What’s your favorite modern JRPG? Maybe it’s the one whose characters you still think about, or the one that had you planning party builds when you were supposed to be doing something else.
A memorable cast can pull you into an adventure, while a satisfying combat system gives you another reason to keep going. Finding a game that gets both right is a pretty good excuse to clear some space in your schedule.
For this list, I’ve picked 22 of the best modern turn-based JRPGs, from big adventures by established studios to inventive indie releases. The selection covers a broad range of styles, including tactical RPGs and monster-collecting adventures, so there should be something for every taste. Did your favorites make the list? Let me know in the comments on Reddit.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
- Developer: Square Enix
- Release Date: 4 December, 2020
- Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 1&2
- Steam Page
I’m sure there will be some folks in the comments who disagree, but Dragon Quest is often a victim of its own foundational importance. This is a series that’s mastered what a JRPG should be; it sticks to the basics and does them incredibly well. It’s made lots of great games, but few good enough to be on an all-time best list.
That makes Dragon Quest XI all the more impressive. It’s still very much Dragon Quest, albeit with a very pretty modern look, but with 40 years of experience, Square Enix has, with this game, perfected the JRPG hero’s journey. Whether you’re a genre beginner or you can still remember DQ1 on the NES, you don’t want to miss out on this one.
Persona 5 Royal
- Developer: Atlus
- Release Date: 21 October, 2022
- Platforms: Windows, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch
- Steam Page
More than anything, what I want in a JRPG are characters to fall in love with (not in a romantic way necessarily, but P5R has that too if you like). I want a game to leave me as a fan, and Persona 5 Royal feels engineered to do exactly that. The Phantom Thieves are some of the genre’s most charismatic protagonists, presented with the kind of bombast that only Atlus can produce.
The jury is out on which Persona game is the best, but 5 makes a strong case. It’s certainly the most unique and sets a high bar for the next game in the series.
Persona 4 Golden
- Developer: Atlus
- Release Date: 13 June, 2020
- Platforms: PS Vita (Classic); Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch (Modern)
- Steam Page
Persona 4 has the same energy and weirdness as its successor, but its haunted-small-town theme brings it a bit closer to earth. Just a bit, though — this is Persona, after all. If you like spooky vibes in general, you’ll find a lot to love here.
Like Royal, Persona 4 Golden is the best way to play this modern classic, and you can usually get the two bundled together on Steam. Two of the best games in one of the best JRPG series of all time is a pretty good deal no matter how you slice it!
Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Developer: Atlus
- Release Date: 10 October, 2024
- Platforms: Windows, PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S
- Steam Page
Atlus’ signature style, both in gameplay and aesthetics, has served them well in Persona and Shin Megami Tensei. The lessons of those two series, each fantastic in their own right, come together in Metaphor to make a JRPG masterpiece. If you’re looking for a shining example of what JRPGs can be technically and artistically in the 2020s, there’s no better example.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is coming to the Switch 2 in November, so if you’ve had to hold off on this modern classic for lack of a console to play it on, your time could be coming soon.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
- Developer: Atlus
- Release Date: 13 June, 2024
- Platforms: Windows, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch
- Steam Page
For all that Metaphor has been a triumph, Atlus hasn’t forgotten their roots either. The 2020s have been an incredible run for the legendary JRPG developers, especially for their dark demon-battling franchise Shin Megami Tensei.
SMTV doesn’t just perfect the series’ deep and unforgiving turn-based combat, but it also presents its dangerous supernatural world with the most impressive visuals and storytelling SMT has ever seen. It’s the best Shin Megami Tensei yet, which is saying something.
Octopath Traveler II
- Developer: Square Enix, Acquire
- Release Date: 24 February, 2023
- Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 1&2
- Steam Page
The Octopath Traveler games hearken back to the golden age of JRPGs perfectly, with multiple protagonists, intersecting storylines, and nostalgic HD-2D graphics. They also take modern game design sensibilities to heart, giving players who’ve grown accustomed to deeper systems plenty to sink their teeth into.
All three games that the franchise has produced so far are great, but our favorite thus far is Octopath Traveler II. It refines the concepts set down in the original, getting them just right before the series moves on to experiment with new things in Octopath Traveler 0.
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster
- Developer: Square Enix, Cattle Call Inc.
- Release Date: 12 March, 2026
- Platforms: Windows, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2
- Steam Page
It’s hard to believe that Bravely Default is coming up on its fifteenth anniversary, but here we are. Drawing on classic Final Fantasy tropes like the Job System and a quest for world-saving Crystals, Bravely Default puts an unforgettable spin on these familiar elements to create a tale that’s as refreshingly innovative as it is comfortably nostalgic.
The HD Remaster adds some impressive cutscenes and quality-of-life improvements, making it a great way to enjoy Bravely Default’s excellent story and combat without having to dig out your old 3DS.
Trails In The Sky 1st Chapter
- Developer: Nihon Falcom
- Release Date: 24 June, 2004
- Platforms: PSP, PS3, PS Vita (Classic); Windows, Android, iOS (Modern)
- Steam Page
The Legend of Heroes is the JRPG fans’ JRPG; this long-running series boasts a massive, interconnected setting between all its games, an enormous cast, and enough lore to fill a history book or two. It can be a bit daunting to start as a new player, but thankfully one of the best entry points is also one of the franchise’s high points, so you’re sure to have a good time.
Trails In The Sky kicks off the Trails subseries, and it’s a perfect encapsulation of everything that makes The Legend of Heroes such a hit with fans. Whether you’re looking for an immersive story or intricate combat, this is a game that has both – and the 1st Chapter remaster has Trails In The Sky looking better than ever.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
- Developer: RGG Studio
- Release Date: 10 November, 2020
- Platforms: Windows, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Steam Page
Only the Yakuza series could take their weird, wonderful action franchise, turn it into a turn-based RPG, and have it turn out to be a high point for the series and for RPGs as a whole. Ichiban’s first outing as the new Yakuza protagonist is just as strange and charming as Kiryu and Majima’s, with turn-based combat that proves to be far more than just a gimmick.
Of course, lightning never strikes twice, so it’s not like RGG could turn around and make a sequel that’s even better…right?
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Developer: RGG Studio
- Release Date: 25 January, 2024
- Platforms: Windows, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Steam Page
They could, and they did. Infinite Wealth leans into everything that made Like A Dragon an instant classic, from its over-the-top style to its fantastic combat and everything in between. The two games make for a great duology, and suggest a bright future for fans of Yakuza‘s new style.
Chained Echoes
- Developer: Umami Tiger
- Release Date: 8 December, 2022
- Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch
- Steam Page
Nostalgia is big business, and games that promise to bring us back to simpler, happier times will always be worth a look. Plenty of games make that promise, but few deliver on it like Chained Echoes.
A mashup of sci-fi and fantasy with mechs and dragons in equal measure, Chained Echoes draws inspiration from a lot of the games on this list, creating an experience that’s very reminiscent of the mid-90s JRPG Golden Age. It’s much more than just nostalgia-bait, though; Chained Echoes stands on its own as a rock-solid RPG adventure worthy of this list, throwback or not.
Sea of Stars
- Developer: Sabotage Studio
- Release Date: 28 August, 2023
- Platforms: Windows, PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Android, iOS
- Steam Page
Sea of Stars also takes its cues from the classics, but in a different way; where Chained Echoes feels like a retro game far ahead of its time, Sea of Stars is very much a modern game with a deep love for those that came before. Both offer some of the best indie experiences of the decade thus far, and if you love old-school JRPGs you’ll want to try them both.
The Sunset Edition includes the Throes of the Watchmaker DLC for free, adding in some extra content to Sea of Stars already wonderfully-explorable world.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Developer: Sandfall Interactive
- Release Date: 24 April, 2025
- Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
- Steam Page
JRPGs have become so ubiquitous that the J refers more to a style than to their actual origin. While a great many of the best still come from Japan, there’s no better evidence of a global love for this story-driven style of gameplay than the rampant success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
French developer Sandfall Interactive’s debut title has it all: deceptively tricky combat, a gorgeous world to explore, and unforgettable characters questing to a haunting musical score. This is the game that’s going to set the standard for JRPGs for years to come, in France, Japan, and around the world.
Digimon Story Time Stranger
- Developer: Media.Vision
- Release Date: October 2, 2025
- Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2
- Steam Page
Digimon’s wonderfully strange evolution paths are reason enough to spend far too long planning a party. Time Stranger gives you more than 450 creatures to work with, alongside a mystery that takes you between the human world and the Digital World across different points in time. There’s plenty here for anyone whose idea of a good JRPG involves getting attached to an increasingly improbable collection of monsters.
The real temptation is in the Digivolution trees. You can return a Digimon to an earlier form and follow another branch, while customizable skills help shape its role in turn-based battles. I like how that makes raising your favorites an ongoing project. Picking a team is only the beginning; figuring out what everyone could become is where things get interesting.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
- Developer: Square Enix, xeen
- Release Date: October 24, 2024
- Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2
- Steam Page
Romancing SaGa 2 is the sort of JRPG that makes you rethink who the main character actually is. You guide the Empire of Varennes through successive generations, choosing rulers who inherit the knowledge and abilities of their predecessors.
Decisions about where to expand and which threats to confront become part of a much longer campaign against the Seven Heroes. The empire itself is what ties everything together.
That unusual structure has a battle system to match. Characters discover new techniques during combat, formations change your party’s advantages, and a visible turn order helps you plan your next move. Revenge of the Seven brings those ideas into a full 3D remake with adjustable difficulty. If SaGa has always seemed a little intimidating, this is a very good place to make its acquaintance.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn
- Developer: Square Enix
- Release Date: November 11, 2022
- Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Switch
- Steam Page
Political intrigue tends to become a lot more interesting when you have to live with the decisions yourself. Tactics Ogre puts Denam’s struggle through a divided country in your hands, with choices that alter the story and the people caught up in it. Its competing factions and shifting loyalties give you plenty to think about between battles, especially when doing what seems right comes with an uncomfortable cost.
The tactical side is equally absorbing. Classes, equipment, and positioning give every recruit a role to grow into, and assembling a dependable army becomes a pleasure of its own.
Reborn updates the presentation, adds full voice acting, and reworks character progression. For anyone who likes their JRPGs heavy on both strategy and political drama, this is an easy game to put near the top of the list.
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
- Developer: Square Enix
- Release Date: September 30, 2025
- Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2
- Steam Page
The friendship between Ramza and Delita gives Final Fantasy Tactics a very personal way into its war over Ivalice. Their different places in society shape the paths they take, and the wider struggle over power gives their story a weight that few RPGs can match. There’s a reason this particular corner of Final Fantasy continues to inspire so much affection.
Then there’s the job system, which can turn a quick look at your party into an evening of planning. Learning abilities across different jobs gives you plenty to experiment with, while terrain and turn order test those choices in battle.
The Ivalice Chronicles adds an enhanced version with full voice acting and gameplay refinements, alongside a classic version. It’s a welcome opportunity to discover why this remains such a beloved tactical RPG.
Cassette Beasts
- Developer: Bytten Studio
- Release Date: April 26, 2023
- Platforms: Windows, Linux, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Android, iOS
- Steam Page
Cassette Beasts makes a persuasive case for bringing the cassette player back. On the strange island of New Wirral, recording a monster lets you transform into it, and joining forces with a companion lets you fuse your forms into something new. It’s a wonderfully playful idea, especially when every new recording gives you another possible combination to try.
There’s some clever thinking behind the battles, too. Elemental interactions can change types and trigger status effects, giving you reasons to experiment beyond finding the attack with the biggest damage number.
Your monster abilities also help you explore the island, while relationships with your human companions strengthen your partnership. The search for a way home gives all that collecting a purpose, and the cast gives it a welcome personal touch.
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
- Developer: Square Enix, HEXADRIVE
- Release Date: February 5, 2026
- Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2
- Steam Page
Dragon Quest VII sends you into the past to discover lost islands, solve their problems, and restore them to the present. Each place has its own story, giving the journey a rhythm of smaller adventures that gradually reveal what happened to the wider world.
Reimagined gives that premise a lovely diorama-style presentation and a more streamlined story.
The vocation system gets a particularly interesting addition in Moonlighting, which lets characters use two jobs at once and draw on the abilities of both. Between restoring islands and working out new vocation combinations, there’s always another reason to keep going. I’d put this high on the list for anyone who enjoys exploring a world one memorable little story at a time.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
- Developer: Capcom
- Release Date: March 12, 2026
- Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2
- Steam Page
Monster Hunter’s creatures make excellent traveling companions, as the Stories games continue to demonstrate.
Twisted Reflection puts you in charge of the Rangers, raising Monsties and protecting endangered species as two kingdoms edge toward war. Hatching another egg has the familiar excitement of a monster RPG, with Capcom’s creature designs giving you plenty of reasons to get attached.
Battles reward reading enemy behavior through the Power, Speed, and Technical attack triangle, but Habitat Restoration is the addition that really catches my attention. Releasing monsters into the wild helps rebuild populations and improves the eggs and traits you can find later. That gives raising monsters a satisfying connection to the world you’re exploring: the species you help recover can open up new possibilities for your own team.
Kingdoms of the Dump
- Developer: Roach Games, Dream Sloth Games
- Release Date: November 18, 2025
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
- Steam Page
A trash-can knight named Dustin Binsley makes a fairly strong opening argument. Kingdoms of the Dump sends this unlikely hero across a fantasy world made from garbage, with a filthy army threatening to drag its kingdoms into war. The fact that the idea came from two janitors makes its wonderfully specific setting even more endearing.
Underneath the rubbish is a thoughtful take on the classic JRPG. Battles use a grid and timed attacks, while exploration lets you jump across obstacles and swap characters to use their individual field abilities.
If the setting catches your attention, the movement and combat give you good reasons to stay; this is a throwback with plenty of ideas of its own.
I am Setsuna
- Developer: Tokyo RPG Factory
- Release Date: July 19, 2016
- Platforms: Windows, PS4, Switch
- Steam Page
Sometimes a snowy path and a few notes on a piano are enough to establish an entire game’s mood. I Am Setsuna follows a young woman on a journey toward the sacrifice expected to protect her people, and that knowledge hangs over the adventure. Its quiet villages and winter landscapes give the story a melancholy that suits the premise beautifully.
The combat takes clear inspiration from Chrono Trigger, with an Active Time Battle system and techniques that give your party ways to work together.
Waiting with a full action gauge also builds Momentum, which can strengthen attacks and abilities. That adds a small but useful decision to familiar battles. The restrained presentation makes this a particularly fitting choice when you’re in the mood for a reflective, bittersweet journey.
