Role-playing games offer something unique that other genres can't always match - the experience of sinking into a new world, meeting compelling characters and building one of your own, and exploring vast and intricate stories.
The PlayStation 5 is an ideal place to play them, too, with loads of titles that branch out across different styles and settings to offer up a diverse range of potential experiences. We've hand-picked a selection of the very best role-playing games on Sony's console, all for your consideration.
1. Best PS5 RPG overall
Elden Ring
Enigmatic brilliance
An open-world Souls game that plays as beguilingly well as anything we've experienced in years.
Pros
- Jaw-dropping world
- Intense, deep combat
- So many options
Cons
- Brutal difficulty
- Occasionally very opaque guidance
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FromSoftware's newest game is a total triumph, transplanting its amazing game design philosophies into an open-world setting with a jaw-dropping amount of success. Elden Ring is full of amazing sights to see and nooks and crannies to explore, most of them populated by frightening enemies.
You'll build a character to your own specifications, explore in whatever ways you like and figure out how to tackle some of its truly intricate locations and terrifying bosses under your own steam. This is a real marvel.
2. Best traditional RPG for PS5
Baldur's Gate 3
Freedom to choose
Baldur's Gate 3 is a brilliant RPG that adapts to your playstyle and has countless fascinating quests to explore, as well as some truly memorable characters.
Pros
- Amazing questlines
- Looks great
- So much freedom
Cons
- Sometimes fiddly controls
- Some performance issues in Act 3
Baldur's Gate 3 is a bit of a watershed moment - it's arguably brought black classic RPGs in a massive way, with huge sales success and critical acclaim thanks to the way it opens up true player freedom and adapts to your actions.
There are endless ways to go through its journey around the Sword Coast, encountering classic Dungeons & Dragons situations and enemies, all while trying to avoid being turned into a Mind Flayer. It runs nicely on PS5, too, with adapted controls and lovely visuals.
3. Best PS5 RPG for boss fights
Final Fantasy 16
Huge scale
The latest Final Fantasy game is a stunner, with amazing combat and a sweeping, affecting story that will have you rushing to see its fateful conclusion.
Pros
- Great story
- Superb combat system
- Looks and sounds amazing
Cons
- Some filler quests
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Final Fantasy burst onto the PS5 with its first fully new entry in years in the form of 16, a sprawling epic that tells the heroic story of Clive Rosfield and a band of his comrades as they band together to vanquish evil in the world of Valisthea.
It's a gorgeously-told tale of heroes, demons and giant monsters, and has an all-new combat system that is action-packed and glorious, along with some of the most epic boss fights we've ever experienced.
4. Best PS5 RPG for writing
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
Unbelievable script
One of the most impressive and innovative RPGs in years.
Pros
- Incredible writing
- True freedom of approach
- Amazing moments
Cons
- Wordy
- Sometimes a little unforgiving
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If you want dialogue of the very highest quality and the freedom to approach conversations and challenges in the most outrageous ways, Disco Elysium is the perfect fit. This unbelievably ambitious RPG might take place in a fairly constrained location, but the way it handles talking to people and figuring things out is breathtakingly assured.
You play a hapless detective in the middle of struggling to solve a complex and brutal crime, and you'll move around the docks of a disturbingly credible dystopian city as you do so, meeting colourful characters and villains at every turn. It looks great and the writing is sharp as a pin.
5. Best PS5 RPG for action
God of War Ragnarok
Massive sequel
This sequel ups the ante and makes things even more action-packed.
Pros
- Superb combat
- Fun twists
- Massive areas to explore
Cons
- Doesn't feel too new
- Rushes to its ending a little
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Another absolute banger from Santa Monica Studio, Ragnarök proves that it's capable of repeating a trick, with another expertly-told story of fatherhood and legacy to explore over dozens of hours. There's an intricate crafting system and loads of characters to interact with, making this an even bigger game than 2018's God of War.
A series that was once all about action with little other gameplay is now a full-fledged RPG, in our books, and the world of gaming is richer for it.
6. Best PS5 RPG for graphics
Horizon Forbidden West
Amazing world
A brilliant open-world game that looks simply beautiful on PS5.
Pros
- Beautiful world
- New monsters to fight
- Much bigger in scope
Cons
- Still has some filler quests
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The sequel to Zero Dawn, Forbidden West expands and improves on the original in almost every way possible, and looks simply jaw-dropping on PS5 with improved detail, clarity and frame rates compared to the PS4.
You again play as Aloy as she wanders in search of a cure to a blight that's spreading across the world, and you'll have to fight plenty of robotic dinosaurs along the way. There are new tools, weapons and characters to meet and it's all so entertaining.
7. Best PS5 RPG for atmosphere
Demon's Souls
Amazing visually
A game that looks truly next-gen and offers a historic challenge to players.
Pros
- Looks and sounds unbelievable
- Superbly designed world
- So rewarding
Cons
- Really tough
- Doesn't guide you much
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If you've recently got hold of a PS5, you're probably searching for games that really make the most of its upgraded hardware and the Dualsense controller, and Demon's Souls very much fits that description. This is a stunningly pretty game, a remake of a cult classic from the PS3 days.
It's also tough as nails, with an uncompromising approach to difficulty and a structure that can leave you flailing a bit without many helpful hints. Still, as you get more used to its quirks you'll uncover a complete gem of an experience, and one that you can't play anywhere else. For most people, though, Elden Ring is a safer introduction to the series.
8. Best PS5 RPG for looting
Diablo 4
Compelling gameplay
Possibly the best dungeon-crawler of modern times, Diablo 4 is compelling, addictive, and deliciously dark.
Pros
- Fun, dark story
- Gorgeous world to explore
- Massive post-game
Cons
- Can be monotonous
- Complexities to learn
Diablo is back, and it's finally been properly modernised after years of complexity, with a fully-online world that teems with life and death alike, full of dark questlines and murky deeds to complete.
The hunt for loot is as moreish as it's ever been, and the fun of tinkering with your build to come up with a character that you love to play hasn't diminished at all, so it's definitely one to sink dozens of hours into.
9. Best PS5 RPG for quirk
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Perfect remake
This beautiful remake looks even better on PS5, and plays like a dream.
Pros
- Cinematic visuals
- Great characters
- Slower, more relaxed pace
Cons
- A bit melodramatic at some points
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The remake of Final Fantasy VII's opening sections looked amazing on PS4, but with upgraded visuals and resolutions, it is simply jaw-dropping at times on PlayStation 5, and now includes a bonus DLC where you play as Yuffie for the first time.
You'll mostly be controlling the famous Cloud Strife, though, as he signs on for a job that's way bigger than he realises in the two-tiered city of Midgar. It's a great journey that introduces some really iconic characters, and we can't wait to get a look at the next part.
10. Best PS5 RPG for scale
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Truly classic
A classic of the genre is revived on new hardware, letting you play an iconic trilogy.
Pros
- Truly epic scale
- Superb story told nice and gradually
- Amazing characters
Cons
- First game has ropey combat
- Some signs of age
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One of the greatest RPG sagas of all time gets a lick of new paint and becomes playable in high resolutions and at reliable frame rates in the form of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, which bundles the whole Mass Effect trilogy into one nicely-priced package.
You'll step into the armour of Commander Shepard as they try to avert a galaxy-ending threat with epic storylines that reflect your in-game choices and too many memorable and loveable companions and characters to name. It's an epic in the truest sense, and despite being comprised of old games, it looks and feels great on the PS5.
How to pick your next PS5 RPG
There are a whole bunch of RPGs out there for the PS5 - here are some quick questions to guide you toward the right one for you.
What setting do you prefer?
Do you love old-school fantasy settings? Are you more into historical locations? Or do you want futuristic dytopia, ideally? All these questions play into what sort of setting you enjoy playing in as you explore an RPG. Like us, you might not really mind which you try, but if you have a particular resonance with one over the others that could help you choose a game.
Do you like real-time combat?
Some RPGs have turn-based systems to let you strategise your next move, while others are fully real-time and require you to think on your feet a little more. There is even a middle ground of games that let you pause the action but play in real-time when you fancy. If you like going with the flow or prefer to take your time, read reviews to make sure you know what each game offers.
How hard do you like your games?
A big question for gamers is how they approach difficulty - do you like a game that makes things easier for you? Some of the options we've named, like Demon's Souls, have one set difficulty level that you can't change, and which can be fairly punishing, so make sure you know what you're getting into!
