Best Action RPG Masterpieces Of All Time, Ranked

RPGs started simply with turn-based gameplay, but now the action sub-genre has become dominant in both the East and West. With better technology, it’s made action games more desirable as turn-based gameplay was more of a necessity back on earlier consoles.

For every type of player out there, there’s an action RPG for them, from something lighthearted like Kingdom Hearts 2 to something darker like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Those games, and others, will be ranked below, taking into consideration the whole package beyond just the combat. After all, the best of the best have to be more intriguing beyond just a couple of cool sword techniques or magic spells.

10 Secret Of Mana

Top-Down Co-Op Bliss

Secret of Mana is a great top-down action RPG that provided SNES players with co-op back in the day. Most players probably never even realized there was a co-op option, but regardless of that, players could explore various nature locations and dungeons, connected by a big overworld map that players could eventually fly around in.

As players progressed, they unlocked and leveled up new weapons for the hero, like a sword and spear, and got new powers from elemental creatures. Still accessible on multiple platforms, Secret of Mana holds up, and it’s a great first game to check out in the Mana series.

9 Dark Cloud 2

We Built This City

Dark Cloud 2 is a time-traveling action RPG with town-building mechanics as well. As Max and Monica, the player will travel around to different eras to correct timelines. NPCs and parts of their destroyed towns are located in dungeons, and once rescued, players can rebuild.

For combat, Monica can use magic, swords, and transform into monsters, while Max has guns, tools, and a robot to pilot. No matter what version players get, Dark Cloud 2 is a challenging experience, but with the cool weapon evolution system and the decent building mechanics, it’s still well worth anyone’s time.

8 Diablo 2

Hell Comes For Us All

Diablo 2 may look a bit dated now, as the Diablo series has evolved greatly, but considering the greatest games of all time, this one ranks up there in terms of importance. It was a big improvement over the original with cool classes, a darker story, constant updates, great co-op, and expansions.

Jumping into a dungeon, slaying hundreds of enemies, leveling up, and grabbing gear was one of the most satisfying gameplay loops in the early 2000s, and it is still addictive today. The remake is a good way to check Diablo 2, but in all honesty, the original PC version is still superior.

7 The World Ends With You

Fight For Your Life

The World Ends With You made good use of the DS hardware for its gameplay. Stuck in what is essentially limbo, Neku has to go through games designed by supernatural beings known as Reapers, with the end goal being a wish.

Players could equip Neku with Pins that dictated his moves, like shooting fireballs. In battle, players controlled Neku’s moves with the stylus while the top screen partner was controlled using face buttons. It seemed more complicated than it was in practice, and DS fans remember it for its unique gameplay and soundtrack.

6 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Get Lost In Tamriel

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim gives RPG fans an open-world experience that will allow them to play the game however they want. They can create a character using a diverse set of races, and then the world is their oyster to follow the story involving warring factions and dragons, or they can just go out exploring.

There are tons of weapons to find or craft, magic spells to learn, and dual-wielding makes combat more fun in first-person. Even as a decade-old title, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is a game that keeps getting new fans because of its open design and easy-to-understand gameplay.

5 Kingdom Hearts 2

The Magic Of Disney

Kingdom Hearts 2 is a favorite among fans for striking a good balance between the Disney, original, and Final Fantasy characters. It’s just as fun interacting with Cloud from Final Fantasy 7 as it is with Tron from Tron, and the new Organization 13 villains keep things interesting. The worlds are imaginative, the platforming is better than the original, and the combat got a boost, too.

From new spells to summons to Keyblade forms with Sora, something interesting is always going down in combat, and the variety is what made Kingdom Hearts 2 great on the PS2.

4 NieR: Automata

For Humanity

NieR: Automata was designed by PlatinumGames, which is a developer known for integrating great combat systems into its games. The combat here is adaptive, as players can have manual control over the three playable characters and main campaigns, or they can make some elements automatic.

Either way, this post-apocalyptic romp through a robot-filled Earth is rewarding beyond combat because the story takes some dark turns. NieR: Automata is the type of action RPG that will genuinely make players think about what it means to be sentient.

3 Elden Ring

Find Your Path

Elden Ring is a good Soulslike example of an action RPG and one that has a great, dense open-world to explore. As a challenging action RPG, the game may not initially seem like it is for everyone, and while true to some extent, the open design allows players to tackle the game in the order they choose.

The combat is fairly standard in Elden Ring, but the skills, magic, and weapon variety, along with the diverse leveling system, allow players to make whatever type of character they want. Players can be just as happy with a standard melee warrior or mage, or they can think outside the box and create a magically gifted bowman: it’s up to players.

2 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Synergize And Conquer

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth features the best action combat in a Final Fantasy game yet, and in many ways, it feels like the return to the franchise’s roots. It has a good balance between drama and comedy, giving a facelift to the original story while adding some new surprises too.

In combat, each character plays differently, and they can be customized with Materia to cast magic or to beef up their stats. Also, characters can now combo with each other to perform moves. Best of all, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s mini-games are a treat, from card games to playing soccer as Red 13.

1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Everything You Could Want In An RPG

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has everything an RPG fan could want and then some. The open-world is gorgeous and massive, offering a treat for the eyes. The characters and story are complex, as this world is not so black and gray.

That leads into the side quests, which are well written, varied in types, and never have an easy answer. Plus, the action, between the swordplay, magic, and alchemy, keeps things brutal for any action RPG fan with a bloodlust.