When it comes to RPGs, 2024 was a year for the history books. From January until now, we’ve been blessed with a plethora of role-playing games that have pushed the category to the next level. Sure there was Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Dragon Age: The Veilguard — long-awaited by fans and delivering on the hype. But so many surprises snuck in as well.
More than anything, this year has shown that there are ample opportunities for brand-new experiences, long-awaited sequels, and riveting re-imaginations of all-time classics. That’s what Inverse’s Gaming team found when we pooled our collective RPG lists. These are the role-playing games that came out on top for us, but in a year dominated by RPGs, we say take these as inspiration — and keep looking. RPGs truly have never been better.
10. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
BioWare’s beloved RPG series has changed a lot and raised the stakes of a political struggle between mages and templars. Fortunately for longtime fans, The Veilguard mostly succeeds in heading in a new direction and showing the climax of what’s come before. An uneven story and growing pains from a new combat system keep it from climbing higher on this list. But fighting is still fun on a gut level, and the multiple possible playstyles make things feel fresh.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s bold and open approach to trans characters also sets an example other developers should follow, even if its characterization is inconsistent. Its smart writing manages to tackle tricky subjects well. — Robin Bea
9. Granblue Fantasy: Relink
With Granblue Fantasy: Relink the smash-hit mobile game transforms into a sprawling action RPG with an entrancing world to explore — made up of various sky islands that you travel between via airship. Relink takes plenty of inspiration from genre greats, like the Tales series, but manages to bring its own unique twist. Whether you’re a fan of the franchise or not, Relink’s superb combat makes each and every character feel unique and pushes you through a perfectly paced story filled with adventure. More than anything, Relink makes the case for Granblue Fantasy to be so much more than its mobile beginnings. — Hayes Madsen
8. Ys X: Nordics
Ys’ unique brand of action-adventure has provided some of the most entrancing RPG experiences in recent years, and Ys X: Nordics is another notch in the belt for developer Falcom. A rollicking high-seas adventure, Nordics gives Adol Christin control of his very own ship, with Assassin’s Creed-esque ship combat to boot. But around all that is brilliant combat that has you swapping back and forth between two protagonists, an expansive ocean filled with secrets, and a heartfelt emotional story that packs a few surprising punches. — Hayes Madsen
7. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Shin Megami Tensei V was already one of the best RPGs of the decade, but somehow Vengeance manages to make it even better. A punishingly difficult experience, Vengeance’s combat constantly keeps you on your toes, making sure you’ve prepared your party of demons just right, know how to take advantage of weaknesses, and always have some kind of backup plan. SMT V is a masterpiece of tone and dark themes, and Vengeance adds entirely new characters, new demons, and even a lengthy new storyline. This is a game that will kick your butt, and you’ll love every second of it. — Hayes Madsen
6. Fantasian Neo Dimension
Fantasian: Neo Dimension feels like a game from an alternate timeline — one where Final Fantasy never stopped using turn-based combat and pre-rendered backgrounds. It’s a “classic” RPG from Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of Final Fantasy, but souped up with a bunch of modern bells and whistles. Fantasian’s defining characteristic is its jaw-droppingly gorgeous backgrounds, which are rendered from real miniature dioramas.
Past that, Fantasian manages to put a fascinating twist on turn-based combat, and feels like Sakaguchi looked at all the games he’s ever made and picked out a half-dozen of their best elements to put into something new. — Hayes Madsen
5. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth successfully builds on nearly everything from the game that came beforehand. It’s got ambition in spades from its narrative flourishes to the sheer scope of playtime. You could call it the most “Yakuza” Yakuza game imaginable, and I mean that in a good way. It’s full of laughs and tear-jerking moments, and plenty of side content to explore with a beach vibe. Set in Hawaii, this game is quite literally a tropical getaway. — Hayes Madsen
4. Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a game entirely about friction, a game that wants to make your journey as arduous and painful as possible — but that’s the fun of it. Following in the footsteps of the visionary first game, Capcom’s sequel throws you neck deep into a dangerous fantasy world, with nothing but your companions, known as Pawns, to keep you safe. Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t hold your hand, but exploring its world is one of the most delightful experiences of the year. You might discover a dangerous Sphinx ready to challenge you with riddles, or a hidden treasure cache that gives you a stunning new weapon.
Layered on top of that are some of the most fascinating emergent multiplayer elements the genre has ever seen, up to and including a digital plague that other players might inadvertently infect your Pawn with. — Hayes Madsen
3. The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak
Trails is one of the most ambitious franchises in all of gaming, telling a massive interconnected story across over a dozen games. With Trails Through Daybreak, this is the best Falcom’s cult classic series has ever been, taking a charmingly ragtag cast of characters across an epic story. Van Arkride is a lovable rogue, a morally gray take on the typical bright-eyed RPG hero, and someone who injects new life into the franchise. But Daybreak also redefines Trails’ combat by weaving in some surprising action elements, and creates one of the most grounded and believable settings of the year with the Calvard Republic — even touching on some hot-button issues like immigration. If you didn’t think it already, Daybreak will convince you it is one of the most special RPG franchises to grace our screens. — Hayes Madsen
2. Metaphor: ReFantazio
With Metaphor: ReFantazio, the creators of Persona have built a game we’ll be talking about for years to come, if not decades. Metaphor is the kind of seminal title that pushes the entire medium forward, thoughtfully touching on topics like racism, prejudice, and trust in elections — all through the lens of an epic fantasy world. The storytelling in Metaphor absolutely sings, but its astounding visual presentation and dynamic turn-based combat system feel just as revolutionary. Metaphor is a meaningful step forward for RPGs as a whole. — Hayes Madsen
1. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
It’s been months, and if you think about it, truly decades, since we learned the ending of Final Fantasy 7 and we’re still discussing it after all this time. The stories of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth are as gripping as ever. Rebirth proves that remakes can add a ton of value to the original experience and bring it around for new audiences. This game has tons of replayability, too, to guarantee we’ll still be talking about it next year. — Shannon Liao
