15 of the best action RPGs of all time

Stuff.tv

5 days ago

From Jade Empire to Cyberpunk 2077, the very best action role-playing games (RPGs) feature a masterful blend of satisfying real-time combat, memorable characters, a rich narrative, and deep, rewarding progression whether you play on console or elsewhere.
These games will leave your digits sweating as you battle against legendarily epic bosses, deploy your silver tongue in fiendish dialogue skill checks and stomach some tough moral choices. However, bountiful treasures await those who have crafted an adept character build and honed their reflexes, abilities and decision-making to surgical precision.
One of the greatest sci-fi RPGs, System Shock 2, hits its 25th anniversary this month, and with the long-awaited remaster nearly at our doors, we're celebrating by listing our 15 best action RPGs of all time. So pick your D4s off the floor, unsheathe your short swords and refill your mana as we explore these unmissable titles.
Jade Empire (2005)
Play
Developer BioWare could do no wrong during the noughties, churning out hit after hit with universally lauded titles like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age: Origins. Jade Empire was also part of that hot streak — a brand new IP based on ancient Chinese history, featuring mythological beasts and spirits. Central to the gameplay were moral choices — do you help the struggling locals or leave them to fend for themselves while hoovering up power and riches? The combat system incorporates a huge number of fighting styles, from bare fisticuffs to Wolverine-style blades and even ungodly animal transformations. All this is set against a story of intrigue, betrayal, vengeance and a little romance, and with three different endings, you get to decide the fate of the Jade Empire. Any chance of a remaster, BioWare?
Cyberpunk 2077 (2020)
Play
As V, a resident of the brutal Night City, you want to make a name for yourself by doing jobs for fixers, corporate clients, deadly gangs and mysterious AIs. How you go about them is up to you, whether hacking security, sneaking in, talking your way to your objective or going in all guns blazing. At your disposal is an arsenal of hardware and a blisteringly fierce range of body mods, from arm-mounted blades, hacking cybersuites, and time-slowing neural chips. Caught in a murder plot and on the run, with the digital soul of Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand stamped into your psyche, you've got to figure out who to work for and who to trust in this futuristic world full of backstabbing, cyberwarfare and corporate espionage. Cyberpunk 2077 is full of nods to classic sci-fi, with side quests that always enrapture and storylines that'll have you digging deep into your own moral code.
Oh, and don't sleep on its unmissable expansion, Phantom Liberty, which delivers some of the best post-game content in years.
The Outer Worlds (2019)
Play
Fallout fans looking for another foray into a left-field sci-fi universe could do a lot worse than taking a trip to The Outer Worlds. Evoking a new frontier for the Halcyon system's planets that have been taken over by various corporations, the game is a mish-mash of sci-fi opera Firefly and the corporate bureaucracy and humour of Office Space. After a space rescue that sees your lifepod crashing down on your rescuer, you become captain of the ship The Unreliable, tasked by an eccentric scientist to save the colony from extinction. This quest takes you across several planets and has you in the crosshairs of multiple alien and human threats. The combat isn't quite as tight as other gun-based RPGs, but the moral choices, irreverent humour and multilayered gameplay serve as a colourful and enjoyable romp through a new star system.
Black Myth: Wukong (2024)
Play
Many gamers initially dismissed Black Myth: Wukong as merely a Soulsborne clone, but it's much more of a linear action RPG experience. Based on the ancient Chinese novel, Journey to the West, you play the Destined One, a staff-wielding simian on a quest to retrieve six mysterious relics to revive the mischievous spirit of the Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King.
Along your odyssey, you'll meet many imposing foes who love nothing more than a good scrap. Thankfully, your shape-shifting staff lets you utilise different fighting stances, while a well-timed dodge or flurry of light attacks nets you focus points, which you can build to unleash heavier attacks. Along the way, you'll also learn magic to help you eliminate foes, casting spells like binding enemies to get in some crafty hits or transforming into a flaming wolf to inflict severe burn damage.
The enemy design and animations keep things riveting, while duels occur in gorgeously detailed backdrops. It might not have the combat depth or awe-inspiring exploration of Elden Ring, but it represents a more accessible action adventure with plenty of grandiose boss encounters that'll leave your screen shaking.
Hades (2020)
Play
Despite the permanently warm climate and pantheon of hot gods to rub shoulders with, the Underworld isn't for everyone, so we can hardly blame hero Zagreus for wanting to hightail it to the mortal realm to find his birth mother.
This isometric roguelike has you donning the flamed laurels of the son of Hades as he battles with the unholy forces of the dead. You'll inevitably die, many times, of course, and resurrect to the sardonic quips of your father. However, during combat, you can use boons bestowed upon you by deities like Poseidon and Artemis to boost your powers and gain special abilities. You also need to think tactically by choosing reward paths and whether to go for bonuses that'll benefit you for this run or subsequent encounters. Hades' blend of frenetic combat, original narrative and sizzling hot voice acting and music make this game addictive as Hell (I'll get my coat).
Mass Effect 2 (2010)
Play
The first of Mass Effect's phenomenal sci-fi series has Shepard barely surviving their first tussle with the galaxy-ending threat of the Reapers, so it's a real bombshell when the sequel kills off the intrepid commander in the first 15 minutes. However, a mumbo jumbo amount of sci-fi babble later, and Shepard is resurrected, now tasked with investigating disappearing colonists while recruiting a crack team of scientists, soldiers and enhanced biotic warriors.
ME2 expands on the original's roster of truly unforgettable characters you had to gain the loyalty of, including fan favourites like assassin Thane, genetically enhanced Miranda and motor-mouthed geneticist Mordin Solus. And if you're not humming (I Am the Very Model of A) Scientist Salarian right now, you're dead inside. The cover-based combat feels polished and tight, while the character classes offer a lot of nuance and replayability. The RPG elements may feel light compared to others, but seeing how your choices affect not only beloved characters but entire civilisations feels like the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
Play
The Witcher's TV adaptation may have transformed Geralt of Rivia into a household name, but the White Wolf's third adventure provided the springboard. Set in a fantasy world based on Slavic folklore and inhabited by vampires, ghosts, elementals and a monstrous menagerie of hell beasts, the Witcher 3 follows Geralt as a magically-enhanced hunter, roving the land for monsters to fell for the right price. When his adopted daughter, Ciri, goes missing, with rumours that she's being stalked by the mysterious Wild Hunt, the witcher travels across the Continent in search.
With several tomes of lore, it can take some time to get to grips with the Witcher's world, but players can find an engrossing and immersive experience with some of the best and most unpredictable side quests written for an RPG. The open world map is also huge and breathtaking to explore, so taking your noble steed Roach for a gallop always feels invigorating. And for those weary from riding and fighting, you can get lost in a friendly game of Gwent.
Fallout: New Vegas (2010)
Play
Though Fallout 4 remains the more technically advanced title, legions of players count New Vegas as the best irradiated wasteland experience due to its superior storyline. Players control The Courier, who starts the game left for dead with a bullet in the brainpan, before being rescued and setting off to uncover who wanted them six feet under. Their setting is the Mojave Wasteland, which features a run-down but barely functioning Las Vegas. You'll cross paths with various factions such as the oppressive slavers Caesar's Legion, the police-like New California Republic and Mr. House, who runs the Vegas Strip with an iron grip and dozens of deadly automatons.
Progressing through the story locks you into a power struggle that'll decide the fate of the area. The open-ended story has you contending with dark, moral choices and arresting characters. What's more, the SPECIAL system, which determines your playstyle, can open up lots of avenues for replayability, and you'll have tonnes of fun exploring the many perks you have access to whenever you level up.
Nier: Automata (2017)
Play
Those who invest themselves in Nier: Automata just won't see this one coming. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have evacuated the Earth, a handful of android warriors remain to combat an alien robot menace. However, the truth is much weirder than you first think.
N:A's gameplay takes a wild swing in multiple directions, leaving you discombobulated and reeling from its unique encounters. By the time you've rolled past the credits for the first time, you'll have engaged in epic hack-and-slash swordplay, dodged a billion projectiles in its bullet-hell shooty sequences and even played through text adventures, with several perspective shifts throughout. Plus, you won't even be close to the game's true tear-jerker ending, which takes multiple playthroughs to achieve.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
Play
Poll gamers as to their top game of all time, and chances are that Skyrim is up there. Set in the fantasy continent of Tamriel, players take up the mantle of the Dragonborn; a hero foretold who can defeat big bad Alduin the World-Eater. Of course, if players wish, they can complete the jaw-dropping amount of side quests and put saving the world on the back burner. Join a guild (or 10), solve Skyrim's civil war problem, recruit a companion and craft the ultimate weapon. All this means that Skyrim will turn you upside down and shake out hours of your life, which will be hours well spent.
The game also has the verve to do away with character classes altogether, instead letting players level up by slowly becoming proficient at combat, crafting or smithing simply by doing. It's a wonderfully organic system that made perfect sense, letting players trial abilities rather than being pre-pigeonholed into specific classes. The first-person combat might be clunky from today's standards, but dragon-shouting hapless foes off snowy cliffs more than makes up for it.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (2025)
Play
When you can snuff it before you've even been born (much like medieval life) in the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, you knew you were in for a rough ride. The sequel thankfully carries on the story of a very much-alive Henry, where a chance bandit encounter leaves him bereft of his status and clothing, necessitating you to befriend the locals to complete quests and regain your identity and standing.
You'll make your way through Bohemia, where you can engage in around 100 quests and activities that will more often than not throw a curveball at you. Realism is Deliverance 2's real strength, and its European townships feel organic and lived-in, reacting to your rep and status.
And when it comes to combat, don't expect dropping into your first encounter like John Wick with a warhammer, either. Initial solo duels descend into a tense game of clashing swords and armour, with the melee hit system returning from the first game that demands timing, patience and skill to pull off. Part Middle Ages sandbox sim, part rewarding and ambitious RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers up a unique adventure that's sure to tempt trebuchet fans.
Elden Ring (2022)
Play
FromSoftware's magnum opus has players step into the boots of the Tarnished, as they venture across the Lands Between to unite the fractured Great Runes of the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord.
Build your character and wander across gorgeous and ethereal environments, where each area has much to discover and be killed by. By combining the best of the open world genre with the dungeon-crawling of Dark Souls, Elden Ring has an addictive and atmospheric world that feels intoxicating to explore, whether you want to grind for souls for hours to get more powerful or take on the many twisted enemies in this forsaken land. Enemy designs are often grotesque if not divinely fantastical, and there's more than 200 bosses and crushing difficulty spikes that'll make you curse your rudimentary flesh and blood fingers. An absolute triumph and unmissable paragon of the Soulsbourne genre.
Diablo III (2012)
Play
Blizzard's seminal isometric dungeon crawler perfects the Diablo formula for its third outing. And while Diablo 4 is a great game that's a more tactical and cerebral experience, DIII keeps clawing us back for its faster-paced combat.
This isometric dungeon crawler combines a heady mix of furious button-clicking combat with the promise of dopamine-infused loot drops with every victory. Players can select one of five character classes from the base game, like Barbarian, Demon Hunter, or Crusader, and need to cleanse the dark fantasy world of Sanctuary from the denizens of Hell. And there are many to send back underground, with screen-filling skirmishes often feeling like the most terrifying of Tolkien's works. But if you don't want to battle alone, multiplayer is on hand for friends to lend a hand and a bow, and with a huge variety of skills and magic to test out between character classes, finding that perfect synergy of abilities is always rewarding.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024)
Play
Rebirth follows the end of FF7 Remake, where Cloud and the gang depart Midgar to stop Sephiroth from destroying the planet. But once you step out into the wider world across the Grasslands, you'll find the once tiny hub world in the OG game has been beautifully realised. Kalm, the first town you come across, feels fleshed out, with a sprawling, vertical design full of areas bustling with life and activity. And as you'd expect from a Final Fantasy game, there's a gazillion things to do, with sidequests to boost your companion affinities, fiends to vanquish, chocobos to find and a card game you can easily sink hours into.
The monster designs have also been cranked up from the originals' limited polygons, and while you may want to stop and admire the artistry, you'll have your hands full not being punished by its many enemy types and bosses. Combat is a real challenge, demanding that you use its materia and weapon builds and synergy abilities in flawless unison, requiring split-second timing and quick tactical decision making. The alternate timeline story can definitely feel confusing, but it's clear that Square Enix have crafted FF7R with the utmost care and love for the original game.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018)
Play
The eleventh mainline entry in the Assassin's Creed series transports players to Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens.
Playing as either sibling Alexios or Kassandra, Spartan mercs who get caught up in a conspiracy involving the shady Cult of Kosmos, they must defeat the cultists while staying alive amidst the war for all of Greece. Straight away, players will notice how huge the gameplay map is, while the Grecian islands, with their blue ocean, sandy beaches and varied environments, look and feel utterly lush. The familiar Ubisoftication is here in all its glory too, before the formula felt truly stale — find and take over encampments, embark on side quests, shiv high-ranking targets, etc etc.
It can feel grindy at times, particularly with weapon and boss level requirements, but stealthily taking down scores of enemies at encampments while being hunted by mercenaries after your head can lead to fun and unique situations. Players can also destabilise regions by offing leaders, burning war supplies, and stealing war chests, triggering a conquest battle between the Athenians and the Spartans, in which you can pick a side. These large-scale battles keep proceedings interesting, while there's rewarding loot for the victor. And yes, you can Spartan kick enemies like a Mediterranean Gerard Butler.