Are you a hardcore gamer looking to invest in some games that have a great story? Check out our list of the best role-playing games of 2023 to choose from
Role-playing games offer a wide variety of styles, with categories like Japanese and Western, each having subcategories such as turn-based, action, strategy, dungeon crawlers, and more.
In this RPG collection, you’ll find our top picks. If RPGs aren’t your thing, check out our general best games list for awesome console titles in other genres. But if you’re all set for epic RPG stories and worlds, dive right in—this collection is for you.
Top 10 Best Role-Playing Games In 2023
Here are our top picks of the best role-playing games you can play in 2023.
Genshin Impact
Photo Credit: Epic Games
Genshin Impact is absolutely adventure-packed gaming. It made waves with an open-world, action-RPG style heavily inspired by Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda. But it’s more than just a copycat.
This free-to-play game boasts distinctive element-based gameplay, a captivating storyline, and a variety of playable characters, setting it apart from its inspiration. With frequent story expansions and seasonal events, there’s always plenty to explore whenever you jump back in.
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
Photo Credit: Eurogamer
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut isn’t your typical detective RPG if you believe games should steer clear of politics or not aim to convey something. This game boldly criticizes a spectrum of ideologies, revealing that its politics are far from narrow.
The game’s core values align with working people and movements that prioritize their best interests despite having you play as cops on the opposing side. While its role-playing mechanics and the immersive world stand out on their own, it’s Disco Elysium’s thematic depth that truly sets it apart.
Dark Souls III
Photo Credit: Bandai Namco
Dark Souls III draws elements from Bloodborne and their other action-RPG titles. It inherits the series’ action-oriented style with stunning, eerie visuals. However, Dark Souls III possesses its own distinctive essence, especially in monster battles. Enhanced combat mechanics bring depth to the fights, increasing both the challenge and the rewards, making the experience uniquely captivating.
Starfield
Photo Credit: Steam
Get ready to embark on a cosmic odyssey with Bethesda’s Starfield, an ambitious RPG that sprawls across a mesmerizing galaxy teeming with over a thousand unique planets. This immersive adventure offers a vast expanse of hand-crafted destinations and procedurally generated planet landscapes.
Players dive into a universe brimming with an array of story missions, faction quests, side quests, resource gathering, ship customization, outpost building, and research tasks. Starfield’s colossal scope and attention to detail promise an enthralling journey through space, inviting players to explore, discover, and shape their cosmic destiny.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
Photo Credit: EA
In Mass Effect you’re thrown into an intergalactic odyssey to thwart an alien menace out to wipe out all life. The Mass Effect games combine third-person shooter mechanics with a sprinkle of space magic to amplify the excitement. Alongside wielding an arsenal, you’ll harness telekinetic abilities, unleashing shockwaves or lifting adversaries psychically.
Beyond the action, your choices in conversations and decisions profoundly influence how the story unfolds, fostering alliances or betrayals that ripple across the titles, shaping the course of your interstellar journey.
Path of Exile
Photo Credit: Polygon
Path of Exile stands as a vast and extensive action-RPG heavily influenced by the Diablo series, evident in its randomly generated dungeons and items. Fans of Diablo will find familiarity in the click-intensive combat, intense inventory management, and the dark fantasy ambiance. What sets it apart is the skill tree system that gives potential for character development.
Whether you opt to follow community-recommended builds or chart your path, the game allows you to craft and shape your character into the warrior you desire. Navigate dungeons, collect gear and abilities that complement your build, create necessary items, and dive back into the adventure for more loot.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Photo Credit: Nintendo
Crisis Core takes players on a journey set years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, where you accompany Zack Fair’s ascent in Shinra’s private military. This single-player action RPG introduces radical visual enhancements compared to the original PSP version, along with a significant overhaul of combat mechanics.
Enjoy the freedom of fluid combos, redesigned boss encounters, and extensive voice acting. While it retains some of the quirky narrative elements and peculiar mission structures. But, the improved gameplay and updated visuals more than compensate for it.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Photo Credit: The Peak
Step into a future where cybernetic enhancements have become commonplace, causing a multitude of medical, social, and political dilemmas that threaten to fracture society. Take on the role of Adam Jensen, an augmented counter-terrorist operative tasked with unraveling terrorist activities in Prague.
Navigate the challenging urban landscape, using stealth, hacking, and combat to achieve your objectives and uncover the truth behind the global surge in terrorism. Adam Jensen proves to be an adaptable protagonist, proficient in firearms, melee combat, and the art of stealth.
With a myriad of side quests offering open-ended solutions, there’s no singular way to play or customize Adam: be it a smooth talker, master hacker, combat expert, or a stealthy cybernetic entity—the choice is yours.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Photo Credit: Steam
Skyrim serves as an intriguing backdrop for a land embroiled in a continuous power struggle between two leaders. You step into the shoes of a spared prisoner, fully customizable to suit your preferences. Whether you fancy being a warrior, wizard, or a mischievous pickpocket, the game accommodates your choices without much fuss.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
Photo Credit: Game Informer
Ghost of Tsushima is an RPG where you step into the shoes of Jin Sakai, a Samurai and the last of the Sakai clan. When the Mongol Empire, under Khotun Khan’s leadership, assaults the island of Tsushima, Jin must transform into the Ghost of Tsushima, bending the rules of the Samurai code to outmaneuver the Mongols. The game features thrilling combat faithful to the Samurai style.
So Which One Do You Wanna Start With?
There you have it! That’s our list of the best role-playing games that you must try in 2023. We recommend trying the newer titles first, but some of the remakes will truly be eye-catching for hardcore fans of the RPG Genre.