10 Best Xbox RPGs to play in 2026
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletterRanking the best Xbox RPGs, I find they all have one thing in common: being outright legendary. I don't say that lightly. I've scoured the console's greatest hits, from modern-day blockbusters to the best Xbox Game Pass games you've never played – or perhaps forgotten – and I've come away with the longest replay backlog of all time.
The Series X’s spot at the forefront of current-gen gaming has never been plainer. Even if it hadn’t inherited some third-party hits after years of platform exclusivity, Xbox Series X/S's track record of producing some of the best RPGS of all time has proven itself the number one stop for all upcoming RPGs to boot — and I've listed all the games here that prove its legacy is worth holding onto. I've also made sure to list each of our top picks' vibes (which you can read more about in our FAQ section), just so you know what you are in for at a quick glance.
Want a sumptuous open world? You’ll find plenty. How about something a little bit niche and off-kilter? Got you covered there, too. Hang onto your chickens, chasers: here are the best Xbox RPGs you need to play next.
The best Xbox RPGs to play today, starting with...
10. The Outer Worlds 2
Release date: October 29, 2025
Game Pass: Yes
Vibe: Story-driven
If Obsidian's first whack at a Fallout New Vegas-like impressed you back in 2019, then The Outer Worlds 2 is a must-play. Expect a reworked perks system as you step into the space boots of a brand new deep space hero, looting and shooting your way across the galaxy with even more inventive flaws to keep you humble.
Fans of the best third-person RPGs will also find a lot to love here, as the perspective toggle is perhaps Obsidian's sharpest yet following 2025's already markedly improved first-person alternative in Avowed. Our resident RPG superfan lauds praise upon its "vast range of weapons, brilliant writing, and a story and character that's yours to shape" in her The Outer Worlds 2 review, and despite the fact that it also launched day-one on PS5, it's still one of the best RPGs to play on Xbox – its homegrown console.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Release date: May 19, 2015
Game Pass: Yes
Vibe: Chill Out
The Witcher 3 encapsulates what I believe all the best Xbox RPGs should: a sense of wonder, adventure, storytelling, and the feeling that you're putting your souped-up console to the test. It might be an older entry on this list, but with two DLCs under its belt and a host of next-gen improvements for Series X owners, it's hard to overstate how integral this game is to your library.
Wandering the Continent has never looked or felt better, despite the handling gripes our reviewer had in their The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine review (hey, it is 16 years old!). The game is still regarded as one of the unequivocal best Western RPGs of all-time for a reason, so if you're new to Xbox and want to see just how beautifully it handles games old and new, this is where you should start.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter8. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Release date: February 4, 2025
Game Pass: Yes
Vibe: Story-driven
Not only is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 an incredibly well-regarded Xbox RPG, it's already one of the best open world RPGs full-stop. From grueling melee combat that developer Warhorse modeled after real historical swordfighting techniques, a vast world to explore with your best friend Hans, and newer DLCs offering basebuilding elements to boot, it's impossible to be bored in Bohemia. The first Kingdom Come Deliverance has been on Game Pass for awhile now, but all of the tech, combat, and RPG system enhancements make it easy for me to recommend the newer instalment over its predecessor.
KCD2 and the Xbox Series X go together like Henry of Skalitz and a well-smithed blade, letting you bask in the 4k glory you bought this console for in the first place without fear it'll take off into space. You'll need the best sci-fi RPGs to take care of that one for you.
7. Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Release date: May 14, 2021
Game Pass: Yes (via EA Play)
Vibe: Story-driven
Whether you've played the originals on an older Microsoft console or not, Mass Effect Legendary truly lives up to its name on the Series X. Collecting all three of Commander Shepherd's thrilling adventures in one neat little bundle, remastering them to smooth out the jank of that first one in particular, I had an absolute blast experiencing it all for the first time on Xbox Game Pass just a couple of years ago.
Our Mass Effect Legendary review rightly describes it as the ultimate way to play the iconic BioWare trilogy, especially with Mass Effect 5 looming overhead (though when that game lands is yet to be seen). I've seen this bundle on sale very often over the last few years, but really, it's the easiest way to justify your Game Pass subscription if you're looking for a bombastic narrative RPG to sink your teeth into for the next however many weeks.
6. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Release date: April 10, 2020
Game Pass: No
Vibe: Story-driven
This one-time PS5 exclusive landed on Xbox Series X in January 2026, and it's already one of the most impressive titles on the console. True, it's already one of the best JRPGs of all-time, even alongside some true legacy names, but Final Fantasy 7 Remake does more than what it says on the tin.
This is no casual remake, friends. As both a faithful recreation of the 1997 original, recapturing the nostalgia and magic of Cloud's most iconic adventure, developer Square Enix wanted to present it as more of an alternate universe take on how said adventure could have panned out. Think of it as your favorite game with some clever new twists to keep long-time fans on their toes – and a great way to make the most out of a third-party Xbox RPG we only recently got ahold of.
5. Pentiment
Release date: November 15, 2022
Game Pass: Yes
Vibe: Story-driven
I played Pentiment for the first time around Christmas 2023, and it's still never far from my mind. Unlike many of the best first-person RPGs and their third-person counterparts on this list, Pentiment plays out more like a choice-based narrative side scroller, complete with medieval, hand-drawn art, guiding you on a stunning mystery that spans in-game decades.
It might sound odd, but one thing I love about Pentiment is that it's not the most testing game, graphically speaking, next to other games on this list. But who says you need ray tracing to be brilliant? Not only does it feel like a medieval epic to play on a huge TV at home, Pentiment is a great choice if you're hoping to play some of the best Xbox RPGs via remote cloud service on a handheld console. This is an adventure for gamers on the go, for those who don't need combat to have a good time, or for anyone who puts juicy storytelling above all else. Our Pentiment review is here to tell you exactly why that is.
4. Persona 5 Royal
Release date: October 31, 2019
Game Pass: No
Vibe: Expect the Unexpected
Atlus' quirky Persona games have long stood very much as their own entity, but Persona 5 Royal perfected the social sim-meets-tun-based-RPG formula like none other before it. Whether you're a diehard fan who still plays Persona 3 Portable on the PSP (well done, if so) or if you're a total JRPG noob like I was just two years ago, you can't deny that this game wrote the book on style.
The vibrant colors, campy action, dramatic storytelling, and anime artstyle are guaranteed to stun on both the Series X or Xbox One, feeling at times more like you're watching a movie instead of playing a video game. Even toe-to-toe with the best RPGs on Xbox I've mentioned up til now, I'd say that Persona 5 Royal represents the wacky, cheeky, ambitious spirit of Xbox as it champions games of all studio shapes and sizes – and there's a talking cat!
3. Baldur's Gate 3
Release date: August 3, 2023
Game Pass: No
Vibe: Story-driven
The only thing keeping Baldur's Gate 3 from ranking higher on this list is the fact that playing the best CRPGs with a console controller isn't for everyone. Without my trusty toolbar and KBM setup, I really thought I'd struggle to get invested in the Xbox Series X version of the modern classic D&D game (and my personal favorite game ever). However, with console reworks including classical third-person movement with the joysticks instead of a point-and-click approach, I was slinging spells as sharply as ever, speccing my party out with glee, and losing track of just as many spell scrolls along the way as I always do.
In short, it's incredibly intuitive. I don't know how a computer game became one of the best Xbox RPGs of all time, but here we are, and I'm not mad at all – how could I be when our Managing News Editor's Baldur's Gate 3 review rightly deems it "a once-in-a-generation achievement"?
2. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Release date: September 26, 2023
Game Pass: Yes
Vibe: Story-driven
After the base game's incredibly broken 2020 launch, current-gen exclusive DLC Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is the perfect apology I could have asked for. Not only does the DLC deliver whole new systems, locations, missions, endings, and even a fantastic new voice actor or two, it released just after a v2.0 patch that reworked plenty of existing systems across the board, added longer date nights, immersive tweaks… and the updates just kept coming.
I still can't believe it, even three years later. Once upon a time, I couldn't boot up Cyberpunk on an Xbox One (or even a PC) without an avalanche of bugs ruining the experience. But our Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review is right: this DLC shows CD Projekt Red making a staggeringly impressive, industry-first recovery, and now, it's undoubtedly one of the best RPGs to play on your Xbox Series X by a fairly wide margin.
1. Fable Anniversary
Release date: February 4, 2014
Game Pass: Yes
Vibe: Expect the Unexpected
None of the best Xbox RPGs hold a candle to Lionheart Studios' Fable Anniversary. The Game Pass offering delivers the iconic original trilogy in one neat place, and it is the very first RPG you should be playing on your swanky new console.
I'm not saying Fable is the sharpest, shiniest, newest toy in the Xbox. But even with a stunning Fable reboot in the works from Playground Games, the originals hold up surprisingly well on the Series X. Featuring a heady mix of daft British humor, epic fantasy adventuring, an (okay, kind of outdated) morality system, and some of the best voice acting in the biz, that old-school clunk becomes an authentic reminder of Fable's trailblazing beginnings in the early 2000s. There's precious few exclusive Xbox titles left out there, and Fable Anniversary is one of the most important. If not for our first foray into Albion as the one and only Chicken Chaser, the platform's RPG offerings might not be what they are now.
Best Xbox RPGs FAQs
How do we pick our entries for the best Xbox RPGs?
Every entry in our list of the best Xbox RPGs has been played by me and is then vetted by a few other genre experts on the team. We also always keep in mind that these recommendations are for gamers to play right now. So, while both new games and classics are considered, we are always measuring picks next to modern standards. So if some trailblazers are missing, it's likely due to the fact that they are pretty inaccessible today or just missed out compared to newer offerings.
Схожі новини
How To Craft The Enhanced Kuku Cooler In Crimson Desert
Clair Obscur's Cast Proves That You Don't Have To Be A Gamer To Respect Games
After 18 years of beating roguelikes, I think I've finally found my kryptonite
