Best Fantasy RPGs

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the best fantasy RPG on PS5 and PS4, with Baldur's Gate 3 and Elden Ring alongside it: the best-written world in the genre, the most freeform tactical campaign, and the open world that trusts players to find their own way. This list ranks 20 fantasy RPGs across both the western and Japanese traditions, from strictly turn-based party games to real-time action, and leaves out the sci-fi and post-apocalyptic RPGs that only borrow fantasy trappings.

Updated Aug 4, 2026

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20 games found

1The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Best overall

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

4.8(280,508)2022
ESRB Maturefantasy
GoodReview analysis

Overall, player feedback on 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its deep story, immersive world, and memorable characters. However, some players reported dissatisfaction with the combat mechanics and recent updates that changed system requirements, impacting their ability to play. Despite critiques, the game's quality remains widely recognized, with many considering it a masterpiece.

Why it's here: A fantasy RPG whose side quests routinely outclass other games' main stories: a haunted well, a missing husband, a village grudge, each written as though it mattered. The open question is whether its combat, the one part that has genuinely aged, is a fair price for the best-written world on this list.

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2Baldur's Gate 3
Best party RPG

Baldur's Gate 3

4.8(106,904)2023
PS+ TrialPS Plus PremiumESRB Mature 17+fantasy
GreatReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for Baldur's Gate 3 is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its rich storytelling, depth of character development, and immersive gameplay. Players appreciate the game's replayability and freedom in decision-making, while some minor criticisms exist regarding its combat mechanics and inventory system. Yet, the excitement and engagement it offers far outweigh any negatives, positioning it as a must-play title in the RPG genre.

Why it's here: Almost every plan a player improvises here actually works. Shove the boss off a ledge, talk the fight down, turn invisible and walk off with the quest object. That freedom is also the demand, because turn-based combat this open expects real thinking. Whether that reads as liberating or laborious is the whole question.

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3ELDEN RING
Best open world

ELDEN RING

4.7(174,869)2022
Co-op: 3ESRB Mature 17+fantasy
GreatReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Elden Ring is overwhelmingly positive, with players praising its immersive world design, challenging gameplay, and replayability. However, some criticism exists regarding performance issues and certain gameplay mechanics. Despite a few negatives, the majority of reviews highlight the game's exceptional quality and recommend it highly.

Why it's here: The fantasy RPG that removed the quest marker and dared players to notice things instead: a distant glow, a road bending the wrong way, a boss that can simply be walked past. It asks for a patience nothing else on this list requires, and repays it more heavily than anything else here.

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4Persona 5 Royal
Best modern setting

Persona 5 Royal

4.9(10,000)2022
ESRB Mature 17+fantasy
GreatReview analysis

Overall, players overwhelmingly praise Persona 5 Royal for its engaging gameplay, brilliant soundtrack, and captivating story. Many users express deep emotional connections to the characters and their journeys, often stating it as one of their favorite games of all time.

Why it's here: Its calendar is the real antagonist. An afternoon spent on a friendship is an afternoon not spent preparing, and the game never lets that trade go quiet. This is the fantasy RPG set in modern Tokyo rather than a kingdom, and comfortably the most stylish thing on the list. The catch is its sheer length.

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5The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Mature 17+fantasy
MixedReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for "Skyrim Special Edition" is sharply divided, with overwhelming positivity from the Steam community and severe criticism from a couple of PlayStation users. While Steam reviews praise the game for its immense world, freedom, and replayability bolstered by mods, the PlayStation reviews express frustration over technical issues and expectations for better graphics. This leads to a strong overall sentiment from Steam and a poor sentiment from PlayStation.

Why it's here: The most permissive world here: pick a direction, walk, and the game finds something for the player to be. Years on, the reason it still gets reinstalled has less to do with its quests than with how completely it leaves you alone. Whether that freedom now reads as generous or as empty is the fair debate.

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6FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
ESRB Teenfantasy
GoodReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its graphics, combat system, and character development. While several players enjoyed the expansive world and storytelling, there are notable frustrations regarding the abundance of mini-games and the perceived filler content that detracts from the main narrative.

Why it's here: The middle chapter, and the one where the map finally opens. Synergy abilities make party pairings matter instead of decorative, and the continent between story beats is packed with things to do. Whether all that packing enriches the journey or simply delays its ending is where players split hardest.

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7FINAL FANTASY XVI
Best action RPG

FINAL FANTASY XVI

4.5(45,500)2023
ESRB Mature 17+fantasy
MixedReview analysis

Overall, player feedback on Final Fantasy XVI is deeply polarized. While many appreciate the engaging storyline, stunning graphics, and epic boss battles, numerous criticisms focus on the game’s repetitive gameplay, pacing issues, and significant performance problems, particularly on PC. This divergence leads to a mix of admiration and disappointment, especially among long-time fans of the franchise who feel that the game diverges too far from traditional RPG elements.

Why it's here: Closer to a character-action game than a party RPG: one controllable character, no mid-fight menus, and boss encounters staged at the scale of kaiju. The most cinematic fantasy on this list and the least interested in traditional RPG systems, which is either the reinvention the series needed or a step too far.

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8Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio

4.7(21,743)2024
PS+ TrialPS Plus PremiumESRB Teenfantasy
MixedReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for Metaphor: ReFantazio is highly polarized, with some praising its visuals, character depth, and emotional themes, while others criticize its poor pacing, narrative choices, and comparison to other Atlus titles like Persona. The game appears to cater well to dedicated fans of the JRPG genre, especially those familiar with Atlus' previous works, but struggles with newcomers and mixed expectations regarding gameplay mechanics and story depth.

Why it's here: A fantasy RPG structured around an election, where the throne goes to whoever wins the people's support and the campaign runs against a deadline. From the Persona team, with prejudice and anxiety pushed to the front of the text rather than buried under it. The dungeons are the conventional part. The ideas are not.

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9Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition
Co-op: 4ESRB Maturefantasy
GreatReview analysis

Overall, players are overwhelmingly positive about Divinity: Original Sin 2, praising its deep gameplay mechanics, rich narratives, and replayability. The game is celebrated for its unique combat system and the depth of character development, despite some mentions of steep difficulty and occasional bugs affecting the experience.

Why it's here: Its elemental systems interact so aggressively that combat becomes chemistry: rain first, then a lightning bolt, then everything standing in the puddle is stunned. Four players can share a campaign and openly work against each other. The steep opening hours are the toll, and they turn some players back too early.

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10Dragon Age™: Inquisition
ESRB Maturefantasy
GoodReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Dragon Age: Inquisition is highly positive, with many players praising its rich world, engaging story, and character interactions. However, some users expressed dissatisfaction with mechanics, bugs, and grindy elements, leading to a mix of enthusiasm and criticism across the reviews.

Why it's here: For players who want a fantasy RPG about running an organisation rather than being a hero: judgements to hand down, a war table to move agents across, companions who argue with the calls you make. Its side content is where the strain shows, and how much of it you tolerate decides the whole experience.

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11Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
ESRB Maturefantasy
GoodReview analysis

Overall, players are highly enthusiastic about Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, praising its combat mechanics, immersive gameplay, and the unique pawn system. However, there are notable criticisms regarding the game’s direction, pacing, and some aspects of its endgame, leading to mixed sentiments despite the overwhelming positivity in most reviews.

Why it's here: Its pawns are the hook. AI companions learn from how their owner fights, get lent out to other players' worlds, and return carrying knowledge from campaigns you never saw. Climbing a griffin mid-flight is routine. The story is thin and nobody pretends otherwise, which leaves the systems doing unusually heavy lifting.

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12FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE

4.7(139,347)2021
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Teenfantasy
MixedReview analysis

Overall, players have expressed a divided sentiment towards FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, with many praising its stunning graphics, engaging combat, and emotional storytelling, while significant criticism centers around the game's pacing issues, excessive filler content, and the deviation from the original narrative. While newer players find it an incredible entry point into the franchise, long-time fans of the original often feel disappointed or frustrated by the remake's pacing and changes. The reviews reflect a strong divide between those who embrace the remake's fresh take and those who view it as a flawed adaptation of a classic.

Why it's here: An entire game built from the opening five hours of the original, which sounds like padding right up until Midgar turns out to have been a city worth living in. Combat splits the difference between real time and ATB menus. Whether the ending's break from the source is thrilling or unforgivable has still not settled.

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13FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster
Best turn-based

FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster

4.8(28,509)2015
ESRB Teenfantasy
MixedReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is deeply divided. While many players cherish the nostalgia and narrative depth of the game, numerous reviews highlight severe technical issues, specifically regarding crashes and poor performance on certain systems, which significantly mar the experience.

Why it's here: The purest turn-based combat on this list: no timers, no hidden order, every swap visible before it lands. Two games in the package, one a solemn pilgrimage and one a job-swapping sequel with an entirely different temperament. For readers who find action RPGs exhausting, this is the antidote.

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14Persona 3 Reload

Persona 3 Reload

4.9(21,463)2024
ESRB Mature 17+fantasy
GoodReview analysis

Overall, players highly praise 'Persona 3 Reload' for its engaging story, impressive graphics, and emotional depth, experiencing a significant connection with its characters and themes. However, there are notable criticisms regarding missing features from the original game, such as a playable female protagonist and some removed scenes, leaving some players feeling that it falls short of being the definitive version.

Why it's here: The darker, more mortality-obsessed relative of Persona 5, rebuilt rather than remastered. Its tower is climbed against a monthly deadline and its cast spends the year circling a question most RPGs carefully avoid. Newer players usually start with 5, and whether that is the right order is genuinely arguable.

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15Lies of P

Lies of P

4.5(48,439)2023
ESRB Maturefantasy
GreatReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for "Lies of P" is overwhelmingly positive, praising its captivating storyline, engaging gameplay mechanics, and beautiful visuals. Many reviewers highlight the game's successful reinterpretation of the Pinocchio narrative within a dark fantasy setting, although some criticize specific gameplay elements. Despite a few negative remarks, the consensus is that this game is a must-play for fans of the genre.

Why it's here: A soulslike that reads Pinocchio as body horror, set in a plague city where the puppets have started killing. Weapons split into blades and handles that recombine freely, an idea the rest of the genre still has not copied. Its bosses are where the difficulty argument lives, and it is a live one.

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16Sea of Stars
Best for newcomers

Sea of Stars

4.7(14,576)2023
PS+ TrialPS Plus PremiumESRB Everyone 10+fantasy
MixedReview analysis

Overall, players have mixed feelings about Sea of Stars, praising its visuals, soundtrack, and nostalgic gameplay while criticizing the writing and repetitiveness of combat. The game appeals to many for its artistic charm and satisfying mechanics, but dissatisfaction arises particularly around character development and story execution.

Why it's here: Built as a 16-bit RPG that never actually existed, with timed hits, no random encounters, and a day-night switch the two protagonists use to bend puzzles and fights. The art and the score are why it gets recommended. Whether the writing keeps pace with them is the honest question here.

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17Tales of Arise

Tales of Arise

4.6(16,858)2021
ESRB Teenfantasy
MixedReview analysis

Player feedback on 'Tales of Arise' is divided, with a significant number praising the combat mechanics, graphics, and character development, while others criticize the pacing, repetitive gameplay, and story execution, particularly in the latter parts of the game. The mixed sentiments highlight a compelling but flawed experience, with strong visuals and engaging combat contrasting with gameplay and narrative issues.

Why it's here: The fastest combat on the list: artes chained into aerial strings, with the controlled character swappable mid-fight. Its premise, two peoples separated by three centuries of occupation, gives the party far more to argue about than most. The back half is where enemies start absorbing punishment, and where opinion turns.

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18Unicorn Overlord
Best tactics

Unicorn Overlord

4.8(16,309)2024
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Teenfantasy

Why it's here: Battles here are never directly controlled. Squads get built, given conditional orders, then released onto a real-time map where the plan either holds or comes apart while you watch. A fantasy RPG about preparation rather than reflexes, and the roster it eventually hands over is genuinely enormous.

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19Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA
ESRB Teenfantasy
GreatReview analysis

Overall, players overwhelmingly praise 'Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA' for its compelling story, engaging gameplay, and beautiful soundtrack, making it a standout title in the JRPG genre. However, there are some criticisms regarding pacing issues, minor technical problems, and the clarity of navigation, which have led a small portion of reviewers to express dissatisfaction. Ultimately, many players found the game to be an unforgettable experience worth recommending.

Why it's here: A shipwreck RPG, where progress is measured in island charted and castaways rescued rather than chapters cleared. The settlement grows as survivors turn up, and a second protagonist's story runs in parallel a long way from the beach. The most underplayed game on this list, and the most driven by exploration.

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20Diablo III: Eternal Collection
Best for loot

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

4.7(69,200)2014
ESRB Maturefantasy

Why it's here: The list's loot game: a fantasy RPG that treats the endgame as the actual game, with procedurally rebuilt dungeons and four players on one couch. It asks nothing of you narratively and everything of your appetite for one more upgrade. Whether that loop still counts as an RPG is a fight worth having.

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About Fantasy RPGs

Fantasy RPGs build their worlds from myth rather than technology: kingdoms, magic systems, and a party assembled to fight things that do not exist. This list covers the full spread rather than one sub-genre. The western canon is here in The Witcher 3, Baldur's Gate 3, Skyrim, Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition, and the Japanese tradition sits beside it in Final Fantasy XVI, Persona 5 Royal, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Tales of Arise and Sea of Stars. Combat runs from strictly turn-based to real-time action and squad-level tactics in Unicorn Overlord. Every pick is hand-curated for a genuine fantasy setting and real RPG systems, then ranked on aggregated player review sentiment and critic reception. When choosing between them, decide on combat style first, because it separates these games far more than their stories do.

Curated by Ugur Saritepe. Rankings weigh aggregated player ratings and review sentiment collected from Steam and the PlayStation Store, with catalogue data from IGDB. How we rankPlayStation StoreSteamIGDB

Best Fantasy RPGs Compared

  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
    Best overall4.83 / 5

    Side quests written to the standard of other games' main stories, in a world that rewards reading every one.

  • Baldur's Gate 3
    Best party RPG4.79 / 5PS Plus Premium

    Improvised solutions almost always work, letting shoving, stealing and talking replace combat outright.

  • ELDEN RING
    Best open world4.71 / 5

    Removes quest markers and asks players to navigate by curiosity, with bosses that can be avoided entirely.

  • Persona 5 Royal
    Best modern setting4.91 / 5

    A Tokyo calendar governs everything, forcing constant trade-offs between friendships, study and preparation.

  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
    4.74 / 5PS Plus Extra

    The most permissive world here, built for players who prefer wandering to following a questline.

  • FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
    4.67 / 5

    Opens the remake trilogy into a full continent, with synergy abilities that make party pairings matter.

  • FINAL FANTASY XVI
    Best action RPG4.51 / 5

    Trades party management for single-character action and boss fights staged at the scale of kaiju.

  • Metaphor: ReFantazio
    4.72 / 5PS Plus Premium

    Structured as an election campaign against a deadline, with an archetype class system reshaping the party.

  • Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition
    Best co-op RPG4.69 / 5

    Elemental effects combine aggressively, turning terrain itself into the primary weapon in every fight.

  • Dragon Age™: Inquisition
    4.57 / 5

    Casts players as the head of an organisation, with a war table to manage and judgements to hand down.

  • Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
    4.66 / 5

    Pawn companions learn from their owner, travel to other players' worlds and return carrying knowledge.

  • FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE
    4.7 / 5PS Plus Extra

    Expands the original's opening hours into a full game, blending real-time action with ATB menus.

  • FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster
    Best turn-based4.83 / 5

    The purest turn-based combat here, with visible turn order and two tonally opposite games packaged together.

  • Persona 3 Reload
    4.86 / 5

    Darker and more preoccupied with mortality than its sequels, climbing one tower against a monthly deadline.

  • Lies of P
    4.53 / 5

    Recasts Pinocchio as body horror, with weapons that split into blades and handles for free recombination.

  • Sea of Stars
    Best for newcomers4.68 / 5PS Plus Premium

    A modern take on 16-bit design, using timed hits and a day-night switch instead of random encounters.

  • Tales of Arise
    4.56 / 5

    The fastest combat on the list, chaining artes into aerial strings with swappable party control.

  • Unicorn Overlord
    Best tactics4.79 / 5PS Plus Extra

    Battles resolve from squad orders set beforehand, which makes preparation the entire skill.

  • Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA
    4.79 / 5

    Progress measured in island charted and castaways rescued, building a settlement rather than clearing chapters.

  • Diablo III: Eternal Collection
    Best for loot4.73 / 5

    Treats the endgame as the real game, with procedurally rebuilt dungeons and four-player couch support.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best fantasy RPG on PS5?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the best fantasy RPG on PS5 and PS4, carried by side quests written to the standard of most games' main stories. Baldur's Gate 3 is the pick for freeform turn-based play, and Elden Ring for open world exploration without quest markers.
What are the best fantasy games on PS5?
The Witcher 3, Baldur's Gate 3, Elden Ring and Skyrim lead the western side, while Final Fantasy XVI, Persona 5 Royal and Metaphor: ReFantazio lead the Japanese side. All 20 games on this list are fantasy RPGs available on PlayStation, ranked on player review sentiment.
What are the best open world fantasy RPGs?
Elden Ring, The Witcher 3 and Skyrim are the three open world picks worth starting with. Elden Ring removes quest markers entirely, The Witcher 3 fills its map with hand-written side stories, and Skyrim is the most permissive of the three for players who prefer to wander.
What are the best dark fantasy RPGs on PS5?
Elden Ring and Lies of P are the strongest dark fantasy picks here. Lies of P recasts Pinocchio as body horror in a plague city, and Persona 3 Reload is the darkest of the Japanese entries, built around mortality and a monthly deadline.
Do you need PS Plus to play these fantasy RPGs?
No. Most are standalone purchases needing no subscription. Six are on PlayStation Plus: Skyrim, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Unicorn Overlord on the Extra tier, and Baldur's Gate 3, Metaphor: ReFantazio and Sea of Stars on Premium.
Which fantasy RPGs on this list have co-op?
Four support co-op. Divinity: Original Sin 2 takes four players on the couch or online, Diablo III supports four locally and online, Baldur's Gate 3 runs two locally and four online, and Elden Ring allows three-player online co-op.

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