30. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Don’t Nod’s second major action RPG, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was released early last year, and it turned out to be a way better experience than Vampyr. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was an excellent action role playing game with plenty to do with story being its main focus. Throughout the game’s narrative, players would have to make tough decisions which can result in any of the five endings.

Join us as we look at the top 30 best action RPGs as of 2023 and what makes them worth playing.

30. Fallout 3

Much like Skyrim, Fallout 3’s combat hasn’t exactly aged well. However, at the time, it was pretty revolutionary, representing the formerly overhead 2D RPG in a fully 3D world with third and first-person perspectives.

The shooting felt more immersive, and V.A.T.S. was more of a slow-mo targeting system for damaging specific limbs (or exploding heads in over-the-top fashion). Aside from that, the world is well-developed, channeling the isolation of a post-nuclear fallout, while your choices had a notable impact on quests to create memorable moments.

29. Dying Light 2 Stay Human

When going from Dying Light 1 to 2, several things were lost. Fortunately, Techland has been doing a good job restoring some of these, while adding some new features to expand on and improve the combat. Legendary weapons, new enemy types, more dangerous Infected, Legend Levels, dismemberment and much more have been added in post-launch updates, resulting in a more visceral and engaging experience.

28. Bastion

Supergiant Games’ first title, Bastion, mixed isometric combat with some light building mechanics to create a compelling adventure. The world is a mess, and it’s the player’s job to put things back together, with the different structures conferring unique upgrades and facilities. Combat is fairly solid and responsive throughout, with melee and ranged options available, but it’s the story and its mysteries that immerse you, thanks, especially to the Narrator who follows your journey.

27. X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse

It’s a shame there haven’t been many action RPG titles in the vein of X-Men Legends, especially with how good Rise of Apocalypse turned out. The story was simple enough as Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants teamed with Xavier’s X-Men to defeat Apocalypse, which allowed for squads from an extensive roster.

Each character gained XP to upgrade their abilities and could even execute combos and Super Combos. With a central hub for viewing comic book covers and biographies, a Danger Room for additional missions and updated visuals over the original, X-Men Legends 2 was an upgrade in almost every way (except maybe the voice acting).

26. Weird West

An immersive sim from WolfEye Studios, Weird West is still an action RPG with open-ended objectives and fairly responsive combat. The various playable characters and unique abilities add some flavor to the supernatural adventure, and you can either go in guns-blazing or utilize stealth to take down foes. While some choices may not be that impactful, the combat is on point, the art style sharp, and the world brimming with things to do.

25. Transistor

Weird as it sounds, Supergiant Games’ Transistor qualifies as an action RPG, though it also has a sort of real-time with pause system. Protagonist Red wields the Transistor, a powerful sword, as the Cloudbank faces an attack at the hands of the Process.

During combat, players can go around whacking enemies or pause and plan actions as long as the Action Bar remains. After unpausing, those actions are immediately executed. With a surprising amount of depth to its encounters and Functions, Transistor is a different take on the genre, but one that presents an incredible art style and music to go with its emotional story.

24. Diablo 4

Despite a problematic launch for its first season, Diablo 4 has improved by leaps and bounds since then. Classes have received more items and Uniques to enable distinct builds and many more viable play styles.

The world has received several changes that make leveling up smoother and the end game more enjoyable (teleporting directly to a Nightmare Dungeon from its Sigil being one such change). Even the horse feels much better to control. Though things could always change, Diablo 4 is in a pretty good spot right now and worth checking out for fans of action RPG looters.

23. Ys 9: Monstrum Nox

Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana starts slow and often repels those who aren’t into its “stranded on a deserted island” plot or the basic survival tasks. Granted, it opens up and offers an incredible journey, but it takes some time. Ys 9: Monstrum Nox, on the other hand, is full throttle from the get-go.

The city of Balduq is seamless to explore and brimming with things to collect as players use Adol’s new traversal abilities in exciting ways. Each Monstrum’s story is interesting; the combat is as fluid as ever and the bosses fun to fight; and the new activities integrate seamlessly into the game. The Ys series may not be for everyone, but Ys 9 is simply phenomenal.

22. Borderlands 2

The pinnacle of the franchise, Borderlands 2 featured an unforgettable villain, some crazy loot and class synergies, and a decent story. Sure, the end-game devolved into utter chaos, especially in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, but with heaps of content and significant improvements over the original, it remains the definitive looter shooter. Yes, even over Borderlands 3.

21. System Shock 2

After the first game’s success, System Shock 2 leaned more into the action aspect while still emphasizing strategy over twitch aiming. Though there were different services of UNN to choose from, each specializing in different branches like weapons, hacking and psionics, the gameplay was still open-ended, encouraging experimentation. Of course, between all the different enemy types and weapons, it’s easy to forget that System Shock 2 is a horror game, with the insanity of SHODAN and the sound design still unmatched.

20. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

It may not have aged all that well, but one can’t discount the impact of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim’s combat on the genre. Being able to dual-wield and use different kinds of magic while having more agency on the development of your character was incredible, not to mention all of the different Dragon Shouts. The threats it offered, from dragons and giants, also felt fresh and challenging. Melee combat can be hit or miss, but Skyrim made up for it with the quality of its world and exploration.

19. Starfield

You could levy many criticisms against Starfield, but the combat has marked a step up from anything Bethesda has released thus far. The overall feel of shooting is crisp, and seeing the effects of certain weapons, like ballistic weapons pushing you around in Zero-G settings, is pretty cool. Throw in everything else, from compelling ship design and space combat to fun side missions, and Starfield does offer enough reason to lock and load.

18. Dead Island 2

No one expected anything from Dead Island 2 after it spent nearly a decade in limbo. So when it launched as a straightforward, zombie-killing hack-and-slash title with surprisingly deep combat, it was surprising.

Using the environment to damage zombies, unique weapons that all affected the undead in different ways, the Skill Deck for leaning into certain play styles, and the FLESH system, which took gore and dismemberment to a new level, all added to the experience. Even if the missions and story weren’t anything exceptional (the latter did have some fun revelations, though), Dead Island 2 gave you plenty of reason to run around and slay zombies in creative ways. And really, what more could you ask?

17. Remnant 2

The first Remnant is the very definition of a dark horse. With little hype, it cemented itself as a compelling, challenging game that blended third-person shooting with Souls-like mechanics. So to have Remnant 2, a bigger, bolder version with overhauled mechanics, more loot and customization is a dream come true.

From the bleak landscape of N’erud to the crazed streets of Losomn, the sequel offers a strong variety of enemies, fun boss fights and more complex procedural generation for entirely different questlines and challenges in each run. Even the build variety is significantly crazier since you can effectively mix skills from two classes together.

16. Pokémon Legends: Arceus

As perhaps the biggest shift to the Pokemon formula in a long time, Pokemon Legends: Arceus allowed the player to run around and capture Pokemon in real time. You can be attacked and knocked out during battles, which means deploying Pokemon to fight back. It was a big twist utilized in several unique ways throughout the story. Of course, on top of this, Arceus also featured a massive world to explore, tons of Pokemon to collect and an enthralling story that encouraged catching them all.

15. Lords of the Fallen

Like Dead Island 2, Lords of the Fallen is a long time coming, and it delivers on almost every single front. The dark fantasy setting, with the dual world motif playing a major role in the gameplay and story; the three magic schools, each with unique play styles; and the combat, which mimics Dark Souls in the best way possible – Hexworks delivered all this and more, along with some genuinely stunning visuals.

14. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 has seen so many changes since its launch that it’s hard to keep track. Nevertheless, it’s still one of the best looter shooters available, with new Exotics and Gear Sets leading to a diverse range of playstyles. Combat itself feels very good, with new Signature Weapons adding some exceptional wrinkles without feeling like bog-standard “Ultimates.” With how much The Division 2 has expanded in content, from The Summit to Countdown, it’s easy to get lost in the gear grind.

13. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Many appreciate Monster Hunter Rise and its mechanics and the new monsters it delivers, but there’s just something else to Monster Hunter World. Its combat is an altogether different kind of polish, and you’re not bound to Wirebugs to unleash some of the strongest attacks.

The sheer range of monsters, old and new, is fun to fight, while Iceborne ups the difficulty significantly while layering on new Skills, mechanics and match-ups. If the Siege activities aren’t your thing, then maybe you’d like to take on the vast range of optional quests, including collaboration with Resident Evil and The Witcher 3. While it could be frustrating in its own right, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is a stunning achievement for the franchise.

12. Hogwarts Legacy

Between capturing the essence of the Wizarding World’s locations and atmosphere and creating a fun open world, Hogwarts Legacy had its work cut out for it. Thankfully, even with average loot, it has stellar combat. There’s nothing quite like unleashing a bevy of spells against opponents while dashing around and using Avada Kedavra to wipe them out.

11. Lies of P

If there’s any title that could come close to feeling Bloodborne-like, it’s Lies of P. The Belle Epoque era epic also tosses in aspects of Dark Souls and Sekiro as you look to break an opponent’s stance and follow up with devastating blows.

Along with extensive weapon customization and Puppet Arms for different abilities, there are also unique weapons with powerful skills, adding even more nuance to the combat. Its pacing and boss design may not be on par with FromSoftware’s best, but the fact that it invites such comparisons while delivering stunning environments and ample enemy variety is already an achievement in itself.

10. Demon’s Souls

The original Demon’s Souls is something special. It kick-started the Souls-like genre as we know it, with FromSoftware going on to create the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne and Elden Ring. While it’s impressive, Bluepoint Games took the essence of the action RPG and polished it to a stunning degree on PS5.

You could argue that the graphical upgrade alone shouldn’t make it worth considering, but so much work has gone into enhancing the atmosphere and revamping locations to create a new feeling without taking away from the difficulty.

9. Nioh 2

Team Ninja had a lot to live up to after Nioh. With Nioh 2, it delved even more into what made the series so great – unrelenting but fair difficulty, combined with new aggressive Burst mechanics to overcome enemies.

That’s on top of all the new skills, weapon types, and Yokai Skills, further deepening the combat, while new bosses and mission parameters – including the dreaded Dark Realm. With even more potential for broken builds and extensive end-game activities to test them, Nioh 2 is a meaty experience, even if its difficulty isn’t for everyone.

8. Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 is when the series fully embraced the action RPG genre, becoming a third-person shooter where Shepard could issue commands to his teammates and combo effects together. It was seamless for such a massive leap in gameplay, delivering stellar gunplay while expanding on classes and weapons to offer more options. It’s backed by an amazing story, incredible companions, memorable side quests and one of the best final missions of any game, resulting in an unforgettable experience.

7. Cyberpunk 2077

When Cyberpunk 2077 first launched, its combat was good. Not spectacular, but good. Following numerous updates, it’s evolved into something truly spectacular. Between the bloody finishers, improved melee combat and solid gunplay is a toolset for more different builds.

Become a powerful hacker, spreading viruses and destroying opponents by driving cars into them. Leap around with Mantis Blades or toss bodies around. There are so many possibilities now, and it all feels good to control. Of course, the rest of the game being far better than before doesn’t hurt either.

6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Widely considered one of the greatest games ever made, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has it all: A compelling story, excellent side quests, a vast world brimming with activities and secrets, and, of course, some strong combat. Refined over the years, especially with the Complete Edition adding quick casting for Signs, the combat has the right amount of feedback as you dance around and demolish enemies.

5. Dark Souls 3

Some may love the first game, while others choose the second game to be different, but Dark Souls 3 is arguably the series’ peak. It strikes a balance with Bloodborne’s fast pace and the classic dodge-rolling gameplay, offers some incredible levels with striking details and delivers an incredible range of boss fights. Combine this with a healthy selection of spells and weapons for replay value, and you have one of the best action RPGs. Even after all these years, few games can match the brilliance of Dark Souls 3.

4. Final Fantasy 16

Yes, the role-playing game mechanics – specifically the loot – are fairly light. Yes, the dungeons weren’t packed with crazy mechanics. However, when it comes to embodying everything that makes the series so worthwhile, Final Fantasy 16 is superb. The combat offers a different take on Break mechanics and constantly adds new abilities and combos to try out as you progress.

The story is an enthralling odyssey with betrayal, revelations and its fair share of grimness. The characters are all portrayed excellently, even if some could have used more time to shine. Above all, the presentation with its visuals and music, especially the Eikon fights, has to be seen first-hand. It may not be everyone’s favorite Final Fantasy, but Final Fantasy 16 is still an accomplished action RPG.

3. Horizon Forbidden West

Video game sequels are meant to improve on their predecessors, and Guerrilla Games took this to heart with Horizon Forbidden West. Every aspect, from the Skill Trees and upgrade system to Armor Skills and open-world activities, is better than the first game. With so many unique movement options like the Shieldwing and Pullcaster, Aloy would have even tougher Machines to deal with, including the Tremortusk, Slaughterspine and Tideripper. It made for an enthralling adventure, as the secrets of the Forbidden West were laid bare.

2. Elden Ring

FromSoftware’s magnum opus, its take on the open-world genre, is nothing short of masterful. The Lands Between is brimming with secrets and challenges, and even with some repeated content and cheap bosses, it’s an epic journey.

If seeing what’s around the next corner is a big motivator, then combat is perhaps the second biggest, mixing the best of Dark Souls with the most customization in a Souls-like title yet. Whether you’re a samurai specializing in Bleed builds, a Warrior jump-attacking everything with dual greatswords or slinging spells, there are so many ways to play, to say nothing of the wide variety of Spirit Ashes that serve as companions.

1. Bloodborne

It’s only fitting that one of the few games that can match FromSoftware’s best works is what many consider its best work to date. Bloodborne isn’t the most technically accomplished action RPG on this list due to being stuck on the PS4 for all these years.

Nevertheless, it delivers a gothic Victorian setting and a sense of all-encompassing dread. The combat is still enthralling, engaging and involving, introducing weapon transformations and firearms for new ways to topple enemies. Throw in some excellent bosses and engrossing lore, and Bloodborne still towers over its competitors.

As a follow-up to Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana, the story sees Adol Christin arrives in the prison city of Balduq. After being framed and escaping, he joins the Monstrums as the Crimson King, unleashing powerful abilities to fight back against the Lemures. The goal is to break his curse and ultimately defeat the Lemures once and for all.

While sporting the same combat as its predecessor, Ys 9: Monstrum Nox expands on the exploration with larger open regions to explore. Players can also use Monstrum Gifts to grapple, glide, wall-run, etc. Check out our official review for more details.

In North America, Ys 9: Monstrum Nox launches for PS5 on May 9, while European players will get it a few days later on May 12. All previously released cosmetic DLC will be included in the PS5 version. Meanwhile, publisher NIS America has also released a new trailer that focuses on the game’s cast of characters. Check it out below.

In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, “Ys IX: Monstrum Nox brings a wide array of impressive gameplay elements in concert with a wonderful cast of characters to make an exhilarating, thoughtful package that’s one of the series’ best.” Read the full review through here.

Recently, Falcom also announced the next mainline game in the series, Ys 10: Nordics, while the remaster Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is also in development for Nintendo Switch.

The Limited Edition retails for $89.99 and features the official soundtrack on CD, an art card collection, a 200-piece puzzle, a collector’s box, the “Nails in the Coffin” hardcover art book, “The Lost Sword” prequel novel, and the game. Ys 9: Monstrum Nox is available for PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Google Stadia. While the PS4 version did receive an update for PS5, this only enables 4K resolution support instead of properly optimizing for the platform.

Stay tuned for more details on the enhancements that the PS5 version could offer. Who knows? It may even add local co-op, which is currently only available on PC. For more details on the game, check out our official review here.

This is mainly due to strong sales of Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny, which launched last year for the Nintendo Switch in North America and Europe. Repeat sales for past titles in the series also helped. Nihon Falcom titles, which NIS America published, did well with Ys 9: Monstrum Nox contributing to its profit growth.

The company is currently forecasting net sales of 6,378 million yen ($49,883,466) for fiscal year 2023, which closes on March 31st, 2023. However, it’s projecting final profit to be down by 26.5 percent year-on-year at 935 million yen ($7,312,800). It currently has Disgaea 6: Complete coming to PS4, PS5 and PC in June while The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero launches in September for the West on PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC.

“So I ported it over, and depending on the hardware and in-game scenario, some testers saw improvements of 25% in CPU limited scenarios. As such, it seems worth releasing publicly.” When in the center of Balduq with ultra draw distance enabled, CPU-limited performance was found to be about 28 frames higher than on patch 1.0.0.

Of course, players will need Direct3D feature level 11_1 and the degree to which performance will improve depends on “the specific in-game scene, settings, and your hardware GPU/CPU balance.” The patch also adjusts the refresh rate selection to more reliably choose one that’s closer to what you may want.

The executables have also been signed, which should prevent any false positives with some players’ antivirus software. Check out the full patch notes below. As always, anyone who faces any issues can return to previous versions via the public branches on Steam.

Ys 9: Monstrum Nox is currently available for PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia.

Ys 9 1.1.3

• Improved CPU-bound performance. The degree to which you will notice this depends on the specific in-game scene, settings, and your hardware GPU/CPU balance.
• Adjust the refresh rate selection algorithm to more reliably pick the available refresh-rate closest to the one desired.
• The game executables are now signed. This should hopefully reduce the antivirus false positives that sometimes pop up for some players.
• Fixed the English item description of the Holy Sword’s Hilt accessory to correctly reflect its capabilities.

Perhaps the best part of this co-op mode is that, unlike Ys 8, the second player can do pretty much everything like starting conversations with NPCs, moving around the environment, using Gifts, discovering landmarks, triggering fights and much more. Both players can also switch to the third party member without interrupting each other. There are some limitations though like being unable to rebind controls for the second players.

Camera control is also shared and requires some readjusting, though the game does it’s best to have both players on screen at all times. Another feature of this patch is the addition of 16:10 aspect ratio support. While 2D elements like menus and map screens will be letterboxed, everything else should render in full resolution. This makes it especially good for playing on the upcoming Steam Deck.

Check out the full changelog below courtesy of PH3 Games. Ys 9: Monstrum Nox is available for PS4, PS5 and PC.

UPDATE NOTES:

New Features

• Local co-op support
• Support for narrow aspect ratios
• The “Equip Screen Supersampling” graphics setting now also applies to the “Ritual Relics” screen

Fixes and Improvements

• Make sure that traps behave functionally the same at high framerates (>>60 FPS) as they do at the default framerate
• Fix timing of fades after video playback before Grimwald battles
• Fix spikes at Dry Moat Ruins boss not being shown with some settings
• Fix crash on startup when no audio devices are available
• Fix UI animation speed of Grimwald result screen at high FPS
• Fix a long-standing bug causing NPCs to get stuck on some ceilings after wall run
• Fix some English spelling issues

Of course, this also marks the time that Steam is accepting nominations for its annual Steam Awards. The usual categories return from the Game of the Year Award to the Labor of Love Award (recognising games that continue to receive updates and new content). Head here for more details on all of the categories.

This won’t be the final Steam Sale for the year though since the Winter Sale will be coming up around the end of December. Stay tuned for more details when that goes live.

Dark Souls Remastered

More than a decade after its original release, it’s still impressive how much Dark Souls has influenced gaming. Dark Souls Remastered is a fairly straightforward enhanced edition, providing a 60 FPS frame rate, higher resolutions, and improved lighting and alpha effects among other minor improvements. But the core of the title, from the excellent pacing and pitch-perfect design, the madness of levels like Sen’s Fortress and Blighttown, and the wonder upon finding Anor Londo remain to this day, as does the solid combat and boss design.