The best RPGs on PlayStation 5 encompass an extensive display of creativity. After decades of constant iteration, the genre continues to inspire hundreds of studios to leave their mark. The space has fostered anything from gargantuan experiences in which every person’s playthrough varies extensively, to smaller, equally impactful stories that seek to bend existing standards.

Moreover, the genre has also served as an influence for several games, especially in the AAA space. Meticulously deciding where to spend points in skill trees and watching numbers go up have become common occurrences in many established franchises. Simply put, RPGs have been foundational for the modern video game landscape. And it doesn’t seem like this legacy will disappear anytime soon.

This list includes the 23 best RPGs on PS5 to play in 2025. But of course, that’s far from an all-encompassing number. For even more recommendations to get the most out of your PS5, be sure to check out our best PS5 games roundup. If you’re looking to further scratch that RPG itch, we have lists covering the best RPGs to play in 2025, as well as the 20 best MMORPGs, in case you’re looking to cooperate or fight against others on a bigger scale.

Persona 5 Royal

  • Developer: P Studio
  • Release Date: March 30, 2020
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC

The life of a teenager is tough as it is, and that’s before getting tangled in a metaphysical pursuit to change the hearts of corrupt people in power. Persona 5 is an engrossing RPG that iterates on the calendar-based structure of the previous two entries in the series, while presenting a modern take on the turn-based combat and dungeon-crawling that’s been in iteration for years.

As Joker, you command the Phantom Thieves, a group of teens that increases in numbers as you progress through the gargantuan 100-hour-plus story. You get to hang out and spend time with each member, strengthening your bonds and growing closer, all while gaining new abilities and perks when you inevitably end up in the next palace–the signature sprawling dungeons of the story.

Building an assortment of quirky monsters and getting engulfed in one of the most stylish art styles ever is half the fun–the story, especially with Persona 5 Royal adding a new epilogue with the heart-wrenching third semester, is one that’s bound to stick with you.

Octopath Traveler 2

  • Developer: Acquire, Square Enix
  • Release Date: February 24, 2023
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC

When it launched in 2018, Octopath Traveler brought an influx of nostalgia wrapped in a gorgeous 2.5D art style. Honoring its name, the RPG invited you to inhabit the shoes of eight travelers, experiencing each of their individual stories.

Octopath Traveler 2 iterates on the idea, presenting eight new protagonists–a dancer, a merchant, a scholar, and more–with distinct storylines to unravel. In addition, each has unique abilities that come into play both inside and outside combat, influencing the way they navigate the world and interact with others. The sequel also brings in a day and night cycle that you can switch manually, the possibility of traveling through rivers or sailing the sea, and most notably, the eye-catching latent power skills. The latter mechanic comes into effect after taking damage or breaking foes enough to fill a gauge. Once full, travelers can access a plethora of special moves that are unique to each of them, from acting twice in a single turn to unleashing an inner beast. Octopath Traveler 2 isn’t lacking any spectacle.

God of War Ragnarök

  • Developer: Santa Monica Studio
  • Release Date: November 9, 2022
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC

God of War Ragnarök marks the culmination of the Norse saga for Kratos. The iconic character embarked on a new, quite different chapter back in 2018’s God of War, and its sequel pushes for an increase in scope in almost every way–including the RPG aspects embraced by its predecessor. The main story takes you through an odyssey of twists and turns, and there are also plenty of side quests, collectibles, and puzzles to tackle as you wander its huge open locales.

The tasks you accomplish reward you with a plethora of loot and upgrades to increase the capabilities of both Kratos and his son, Atreus. There’s plenty of room for mixing and matching gear, spending points in different skill trees to power up your weapons, and even pursuing unique character builds in the second half of the game. Ragnarök isn’t just an engrossing adventure, but a showcase of how much RPGs can influence even the biggest franchises out there.

Elden Ring

  • Developer: FromSoftware
  • Release Date: February 25, 2022
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC

In 2011, Dark Souls entranced a generation of followers seeking esoteric and challenging adventures. Eleven years later, Elden Ring challenged the obtuse nature of its predecessors by opening the doors to more people with a simple principle: If you get stuck on a boss fight, simply turn back and explore somewhere else. Many viewed the words “open world” attached to a FromSoftware soulslike game with skepticism, but Elden Ring is proof that taking risks with a genre and past foundations can make for one of the most impressive accomplishments in the RPG space.

Hades

  • Developer: Supergiant Games
  • Release Date: September 17, 2020
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iOS

Supergiant Games has dabbled in RPG-like mechanics for over a decade now, and Hades might be the utmost display of the team’s love for the genre. Hades is a roguelite at heart, and one of the best roguelites at that. But its developers have spoken at length about how much RPG classics like Diablo 2 have influenced it, which shows in the sprawling variety of options available as you fight your way through the Greek mythological underworld. The elegant design and immeasurable number of permutations and build possibilities are enough to hook you in, while the story structure–unveiling itself more and more with each subsequent run–is bound to keep you busy for a long time.

Undertale

  • Developer: Toby Fox
  • Release Date: September 15, 2015
  • Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Earthbound, Off, Moon. This assortment of obscure and rule-bending RPGs left their mark on the genre, resulting in a series of surreal adventures bound to test the player’s agency in their virtual worlds. Undertale took cues from them all, and posed an interesting predicament: How do you approach an RPG that gives you the option not to harm anyone, sidelining the protagonist’s own progress in the process?

Undertale will remember the decisions you make along the way, which are reflected in the characters you meet throughout the story. Its obsession with breaking the fourth wall is obvious from the first few hours, but if there’s something Undertale excels at, it’s playing around with the concept of what RPGs are, and what they can be when developers put an effort into subverting existing standards.

Baldur’s Gate 3

  • Developer: Larian Studios
  • Release Date: August 3, 2023
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

RPG developers love to boast about their games’ sizes and complexity, but very few games can match the density of Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s one of the most recent examples of the best RPGs on PS5, and for good reason. Larian Studios’ juggernaut excels at mixing the real-life rules and permutations of Dungeons & Dragons with the developer’s vast knowledge of the genre, having previously worked on the Divinity: Original Sin series. By the time your character enters the world, there’s no shortage of conflicts and people in need of a hero. But Baldur’s Gate 3 allows you to just be, setting your own goals and methodically unraveling the world with an overwhelming amount of tools at your disposal. Come in for the once-in-a-generation RPG, stay for the band of lovable misfits who make up your group of companions.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

  • Developer: CD Projekt Red
  • Release Date: May 19, 2015
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC

It’s been 10 years since the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and some of my fondest memories with it are still fresh in my mind. The masquerade ball, the Bloody Baron quest, Geralt’s search for Ciri. The list goes on. Ask anybody who’s played the game and they’ll surely mention completely different moments and storylines. Deep and engaging stories are easy to come by in The Witcher 3, and all of them are bound to stick with you in different ways. It’s an ambitious RPG that hasn’t aged a day, offering a vast open world with activities to tackle everywhere you go, and quests with tough decisions that have ramifications in the lives of the characters you meet. Just be mindful not to get too engulfed in its in-world card game, Gwent, on your way to the next quest.

Final Fantasy 14

  • Developer: Square Enix
  • Release Date: September 30, 2010
  • Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

From the outside, Final Fantasy XIV might seem overwhelming. Committing to an MMORPG in 2025 sounds like a tall order, and it doesn’t help that A Realm Reborn, the base game, can be a bit slow. Stick with it until the end, however, and you’ll learn why so many people, both Final Fantasy fans and newcomers alike, have become so obsessed with its rich world and characters. Its free trial includes A Realm Reborn and the first two expansions, Heavensward and Stormblood, with no restrictions on playtime. The free trial meme might be everywhere online, but hey, it does make a compelling point.

Disco Elysium

  • Developer: ZA/UM
  • Release Date: October 15, 2019
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Disco Elysium greets you with a cacophony of whispers and whirring. It’s a perfect encapsulation of what must be happening inside the head of the protagonist: a detective who got so intoxicated that his mind shattered into multiple pieces. Each piece is now a skill and an active voice that chimes in mid-conversation, providing historical context, emotional gut punches, and poetic descriptions of the city of Revachol as you try to go about detecting. Investigating the mystery around a dead body hanging from a tree is merely the tip of the iceberg for a dreamy story about the ramifications of capital, how a city can shape its inhabitants, and the looming threat of the end of the world.

Dragon Quest XI

  • Developer: Square Enix
  • Release Date: July 29, 2017
  • Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, Switch, PC

Dragon Quest XI is the latest entry in the series led by creator Yuji Horii, composer Koichi Sugiyama, and the sadly departed character designer Akira Toriyama. While you wait for Dragon Quest XII, currently in active development, you can check out its 2018 predecessor, which stands firm as an excellent adventure. In this turn-based RPG, you play as the reincarnation of an ancient hero who is slowly joined by a group of endearing companions. It’s a massive title, building upon the world and ideas of the series by looking at them through a modern lens and presentation. And if you’re feeling nostalgic, you can even swap between 3D to 2D styles on a whim.

Monster Hunter Wilds

  • Developer: Capcom
  • Release Date: February 28, 2025
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

For decades, the Monster Hunter series was something of an acquired taste. The steep difficulty curve, obtuse mechanics, and challenging nature of the franchise weren’t for everybody, but the cult following only increased over time. Monster Hunter World retained most of what made these origins so tantalizing when it was released in 2018, while also giving it a modern treatment to smooth out its onboarding stages. Now, Monster Hunter Wilds has taken things a step further by introducing a linear campaign that serves as a way to teach you how to play, from dishing out combat tips to demonstrating how to navigate each distinct biome, before throwing you into a free-roam-like stage. This latest entry in the series is the most welcoming, but still presents plenty of challenges.

Diablo 4

  • Developer: Blizzard
  • Release Date: June 5, 2023
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC

It took a while for the Diablo franchise to get a new entry. It’s not like fans weren’t occupied in the interim–Diablo 3 is currently running its 35th season of post-release content, and other games in the genre, such as Path of Exile, The Last Epoch, and Lost Ark, vied for RPG fans’ attention. Yet, Diablo 4 quickly reminded everyone that its universe can’t be mimicked. The action RPG now takes place in an open world, its skill trees and potential for character builds are more expansive than ever, and Blizzard has shown commitment to keeping Diablo 4 going well after its release. Vessel of Hatred, the game’s first paid expansion, launched in late 2024, and the game is gearing up for its 10th season. If you’re looking for a modern take on a classic action RPG series, this is the one.

NieR: Automata

  • Developer: PlatinumGames
  • Release Date: March 7, 2017
  • Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

In 2017, the hack-and-slash connoisseurs at PlatinumGames teamed up with Square Enix to release a sequel to Nier, a spin-off of the Drakengard series. The project was led by director Yoko Taro, who worked with his team to deliver a story about the fight between androids and machines, which quickly leads to a plethora of emotional gutpunches and painful questions about existentialism. NieR: Automata is about these things, but it’s also about much, much more. Reaching the end credits for the first time doesn’t mark the end, merely the beginning of a sprawling story that constantly defies itself–both narratively and mechanically–to leave a lasting impact on anyone who sees it through.

Cyberpunk 2077

  • Developer: CD Projekt Red
  • Release Date: December 10, 2020
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch 2, PC

For a while, it seemed that CD Projekt Red would keep on releasing games based on the Witcher universe exclusively, which would have been just fine. But 2020’s Cyberpunk 2077 proved that the studio can plunge into existing TTRPG works with ease, delivering accurate yet expansive takes on them. Night City isn’t just a rich open-world setting to inhabit or cause chaos in. It’s the home of some of the most iconic characters and stories that the genre has seen in recent times.

CD Projekt has spent the past five years updating the game in all sorts of ways, most notably with the launch of the Phantom Liberty expansion. If you’re looking to dive into an RPG that has plenty of customization options to fit different playstyles, meaningful conversations and dialogue options, and a blunt reflection of our digitized day and age, look no further.

Horizon Forbidden West

  • Developer: Guerrilla Games
  • Release Date: February 18, 2022
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC

Horizon Zero Dawn showcases a mix of ideas cohabitating with one another with grace. The action RPG puts you in the shoes of Aloy, an outcast who travels through a post-apocalyptic take on the United States, now overrun by nature and robotic creatures. Combat draws from the likes of Monster Hunter, albeit primarily using bows and different elementally charged arrows to tear down homicidal machines piece by piece, targeting different parts based on their weaknesses.

Horizon Forbidden West built upon this foundation with an emphasis on expanding its side quests, adding flair to melee combat, and introducing more navigation options, from tools like a glider to underwater exploration. It’s the definitive take on the idea by Guerrilla Games, and one of the most impressive PlayStation console exclusives to date.

Sea of Stars

  • Developer: Sabotage Studio
  • Release Date: August 29, 2023
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Sea of Stars doesn’t hide the influences from classic turn-based RPGs. Rather, it proudly shows them, while also showcasing how much room for iteration there is. Don’t expect grinding or random encounters for its combat, which has you pressing buttons in sync with animations to increase damage and reduce incoming hits, as well as perform multi-character combos with your party. When you’re not busy with a smackdown, you’re free to cook, fish, sail the seas, and take on minigames, either by yourself or in three-player couch co-op. Sea of Stars is as engrossing as the classics it so dearly honors, yet it manages to stand as its own unique entry in the genre.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

  • Developer: Capcom
  • Release Date: March 22, 2024
  • Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

There aren’t many RPGs like Dragon’s Dogma out there. The first game presented ideas that seemed rare to come from a big developer like Capcom, taking the risk of alienating players with obscure underlying mechanics, simulation-type interactions with the world, and at times, absurd difficulty. The existence of a sequel is just as surprising, with Capcom once again offering a challenge like no other. If you’re the kind of player who is constantly experimenting with any tools available to try and see if an idea would work, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will almost surely reward your experiments with satisfying answers. Just don’t let the massive creatures lurking in the world and the lack of hand-holding intimidate you. Take them as an invitation to get lost in Dragon’s Dogma 2 instead.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

  • Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
  • Release Date: November 10, 2020
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC

The Yakuza series paved its way in the genre one punch at a time, primarily featuring protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as a key figure in the Japanese underground crime syndicate. Yakuza: Like a Dragon boldly proposes a new beginning for the franchise, featuring a new cast of characters and moving away from the beat ’em up nature to transition into a full-blown, turn-based RPG. Its main character, Ichiban Kasuga, carries a deep love for the Dragon Quest series, and acts as the central force through a massive story that started a new chapter for the Yakuza and Like a Dragon series. Absurdity and drama intertwine just as well as they’ve done for multiple Yakuza entries beforehand, but viewing the series through its new lens both from a mechanical and narrative perspective, makes for a new and promising start.

Metaphor: ReFantazio

  • Developer: Studio Zero
  • Release Date: October 11, 2024
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC

In 2016, the Atlus subsidiary Studio Zero was founded by Katsura Hashino, the director and producer of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5, who collaborated with artist Shigenori Soejima and composer Shoji Meguro to create something new.

Borrowing from their experiences in the Persona series, Metaphor: ReFantazio feels like the natural next step, taking into consideration the series’ quality-of-life tweaks over the years while elevating the rich history of Persona in a distinct setting, one that revolves around the search for a new king in a fantasy world. It stands as one of the most visually impressive games of 2024, and one with the most pronounced politics. Metaphor doesn’t shy from commentary on the real world and the need for solidarity–it leans on these themes to tell an outstanding story wrapped around an engrossing turn-based RPG.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

  • Developer: CyberConnect2
  • Release Date: January 16, 2020
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC

If your annual rewatch of Dragon Ball Z is no longer scratching the itch, try playing Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Developer CyberConnect2, in a similar vein to its Naruto Shippuden games, offers a complete retelling of the events of DBZ in the form of an RPG. It’s not all about combat, however, as there are plenty of side quests to tackle, environments to explore, and events to take part in alongside iconic characters, with each new memory you make in Kakarot enriching the existing Dragonball story. While Kakarot isn’t the first game based on Dragon Ball Z, it’s a love letter to a classic manga and anime through a strong RPG lens.

Cris Tales

  • Developer: Dreams Uncorporated, Syck
  • Release Date: July 20, 2021
  • Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC

The likes of Valkyrie Profile, Bravely Default, and Final Fantasy VI have paved the way for Cris Tales to flourish. In this gorgeous hand-drawn 2D, combat allows you to peer into the past, present, and future at the same time. Depending on the choices you make, the course of the future is altered dynamically. As such, each encounter presents layers upon layers of strategy, such as warping enemies into the past or future to provide the party with an advantage. It’s one of the most inventive approaches to combat in recent times, and it comes bundled with an endearing, classic-flavored RPG to boot.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

  • Developer: Square Enix
  • Release Date: February 29, 2024
  • Platforms: PS5, PC

The retelling of one of the most important RPGs in history continues. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth continues the story right after Cloud and his companions escaped Midgar in Final Fantasy VII Remake, beginning a new adventure that takes the famed cast of characters across massive open areas. Alongside the main story beats from the original Final Fantasy VII, and the liberties Rebirth takes in the process, it’s the ideal game if you’re a fan of the Final Fantasy universe. There’s no shortage of side quests, mini-games, and activities to tackle. The second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy is sprawling, ambitious, and overwhelming in the best possible ways. It has set a high bar for what’s to come–regardless of how long it takes for the final installment to be completed, you’re likely to still be doing dozens of activities on a completionist run in the meantime.



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