Best RPGs on the PS4

RPGs are one of the things the PlayStation 4 is genuinely for. The ones worth playing start with Bloodborne, Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5 Royal.

The PS4 and RPGs

The generation where Sony's first-party formula — a big-budget, third-person, story-led action adventure — became the most reliable thing in games.

This is one of its strengths. Exactly that formula, done repeatedly and well: God of War, Horizon, Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II. Plus the era's best Japanese action games.

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. Bloodborne

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

  2. 2. Horizon Zero Dawn

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

  3. 3. Persona 5 Royal

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

  4. 4. Ghost of Tsushima

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

  5. 5. Final Fantasy VII Remake

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

  6. 6. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice

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

  7. 7. NieR Automata

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

  8. 8. Valkyria Chronicles 4

    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 PS4?

Bloodborne is the usual first answer, and there are 8 in the library we cover.

Was the PS4 good at rpg games?

Yes — it is one of the things the machine is known for, and there are 8 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 4, 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 PS4

Or browse the whole PlayStation 4 library.