Best RPG Games of All Time Tier List
The best RPG games of all time are not all old favorites: Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3, both from the 2020s, sit in S beside Chrono Trigger, Mass Effect 2 and Persona 5. Skyrim and The Witcher 3, two of the best-selling RPGs ever made, settle one tier lower in A. Open any card to find the one detail that sets each game apart.
Elden Ring2022
Baldur's Gate 32023
Chrono Trigger1995
Mass Effect 22010
Persona 52016
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt2015
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim2011
Final Fantasy Tactics1997
World of Warcraft2004
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth2024
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride1992
Final Fantasy VI1994
Disco Elysium2019
Dark Souls2011
Diablo II2000
Final Fantasy VII1997
Pokemon Red and Blue1996
Secret of Mana1993
Suikoden II1998
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn2000
EarthBound1994
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic2003
Planescape: Torment1999
Cyberpunk 20772020
Persona 42008
Deus Ex2000
Bloodborne2015
Divinity: Original Sin 22017
Dragon Age: Origins2009
Fallout: New Vegas2010
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together1995
NieR: Automata2017
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind2002
Final Fantasy IX2000
Xenogears1998
Fallout 32008
Final Fantasy X2001
Final Fantasy IV1991
Mass Effect2007
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars1996What each tier means
- STop The RPGs that set the standard for everything after them
- AStrong Genre landmarks you should play at least once
- BSolid Classics that still hold up and keep getting remastered
- CSituational Brilliant picks with a narrower audience or a rougher edge
- DBottom Loved by their fans, but easier to bounce off today
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Board breakdown
Elden Ring is the best RPG of all time, and its open world takes the edge off FromSoftware's famous difficulty: when a boss stops you cold, you can ride to another region, get stronger and come back. If you would rather plan every turn and argue over story choices with friends, start with Baldur's Gate 3, which up to four players can share online. For Mass Effect 2, get the 2021 remastered collection, which bundles the whole trilogy.
FromSoftware's open world won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022, and Shadow of the Erdtree expanded it in 2024.
- Larian built it on Dungeons & Dragons rules, and it won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2023.
- Sakaguchi, Horii and Toriyama teamed up on a time-travel adventure with more than ten possible endings.
- The Suicide Mission finale can permanently kill any squadmate, depending on the loyalty and ship upgrades you earned.
- Tokyo school days fund heist dungeons, and the Royal edition adds a third semester and a new Palace.
Chrono Trigger, from 1995, is the oldest S pick by 15 years, since the next oldest is Mass Effect 2 from 2010. Square built it while finishing Final Fantasy VI, and much of that team moved over once VI shipped, so Final Fantasy VI (1994) is the natural next game if you love it. After the credits, start a New Game+: your party keeps its levels, techs and gear, and you can challenge the final boss early to see other endings.
JRPGs supply the most top picks, but CRPGs are the style to choose if you want to shape the story through dialogue choices and party tactics. Play Disco Elysium as The Final Cut, a free 2021 update for owners that adds full voice acting for its characters and narration. If Baldur's Gate 3 hooks you, try Divinity: Original Sin 2 next, which Larian made six years before Baldur's Gate 3 with the same kind of turn-based party fights.
Select a game to open its card on the board.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024) is the newest game here, and it lands in A, one tier above the 1997 Final Fantasy VII it retells. Its new Synergy moves pair two party members in one attack, so changing who fights together changes your options. Leave time for Queen's Blood, a card game you play against characters around the world that builds to a tournament on a cruise ship.