10 Modern JRPGs to Play If You're Nostalgic for Retro Games

The era of the JRPG genre has mostly passed, with newer hardware allowing for more complex systems. In the modern day, the genre has lost its popularity and influence over gaming on consoles like the SNES and the PS1. While it's still possible to play these classics today, it's usually harder to find new releases that evoke the same feelings.

This doesn't mean there are no old-school options today. While the JRPG genre isn't the powerhouse it once was, there are still plenty of incredible games that represent its evolution over the years. From Final Fantasy to Fire Emblem, there's no shortage of modern JRPGs that will appeal to retro game lovers.

10 Chained Echoes Is a 16-Bit JRPG for the Modern Age

Chained Echoes Was Released In 2022 But Looks Like an SNES Game

Plenty of modern games have a retro style, but Chained Echoes could easily pass for a Super Nintendo game. The 16-bit fantasy JRPG follows a group of heroes as they travel across the world in the hopes of stopping a war. While it tells a fairly standard story, it mixes things up by including sci-fi elements, like mecha.

Chained Echoes pays homage to the classics but also includes modern quality-of-life features, like a speed toggle for battles and the ability to save anywhere. There are no random encounters in Chained Echoes, and players can escape from almost any battle. It's a perfect marriage of the old and the new.

9 Final Fantasy XVI Is a Natural Evolution of the Series

FF XVI Pairs a Classic Story With a Modern Battle System

In some cases, the march of progress in consoles helps to expand this more simplified genre. This kind of action RPG simply wouldn't have been possible in the golden age of JRPGs, and Final Fantasy XVI uses this freedom to its full extent. Combat in Final Fantasy has always focused on more dynamic battle systems, such as the Active Time Battle represented in the early series. By experimenting with a combo-based beat-em-up style, FF16 is able to give players an extremely free and open experience.

The story and world of FF16 keep it grounded in the series, even as its gameplay takes risks. Its focus on political drama at its core is handled with more nuance than many other Final Fantasy games, helping the game stay centered around its themes of freedom and self-determination. The consistency of the story is what makes it great.

8 Octopath Traveler 2 Has an Incredible Battle System

HD-2D Visuals Make the Octopath Traveler Series a Standout

Octopath Traveler is the earliest example of the HD-2D style that's been present in many recent RPGs and remasters. This brings the incredibly detailed pixel art that Square Enix was known for at the end of the SNES's lifespan, together with modern lighting and shaders, to give these games diorama-like visuals. Octopath Traveler 2 is no different, with beautiful graphics that expand on what pixel art can truly look like in the modern day.

While it doesn't go very far beyond the basics, Octopath Traveler 2 masters classic turn-based combat. Its fights are quick, with very little waiting to slow the pacing of each battle (even including speed controls to make the game faster or slower). This doesn't mean there's no challenge, as later fights require constantly juggling buffs and debuffs with damage and healing that keeps even experienced players on their toes.

7 Sea of Stars Feels Just Like the Classics

It Takes Inspiration from Classic SNES Games Like Chrono Trigger

Sea of Stars is an indie JRPG that prides itself on essentially playing like an SNES game released in the modern day. It feels the same as half-remembering an old JRPG, with imagination filling in the gaps of details that weren't there. It's not updated enough to feel out-of-place and instead feels like what developers wanted to be able to do on the SNES but couldn't due to hardware limitations.

In terms of gameplay, Sea of Stars mostly models itself after Chrono Trigger. It uses a similar system of setting its battles on the overworld, giving the world and setting an interesting connection to the core gameplay. This helps the fights blend better with the story and puzzles outside of combat, making Sea of Stars more immersive than many other RPGs that clearly distinguish between battle and exploration.

6 Xenoblade Chronicles Is a Strategic Masterpiece

Monolith Soft Has Made the Xenoblade Series Into a JRPG Powerhouse

Originally released in 2010, Xenoblade Chronicles is still one of the best modern JRPGs. While Xenoblade Chronicles doesn't follow the turn-based structure of older titles, the level of strategy represented in its combat is inspired by the challenging fights of classics like Chrono Trigger. This partially comes from the game's implementation of the main character's clairvoyance, which gives the player more information to take into account in each battle.

In addition to its gameplay, the story and world of Xenoblade Chronicles are distinct while also feeling similar to older titles. Much like earlier JRPGs, the world of Xenoblade Chronicles is completely suited to the story that takes place within it, removing external information that doesn't help the core of the game. Everything in the game is interesting enough on its own, but each piece of the story works in harmony with the rest to create a deeply engaging experience.

5 Persona 3 Reload Makes Necessary Updates to Its Source Material

It's the Definitive Version of Persona 3

The Persona series has always had unique mechanics that set it apart from other JRPG franchises. 2006's Persona 3 brought a sense of style that was missing from the genre, but its issues with the execution of that idea were what made 2024's Persona 3 Reload necessary. The success of this remaster is mainly due to making an excellent game available on modern platforms, but the improvements to its sometimes frustrating combat and dated visuals helped truly bring the original game into the modern day beyond a simple graphical update.

Persona 3 Reload brings the game to a state more similar to the excellent Persona 5, which is what's given Persona its most recent foothold outside of Japan. The expansions to its battle system add to the snappy, stylish nature of the original game's combat and keeps players interested until the end.

4 Fire Emblem: Three Houses Masters Tactical Combat

It's Considered One of the Best Games In the Fire Emblem Franchise

Fire Emblem is the most famed series of tactical JRPGs for a reason, with each game full of interlocking layers of strategy. This tradition continues in 2019's Three Houses, with a focus on choices both in and out of battle. The game's story reacts entirely to what each player wants from it rather than forcing specific events without player input.

The gameplay in Three Houses is also a sight to behold in terms of tactical freedom, as players can change every character's role depending on how much time they want to invest in leveling. While some characters are better suited to certain jobs than others, the player ultimately decides each unit's role. This means the strengths and weaknesses of each army in Three Houses are entirely up to the player.

3 Even Unfinished, Deltarune Outclasses Plenty of Indie JRPGs

Deltarune Is the Latest Game From Undertale Creator Toby Fox

For its storytelling, Undertale has often been said to have earned its place as one of the best games ever made, but its gameplay can be lacking in some areas. Developer Toby Fox's current project, Deltarune, sets out to fix that with a much more interesting expansion on Undertale's battle system. The simple addition of party dynamics and skills adds sorely needed depth to each encounter throughout the game's current progress.

Every aspect of Deltarune feels as though it's been put in place by a more skilled developer than his previous work. The music is consistently excellent, with beautiful artwork that fits together perfectly despite its many contributors. The characters have had a major upgrade since Undertale, with an improved version of that game's witty dialogue alongside the heartfelt moments it's known for. With more chapters on the way, now's the perfect time to catch up on this new JRPG.

2 Dragon Quest XI Focuses on the Basics

Dragon Quest XI Proves How Good a Classic JRPG Can Be

While Dragon Quest is one of the oldest JRPG franchises, it's still going strong in the present day. Dragon Quest XI has some of the best execution and implementation of a simple, reliable JRPG available. The lack of innovation isn't a burden, as it allowed the developers at Square Enix to focus on rock-solid turn-based combat and the best presentation possible. This results in a perfect JRPG experience that can bring any player back to the old days of the genre.

While mechanically similar to many other games, Dragon Quest XI truly stands out in terms of design and style. The 3D visuals bring Akira Toriyama's artwork to life, while the orchestral soundtrack adds emotional depth and spectacle to the experience. Together, these elements make Dragon Quest XI feel special and nostalgic, even for players who weren't around at the start of the series.

1 Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Hides Deep Strategy

The Yakuza Series Changed Direction and Added Turn-Based Combat

The Yakuza series was initially known for real-time beat-em-up gameplay, which is an entirely different skill set than JRPGs. This changed in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which introduced a new direction for the series with turn-based combat and a party system. Both of these persisted with major upgrades in Infinite Wealth, which takes more risks for an even better result. The combat of Infinite Wealth flows in a way that many JRPGs don't, especially with its use of the environment in combat to expand the player's options.

Infinite Wealth features a much more expressive and reactive combat system than previous Yakuza titles that emphasizes player freedom and unlocks new options with distinct identities in battle. The job-based class system is similar to early Final Fantasy games, allowing for endless party combinations to create the best team possible.