants to make you cry. This is a new kind of grind. It's not really about levelling-up your character, but a sort of mind-grind where you need to learn environments and enemy attack patterns to survive. It's like games from the old days, but those unflinching tangy bits are poured into a modern action role-player. As well as choosing a class, your weapons have class-related skills that are a key part of getting ahead in Dark Souls III.

It's not just about carefully-timed thwacks anymore. This game requires a certain mood, but for all its grim-ness, it's frequently totally beautiful too. If you want an RPG but have had quite enough of all the swords and sorcery nonsense, Fallout 4 needs to be on your to-buy list.

As any Fallout fan will know, the game is set in a nuclear apocalypse, where every puddle of water pumps radiation into your skin and even the cockroaches are deadly.

This time around, you wake up from cryostasis in one of the bunker Vaults to find your spouse killed and your son kidnapped. You have to find him, even though he was taken 20 years before you wake up. Throw in some great quest writing and the ability to design your own little towns, and you have a bit of a role-playing winner. As with Skyrim, there is also Fallout 4 VR for people who have a virtual reality headset.

It took about five minutes post-release for Undertale to be called a cult classic. It's a story-driven role-player with a JPRG edge, but how it approaches its battles and its work is quite different from the norm. In Undertale, combat can be non-violent. It's what you want most of the time, because you'll feel awful for hurting the game's 'enemies'.

Even how you fight isn't normal. Fights take place as a bullet hell arcade-style game that plays out as your character and the enemy talk. Awakening is a great entry point for newcomers and characters like Chrom, Robin, and Marth make for engaging protagonists in this gigantic story that puts the fate of the world at stake. The Ogre Battle series has lasted through several generations, but the first entry in the franchise is remarkable and establishes most of Ogre Battle's staples.

The game is fantastic for those that desire a more immersive and consuming experience. Ogre Battle features 13 different endings and a wealth of Easter eggs that reward thoroughness and experimentation.

It's also the only SNES game that mixes together wizards, ninjas, angels, vampires, and werewolves. There are also many innovative gameplay elements, like how random monsters can join the party.

The game importantly incorporates many of the staples that helped define the series for years, like distinct character classes and a new active battle system. Final Fantasy IV is still considered a defining entry in the series. Read out full NieR: Automata review.

This game, despite being a perfect fit for the exact same games as a service, multiplayer looter, and grind fest that crippled Avengers , did what we all wished that game did and is a pure single-player action RPG. The only major nitpick most have is that you only take direct control of one of the Guardians, Peter Quill aka Starlord, rather than swap between all the heroes. Without spoiling the plot, you have a respectable-sized campaign here, if a little short by RPG standards, at around 10 hours.

Based on how you respond and make choices for the team, you can change how their relationship with Starlord develops. With such a tight cast, they are able to really drive home these developments through all the great dialogue.

The basic setup is that you play as captain Ashley S. Nowak, the titular Riftbreaker, equipped with a mech suit and sent through a portal to a new planet called Galatea Your goal here is to scavenge and survive long enough while establishing bases, researching, and fighting off the dangerous fauna until you can construct a second portal that will allow back-and-forth travel between Galatea 37 and Earth.

Your suit, nicknamed Mr. The world, its biomes, the enemies, resources, and everything you find are all randomly generated in this sandbox survival game. The more you build up bases and start gathering resources, the more hostile the alien creatures will become, besieging you and your facilities more often. You will need to build up defenses for your structures, as well as upgrade yourself to defend them with things like energy blades, flamethrowers, and miniguns.

The Tales series has had a strange relationship with Xbox consoles, and after a longer than usual gap between releases, the series is back and better than ever with Tales of Arise. The art style is clearly in that anime aesthetic, but the way the bold colors pop with tons of depth and shading, plus the strong outlines, makes even the non-action moments in this game a visual treat.

When you start unleashing the flashy abilities and spells, though, get ready for some real eye candy. Great visuals are one thing, but Tales of Arise just keeps iterating on and improving the action combat that made the series stand out way back when it first launched.

If not, the combat may be enough to draw you in. This is a far more action-heavy and tactical game than a lot of JRPGs that ask for little to no skill in execution. Timing your skills, managing your team, and smartly rationing your various resources are almost required for a smooth progression. Of course, the option to grind out levels is always there for you. The story is quite gripping and hits on both a personal level with various inter-party relationships and dynamics as well as on a wider scale concerning race and political issues of the world.

Read our full Tales of Arise review. A completely different type of tail, we have another game that scurried by with little fanfare outside of word of mouth from those who took a look at it. Tails of Iron is basically a gritty, dark, and bloody version of the Redwall novels. The setup is that you play as Redgi, a rat and rightful heir to the throne, whose kingdom just overthrew an evil overlord and needs a new king. Speaking of brutal, Tails of Iron will push your combat skills. The combat is a little Souls-like, with dodges, parries, and even execution moves.

You will find and purchase new weapons, armors, and meals from friendly NPCs, who also offer side quests in the larger world you explore. There are some who can even team up with you if you find yourself unable to progress on your own. Your build is mostly determined by gear, with tradeoffs being logical, like heavy armor resulting in slower rolls, which allows you to completely change up your build easily based on the situation or boss at hand.

Oh, and did we mention the narration is done by none other than Doug Cockle aka Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series? The series is almost single-handedly responsible for kicking off the, at the time, unheard-of marriage of first-person shooters, RPGs, and looter games. That original game gave us four unique character classes, each with simple yet distinct skill trees, and thousands of guns. The following games have all upped the ante, especially in the number of guns, until we get to Borderlands 3.

While being a sharpshooter is important, this game really is all about your stats and equipment, but that FPS style is a great way to get people who might not think of themselves as RPG fans to give it a shot.

In fact, Borderlands 3 is way better when playing in co-op anyway. Each class is far more unique in this game than prior ones, with multiple skill trees to invest points in, different abilities, and, of course, what weapons and gear you equip. However, while nearly every Final Fantasy game reinvents, or at the very least retools, itself between installments, Dragon Quest has instead simply polished what worked into a near-perfect version of what it could be.

You could guess the plot, and a good number of the twists, within the first couple of hours, and the turn-based combat is like putting on your favorite sweater — cozy, warm, and familiar, but not going to turn any heads.

Yes, the plot is your typical silent protagonist getting wrapped up in a quest to save the world, and you can basically set your watch to all the standard beats and twists that follow, but it does have one line that, after it crosses it, the game becomes far more interesting and different. Plus, it is always a joy to get to know a new cast of party members, most of which in this game are fan favorites for the series.