Since the release of Dragon Slayer in 1984, the action-RPG genre has gone from strength to strength, to the point that it is now one of the most prominent genres in the gaming industry. Much of the genre’s success is down to its adaptability, evidenced by how well it has transitioned into the modern age of more open-level design or even fully open-worlds.
One of the longest-running and most successful action-RPG franchises is the Monster Hunter series. Capcom’s series began in 2004 on the PlayStation 2 with the original Monster Hunter and has had numerous new entries since. The most recent entry, Monster Hunter: Rise, has continued the series’ high quality, exemplified by its current 87 Metascore. Luckily for fans of the Monster Hunter franchise, there are tons of other excellent action-RPGs to try when they finish Monster Hunter: Rise, such as the 10 on this list.
10 NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata was initially released in 2017 on the PlayStation 4 and PC before coming to Xbox One the following year. Square Enix’s game was developed by PlatinumGames, who are best known for their work on the Bayonetta series.
NieR: Automata differentiates itself from most other action-RPGs with its heavy emphasis on hack and slash gameplay, along with its unique and engrossing fantasy story. Square Enix’s game was well-received by critics, exemplified by its PS4 Metascore of 88 and Role-Playing Game Of The Year win at the 2018 D.I.C.E. Awards.
9 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Considering all the ports and re-releases that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has had since it was first released almost ten years ago (believe it or not), most people who enjoy the Monster Hunter series will have probably tried Bethesda’s modern classic at some point already. However, the game is still worth including on this list as it remains to be one of the best action-RPGs available.
Skyrim‘s main strength is its huge open-world, which is filled to the brim with quests to complete, making players feel like true adventurers when they boot up the game.
8 Fallout: New Vegas
From one Bethesda game to another, Fallout: New Vegas differentiates itself from most others on this list with its emphasis on firearms instead of swords. Still, it deserves to be mentioned for its sheer quality alone. Although Bethesda published the game, they passed development duties onto Obsidian Entertainment, who were best known at the time for their work on Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
Obsidian Entertainment did a fantastic job, creating one of the best RPGs of all time, as well as one of the best post-apocalyptic games of all time. New Vegas’ main strength was the impressive level of freedom that it gave players and how impactful it made their decisions.
7 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
The release of Assassin’s Creed: Origins marked a significant shift in direction for Ubisoft’s flagship franchise. It took the series from being under the banner of action-adventure to a style of action-RPG similar to CD Projekt Red’s modern classic The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the latest entry in the franchise; the game takes players back to the Viking invasion of Britain and features the series’ usual blend of historical accuracy and fictional enhancement. Like most Assassin’s Creed games, Valhalla doesn’t do anything too ambitious or unique, but it offers a solid action-RPG experience that can be enjoyed by both casual and hardcore audiences.
6 Bloodborne
FromSoftware has become one of the most revered development studios in recent years, largely thanks to their so-called “Soulsborne” series. The games have been a godsend to hardcore gamers, who love the challenge they provide thanks to the lack of hand-holding and punishing enemies. Some consider Bloodborne to be the best entry in the Soulsborne series, thanks to its immersive atmosphere and well-balanced combat.
Unlike the Dark Souls trilogy, which requires patience and good defense from players, Bloodborne demands that the player is more offensive and aggressive, differentiating it from the other Soulsborne entries aside from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
5 Fable II
The Fable series holds a fairly odd place in the action-RPGs genre. On the one hand, many people who have played a Fable game say that they have very fond memories of it, but on the other hand, the franchise is rarely mentioned among the genre’s best. A new Fable game was announced in 2020 for the Xbox Series X and PC, which fans will be hoping can propel the franchise into the top tier of action-RPGs.
In the meantime, Fable II is the best game in the franchise to play, as it features almost everything that fans love about Xbox Game Studios’ series.
4 Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 was initially released in 2010 by Electronic Arts, with the game’s development beating handled by BioWare. Much like the aforementioned Fallout: New Vegas, Mass Effect 2 differentiates itself from the other entries on this list with its gun-fighting combat, but it’s still worth including for being one of the genre’s best ever games.
Although the game has many sequences of sci-fi combat throughout, the most important part of the gameplay is the interactions that players have with the other characters around them, which will impact the story in significant ways.
3 Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
An open-world game set in Middle-Earth was something that fans had been hoping for since the genre of games become popular, and they finally got their wish when Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor first hit stores. A sequel was announced following commercial success, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War.
Much like its predecessor, Shadow of War impressed fans with its engrossing combat, well-designed map, and wonderful amount of fan-service. Moreover, the game differentiated itself from other action-RPGs with its unique Nemesis system, which Warner Bros have controversially patented.
2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an obvious choice for this list, as not only is it one of the most critically acclaimed action-RPGs of all time, but it also lets players take down monsters and beasts much like Capcom’s Monster Hunter.
Cd Projekt Red’s Witcher series had always been revered by fans and critics, but it struggled to reach mainstream audiences. That all changed with the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which enjoyed a significant increase in commercial success from its predecessors. To appeal to a wide audience, the game can be a bit too hands-on with telling players exactly what to do and where to go during quests, but it’s one of the few drawbacks of a modern classic.
1 Dark Souls
The second FromSoftware game to appear on this list, Dark Souls is one of the many games that gets compared to the iconic Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, though it’s one of the few that deserve the comparison. Much like Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time, Dark Souls was a ground-breaking game that sent shockwaves through the gaming industry with its numerous unique features that clearly didn’t pay attention to what was the norm at the time.
The tough but fair difficulty, lack of hand-holding, memorable boss fights, and lore-centric storytelling are all features that fans loved about the game and have consequently been re-imaged by other studios trying to capture the same success.
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