FromSoftware’s Bloodborne is an action RPG that helped popularize the “Soulsborne” or “Soulslike” games. In Bloodborne, players control an unnamed Hunter who must explore Yharnam, a Gothic, Victorian-era city, to uncover the source of a blood-borne disease that’s turning civilians into monsters.
Bloodborne truly is an RPG masterpiece, but there are a rare few role-playing games that manage to outclass it. From FromSoftware games to other Japanese RPGs, there are a few amazing titles that have it beat.
Chrono Trigger Perfected the Japanese Role-Playing Game
Chrono Trigger is the oldest game that will appear on this list, but don’t let its age fool you. Decades later, it’s still one of the greatest JRPGs ever made. It was created by Square’s “Dream Team,” which included Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and Akira Toriyama, the author of the Dragon Ball manga.
With three creative powerhouses at the helm of this revolutionary JRPG, it’s not a surprise that Chrono Trigger is still regarded as one of the best RPGs ever made. The game features a strong story about a group of adventurers who have to utilize time travel to stop a disaster that might end the world.
Chrono Trigger revolutionized the way gamers experienced video games. It included many early examples of ideas and mechanics that didn’t exist before, like multiple endings (there are 13!) and New Game Plus. Without Chrono Trigger, the rest of the games on this list may never have gotten off the ground, and to this day, it is still one of the best RPGs of all time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Is the Gold Standard for Modern Action RPGs
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has come up in recent conversation a lot for a couple of reasons. After more than a decade, The Witcher 4 is finally coming, and to prepare gamers for the new installment, Wild Hunt will be receiving a massive expansion, “Songs of the Past” in 2027.
Based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s novel series of the same name, The Witcher now has so much media to consume, from animated movies, a Netflix series, multiple video games, and so much more. There are a lot of moving parts that make this franchise so successful, but CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt definitely helped solidify it as one of the best fantasy series out there.
Wild Hunt has easily become the gold standard for action RPGs, and the game that most modern RPGs try to live up to. This game reinvented open-world games by giving players an immersive world that feels realistic. Players can interact with basically everything and everyone, making the world feel lived-in, with a rich history of its own. Few action RPGs have managed to live up to The Witcher 3.
Elden Ring Is a More Modern FromSoftware Game
Elden Ring is one of the most talked-about and played video games of the 2020s. Like Bloodborne, it’s an action RPG from FromSoftware, and if anyone was going to outdo the masterpiece that is Bloodborne, it’s the developer who made it. Granted, not all FromSoftware fans agree that Elden Ring has surpassed Bloodborne, but it’s a strong contender.
Elden Ring features a massive open world where players take up the mantle of a Tarnished, a customizable character who sets out on a quest through the Lands Between. This place is ruled by several demigods at war for control over the Lands Between. Players must set out on a quest to repair the Elden Ring and become the next Elden Lord.
One of the best aspects of Elden Ring is the extensive world-building, which was provided by A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. There is so much to explore and uncover in the Lands Between, but be cautious, because death looms around every corner. Unlike The Witcher 3 and Chrono Trigger’s original release, Elden Ring has the bonus of featuring cooperative gameplay, so gamers can explore and fight powerful enemies with their friends.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Quickly Became One of the Best Turn-Based RPGs Ever Made
When it comes to the greatest RPGs ever made, Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 is a no-brainer. Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) is a turn-based RPG that can be played alone or with a party of up to four players. In BG3, players can play as a completely customizable character, or they can play as a legacy character, meaning they take control of one of the main characters in the game, like Shadowheart or Astarion.
BG3 is adapted from Dungeons & Dragons’ fifth edition, which is one of the reasons gamers love it so much. Plenty of RPGs take certain aspects from Dungeons & Dragons, like the class system, but BG3 truly feels like playing Dungeons & Dragons in a video game format. Players also get to form a large party of the main cast of characters, and players can take whichever companions they want along with them.
BG3 turned out to be a record-breaking game that received critical acclaim for its mix of real-time exploration and turn-based combat, immersive and gritty story, cinematic storytelling, diverse characters, and incredible performances. Players have a wide range of classes, species, and backgrounds to choose from, and with so many different choices to make and companions to befriend, players can play BG3 a dozen times and get a different experience every single time.