When done right, few things come close to the magic of an action RPG. A captivating story, thrilling combat, immersive world-building, and lovable characters are just a few things a project needs to nail to earn the coveted “masterpiece” label, and only a handful of RPGs come close to achieving it. Turn-based titles make up the majority, but they sit alongside the very best action RPGs, which also rank among the greatest games ever.
Many argue a perfect game doesn’t exist, but that really depends on your definition of “perfect.” Almost everyone knows a few RPGs that hit the mark in basically every area and require no changes to reach their potential. Even if they might not be flawless in every single department, the overall experience is a 10/10. These action RPGs are a 10/10, and let’s cover different subgenres.
Hades Is The Gold Standard For Roguelite RPG
Unbeatable Blend Of Story And Gameplay
Due to being such a landmark roguelite, it can be easy to forget that Hades is also one of the all-time best action RPGs. Somehow, Supergiant Games blended the narrative-heavy aspect of role-playing games with the format of roguelites in such a way as to excel as a member of both genres.
As death and repetition are staples of roguelikes/lites, Supergiant built the lore directly around that loop, as Zagreus attempts to escape the Underworld and reach Mount Olympus. Rather than a punishment or a frustrating complete reset, death represents an opportunity to advance relationships, unveil new dialogue, and drive the story forward. A fantastic roster of fully-voiced characters fuels the story, and many of them influence your build options.
Hades brings this all together with fantastic art and a dynamic soundtrack, along with a combat system that feels incredible in the moment. Hades 2 can also qualify as a perfect game, but the story tends to be a bit more divisive.
Dark Souls 3 Represents The Peak Of The Soulsborne Era
Incredible Boss Fights And Build Variety
FromSoftware had to make an appearance in this article, but Dark Souls 3 might not be everyone’s first pick.
As brilliant as it is, Elden Ring was FromSoftware’s first effort at a proper sandbox, and it shows a few rough edges. Bloodborne is my favorite game of all time, and I would have 100% included it if a remaster existed that improved performance and unlocked 60 fps. Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls are among the most influential RPGs of all time, but they have infamous low points. Sekiro isn’t an RPG.
By 2016, FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki had fine-tuned the Soulsborne formula to perfection, and Dark Souls 3 acts as the ultimate capstone for this era in the developer’s history. Combining the best of early Souls with Bloodborne, the combat hits a near-perfect middle ground between slow-paced deliberation and aggressive action, all the while throwing in Weapon Arts to provide more variety. Apart from Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3 has unmatched build customization that lends itself flawlessly to repeated playthroughs.
Oh, right, you also have one of the complete rosters of bosses in RPG history, with barely any weak points.
Deus Ex Is The Unmatched Immersive Sim
An Action RPG That Has Aged Scarily Well
Let’s jump back to a classic RPG that also just happens to be the greatest immersive sim of all time. Despite being more than 25 years old by this point, Deus Ex continues to be wildly impressive, primarily thanks to its dedication to player agency. RPGs that claim to be choice-based often only ask you to make a handful of decisions in the story, but Deus Ex gives you the freedom to approach each objective in a variety of viable ways, be it direct gunfights, hacking, smooth-talking, or stealth.
This commitment to consequences extends to the RPG systems like skill points and augmentations, nearly all of which force players to make decisions with genuine trade-offs that define how their character interacts with the world. Speaking of the world, Deus Ex‘s dystopian hellscape seems almost prophetic in 2026, with its ubiquitous surveillance, algorithms, corporate overlords, and Gray Death pandemic.
Click on the game with the higher OpenCritic rating.
A Vanillaware Masterpiece (As If That Doesn’t Describe All The Dev’s Games)
Vanillaware was on to something special with the PS2’s Odin Sphere, but the combat didn’t quite manage to come together in as satisfying a way as possible. Fortunately, the developer had a second go at it, and Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir fixes pretty much every issue with its predecessor. Suddenly, the sluggish combat plays like a dream, cementing this remake as one of the best-feeling side-scrolling action RPGs ever.
More than anything else, Vanillaware is known for its impeccable 2D art and in-depth storylines, and Odin Sphere sits right up there with the developer’s greatest achievements. Revolving around 5 playable characters, each with unique playstyles, the story explores the same apocalyptic timeline from different perspectives (and factions), encouraging players to gradually piece together the full picture. The game also takes a unique approach to progression by linking it with the Traveling Restaurant and food. It works amazingly in practice.
Grim Dawn Nails The Isometric Action RPG Formula
A Step Above Diablo 2
Of all the possible subgenres, isometric action RPGs might be the most consistent, and quite a few qualify as masterpieces. Diablo 2 would be the obvious candidate, but Grim Dawn came the closest to perfecting the classic formula in the modern era. It might not be the biggest name, but Grim Dawn has been the genre’s standard-bearer for a decade.
Although procedural generation serves isometric action RPGs well, a hand-crafted map will almost always be better, at least the first time through the campaign. Grim Dawn‘s world design is second to none, with Cairn being dense, atmospheric, and rich with minor environmental details. Ultimately, it is a fairly typical dark fantasy world, but we don’t actually get many games that fully commit to the “dark” part.
Grim Dawn delivers the good in the two most important parts of an isometric RPG: loot and class builds. The former’s biggest innovation is monster-specific drops with unique skill modifiers, which actually makes leveling gear relevant and also makes chasing items feel less random. Customization is among the deepest in gaming, boasting dual-classes and a massive Devotion chart offering an absurd range of viable options.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Is Still THE Open-World RPG
Now And Forever
I mean, how can we end this article without mentioning The Witcher 3? Yes, the game’s combat isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and the controls can be a touch frustrating at times… but these points aren’t anywhere near bad enough to diminish the overall package.
The Witcher 3 features the strongest narrative writing not only in the RPG genre, but in gaming on the whole. When I say “narrative,” I mean everything in the campaign rather than just the main story. CD Projekt Red raised the bar for side quests so ridiculously high that the open-world genre overnight moved away from lazy filler quests, just to avoid the embarrassment of doubling down on them in a post-Witcher 3 universe.
If we take the entire package, including the two expansions, The Witcher 3 might just be the greatest game of all time, and CD Projekt Red isn’t even finished.
