RPGs are always among the biggest releases of any year. Their incredible scope and epic stories bring so much depth to the gaming landscape, and 2023 was no exception, with some titles pushing the boundaries of the medium further than ever before. Here are the best RPGs of 2023.
Baldur’s Gate 3
There’s no way we could make a “best RPGs” list without including Larian’s critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons epic, Baldur’s Gate 3. If you’re a fan of twisted, heartbreaking fantasy stories with dozens of difficult decisions to navigate and a vast world to explore, then BG3 may end up being your favorite game of the year.
The sheer number of ways to approach every situation is unparalleled in the genre, and your actions often cause lasting effects that most other games are afraid to commit to. There’s even a system where your party members are rewarded for indulging in their deepest, darkest desires, which ties into the struggles of your protagonist.
Your companions each have sorrowful yet heartfelt motivations that bring a small veil of hope to the most punishing of situations, which is heightened by BG3’s cast of incredibly talented voice actors. Choosing how to develop your character and your companions makes each journey feel truly unique, and you can share this experience with others in multiplayer too.
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo improved upon the formula established in Breath of the Wild with an in-depth vehicle-building system that lets your creativity shine as you traverse the lands of Hyrule. If you’re a Switch player and like the idea of creating your own transportation, you owe it to yourself to check out Tears of the Kingdom.
Alongside the building mechanic, Tears of the Kingdom features a reworked crafting system that fully utilizes everything in Link’s inventory, the return of classic Zelda dungeons, and new additions to the map with skybound islands and a massive underground labyrinth. Despite costing $10 more than any other first-party Switch game, it packs a lot of punch for open-world RPG fans.
Sea of Stars
If you’re looking for a turn-based RPG this year, Sea of Stars captures the feel of classic JRPGs with a gorgeous new pixel-art aesthetic and an overhauled combat system with mechanics fit for a modern classic.
Fans of Slay the Spire and Persona will have fun finding enemies’ weak points and counteracting their attacks, which are fully telegraphed in advance. In Sea of Stars, you need to plan your turns carefully and react accordingly if you want to succeed. There’s also a combo meter based around levels and movesets that adds an extra level of engagement to its combat that lasts throughout the adventure.
It can’t be understated how beautiful Sea of Stars looks, too. Bosses have large sprites that move with interlocking animations, water reflects the surroundings and protagonists in real-time, and there’s tons of detail hidden in every background. You’ll have plenty of time to admire the environments while you’re solving the game’s well-crafted environmental puzzles, of which there are many, and they all contribute to an incredibly well-paced adventure.
Lies of P
The idea of a Soulslike based on the story and characters of Pinocchio sounds absurd, but developer NEOWIZ pulled it off by taking inspiration from Bloodborne and its oppressive grimdark world. You play as Pinocchio in a city full of sentient puppets that have turned on their creators in a vicious puppet frenzy.
Lies of P gives you lots of freedom to customize your character and approach combat in your own way. There are dozens of weapons with different movesets, and most have detachable handles and heads that you can mix and match to create interesting combinations. You also get special abilities called Legion Arms, with one giving you a retractable shield that can perform a devastating counterattack, and another giving you a grappling hook that can pull enemies from afar. Lies of P is a challenging but exhilarating RPG from start to finish and a must-play for Souls fans.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
The standalone expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 improves upon the 2020 release in almost every way. It adds new weapons, upgrade trees, and cyberware, giving players tons more choices when it comes to approaching missions in their own way. Phantom Liberty also adds dozens of missions, new endings, and a captivating new story starring Idris Elba as Solomon Reed.
One of the biggest differences over the 2020 release is the AI, which has been overhauled to deliver a far more engaging experience—especially the police, who can finally pursue players properly. Phantom Liberty also introduced new vehicular combat options to make driving more interesting, and last but certainly not least, there’s a new district called Dogtown, a seemingly bright metropolitan area with a grimy underbelly.
Remnant II
Remnant and its sequel carved out a unique niche within the Soulslike subgenre. It has the combat of a third-person shooter but incorporates many familiar elements of the Souls series, like checkpoints that refill your healing items but respawn enemies, a dodge roll with invincibility frames, and upgradeable weapons.
Remnant II improves upon its predecessor in almost every way, with a thick atmosphere, gorgeous gothic hellscape, and overhauled boss fights that rely less on cannon fodder and more on players interacting with their environment. On top of this, Remnant II has robust, well-implemented co-op functionality, and online multiplayer is arguably the best way to play. Difficulty, balancing, and even the price tag are fine-tuned for multiplayer madness, as Remnant II is $10 less than other titles in the genre, so it’s easy to justify buying it for a friend.
Cassette Beasts
This might be the best Pokémon-like experience out there. While it may seem like any other monster-collecting RPG on the surface, Cassette Beasts adds a new layer of tactical depth with a battle system that shakes up the foundations of the genre.
In Cassette Beasts, you always fight with a partner, which encourages experimentation with combos and synergies from the get-go. Almost every attack has a special effect, and monster types interact with each other in unique and creative ways, like Fire types melting Plastic types and turning them into Poison types. On top of this, you can fuse beasts to create a behemoth with the combined stats of each monster, which feels truly epic.
The engaging combat system is great, but Cassette Beasts also features a surprisingly interconnected open world that retains the charm of classic Game Freak titles. It’s packed with secrets to find and side-quests to complete, with a surprisingly well-written and heartwarming narrative that’s absolutely worth experiencing.
