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Open-world action RPGs are some of the most immersive games of all time. Being able to explore a massive world like the ones in The Witcher 3 and Elden Ring can make players feel like they're a part of a fantasy world, which may be why these titles are so popular with players.
While there have been many amazing open-world action RPGs released in recent years, there are a few titles, like Dragon's Dogma 2, that stand far beyond the competition. These games combine fantastic combat with worlds players will want to get lost in, which is everything anyone could want in an open-world game.
Horizon: Forbidden West Is Even Better Than the Original
Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of the best PlayStation 4 games, but Guerilla Games improved on the franchise in every aspect with the release of Forbidden West. With the events of the last game making Aloy fully aware of the events of the original world, it falls to her to keep this fledgling new humanity safe, leaving her traveling to the dangerous Forbidden West area.
That's not to say the game lets up on the action, though. No, Forbidden West offers more robotic animals and ways to take them down than ever before. It also features better writing all around, elevating most of the game's side quests into main quest-level experiences. The only reason this game gets overlooked so much is that it launched around the same time as Elden Ring, and even then, it still sold over eight million copies.
Genshin Impact Is an RPG With 100s of Hours of Content
miHoYo's Genshin Impact is responsible for creating a revolution in the gaming industry. These days, everyone wants to create their own Genshin Impact clone, and it's not merely because it's one of the most successful gacha games of all time. It's because they've created one of the most fun gaming experiences of the 2020s.
Genshin Impact offers plenty of variety in combat thanks to the ability to easily switch between different characters with the push of a button. Meanwhile, there are mountains of content available already, with more added every six weeks, ranging from new quests and bosses to entire new regions to explore. Players can easily get lost in Genshin for hundreds of hours without spending a dime.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Has One of Gaming's Most Satisfying Combat Systems
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a little-known RPG from the end of the PS3/360 era. Originally meant to kickstart an entire franchise, Reckoning wasn't quite popular enough to get more than a single title, which is a shame because the game feels fantastic to play. Kingdoms of Amalur sets players loose in a vast, glorious-looking world where they immediately get to cut loose.
Kingdoms of Amalur was re-released in 2020 as Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, granting fans and newcomers a chance to play the title on new consoles and with improved frame rate and resolution. The title still retained the same charm of that era, and even offered a new DLC as a sort of epilogue to the game. For fans willing to check out a game from that generation, there aren't many better.
Dragon's Dogma 2's Gameplay Is Phenomenal
Even a decade after the original, the Dragon's Dogma franchise is still unlike nearly anything else out there. As expected of a title from Capcom, the latest title is still gameplay-first. Sure, it wears its Dungeons and Dragons influences on its sleeves, but there's no D&D game where players can jump onto the back of giant monsters to attack them.
No other game captures how dangerous going on an adventure can be quite like Dragon's Dogma, where it can be literally terrifying to travel at night. Meanwhile, fast travel points are rare, meaning players have to meticulously plan out how they're going to solve all their quests.
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Is the Best RPG in the Franchise
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is the second of the "RPG Creeds" after 2017's Assassin's Creed: Origins. It took all the RPG elements of Origins to another level, improving on everything from the battle system to the build creation. Whether players want to make an invincible Spartan warrior or an invisible killer that can shoot through walls, Ubisoft made sure players could do it all.
This new Assassin's Creed also takes full advantage of its Greek setting, allowing players to experience much of Greek mythology through side quests and DLC. By the time players finish everything in this game, they'll have easily sunk over 100 hours into it, making it one of the best values in gaming. It makes it to the fifth-place spot, but only because the remaining games are legendary in their own way.
Enshrouded Gives Players the Chance to Build Their Own Cities
Enshrouded feels like it came out of nowhere, but quickly turned into one of the best survival RPGs around. The game's still in Early Access, but already it's established a massive world for players to explore, combined with a combat system that's far better than most survival games. Enshrouded's story sees the player awaken as one of the last humans remaining after a fog known as "the Shroud" claimed most of the world of Embervale.
Enshrouded is a game where players can do anything. The players aren't just free to design their own character, but they're actually able to construct their own castles and cities. The entire game is playable solo, but for those who want it, they can even invite other players into a single server to build up Embervale however they want.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Freedom Is Unmatched
Even nearly 15 years later, Skyrim is still one of the most beloved games of all time. Bethesda offered an open-world experience that some fans will still argue is unmatched, generations later. Skyrim's open world is a handcrafted perfection of a kind that even Bethesda themselves have struggled to surpass.
The entire world is packed with so much content that players are guaranteed to find adventure no matter where they go. Meanwhile, Bethesda's choice to take out its class system and allow players to build their characters around how they behave in and out of combat was genius. Sure, Skyrim's combat leaves a bit to be desired, but that's what the game's extensive mods are for.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Is the Greatest Remake Ever
Final Fantasy VII Remake was beloved, but Rebirth was meant to be the real challenge since it was when the game finally broke out of Midgar and entered the open world. Yet with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Square-Enix has created one of the most beautiful and lively open worlds ever made. From the moment players exit Midgar, they'll be in awe at how well Square managed to nail Gaia's sheer scale and beauty.
Perhaps equally impressive is how stuffed with content Rebirth is, with each new area somehow always offering more. It's all brilliantly designed to be a perfect loop, as each new side quest or mission offers something that will help the players against later enemies. Speaking of, the combat improves over Remake enough to be the best combat of any action-RPG that isn't a Souls-like.
The Witcher 3 Is the Definitive Western RPG
The Witcher 3 remains one of the best RPGs in gaming, even ten years later. On its face, the story is simply about the end of Geralt's journey to find his adopted daughter, Ciri. Yet before long, players will find themselves making political moves to decide the fate of nations, fighting monsters, and getting lost in one of the best gaming mini-games of all time.
Every element of The Witcher 3, from its story to its world-building to its character development, is handled beautifully, and the result is a masterpiece of a game. While the combat system is only passable, everything else about the game is incredible, but that one weakness is enough to keep it from claiming the top spot.
Elden Ring Is the King of Action RPGs
Elden Ring is the defining video game of the 2020s. Designed by From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki with a world built by G.R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame, gamers everywhere knew Elden Ring was going to be special the moment they saw it. Yet somehow, Elden Ring managed to surpass its own sky-high expectations, turning into a sensation across the gaming landscape.
It's an open-world game without any weaknesses. Elden Ring is challenging but never unfair, as players can build a character that can conquer any enemy as long as they're willing to experiment. Even the game's story is awesome for those willing to deal with the game's narrative on its own terms, rather than waiting for cutscenes to explain it all. In a world where so many games feel overly focus-tested, Elden Ring manages to be unapologetically itself.
