Of all the games to play right now, you may be wondering, why JRPG games?
RPGs are some of the most immersive games, as hinted at by their name, role playing games. The longer you spend in the game, the more you find yourself engrossed in its happenings. With characters that are customizable to your playstyle through skill trees, item choices, and more, it’s hard not to get attached. Combine all that with in-depth storytelling, fantastic world building, and, in some cases, even changes in that story and world based on your actions and choices, and it’s easy to see why RPGs are a genre worth getting excited about.
Japan has produced several major contenders among RPG games. JRPGs tend to use turn-based, strategic combat systems, implement hefty skill and stat management, offer gear customizability, boast intricate character design, and have an extended history with focusing heavily on story and worldbuilding. When looking at the many JRPGs that have been produced, creating a list of the best is quite a challenge. Many of the games chosen on this one are quite comparable in terms of their quality, and will likely hold a different rank in each individual reader’s heart and mind.
Please note, I have chosen only 1 game per franchise, simply to avoid a monopoly scenario. Several of the games listed are part of major serieses that could realistically earn multiple spots on this list. However, doing so seemed narrow-sighted, and I wished to share more than a handful of serieses with you today. If a game sounds interesting to you, or you try one and like it, please do reach out to others from the same franchise.
That having been said, these are my top 15. Here we go!
15. Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana Trailer.
Secret of Mana is the second game in the Mana series, and the only one to be released outside of Japan. You play as three main characters in a fantasy world who’s main energy source is called “mana.” Years ago, mankind and god collided, as civilization sought to harness and monopolize mana for the sake of war. Your job is to stop history from repeating itself, now that people again attempt to disrupt the peace and claim power for themselves. Secret of Mana is considered by many to be highly influential in the development of later JRPG games, with some of the characteristics later being adopted by other major games such as Chrono Trigger and even Dark Souls.
Secret of Mana is played from the top-down perspective that is a hallmark of 16-bit games. Surprisingly, the game does not use turn-based combat, and instead uses real-time battle and a stamina bar. As standard for RPG games, there are multiple playable characters and each has their own affinity (healing, melee, magic, etc.). The game has standard skill and gear progression, and (another common element of JRPGs especially) requires some grinding for loot and experience to progress.
What Makes Secret of Mana One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- The game got a facelift, with updated gameplay, remastered 3D graphics, and new voice acting for the characters (the original is still good too though)
- You can experience one of the pioneers for JRPG games, with an easy to learn but engaging combat system, including AI management, beautiful 16-bit graphics, and a well-developed story
- Relatively fast-paced gameplay; gear grinding is present for crafting/upgrading, but not overly tedious due to battle speed/progression
- Good OST (the original, not the remastered, be sure to use the old one) to get you really into the scene/mood
- Co-op gameplay, a feature that is relatively limited in standard JRPGs
14. Suikoden II
Suikoden II Trailer.
Suikoden II is part of the Suikoden series and is one of the most loved older JRPGs. You play as a male protagonist who holds half of one of the 27 True Runes, extremely powerful magic forces with wills of their own. Our main character and his friend, who holds the other half of the same rune, become swept up in an invasion from the Kingdom of Highland. Being chosen by the runes is not all it is cracked up to be, however, as the truth of everything comes crashing down on these two friends.
Originally, Suikoden II faced a lot of criticism, taking a 16-bit style at a time when 3D animation was king. Yet, it has come to be revered, retrospectively, as a classic and one of the greats of JRPG games. From the massive pool of recruitable characters, the game is played in 6-person parties that strategically battle enemies in a turn-based combat style. You progress through story quests, where you face enemies through initiating boss fights or by random encounter. Don’t let the older-looking graphics fool you, the game is worth a try.
What Makes Suikoden II One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- The story is loosely based on a Chinese novel and as such story is a primary focus of the game, which is packed with plenty of world and character details
- Multiple types of combat that proceeds in a grid-based or unit-based tactical style. These include regular battles, against 1-6 generated enemies; duels, the main character vs. one other enemy (played in a rock-paper-scissors style); and massive large-scale battles in which multiple units combat each other
- A wide and interesting cast of recruitable characters (and also a lot of NPCs) that each have their own functions, affinities, and personalities; have fun playing with all those potential combinations
- Character development, loads of it. Begin as a lowly soldier and find yourself somewhere much different by the end (I won’t spoil it though)
- Relatively low grind for a JRPG, with an auto-attack system to breeze through less complex battles and a leveling system that is designed to quickly get new characters up to speed
13. EarthBound
EarthBound Trailer.
EarthBound takes place right after the events in the game Mother, it’s parent game. You play as a young boy named Ness (also in Smash Brothers) who investigates a crashed meteorite. Upon his investigation, you find that an evil being has come to inhabit Eagleland, an amusingly obvious parody on America. Now, Ness and his three friends must collect melodies to fight against this foe and free everyone from the grips of hatred.
EarthBound is a 16-bit turn-based tactical strategy game consisting of a 4-person unit. The story progresses in a linear fashion as quests are completed and melodies gathered, making it extremely easy to follow. Characters level up through battles and upon leveling up, the points are randomly allocated. Due to the random allocation, you will have to gear and use each character according to how their skills end up, something that is both amusing and, at times, frustrating as heck. As for the world itself, the game is one giant map with no load-ins, a particularly unique characteristic for the time period it was made.
What Makes EarthBound One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- The plot is relatively goofy, so to speak, but that goofiness masks a deeper and somewhat darker story that emerges as the game progresses
- The random point allocation makes it so that you could theoretically play the game any number of times, and each time your characters will have different strengths and weaknesses
- Unlike the skill point allocation, the encounters are not randomly generated, allowing the player to pick their battles; there is a strategic element to this, as if you sneak up on enemies from behind, you get to make first move
- Less grind-oriented than other JRPGs; gear is gained through regular battles and boss fights, plus, if your party strength is a certain level higher than the enemy’s, the battles are automatically decided
- The Mother games and subsequently EarthBound are known as pioneering games for JRPGs, making them worth a try despite the graphics and combat not being as flashy or intricate as audiences now may be used to
12. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Trailer.
In Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, you play a young protagonist named Oliver. Upon discovering the existence of another world, and losing someone dear to him, Oliver sets out to right the wrongs in that other realm, hoping that they will reset the balance in his own world. As he makes his way to find the evil wizard, he seeks to restore the broken hearts of the people in this ravaged world.
Ni no Kuni is driven by a linear story that follows our main protagonist and progresses through the completion of various quests. There are companion characters that accompany Oliver and are also playable, each being used in a turn-based fashion for battles. Beyond the main-story quests is a robust open-world that players are free to explore, equipped with plenty of playable content.
What Makes Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- The combat system is actually a combination of turn-based strategy and real-time tactical elements, creating engaging and intricate battles
- Combat includes tamable creatures (“familiars”) that are trained alongside the characters for battle purposes and each has unique stats and features to contribute.
- The design and development boasts animation from the popular anime studio Studio Ghibli and music from renowned Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi
- A well-developed alchemy system for consumable items and gear crafting
- An emotionally packed story (also worked on by members of Studio Ghibli) that is only enhanced by the voice acting
11. Nier: Automata
Nier: Automata Trailer.
The story of Nier: Automata follows 3 androids, 2B, 9S, and A2 on their journey to reclaim Earth from the mechanical beings that have invaded. Set after humanity has been driven away, resistance forces send the androids as a form of counterattacks. In the midst of a war between machines and androids (machines themselves in many ways) raging on, the future is uncertain, and forgotten realities and secrets are yet to be discovered.
Combat unfolds over open field maps and in real-time. The story works through quest progression and is linear, unlocking gorgeous scenery and complex boss fights along the way. As you battle through the land, the characters you play level up, unlocking weapon types and customization options on top of combat skills, creating a leveling experience that feels relatively unique. The game evolves as you play through it, with each character unlocking at completion and then, after completing the new stories, opening up new storylines to replay them all again and unravel even more of the narrative.
What Makes Nier: Automata One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- The real-time combat leads to very action-packed battles where players alternate between melee and ranged attacks to combo large hordes of enemies or bosses.
- There are a fair number of side-quests to encourage greater exploration of the world and expand on the story
- Because completing the game unlocks new routes and those routes unlock new endings to get to the “true” ending (and the secrets of the world), the game has an inherently high amount of play-time
- The story masterfully tells of the all-time popular story archetype: man vs. machine
- Despite the combat relying on combinations and switching between ranged/melee, it is extremely fluid, making it easy to learn for new players but hard to master, thus providing incentive and reward for more experienced action RPG players.
10. Super Mario RPG
Super Mario RPG Trailer.
Super Mario RPG takes the Mario world and characters and drops them into an RPG style game. Mario, who had recently set out to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser, soon finds his path diverted upon the arrival of a new enemy. With the seven star pieces of Star Road missing, he must fight back to reclaim them. Along the way, he makes some unlikely allies who join in his efforts to return everything to how it should be.
Super Mario RPG combines RPG elements with gameplay that is traditional and expected from the Mario franchise. Gameplay also occurs in the adventure style that is classic to the series, with Mario punching question mark boxes as he traverses through zones that are generated in the expected 3D isometric style. These distinguishing features are combined with turn-based tactical combat consisting of 3 party units. With all the feel-good Mario sound effects and characters, this game has a lot to offer any fan of the franchise especially.
What Makes Super Mario RPG One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- Non-traditional for both Mario games and JRPGs, creating a unique experience for both
- An interesting story that takes what one would expect out of Mario games and flips it with new and exciting twists and character interactions
- A robust world where each region is characterized by distinct features and specific inhabitants
- The combat is both complex and simple; it is easy to manage and play through, but pressing the attack button or using items at specific moments will increase the results, rewarding players who really nail down the timing
- Honestly, the nostalgia of playing a Mario game in this new style alone makes this a JRPG worth playing
9. Pokemon
Pokemon Sword and Shield Trailer.
I’m sure this franchise doesn’t need much explaining. The Pokemon games have been around for an extended period of time and are dear to the hearts of gamers and anime fans alike. In each game you play as an adventurous protagonist who wants to, well, catch ‘em all. The goal is to progress through a linear story while collecting and training your pokemon along the way. Game completion is determined by beating the final boss battles that typically are denoted by gyms (Sun and Moon being the exception).
The game is fairly simple, the goal is to catch them all! Not literally, but generally, the idea is to catch strong pokemon capable of defeating gyms. You will need enough to battle and win against gym leaders while taking into account attributes (grass is beaten by fire, etc.). Pokemon are caught through random encounters (before Sword and Shield, and with the exception of legendaries) and are trained and leveled through battles and/or usable items.
What Makes Pokemon One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- Despite originating many years ago, the games are still highly popular and are regularly produced
- The game takes the idea of “familiars” to an all new extreme, where you have to catch and train creatures for battle rather than battling yourself with your own skills
- Pokemon encompasses the grind that is typical of JRPGs, between exploring to find pokemon you want and battling for experience, to train attributes, unlock knew skills, or earn currency, a lot of the game consists of grinding out random encounters or caves
- You can choose to catch and train pokemon you like rather than building the strongest team; your teams are customizable in terms of who is in them, the abilities and attributes, and, basically, you can play however you want
- Being able to play however you want, i.e. serious, laid back, etc., makes the games accessible to players of all ages and skill levels.
8. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Trailer.
The Fire Emblem series in general is extremely popular and is a major contender in terms of JRPGs (there is a reason they made it into the Smash Bros games). With multiple games making up the main story, spin-offs, and even a popular mobile gacha game, Fire Emblem more than deserves a spot on a top list. In the most recent game, Three Houses, you play as a professor who is hired to teach at the Officers Academy and must choose one of 3 school houses, each one representing the 3 primary nations within the game. Your choice of house delineates the path the game will follow.
Typical of the Fire Emblem franchise, Three Houses uses a heavily strategic turn-based combat system which, for boss fights especially, requires attention to the skills and synergies of your party. The gender and name of your character is free for you to choose, and playing as either male or female will slightly influence character interactions. A major characteristic of the Fire Emblem games is the balance of choices and consequences; every decision you make and action you take influences the story and the characters.
What Makes Fire Emblem: Three Houses Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- A heavy focus on story, especially as you are encouraged to participate in how it unfolds
- The ability to choose 3 different houses means the game is playable at least 3 times, not including the ability to replay each one over again to change your choices, and thus their results
- For people who like character relationships, the game encourages you to participate in coupling, and the player character themselves is also able to enter romantic relationships (again, furthering play potential, as you can make different choices in romantic partners)
- Combat fields are large and intricate, with full-on battalion fights, increasing tactical potential and strategic gameplay, though most battles are relatively easy to progress through provided you know your character’s skillsets
- A high number of playable characters
7. Tales Series (Berseria)
Tales of Berseria Trailer.
The Tales Series is another popular gaming series. Each game can be played independently of the others and the series as a whole is characterized by its manga and anime-like art style and unique battle system. One of the more popular games, Tales of Berseria, follows a young woman named Velvet who has become cold and bitter following a traumatic experience (set before the plot). Velvet joins a crew of pirates and traverses the land, during which she encounters various foes and goes on a journey of self-discovery. Perhaps she might even uncover more information related to that traumatizing day.
Tales of Berseria is very story-driven, with a linear plot and quest system. Character interactions are played out through automated skits; these interactions sometimes provide comedic relief, or alternatively can be extremely serious, and are the main form of character development and relationship building. The Tales Series uses a unique battle system known as the Linear Motion Battle System, of which Berseria uses a variation. When on the battlefield, a character can navigate a free map in which they can choose to interact with various enemy mobs to initiate battle that occurs in real-time. During battle, you can switch between different members of your party to combo and use special attacks.
What Makes Tales of Berseria One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- Unique combat system (to Tales games) that flows very well (after an adjustment, of course) and offers a variety of complexity for players of different skills and interests
- An amazing story that is backed by an extremely well-developed cast of characters
- Gorgeously animated cutscenes that contribute to the emotional story
- A variety of additional game mechanics beyond questing and battling, such as cooking, voyages, sidequests, “red alert” monsters, etc.
- For players who enjoy fighting mobs to grind out gear, this game has plenty of playable grind time as well
6. Xenoblade Chronicles II
Xenoblade Chronicles II Trailer.
The follow-up game to the first Xenoblade Chronicles (also a great game), Xenoblade Chronicles II has a story that stands independent of the first. The game follows Rex, an orphan who is hired to salvage an ancient ship for a powerful treasure. Upon their journey, Rex and the crew he accompanies discover a powerful humanoid weapon (blade) named Pyra. The two, now thrown together, must work to uncover a fabled paradise and escape those who would misuse her.
Xenoblade Chronicles II is an action-based game with real-time combat in a unit of 3, with the player controlling one main character at a time. The game is primarily open-world and features realistic night-day cycles of time. Within this world, the player travels to different areas (titans) that are characteristically unique with specific enemies and features. Each character uses a Blade to fight, which also determines their class; attacker, healer, and tank.
What Makes Xenoblade Chronicles II One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- The game has a relatively unique story equipped with multiple twists
- As you play the game, additional stories and blades unlock, encouraging replayability
- The world is very vast, encouraging exploration through side quests and the addition of a fast-travel system that makes it easy to go from one titan to the next; the day-night cycle also means that different enemies and items are available at different times
- Good character development and intricate character relationships can be experienced and formed from added elements such as heart-to-hearts (field conversations with interactive choices) and side quests; these increase trust levels which boost affinity between Drivers and Blades
- If you enjoy the game and want to experience it in every facet, then there are grind options available for upgrades, such as core crystals
5. Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II Trailer.
The Kingdom Hearts Series is another extremely popular and beloved gaming franchise that has been around for quite some time; the most recent being Kingdom Hearts III (which honestly, was not as good as II). Kingdom Hearts II is a direct sequel to both the first game and Chain of Memories. Just as the two prior games, the story follows Sora and his friends, Donald and Goofy, in their continued quest against the darkness. After being asleep for over a year, Sora awakens again to continue his battle. In case anyone wants to play the earlier games, I will refrain from further detail.
Kingdom Hearts is a real-time action hack and slash that comes equipped with combo attacks and additional magic and summoning abilities. Kingdom Hearts II added a new feature, Reaction Commands, that can be used after certain triggers in battle; these will allow you to react and perform special attacks or dodge damage. Allies are controlled by computer AI, but the player is able to customize their behavior through the menu, adding an extra strategic element. In order to travel throughout the in-game universe, you must first complete each world and then unlock different connections (through a mini-game known as the “Gummi ship”) to travel to new ones. The story progresses through completing “quests” that are given through cutscenes, and these quests, while linear in story, take you back and forth between the worlds.
What Makes Kingdom Hearts II One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- A play on the original Final Fantasy combat system, but remastered to be real-time action with interactive hack and slash elements
- A Japanese aesthetic with the familiarity of Disney characters we all know and love
- Fully orchestrated soundtrack that helps to immerse you in the universe and story
- The story is highly complex and intricate; for players who enjoy really getting into the world of the game, it benefits from multiple playthroughs, as things become clearer and more details are learned each time
- There is a lot of extended content beyond just the game, including spin-offs, manga, mobile games, etc.
4. Dragon Quest VIII
Dragon Quest VIII Trailer.
Dragon Quest is a great series overall, with the original being a major player in introducing staples that became prevalent characteristics of JRPGs for years to come. While Dragon Quest VIII is one of the fan favorites, being the first to stray from 2D into 3D, DQ III and XI are also great games. The story begins in a castle after an attack from an evil jester that turns the King into a troll, the Princess into a horse, and the rest of the people into plants. Only the unnamed male protagonist (unnamed hero) remains to fight the jester and return everyone back to normal. He is joined in his quest by a thief, a mage, and a knight.
Dragon Quest games are turn-based strategy games. DQ VIII has a unique twist in the combat system that allows the player to move their camera to examine the enemy forces and potentially determine what gear they might possess. When you defeat enemy monsters, you are actually able to convince them to join your forces and fight against the very evil they once served. Dragon Quest VIII is an open-world game with multitudes of side-quests, minigames, and an overworld (explorable map). The open-world allows you to explore in search of random battle encounters that offer more potential monsters for your team.
What Makes Dragon Quest VIII One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- An alchemy system that allows you to upgrade and create new items through combining them, another benefit to seeking out random encounters
- A generally interesting world to explore, with colorful graphics and interesting characters
- The lightheartedness of the characters, graphics, music, and general surface plot, masks a darker underlying story with twists that are well worth the wait
- The story and combat are both fairly simple, lending to relaxed and casual gameplay for a variety of skill levels and ages
- Dragon Quest being a staple of JRPGs as a genre, makes experiencing those elements at the early stages and seeing where current games evolved from is well-worth playing the DQ games for any JRPG fan
3. Persona 5
Persona 5 Trailer.
Persona is another great series of games that is dominant in the JRPG category. Persona 4 in particular is another well-loved and widely played game, and is also well worth a try. However, Persona 5 is the most recent and was the driving force in reinvigorating the Persona series through its popularity, earning it a spot on this list over the others, including 4. Persona 5 takes place in Tokyo as we follow our main protagonist, Joker, after he transfers to a new school. He and his fellow students awaken special powers and form a group of vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
The Persona games function on turn-based combat. A primary component of the game is the time-reliant gameplay in which everything has to happen in a certain period of time because of the school year and day-night cycles. In order to progress the story, you must travel through the world to complete dungeons. During the school day, you complete activities or jobs that raise your stats and abilities, as well as socialize with your classmates to boost relationships and unlock certain characters for use in your party. Persona 5 is equipped with multiple endings that occur based on battle and dungeon success.
What Makes Persona V One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- The game has a phenomenal soundtrack that stands out above others
- There are basically two games in one; there is the dungeon crawler action game that unfolds between the vigilante characters and criminals, but also the social-simulation during the school day (which is similar to a visual novel)
- Character interactions can be used to form potential romantic relationships with the characters, enhancing the life-like feeling of the daytime activities and the relation to visual novel games
- Each character has a very unique and robust personality; you literally summon a manifestation of their “persona” through combat
- The cast of voice actors is amazing and the combat is very stylish and enjoyable to watch
2. Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger Trailer.
Chrono Trigger tells the story of Crono and his companions as they travel through time, battling enemies, recruiting allies, gathering equipment, and obtaining magic. The story is set in an alternate timeline of Earth. The original party begins time travel after an experiment gone awry, where a character named Marle is transported to another time period. Crono travels through time in an attempt to find her, only to become intricately entwined and involved in the stories of those they meet along the way.
Chrono Trigger’s combat works on an Active Time Battle system, where the playable character can perform an action once their personal timer, determined by their speed stat, reaches 0. Unlike many other JRPGs of the time period, combat does not rely on a random encounter system and the majority of enemies can be seen on the map. Players navigate via an overworld map and each area (cities, forests, etc.) have their own individual map in which characters encounter NPCs for trades and quests, can solve puzzles or challenges, and encounter enemies. Exploring new areas and defeating the enemies and bosses within them will unlock more of the story and allow you to progress.
What Makes Chrono Trigger One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- The time-traveling allows you to experience various ages of history that include elements true to reality, creating an interesting and historical experience
- In addition to the above point, the time travel element includes choice-based consequences, where the decisions and actions you make in the past impact the future, and thus each time period evolves accordingly
- The choice-based consequences also lead to multiple endings increasing playability
- Honestly, the story is very unique and a little bit crazy, but the craziness only increases your desire to figure out what is happening; let's say it’s “whimsical”
- The game was created by a dream-team; the creator of Final Fantasy, one of the writers of the Dragon Quest games, and the creator of Dragon Ball (this likely contributes to the plot being the way it is), which should help attest to how great of a game it is
1. Final Fantasy VI (III in the U.S.)
Final Fantasy VI Trailer.
Final Fantasy is the JRPG series and franchise, with a significant and highly devoted fanbase. It is hard to say which game is the best among them all, as each one has its great qualities that can set it above the others depending on a variety of factors, with personal preference being at the top. That being said, Final Fantasy VI has long been considered as one of the best in the series, and still holds up well despite its age (don’t knock it until you try it). Final Fantasy VI follows the conflict between the Gestahlian Empire, who is trying to conquer the world, and the Returners, a rebel faction that opposes them. Having captured the magical creatures of legend, espers, the Empire has amassed great power and is oppressing people under their will. In order to fight back, the Returners seek magical power of their own and find themselves searching for Terra (Tina, in Japanese) Branford, an imperial soldier who might hold the key to victory.
As typical of Final Fantasy games, VI uses turn-based combat that relies on Active Time Battle, just like Chrono Trigger, in which an action cannot be performed without their individual timer reaching 0 (based on speed skill). There are added desperation attacks, which unlock when a character is low-health, dealing more damage than normal as a last-ditch effort for survival. Final Fantasy VI unfolds through clearing areas or dungeons and traversing through different zones, unlocking story and quests as you go. This travel happens by foot, Chocobo (my favorite), or airship, at varying degrees of speed. If you’re looking for top of the line graphics and animation, you might want to check out a newer Final Fantasy game but, with amazing music accompanying interesting characters and story, Final Fantasy VI is a phenomenal game that offers much to any fan of the franchise and JRPGs.
What Makes Final Fantasy VI One Of The Best JRPGs of Today?
- Diverse gameplay; for example, dungeons include combat, puzzles, mazes, and you even have to split your party for some instances
- Vast character customization, through skill points, weapons, armor, and relics, that allows you to play in a way that fits you
- 14 playable characters, which is actually quite a number for most JRPG games
- Considering the playable character cast’s size, each one has a highly developed storyline, further contributing to the masterpiece of the story itself
- Combines many of the best features from prior games and improves on areas that were lacking; all of this is then used to create even better games later, making it a major stepping stone for the franchise, and a damn good one
