6 Long Action RPGs That Take Forever To Complete, Ranked

For action RPG fans who aren’t exactly into the open-world subgenre, campaign length is usually secondary, but it can still be a huge plus. Depending on how great a game’s combat feels and how much depth and variety its skills, weapons, and enemies offer, sometimes you just wish it would never end. While most action RPGs typically take around 30 to 40 hours to finish, which is already quite substantial, a select few pack in so many places to visit, things to do, and bosses to defeat that they can last as long as your average open-world title, albeit within a more curated structure.

For this list, the focus is on action RPGs that can easily take around 60 hours or more for a normal playthrough, following the main path while tackling some distractions along the way. Of course, you can get much more playtime from these games if you aim to see and complete absolutely everything, yet even by sticking to the most obvious objectives, there’s still plenty to chew on.

This isn’t a ranking of the best action RPGs, but rather a selection of solid combat-focused non-open-world games that can still occupy you for a month or more of regular play, ranked by how long they might take an average player. Whenever possible, I’ll be using each game’s complete edition, including all add-ons.

6 Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Not The Greatest Dragon Age Game, But A Very Strong Action RPG

• Dragon Age: The Veilguard – 60 to 80 hours

Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be a divisive pick here, especially when approached as a direct continuation of what came before. However, for relative newcomers simply looking for a sprawling RPG with a clear emphasis on action, The Veilguard delivers. Its combat is deep and flashy without becoming too difficult to approach, while balancing Rook’s abilities with those of their companions and hunting for legendary gear capable of defining an entire build remains exciting throughout the game’s 60-to-80-hour runtime.

The Veilguard often feels more like God of War than Dragon Age, with a strong balance of narrative beats and action. Its varied, layered levels blend puzzles with traversal abilities, encouraging you to gradually uncover every secret, while the stunning visuals and production values remain consistent throughout. The Veilguard also saves the best for last, with final missions that are true standouts, packed with spectacular set pieces, epic boss fights, and earlier choices shaping the outcome in true BioWare fashion.

5 Final Fantasy 16

Perfectly Suitable For Action Lovers Who Have Never Played A Final Fantasy Game

• Final Fantasy 16 – 60 to 80 hours
• Echoes of the Fallen DLC – 3 to 5 hours
• The Rising Tide DLC – 5 to 7 hours

In many ways, Final Fantasy 16 mirrors Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It could feel disappointing as a full-fledged entry in the legendary series for longtime fans, but it can absolutely knock your socks off as a sprawling, action-packed, cinematic journey. The developers clearly aimed to deliver set pieces and boss fights for the ages, and they largely succeeded. FF16’s combination of truly epic spectacle, outstanding visuals and music, and creative gameplay sections during key moments can feel like a well-earned reward, and sometimes like the genre operating at its absolute peak.

Even outside these intense but carefully spaced-out moments, Final Fantasy 16 can really hook you with its highly dynamic combat system. Devil May Cry 5 is perhaps the best comparison, so prepare for outstanding combos, flashy abilities and finishers, and unique transformations mid-fight. With so much ground to cover and such a lengthy story, even the base version of Final Fantasy 16 can easily offer 60 to 80 hours of action, depending on how much side content you tackle. The Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide expansions can keep it going for another 10 hours or so.

4 Dark Souls 2: Scholar Of The First Sin

Still Among The Biggest Non-Open-World Soulslikes

• Dark Souls 2 – 60 to 100 hours
• Crown of the Sunken King DLC – 5 to 6 hours
• Crown of the Old Iron King DLC – 6 to 8 hours
• Crown of the Ivory King DLC – 6 to 8 hours

Elden Ring aside, Dark Souls 2 stands as the longest action RPG among FromSoftware’s soulslike offerings, built around tense exploration and an unusually flexible approach to combat. While no entry in its series is short, Dark Souls 2, especially in its refined Scholar of the First Sin edition with three sizable DLCs, can easily take over 100 hours to complete. Given that death is a core part of the experience, visiting every location and overcoming every possible challenge could take some players much longer.

Even years later, Dark Souls 2 remains pretty controversial among players, but countless fans appreciate it for its atmosphere, innovative approach to combat, and enormous scope. For those who aren’t drawn to the flashy visuals of The Veilguard or FF16, Dark Souls 2 could become a real long-lasting passion. It’s as rewarding as it is demanding, so it’s worth trying for yourself before accepting its reputation at face value.

3 Nioh 2: Complete Edition

Congratulations, You Finished The Game! Or Did You?

• Nioh 2 – 70 to 100 hours
• The Tengu’s Disciple DLC – 9 to 11 hours
• Darkness in the Capital DLC – 11 to 13 hours
• The First Samurai DLC – 9 to 12 hours

As we approach some of the longest ARPGs ever, playtime becomes much trickier to pinpoint, as so much depends on each player’s interest in endgame activities. Nioh 2: Complete Edition is exactly this kind of game. While playing through the main campaign and all three DLCs can easily take over 100 hours, that is merely the beginning. Its endgame is uniquely tied to successive NG+ difficulty cycles, giving players almost endless reasons to revisit missions, refine their builds, and chase better gear.

Even the base version of Nioh 2 is colossal by the genre’s standards, while its mission-based structure provides expansive levels to clear and shorter side missions to tackle as your character grows stronger. Later cycles introduce substantial changes to familiar missions, while reaching the final difficulty, Dream of the Nioh, unlocks the true endgame: the 108-floor Underworld, followed by the even tougher 30-floor Depths. Together, they effectively serve as the game’s ultimate build-and-skill test.

2 Grim Dawn

An Exceptional ARPG For Combat Enthusiasts And Lore Fans Alike

• Grim Dawn – over 50 hours (per one campaign difficulty)
• Ashes of Malmouth DLC – 12 to 14 hours
• Forgotten Gods DLC – 7 to 10 hours
• Fangs of Asterkarn DLC – 10 to 15 hours
• The Crucible DLC – endless arena mode

While games like Nioh 2 already have one foot in that territory, nothing can really touch the classic isometric Diablo-like ARPGs that can hook you not for 100, but for 1,000 hours with ease, provided you are willing to look past the starting difficulty and gradually level several different characters. Grim Dawn is a true gem of the genre, with some of the best class and gear systems ever created, period. Its systems are so layered, and its combat so refined that it becomes a never-ending playground for experimentation, especially considering the developers’ exceptional decade-long support.

What’s more, Grim Dawn is surprisingly deep and fleshed out when it comes to its unique lore, worldbuilding, and genuinely interesting story and quests. Developing your relationships with multiple factions becomes an overarching journey, while each new difficulty unlocks additional map areas, secret quests, bosses, altars, and chests. Activities such as the repeatable Crucible arena and the endless Shattered Realm are also designed to keep testing your builds while you hunt for the rarest items.

1 Path of Exile

Don’t Even Think About Starting It Unless You’re Unemployed

• Path of Exile – over 60 hours per campaign playthrough

However, even massive games like Nioh 2 and Grim Dawn don’t hold a candle to the long-reigning ARPG king: the one and only Path of Exile. Just for starters, the developers themselves have said that one of the reasons for creating a sequel was that the original campaign had simply grown too big to keep expanding forever. With its mammoth ten-act story structure, single escalating difficulty curve, procedural generation, and practically bottomless endgame built around the Atlas, PoE is among the genre’s best and most established games, and something you can realistically play forever.

Of course, Path of Exile can vary wildly in length depending on your priorities and experience. Veterans starting new seasonal characters can rush through the story several times faster than newcomers. However, the real meat is the Atlas of Worlds endgame, with its tier-based map progression, ever-growing dangers, and increasingly rare rewards. On top of that, PoE offers several almost standalone progression modes, if you will, ranging from the endless Delve mine to Heist missions and even the roguelike Forbidden Sanctum.