Xbox Game Passgives players access to hundreds of titles, depending on their chosen subscription tier. As the service tries to cover most genres and interests, role-playing games are not only part of the equation but also plentiful. More importantly, thebest Game Pass RPGsare also among the greatest projects in gaming history, and they are regularly joined by new Day One releases that can justify monthly subscriptions on their own.
With turn-based, tactics, Japanese, isometric, Soulslike, multiplayer, and action, role-playing games come in many shapes and flavors, most of which are designed to keep players busy for a very long time. Let’s highlightXbox Game Pass' greatest RPGs across a spectrum of subgenres, all the while loosely ranking them.
Updated Aug 09, 2025 by Mark Sammut:If you are looking for thebestGame Pass RPGs, then you are spoiled for choice.
The games' average lengths were sourced fromHowLongtoBeat.com. Also, the rankings are not determined solely by anXbox Game Pass RPG’s quality; for instance, new additions will be initially ranked highly to increase their visibility.
If Atlus' name is attached to a project, quality is sure to follow. Studio Zero’sMetaphor: ReFantaziosits comfortably alongsideAtlus' greatest JRPGs, a statement I do not make lightly. The 2024 release tells an epic war story with themes that tie directly to current events, and they are implemented with confidence and determination.
The writing, in general, is fantastic, and it is backed by great combat that allows for both turn-based and real-time fights.Metaphor: ReFantaziorequires quite a substantial time investment, so this is the type of game that hogs a player’s life for months on end. Fortunately, it is more than good enough to justify that commitment.
It speaks to the quality ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33that the sudden arrival ofOblivion Remastereddid not completely overshadow it. Taking notes from masterpieces of yesteryear that definedturn-based JRPGs, Sandfall Interactive managed to craft a project that can stand alongside its inspirations rather than exist within their shadows. In a dark fantasy world where an entity called The Paintress kills an age group every year, a group of heroes come together to try and take her out, hoping to save themselves and preserve the future in the process. The premise is not only grim, but it is also supported by strong writing willing to explore heavy themes.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33utilizes dynamic turn-based combat that expects players to manually dodge and parry, two actions that are based on well-timed inputs rather than RNG. This element turns each encounter into an intense back-and-forth battle that demands constant attention, and this is hardly the game’s only great mechanic. The characters are also fantastic and unique, both in terms of their characterization and gameplay contributions. I am huge fan of turn-based RPGs in general, andClair Obscurdeserves every ounce of praise flung its way.
This probably won’t come as much of a surprise, butThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivionis a pretty good RPG. Although it has some rough edges and dated mechanics, the original game’s legacy is unshakable at this point, and the modding community has worked tirelessly to keep it relevant.
However, complete newcomers will likely just want to jump intoOblivion Remastered, a project that Bethesda announced and released on the same day. Offering a massive open-world, great visuals that compare favorably to most otherGame Pass RPGs, and a few notable tweaks that create a more enjoyable package by 2025 standards, this project arguably set a new standard for remasters.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate owners have access to the fullMass Effectfranchise. If they prefer, they can jump into the original Xbox 360 versions. These hold up reasonably well, particularly the sequels; however,Mass Effect Legendary Editionis, in my opinion, the best way to experience Commander Shepard’s story in this day and age. The package contains remastered versions of BioWare’s classic trilogy, and the compilation also includes most of the DLC.
Beyond a facelift, theLegendary Editionrevamps the originalMass Effectgame quite extensively, bringing it more in line with the content and gameplay of its sequels. These changes make the trilogy a more consistent overall experience. Each entry is fantastic in its own right, and when combined,Mass Effectmakes one of the best video game trilogies of all time.
Mass Effect: Andromedais also on Xbox Game Pass. While not as good as the trilogy, it is still decent.
Persona 5’s shadow looms large over Atlus' entire franchise, and its fingerprints can be seen inPersona 3 Reload, Atlus' 2024 remake of 2006’s PS2 JRPG. However, this iteration is still 100%Persona 3, retaining the original’s dark atmosphere, fantastic storytelling, and Tartarus. In a series that has produced almost nothing but stellar games,P3stands as a genuine contender for its crowning achievement, andReloadshows the classic JRPG all the respect it deserves.
Blending dungeon-crawling with social sim aspects,P3Rstrikes an outstanding balance that satisfies both genres' needs in a way that ensures they complement each other. During the day, players get to live the life of a Japanese high school student, which involves attending class and hanging out with friends. These sections are the campaign’s beating heart, granting depth to the characters while also weaving a powerful tale that tackles mostly mature themes.
At night, players lead a party into an intense dungeon crawling with Persona, creatures that can be added to the protagonist’s arsenal. As a monster-collecting game,P3Roffers a wide and impressive roster of candidates, and the game expects players to be constantly cycling through new party members by either catching Persona or using the fusion system. While the JRPG’s turn-based combat is fairly traditional for the genre,P3Relevates the action through a fantastic presentation and supporting mechanics that inject an element of strategy into battles.
Skyrimhas essentially ruled the open-world RPG roost since its unsubtle and highly anticipated release in 2011 — that alone should be enough to showcase its necessity for any RPG enthusiast’s repertoire. While it can be safely accused of shedding the deeper mechanical complexities of its predecessors, the cold fact of the matter is that Bethesda did more than a few things right.
Skyrimpreserves the franchise’s legacy of beautifully designed open worlds filled with enough content to keep even the most dedicated gamers busy for years while expanding the scope of its audience exponentially. It’s practically gaming’s equivalent to required reading at this point, and it’s not hard to see why.
The addition ofEA Play to Xbox Game Pass Ultimatebrought with it plenty of great RPGs, including some of the best trilogies in gaming.Dragon Age: Originsis the definition of an epic that plenty of people, including me, consider to be among BioWare’s greatest accomplishments; a grandiose adventure filled with political intrigue, narrative depth, complex combat, and unforgettable characters.
The game is at its best on PC, but the Xbox 360 version is perfectly playable. While somewhat dated by today’s standards,Originshas aged beautifully in the areas that matter the most: world-building, storytelling, and character-build variety. The sequels are also worth checking out, butDragon Agearguably peaked with its first entry, setting a standard that few fantasy RPGs have come close to replicating.
If strategy games can seem inapproachable to newcomers, then grand strategy titles must seem absolutely foreign.Crusader Kings 3represents the subgenre at its best, and it is arguably Paradox’s crowning achievement, a statement that is not made lightly. While needing no introduction to players fond of these sorts of games,CK3might seem too dense for people who have yet to dip their toes in the universe of grand strategies; however, although not easy to master, the game is among the most accessible options on the market.
More importantly,CK3is a proper RPG that follows a family tree as the members' decisions shape their kingdoms and the rest of the world. Along with fairly standard grand strategy mechanics, Paradox emphasizes each character’s personality, encouraging players to properly role-play as their rulers. Unlike most other entries in this subgenre,CK3is primarily about the individuals who mold history through their relationships, biases, flaws, and strengths.
Diablo 4owes its existence to 1997’sDiablo, a game that revolutionized the action RPG and dungeon-crawler genre. Yes, 2000’sDiablo 2is generally regarded as the superior and more influential project, but the sequel’s brilliance does not diminish its predecessor’s ambition, success, and innovation. At the time of its release, Blizzard’s game was groundbreaking, basically setting the standard for all subsequent point-and-click RPGs.
Despite its legacy and importance,Diablocan be overlooked at times, being regarded as a historical product that should be respected but not necessarily played. After all,Diablo 2Resurrected,Diablo 3, andDiablo 4are just far more beginner-friendly and immediately enjoyable, and their gameplay is considerably more accessible. Even the originalDiablo 2plays quite differently than the first game.
Still,Diablois more than just part of history, and the campaign has aged well since the core gameplay loop is pretty much timeless. Players pick one of four classes (three from the base game and one from the “Hellfire” expansion, which is included in Game Pass) and head into a dungeon that has 16 levels that use procedural generation. Once there, they must kill anything that moves, collect loot from different tiers, and gradually level up to unlock better abilities. This is the basic formula that most isometric action RPGs are built upon, andDiablonearly perfected it immediately. Sure, the combat is considerably slower-paced than in newer entries, and the character classes are not that unique, but the fundamentals are here.
