RPG games, or role-playing games, are now a staple of any gamer's library.
Updated March 29, 2017: We added Torment: Tides of Numenera to this list for its amazing writing and sheer openended-ness. And despite the issues, Mass Effect: Andromeda easily makes the cut for its RPG progression, incredible combat, and rich upgrade system.
Set in worlds that are often rich in lore and history, RPG video games' origins stem from classic pencil-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. Most borrow terminology and mechanics from those table-top classics. RPGs are centered around a single character or a team, that completes quests and storylines, gains experience in order to level up, and they often have a structured combat system when fighting enemies.
There are plenty of distant worlds and fantastic creatures on Xbox One. Here are a few of our favorites.
Reader comments
Best Xbox One Role Playing Games (RPGs)
What about Skyrim? Sure it was a Xbox 360 title, but it's still a good game to own on Xbox One, especially with mod support.
Yikes, no Deus Ex?
Maybe on the next update. :)
ESO is easily the best of that bunch (for me) and its cheap enough to get and try without breaking the bank.
Its huge sprawling world is easily one of the largest in the list, and is packed full of content with multiple HUGE updates and additional locales throughout the year, unlike some others.
Seeing as Bethesda hasn't even started on ES6 yet, this is definately your best bet if you love that world and its lore. And the Morrowind expansion in June looks amazing.
I would add Star Trek Online to the list.
Mattress
Masses of content and a story line that unfolds and branches all over the place. Add to that character creation that is second to none as well as amazing space combat.
Yes, the ground combat can be best described as poor at times and the speed of levelling is ridiculously fast, but STO is definitely one get, especially as its f2p.
The final chapter of Dark Souls, The Ringed City DLC for DS3, was released a couple of days ago. FROM have ended the Dark Souls legacy with a beast. Git Gud, level 125 recommended.
Are there any turn based rpgs ?
Earth lock Festival of Magic
Divinity Original Sin, Wasteland 2
Not sure you can consider The Witcher 3 a "AAA standard indie game". The game cost 81 million dollars to develop and had 1500 people involved in making it (240 in-house staff alone). That should not have the word indie attached to it. It was definitely a AAA title.
Agreed, fixing.
I disagree, it was developed and published by one company. They are independant of any publisher.
Ten games on this list fit those criteria technically. I think that is an inaccurate definition personally. We can disagree on this, but the simple definition of an independant game being a game developed and funded without the help of a publisher does not fit nor truly define what an indie game is recognized as being. The Witcher 3 was made by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt. Granted, that is one company. But so was Final Fantasy XV and Fallout 4. I feel that this needs to be defined further to separate a large developer with the ability to afford to publish their game internally vs. a small developer who (if they are unable to get the assistance of a publisher) must self-publish out of necessity. Otherwise, we need a different word other than "indie" to refer to small teams developing and publishing games on a budget without outside assistance or start referring to all AAA titles which also fit that criteria as indies as well.
I have a wife and a small daughter today, gaming RPG's is now banned for me. But these excelent RPG games remind me when I didn't had a family, these games were like my personal drugs, I spent hours and hours living a parallel reality with these inventions of the white man.
Hear Witcher 3 is the way to go
Much better than Fallout 4!!!!
Why didn't you include Skyrim SE? It's different from ESO and has fans who don't see themselves fitting in the new MMORPG style. Bethesda (and Bethesda Game Studio in particular) have revolutionized the concept of a Role-Playing game through Skyrim and Fallout 4.
Good point, will add this in a future update.
They forgot Diablo 3 Reaper of souls.
We did, I'm pretty mad at myself for that, will fix.
Hell no.
Dragon age inquisition is a joke comparing with dragon age 1 and 2. The key of RPG is story line, it's so weak.
Agreed tbh, need those games on backwards compat. I think DAI suffered from quantity over quality syndrome.
Interesting. I actually felt it was the best in the series. Though I would agree it's story wasn't as engaging as Origins, it was superior to 2 in every way. But overall I found Inquisition to be far more fun and i like the more open feel each area had.
The sound design though... simply amazing sound design. I liked the game overall but I never played any of the previous ones either so I have no basis for comparison.
DAI is the best one in the series for me.
Try Steam for JRPG. Apparently Japanese publisher would rather choose Steam than Xbox One for western release. Not sure if that's because contract, or because Xbox just consistently ignore such genre that they feel they can't get a decent sale on this platform because JPRG fans would more likely already chose PS4 over Xbox One
I can almost guarantee that it has more to do with the lack of Xbox sales in Japan more than anything. Japanese game companies target Japanese consumers first and foremost. The 360 did much better and MS actively courted Japanese companies and thus it actually got JRPGs and therefore more sales in Japan. It's a chicken and egg thing I think, same as what we deal with on Windows Mobile.
Japan has a HUGE population for its geographic size (120-odd million). They don't need to cater for anyone else, and given the sales of FF-XV selling 80% on PS4 they really don't have any pressing need to cater for any other platform.
I don't know if warframe counts it is like a destiny alternative but soooo much better to some, like me. It is action based and items /weapons requiring level up for end game. But Warframe and Fallout are my go to games.
Its certainly not a 'RPG', at least in the traditional sense of having a great plot, large play area and leveling up mechanics that actually mean anything.
True, there is no real story yet. They ate pushing it together over time. The lie is still in development, but the playability is super fun and addicting and farming for that precious loot is always fun. Is say it is 3rd person shooter with action RPG elements
Dark Souls 3 is really amazing, but you must get ready to die countless times.
Can't you just lower the difficulty? Or it's supposed to be that hard?
Yup... It is supposed to punish you for thinking you could walk into it like the Zelda Franke and think you are good.... Everything you learned from other games is a lie when you play Dark Souls.
Still not feeling the selection of RPGs on Xbox One over the 360. Most are too violent for me, are strategy RPGs (which I hate), or rogue-like (which also doesn't do much for me). So far, the only thing coming out that I'm interested in on the RPG front is Edge of Eternity.
I prefer JRPGs and only my PS4 fulfils that need.
I almost solely play JRPGs but it's not because I don't like western ones, it's because they can't seem to give me a good story without loading it up with blood, guts, and sex. The PS4 is a nice system but I like the connectivity across the MS ecosystem and there are only a couple games that I want to play on it. Not kidding, Star Ocean 5 is calling me but I think both consoles need more games that I'd actually play before shelling out money.
Agreed, we do have Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon on the horizon... but via backwards compatibility, PS4 is the place to be if you like JRPGs, and it's a shame.
Right now backwards compatibility is my biggest hope for bringing more good RPGs. If they can swing it, it would definitely push me to upgrade my system as the games available are the only thing holding me back. I don't want a system that I'm not going to buy games for and the One is awesome to me in pretty much every other way.
There are a lot of amazing games that have a JRPG sorta...feel? without the anime. Wasteland 2 for example, I really got a sense of the strategic turn based combat found in older FFs, and also the sense of travelling/journey via the overworld etc. Really did give me FF7 feels, lol.
It's my opinion that stories in RPG's like the Witcher 3 are made better by the adult themes, but to each his own. It depends on what you like.
Try Earthlock its an excellent JRPG
You meant to tell me that a console from 10.5 years ago has a bigger library than one from 2.5 years ago?