Modern RPGs That Are True Masterpieces

There are certain words that we might bandy around a little too generously. ‘Genius’ is perhaps one of them, and another good example could be ‘masterpiece.’ Fans of an obscure title might consider it a masterpiece, but simply out of a personal attachment, or sense of nostalgia. In some cases, though, the gaming industry gets as close to a consensus as it realistically can on games that are true masterpieces. Some modern RPGs absolutely qualify here.

Whether you’re a fan of these titles or not, there’s no denying that players and critics alike have consistently rated them as some of the most consistently beloved genre entries of recent years. For this list, only RPGs with some of the highest OpenCritic Top Critic Averages and Player Ratings, released after 2015, will qualify. This means that less traditional RPGs, such as Red Dead Redemption 2, won’t be included.

Final Fantasy 16

Top Critic Average: 87, Player Rating: 80

With a long-beloved series like Final Fantasy, it’s always difficult to evolve the experience without fundamentally changing too much of the original formula. 16 mainline entries later (not including sequels, of course), and Final Fantasy has changed a lot from its classic turn-based roots. Clive Rosfield’s journey is perhaps the most mature and emotionally impactful yet. Valisthea is a tragically blighted world, yet a stunning one, and the implementation of Eikons and their Dominants within society is fascinating. Magic, here, is not a wonder to be purely wielded in battle, but a force that permeates society and has profound and often tragic impacts upon it.

Final Fantasy 16 has an explosive and shocking opening stage, and the pace rarely lets up, as is reflected in the high-octane combat system. Clive’s ability to take on the skills of different Eikons gives him a varied and formidable moveset that can be customized to various scenarios, and it’s a blast to hunt different bounties outside of the main story. This is a dark and unforgiving world, but one to persevere with.

Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

Top Critic Average: 88, Player Rating: 80

Some RPGs on this list stand out for turning genre expectations on their head and being truly original. At the same time, there’s just as much merit in being absolutely conventional, in taking every trope that makes an RPG great and embracing them. Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a perfect example of this. The Dragon Quest series is one as long and storied as other genre mainstays, and one that can always be relied upon to provide the battles, towns, overworld exploration, character development, grinding, and every other element that makes for a quintessential JRPG.

In Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age, the Hero’s journey to save the world of Erdrea isn’t the most original from the village attack opening, nor are the talents of the mage, thief, and other genre staples who join the quest. What players can be sure of, though, is a journey of tremendous scope (122 hours for a completionist run according to How Long To Beat), with unforgetable party members and NPCs alike. Players have the scope to build the Hero their way, as they lead him and the party on an epic adventure.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Top Critic Average: 89, Player Rating: 90

Fire Emblem: Three Houses, released in 2019, was just the latest in a very long line of beloved Fire Emblem games. However, it was surely the one that really put the series on the mainstream map. Existing fans already know how well the series blends its tactical action with storytelling and character building, but the excitement surrounding Three Houses drew in a lot of new fans too. The time Byleth spends exploring Garreg Mach Monastery, bonding with students and staff and engaging in various activities, directly benefits them and the party during the ensuing battle sequences.

All of these things, including teaching time, are seamlessly blended together in the game’s calendar system, and there’s a lot of player freedom to choose what to do during specific days of the year. It’s deep, engaging, and achieves an excellent balance of gameplay and narrative, while its follow-up, Fire Emblem: Engage focuses more on pure combat, and can be considered lacking in heart somewhat by comparison.

Undertale

Top Critic Average: 93, Player Rating: 90

Toby Fox’s Undertale is the sort of project that only an indie developer could pull off. It’s not a 100 hour+ experience, as might be expected of a AAA title with an enormous budget, butit is endlessly inventive and surprising. It’s an RPG that those unaccustomed to the genre won’t find as intimidating in terms of its length, which is for the best, because as the freedom and sense of humor unfolds, it tends to sink its claws into players.

They may find themselves wanting to jump straight back in to see what happens if they approach things differently. Characters such as Sans have become indelible parts of gaming culture, and fans continue to discuss certain key events, what happened when they attempted a Pacifist (or its opposite) run, and so on. Undertale was, and still is, an event rather than a game, and it has a thing or two to teach the biggest development studios in the business. Descending into the Underground is sure to leave an impression.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Top Critic Average: 88, Player Rating: 100

Veteran RPG players typically expect a lengthy main campaign and a generous helping of sidequests, activities, and collectibles to hunt besides. The Xenoblade Chronicles games certainly fits this bill. For the third mainline entry in the series, How Long To Beat estimates that the main story itself will take 62 hours to finish, while a completionist run will take about 174 hours. It’s a game replete with content, and unlike some RPGs, it’s all absolutely worth engaging with. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 does an excellent job of embracing the series’ past and remaining true to it, while also expanding upon that formula and hitting new heights.

An action-packed and gripping story explores the horrors of the war between Agnus and Keves, hitting the emotional beats that Xenoblade has always been so successful with. Battles, though immediately familiar to past series fans, become more strategic and varied thanks to the Interlinking concept, which makes it feel like party members are critical allies rather than simply fighters acting individually. It’s a well-polished and substantial package, and the additional Future Redeemed content is a similarly significant addition to the story that re-introduces some old friends.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Top Critic Average: 92, Player Rating: 100

All too often, the biggest-name AAA releases dominate the headlines and sales charts. 2025, however, has seemingly been the year of indies and AAs, and when it comes to the latter, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been nothing short of a phenomenon. There are some who treat turn-based RPGs as relics of a bygone era, and while action RPGs are distinctly more common now, Clair Obscur demonstrates that turn-based games absolutely still have a mainstream role to play. The virtually guaranteed Game of the Year performance of Sandfall Interactive’s debut RPG speaks for itself.

It’s just one of those games that succeeds in twisting its inspirations into something entirely new and unique. A hauntingly beautiful RPG in every sense, the tale of the Paintress and the 33rd Expedition’s attempt to stop her from devastating the citizens of Lumiere is an absolutely unforgettable one. With a unique take on turn-based battles through its parrying system, a spellbinding, original world, and a varied cast of brilliantly realized characters, this is a new standard for turn-based RPGs worthy of a place among the very best.

Disco Elysium

Top Critic Average: 92, Player Rating: 100

Just like Clair Obscur, ZA/UM’s 2019 smash-hit Disco Elysium blazed its own trail in the genre by adapting established conventions. The most intriguing element of the game, for many, is the Thought Cabinet, which helps to lend a degree of interpretation and ambiguity to a conventional skill tree/attribute system. The game’s box art asks, “What kind of cop are you?” and it absolutely means it. All but doing away with conventional combat and story progression, the player instead attempts to solve the core whodunnit at the heart of the story by any means they choose.

The player, as amnesiac detective Harry du Bois, can interact with different Martinaise residents in a variety of ways, discovering new information or whole new side stories in the process depending on how they do so. It’s an intriguing game that requires multiple playthroughs to even get close to seeing everything on offer, and which subverts expectations constantly. Battles are almost entirely absent, the dialogue is superb, and each playthrough feels like an entirely different game.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Top Critic Average: 93, Player Rating: 100

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was, for a lot of gamers, the title that put the Witcher’s adventures on the map. Through Geralt of Rivia, players see both the horrors and the beautiful splendor of the Continent, a tragic yet wonderfully-realized world blighted by warfare. As a Witcher, Geralt tangles with the ghastliest of monsters, but is also consumed with fear for Ciri, a powerful young mage and the daughter he adopted.

The Witcher 3 intertwines large-scale battles against fierce, fantastical creatures with very grounded themes of family and belonging, as well as the much-ballyhooed respective relationships Geralt has with Yennefer and Triss. There’s a huge amount of content to explore, and considerable freedom to build Geralt to match playstyles and preferences. The magic system, while rather limited, complements Geralt’s melee weapons very nicely in battle, making for a combat system that’s sophisticated without becoming overly complex. Add in the protagonist’s Witcher senses, which allow him to investigate environments, and it all makes for an exciting, multi-faceted adventure. There are several games that try to be like it, but this is a masterpiece for certain.

Persona 5 Royal

Top Critic Average: 94, Player Rating: 100

Persona 5 Royal is perhaps the absolute pinnacle of modern JRPGs. It’s a game that builds upon the vanilla release (itself celebrated as a masterpiece), adding the hookshot mechanic to lend new traversal options to Palaces, a wealth of additional content, and additional characters to develop bonds with. A gigantic RPG that boasts an incredible sense of style, the UI itself is a work of art. Persona 5 Royal is all style, certainly, but it absolutely doesn’t lack in substance either.

The relationship-building, time management, and huge variety of different activities outside of Palaces make for a deep and engaging experience in their own right, and the battle system is multi-layered and a lot of fun too. It’s another big win for turn-based combat, and one rich in unique mechanics, from using a Persona’s unique skills to getting Technicals by exploiting elemental weaknesses and combos. There’s a reason why the Phantom Thieves and their varied arsenal of weapons are so beloved.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Top Critic Average: 96, Player Rating: 100

With about as close to a perfect score as OpenCritic can bestow, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the big winner here, and that’s no surprise. It’s difficult to overstate how much of an impact this title had when it launched in 2023, nor what a phenomenal job Larian Studios did with it. Dungeons & Dragons is far from the most accessible RPG experience for newcomers, with its many intricacies, but this adaptation demonstrates just how gripping the dice-throwing experience can be.

Even without that connection, BG3 is a lovingly-crafted RPG that offers enormous character customization, a lengthy and involving story, and enough variety in class options and significant narrative decisions to keep players coming back. The voyage through the Forgotten Realms revolves around seeking to extract a pesky parasite from the protagonist’s brain, but aside from that, players are free to take all kinds of narrative sideroads and essentially craft their own story. Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t technically open-world, but it offers more freedom than many RPGs.