Best RPGs on the PS3

RPGs are one of the things the PlayStation 3 is genuinely for. The ones worth playing start with Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, Infamous.

The PS3 and RPGs

A difficult machine with an exceptional first-party run. Sony's studios spent the generation learning to make cinematic games, and by the end of it they were the best in the world at it.

This is one of its strengths. Narrative action-adventure — The Last of Us, Uncharted 2, Journey — and a handful of Japanese games that defined a decade, Dark Souls and Demon's Souls among them.

Filtering to RPG means you want progression — a character to build or a party to grow — layered on top of whatever else you liked.

The RPGs Worth Playing

  1. 1. Dark Souls

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  2. 2. Demon's Souls

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  3. 3. Infamous

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  4. 4. Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  5. 5. Valkyria Chronicles

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

What Makes a Good RPG Game

A reason to keep going after the novelty wears off. RPGs are the genre that reliably converts hours into feeling more capable.

Immediacy. Almost every RPG asks for a slow first few hours, and the systems that make hour forty good are the same ones that make hour one a menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best rpg game on the PS3?

Dark Souls is the usual first answer, and there are 5 in the library we cover.

Was the PS3 good at rpg games?

Yes — it is one of the things the machine is known for, and there are 5 in the library we cover.

What is the difference between an RPG and an action game with stats?

Whether the stats are the point. In an RPG the build decides what you can do; in an action game with stats the build only decides how fast you do it.

Do I need to like turn-based combat?

No. The picks below span turn-based, real-time and action RPGs, and each one says which it is.

How is this list put together?

From the games this site covers on the PlayStation 3, matched against hand-mapped gameplay categories rather than a storefront's genre tag. A page only exists where there are at least four, which is why some console and genre combinations have no page at all.

RPGs on Other Consoles

More From the PS3

Or browse the whole PlayStation 3 library.