Action RPGs started small, like with the classic JRPG series Ys, and then they steadily grew into a realm of their own. The Tales of and Kingdom Hearts franchises find continued success in the field of action RPGs, but then there were greater epics that redefined the genre for years, if not decades.
Greatest Action Fantasy Games Of All Time
Fantasy games are pretty commonplace, as are action games, but seeing the two combined so effectively in these games is something special.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is one such example, released back in 2011, and it still continues to sell well. The overall package is great, but is the action really that good? Surely in the past few years, between 2023 and 2025, there have been some action RPGs that have overshadowed some of the greats. While they may not all be trend-setters, the action is at least awe-inspiring in the following games.
Avowed
An Elder Scroll
Avowed
- Released
- February 18, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
Avowed was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, but it feels very much like a spiritual successor to Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls. The combat is more engaging thanks to the more tactile feedback from melee weapons and ranged weapons, including pistols.
The basic magic system is also more in-depth, allowing players to learn it naturally or to borrow it from books that they find, which also serve as weapons. Beyond combat, the world and NPCs feel more alive than anything found in recent Bethesda games, from The Elder Scrolls to Fallout.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
A Bold Step For The Franchise
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Released
- February 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a better action game than its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and it’s the best action RPG set within the Final Fantasy universe so far. It can be challenging to program an action game and have every party member, six main ones, play differently, but Square Enix managed it.
Between melee skills and magic, combat never gets old, but the combo skills via Synergy attacks are what really elevate the battle system over past iterations. It's also a massive game and absolutely loaded with side content, the kind of thing that older games simply didn't have the hardware power to back up.
Stellar Blade
Bayonetta Meets Nioh
Stellar Blade
- Released
- April 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature
- Developer(s)
- Shift Up
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Stellar Blade starts a bit slow, making players think it’s going to be a corridor-chasing Soulslike experience in the first chapter. Thankfully, once players leave this initial area and get to the main town, things start to open up.
The combat and upgrade system can indeed be likened to a Soulslike experience, complete with a high challenge rating, but there’s never a sense of loss on death. Also, the fast, fluid movement of combat can make the heroine, Eve, feel like Bayonetta from her titular action series. No Soulslike comes close to this type of action experience, even if they helped inspire it.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins
From Dozens To One
Dynasty Warriors: Origins
- Released
- January 17, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen / Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Omega Force
- Genre(s)
- Action, Hack and Slash
The Dynasty Warriors series gets a bad rap for being the same hack-and-slash experience every time without a lot of substance or variation. Dynasty Warriors: Origins elevates the series just a bit, offering fans something different in the overall package.
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These outrageous and over-the-top action games deliver unforgettable, ridiculous gameplay experiences, pushing the boundaries of the genre.
The narrative focuses on one character, giving players choices to make that affect a branching story, and there is a world map that connects missions together. Combat is more or less the same as the rest of the series, but with better controls between the many weapons, powers, and counter abilities. It may have fewer playable characters than the series' standard, but the action is a superb upgrade.
Lies Of P
Bloodborne’s Puppet Successor
Lies of P
- Released
- September 19, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Round8 Studio, Neowiz
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike
Lies of P is the closest thing fans have seen to a spiritual successor (or sequel) to Bloodborne since that game launched in 2015. The challenge level reflects the uneasiness of the gothic fantasy world, which is filled with eerie mechanical puppets. It’s an action-forward Soulslike where players have to get comfortable with striking first and asking questions later.
Beyond the world's aesthetics, the weapon system allows for lots of experimental combinations by blending the blade and handle of any two weapons in the game. Meanwhile, the tool system can give players an edge in battle to make their version of Pinocchio far deadlier than the original Italian version.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
Unhinged Sea Life
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
- Released
- February 21, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
The Yakuza franchise is known for having brutal action melee combat, which has changed in the main entries now with the shift to turn-based systems. However, the action combat is back in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
This version is slightly more unhinged than previous melee combat systems simply because Goro Majima is the lead character, and he does not hold back between his fists, cutlery, and pistols. Also, players can find magical interments on their treasure hunts to summon beasts, like sharks, which is just full-on magic. Plus, the ship combat can get wild, like shooting laser cannons at enemies.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery Of The Soulless Army
Megami Tensei’s Testing Ground
RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army
- Released
- June 19, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a remaster of a PS2 game that tried to change up the Shin Megami Tensei formula from turn-based to action combat, which was fine enough at the time. However, the additions to combat in the remaster make the game feel more like a remake.
The arenas are more open, the combo system is more intricate, and now two demons can help the titular Raidou in battle. Even though it’s just a remaster, Atlus could certainly use this as a blueprint for the next major Shin Megami Tensei or Persona game, as it makes previous turn-based systems seem obsolete.
Sand Land
Anime Fallout
Sand Land
- Released
- April 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- ILCA
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Sand Land is based on a manga by Akira Toriyama and takes place in a desert wasteland where everyone is dying of thirst. The story follows an alliance between demons and humans to find a water source, which may seem similar to some Fallout plots, but the world in Sand Land is more interesting.
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If all you want is gameplay that doesn't use up time dwelling on a story, these action-focused games check all the boxes.
Players can pilot a large fleet of vehicles, from cars to tanks to mechs, to either travel around or engage in combat. Combat can also be fought with the hero, Beelzebub, giving players flexibility. While the overall experience might not reach the heights of the Fallout games, Sand Land certainly has a cooler combat and traversal system, as fans have been wanting vehicles or mounts in Fallout for years.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink
A Modern Classic
Granblue Fantasy: Relink
- Released
- February 1, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Cygames
- Genre(s)
- Action, JRPG
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a gameplay-forward action RPG that is short and emphasizes dynamic set pieces to keep players engaged, from climbing giants to shooting cannons off the party’s airship. In combat, players can control any character, but the playable leader must be chosen beforehand, which seems a bit backwards.
That aside, what makes the combat unique is that once skills are ready to be activated, players can continue to wait on them to increase their power. Waiting for gratification on top of creating party links can create some devastating combos and adds an interesting element of strategy and timing to the action RPG formula.
Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden
Tragedy Strikes Everyone
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
- Released
- February 13, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- DON'T NOD
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is sort of like The Witcher meets the Batman: Arkham games, as the story follows a couple of paranormal investigators. Unfortunately, the female hunter, Antea, dies and becomes a ghost partner for her husband, Ruaidhrigh. During investigations, players can swap between the two characters to solve cases or to fight various ghosts and undead during combat.
After a case wraps up, they can choose to side with the living or the dead, with the living option being a bit more heartless, but it allows players to gain more power for the action-based combat. It’s an interesting way to include the choice system's impact on the gameplay instead of the story. Plus, Ruaidhrigh and Antea have a somber but very loving relationship, which not a lot of games do well.
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