Summary
- RPGs can be accessible with patience and grinding, even the hardest ones.
- Games like Assassin's Creed: Shadows and Elden Ring offer powerful but tough gameplay.
- Open-world RPGs like STALKER 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles X are challenging but rewarding.
RPGs can be one of the most inviting genres for any type of player out there. Turn-based and tactical varieties allow players to plan their moves, while action RPGs force players to be on their guard. Whatever sub-genre players engage with, they know they can become stronger through leveling up with EXP, or at least in most transitional varieties.
8 Best RPGs That Feel Like a Living History Book
Players can take a walk through history, whether non-fiction or fiction with these immersive RPGs that present incredible worlds and stories.
With patience and a little grinding, even the hardest RPGs can become accessible. However, these examples are beyond brutal from the start, which may have players second-guess their purchases. Let’s go through these examples and see how unfair they are in open-world settings.
8 Assassin's Creed Shadows
Lost With Her Samurai
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Assassin's Creed Shadows is the latest entry in the series, which focuses on two heroes in feudal Japan: Naoe and Yasuke. After a long tutorial, the world will open up to Naoe, who is a ninja, and unless players turn automatic stealth kills on in the options, they’re going to have a tough time with Naoe.
She can be killed easily unless players master counters and stealth. After a few story kills, about ten hours in, players can gain control of the samurai Yasuke, who is a lot more powerful than Naoe, which will help even the odds.
7 Death Stranding
It’s A Long Hike
Death Stranding
- Released
- November 8, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Platform(s)
- iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
After Hideo Kojima left Konami, players were eagerly anticipating a Metal Gear level of quality with his first new game, Death Stranding. While the graphics and story certainly matched previous Kojima ventures, some players were at a loss with the gameplay loop. The hero, Sam, is a delivery man who seemingly trips over every rock he encounters.
It’s a hard road to deliver packages as he constantly gets thrown off balance, not to mention sections that are heavy with otherworldly entities who want to kill him. After some persistence, players will gain new ways to traverse the landscape, from highways to zip lines, but it can take ten hours or more to really feel something close to power.
6 Elden Ring
The Tarnished? More Like The Punished
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
It should come as no surprise that a Soulslike game developed by FromSoftware would be hard. Elden Ring was their first attempt at a true open-world setting, and even though it gave players more opportunities to explore and level up at their leisure, it still wasn’t easy.
From the starting gate, players could encounter a mini-boss, Tree Sentinel, that could decimate them in an instant and even chase them down. It is admittedly a more accessible game than other Soulslikes, but it’s still not a simple one to get strong in fast.
5 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
An All-Time Great But Surprisingly Challenging
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U, Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is light in its RPG elements, but players can track down key items to level up their health and stamina gauge. They can explore the giant world of Hyrule after a quick tutorial island, which isn’t too hard to get through.
Once the real open-world adventure begins, though, things get heated quickly if players don’t know where to go and where to avoid. Simple Moblins can kill Link in one hit, and it will take a while to track down good armor and recipes to beef up Link’s power beyond the stamina and health gauge. It just might be the hardest Zelda game of all time.
4 STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Poison Is Everywhere
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- Released
- November 20, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- GSC Game World
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Open-World, Post-Apocalyptic, Survival
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is one of the hardest open-world games in recent memory. Players start with practically nothing, and even after a lengthy opening section, it doesn’t get much easier. Ammo is scarce, human and mutant enemies are strong, and that’s not all that can kill them.
Players will have to worry about all kinds of environmental hazards like rifts and radiation. It’s more of a sim game than an open-world experience, as players will constantly feel the weight of this post-apocalypse crushing them with tedious nitpicks. Getting through is a miracle, but it can be rewarding once players unlock more ways to survive. This can take an apocalyptically long time.
3 Star Wars Outlaws
Stealth Is The Only Way
Star Wars Outlaws
- Released
- August 30, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Simulated Gambling, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Massive Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Star Wars Outlaws was not about Jedis or the Sith, and it was the first game to feature more open-world areas to explore among several planets. This meant that players, as Kay, were limited in how they could approach situations, with stealth being their best ally.
8 Open-World Games With The Best Class Systems, Ranked
Several open-world titles come with elaborate class systems that can completely change the way players experience the game.
There was equipment to boost Kay’s defensive and offensive abilities a bit, but overall, she was constantly outnumbered by other outlaws or Stormtroopers. There are so many bases players will have to infiltrate in the game, and if they’re caught, that’s basically it. Even by the end, players aren’t going to feel invulnerable.
2 Xenoblade Chronicles X
Definitively A Letdown
Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Released
- December 4, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Monolith Soft, Nintendo SPD
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Xenoblade Chronicles X was the second game in the series, and it changed things up a bit, offering players a chance to customize their character and go online. Unlike the previous game, which was also open-world, the sequel was a lot tougher as over-leveled enemies were everywhere.
While players could run past them sometimes, the agro levels would often have monsters chase players down with double, triple, or even quadruple their character's level. On the plus side, players will not lose progress upon death, but it can still be frustrating to grind under these conditions, even in the new Switch version, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definite Edition.
1 ZombiU
Overrun In London
ZombiU
- Released
- November 18, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montpellier
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U
ZombiU was a Wii U launch title that was an open-world adventure set in a zombie outbreak within London. The unique twist to this gameplay loop was that players could continue even after they died, technically.
They would just come back as a new random survivor, who would then have to find the previous character to get their loot. It was an easy game to die in, too, as players start with weak melee weapons, and even if they do find guns, ammo is scarce. This death cycle can make the experience all the more daunting.
8 Final Fantasy Characters Who Are Playable In More Games, Ranked
Final Fantasy began as a last-ditch effort for Squaresoft to pull out a hit and they certainly succeeded. With a cast that outlives their own games.