⚔️The 18 Best Turn-Based RPGs of All Time
Turn-based combat never went away — it got better. Modern turn-based RPGs borrow from tactics games, deckbuilders and immersive sims, while the classics remain playable because nothing about a good menu ages.
This is our ranked list of the best turn-based RPGs, split into modern picks, all-time classics and tactical RPGs. Every entry says roughly how long it runs, because that is what actually decides whether you finish one.
Best modern turn-based RPGs
Baldur's Gate 3 (2023)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
- Mac
D&D rules given a physics engine and a cast that reacts to everything. Around 100 hours, and it supports drop-in co-op.
Persona 5 Royal (2019)
- PC
- PS5
- Switch
- Xbox
A school-life sim wrapped around stylish dungeon crawling, with the slickest combat UI ever made. Expect 100-plus hours.
Metaphor: ReFantazio (2024)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
The Persona team's fantasy RPG, with an archetype class system and a genuinely political story. Faster-paced than Persona.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (2017)
- PC
- PS4
- Xbox
- Switch
- Mac
Elemental surfaces turn every fight into chemistry, and four-player co-op lets everyone ruin the plan together.
Sea of Stars (2023)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox
- Switch
A modern love letter to Chrono Trigger with timed hits and no random encounters. About 30 hours, and never grindy.
Octopath Traveler II (2023)
- PC
- PS5
- Switch
- Xbox
Eight interlocking stories with a break-and-boost battle system that rewards saving turns. HD-2D art at its best.
All-time turn-based classics
Chrono Trigger (1995)
- SNES
- DS
- PC
- Mobile
Combo attacks, no random battles and thirteen endings in a 20-hour package. The most efficiently designed RPG ever made.
Final Fantasy VI (1994)
- SNES
- PC
- Mobile
- Switch
- PS4
An ensemble cast and a mid-game catastrophe that reshapes the whole world map. The Pixel Remaster is the version to buy.
Final Fantasy X (2001)
- PS2
- PS5
- Switch
- Xbox
- PC
The Conditional Turn-Based system shows you the turn order and lets you manipulate it — the most tactical mainline Final Fantasy.
Dragon Quest XI S (2017)
- PC
- PS4
- Switch
- Xbox
Traditional turn-based questing done with enormous polish and warmth. The most comfortable long RPG on this list.
Pokémon HeartGold / SoulSilver (2009)
- DS
Two regions in one cartridge and a following partner Pokémon. Still the high-water mark for the series' structure.
Suikoden II (1998)
- PS1
- PS5
- Switch
- Xbox
- PC
A war story with 108 recruits, army battles and duels. The HD remaster removed the collector-price barrier.
Best tactical turn-based RPGs
Final Fantasy Tactics (1997)
- PS1
- PSP
- Modern remaster
A job system with genuine build depth attached to a political tragedy. Difficult, dense and endlessly re-buildable.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019)
- Switch
Grid tactics plus a school calendar, with four routes that recontextualise each other. Casual mode removes permadeath.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (2017)
- PC
- PS4
- Xbox
- Switch
- Mac
Squad tactics where losing soldiers is the story. The expansion's named enemies give every campaign a villain.
Into the Breach (2018)
- PC
- Switch
- Mobile
- Mac
Perfect-information tactics on an 8x8 grid, with runs that last under an hour. The best short turn-based game ever made.
Triangle Strategy (2022)
- Switch
- PC
Elevation-heavy tactical battles between long political debates your party votes on. Slow, talky, and excellent.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn (2022)
- PC
- PS5
- Switch
Branching-law tactics with a rewind system so mistakes cost minutes, not hours. The classic Matsuno design at its sharpest.
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