Best Nintendo Switch RPGs

The only real Zelda is Ocarina Of Time!

Sorry mate, the best Zelda (maybe best game ever) is Breath of the Wild.

I’m kinda surprised YIIK is on this list, considering how many things I’ve heard about people hating that game. I guess somebody at Nintendo Life likes it, which, good for them.

I’m also surprised Final Fantasy IX is the only FF on this list. IX is great, but I’d argue that it’s the weakest of the four FF games on the Switch. I’m playing through XII for the first time, and oh my goodness, that game is every bit as good as people have been telling me for the past 13 years. I’m very surprised it’s not on this list.

Interesting list, I own quite some of them. Think Diablo III (campaign) fullfills my RPG wants the most though. I love the levelling and gearing, and the seasons keep it replayable.

Great stuff!

Skyrim, Ys VIII, Dark Souls, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, Dragon Quest Builders, Disgaea, etc. The rpg genre is already pretty deep on Switch and it's only going get deeper now that Switch is #1 in Japan.

Disgaea 5, a beautiful game, is kinda of an RPG in my opinion and I greatly advice anyone that likes turn based strategy rpg to try it out.

@Cissero I really couldn't get on with Diablo. I put about 12 hours into it but it was just so easy. I had it on the hardest setting that you can choose initially, and I don't think I died once. I was playing a wizard and there is an energy beam attack which is so overpowered that I never used a single other attack. All I had to do was walk around holding down a single button while doing a bit of mana management. I really don't get the love for it. I sold it and bought Civ 5 though so I'm not too fussed

I love that Golf Story is on here! That is a hilarious game but it also is a little challenging with mechanics and strategy.

If I can ever get rid of my backlog, I want to play Octopath!

@jcvandan Nice yeah Diablo isn't for everyone. The game turns different at max level though, but it's mostly just a gear grind at that point haha. I do enjoy it as I can do it solo and get my competetiveness from the leaderboards. The beam will not feel that overpowered anymore then haha. Still good that you tried and build your own opinion Civ 5 is a great game too!

Surprised at the lack of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and FF7

"Unless you’ve not got a humorous bone in your body." I've got a humerus bone in my body. It's connected to my shoulder..

Stardew valley? ,dark souls?, mario + rabbids, ff 7,10,12 , and cosmic star heroine are much better picks than some of the other games on the list

Dragon's Dogma is missing! ...imho
For me its up there with skyrim and dragon age

No more FFs, really?? Not even VII, considered as one of the best games ever made? And what about Ys VIII? And Dragon's Dogma?
I don't know, I would change several indie games from the list for these ones in a heartbeat... But this is not my list, of course.

Anyway, regarding the new ones (no ports), I can't recommend Xenoblade 2 enough, along with its expansion. In my top 3 of Switch games (just after Zelda and Smash).

@Ryan_Again ok, I'll cut you a deal: if you can find an underwater temple in BOTW, or a well that you can go down and fight zombies, I'll admit that BOTW is as good as OOT.

Not sure how many of these really qualify as RPGs.

Found myself disappointed by Octopath which is a shame because I wanted to love it. And the art style and music can't be faulted to be fair to it... but the story was severely lacking or engaging.

@AndreaF96 It's a strategy game, not an RPG.

I am Setsuna over Lost Sphear for sure my god!

"I’m kinda surprised YIIK is on this list, considering how many things I’ve heard about people hating that game."

@LunarFlame17 The game sure is bad (too pretentious), but stop listening those Resetera dumba***s.

@Crono1973 It is a SRPG though.

Disgaea 5 have more "RPG" than Diablo III.

@the_beaver How they can coun't Yiik but not FFVII or XII is beyond me. IX isn't as good as either of them.

@Tirza Agreed but it is a strategy RPG. I think it's important to separate RPG's like mainline Final Fantasy games with games like Final Fantasy Tactics. People looking for a Final Fantasy type RPG probably aren't interested in an SRPG.

@aznable FF9 benefits from hype.

@the_beaver Oh man, I forgot about Ys VIII! That game definitely deserves to be on this list. And why aren’t there more Falcom games on Switch?

@Tirza Huh? I don’t even go to ResetEra...

@Crono1973 they are Tactical RPGs considered RPGs at their core. That’s where people look for them. And unless they are making separate list for strategy/tactical RPGs, which I doubt. It does harm to separate them because no one would find them. They are smaller subset of RPGs. Where would you put them?

@Crono1973 Really? Even when it came out back when I was never hyped about it. I recall first seeing it and thinking "Well that's a regression."

West of Loathing and Darkest Dungeon, but no Dark Souls.

@aznable Yes, it didn't do too well in 200 but since then many people have decided it's the best FF. It's not.

Steamworld Quest is incredible. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m enjoying it thoroughly.

Dragon's Dogma should be on this list.

Definitely would've put YS VIII on this list; it's a bit cookie cutter, but it pulls everything together really well. Also, I'd put FFX (and maybe XII) over FFIX

LOLWUT

Yeah, how about Skyrim, Disgaea 5, FF7, FF12, and World of FF.

The World Ends With You is overrated obtuse garbage. The gameplay was no fun, I just ended up tapping the screen and the same button over and over again, and the story is headache inducing.

@Crono1973 I agree, but this site doesn't even know the difference between a roguelike and a roguelite.

I, for example, love roguelikes but dislike roguelites. Some people think that only because a game have procedural generation, it is a roguelike. It is not.

I’m absolutely livid that Dragon’s Dogma is not on this list.

Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana.

As usual, Nintendo Life list that both confounds and disappoints.

@N64-ROX Heheh, I can follow your logic and respect your criteria. But likewise, if you can show me a hang glider or ability to climb just about any wall in OoT then I guess you win. 😁

@Crono1973 it is kinda an rpg game because it has deep leveling system for characters, weapons, skills, etc. This is my opinion.

@AndreaF96 Yes, it's a strategy RPG.

@Crono1973 exactly, it's inside the intersection of the set of RPGs and the set of strategy games. At least that's how I see it.

@N64-ROX epic bait

Amazing how many on this list are not RPGs

No Kemco games???? /s

Oh good, they added the rest of the Final Fantasies.

Still no Disgaea but we have freaking Yiik.

Yikes man.

I've just sold Octopath Traveller along with a couple of other games to make way for the upcoming realease schedule. I thought to myself, you're never going to have time to play though that again, but I've already got sellers regret. Darn!

As much as every compilation like this is bound to be very subjective, I am really glade Atelier Lulua made it onto the list! That is, indeed, one of the best Atelier games, which are really different from other RPGs.

A good chunk of this list will be largely responsible as to why my Switch backlog, when I do FINALLY get one, will be insane. I'm a sucker for a good RPG.

the lack of Skyrim is puzzling to me.

@Mando44646 yes, the Skyrim port is awesome. Something that cannot be said of Child of Light: Every other version (Windows, PS3/4/Vita, 360, One, WiiU) runs better than the botched Switch port.

once Ni No Kuni is out for me it will be the best RPG on the Switch

As an RPG fan/player im always with the story, battle style, character, skills and Im always relieved whenever Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is on the list or gets recognized! The game and most specially the story is really massive and superb for me! Best RPG game for me next to FFIX (which was my childhood game)! Im currently playing the Tales of Vesperia and im also hooked.

@LunarFlame17 it's FFiiv that's on the list not ix

@Dirty0814 They’ve updated the list since I wrote that comment. Every Final Fantasy on the Switch is on the list now, which is as it should be.

No Ys VIII or Setsuna (if Sphear’s here, than so should ‘I’...); then Neptunia, Steamworld Quest, Romancing SaGa 2, Cosmic Star and Deltarune (again, if Under’s here, then so should D:c1).

Also, ditto @many: RPGs, in this freaky mind, are turn-based affairs only. Got a grid while alternating turns of action.? You’re strategy, a separate category, again, in my twisted perception.

Bonus ditto @many: at release, both Earthlock and YIIK were generally panned. What gives? Was everyone, including reviewers found on this site, wrong? Hmm..

The absence of Ys VIII is shameful. Especially when plagiarized tripe like YIIK has a presence on the list.

Darkest Dungeon was great

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is still number 1 for me love the game it death

@LunarFlame17 VII and XII are both on the list?

@pattybean They weren’t when I wrote that comment. NL updates this list periodically.

@LunarFlame17 I see. Apologies.

curse my lack of money & time

Yep. If you like RPGs you need a multi-console home.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna is a great standalone grab for the lower price. It basically refined all the systems of the original but also streamlined them.

More importantly it took about 40 hours to complete vs the almost 100 hours to finish the main game for me, which was much more manageable for my available free time.

i actualy want to know wich, one has a great story. i dont care if it have dlc or is massive or look beautiful.
story is what counts in a jrpg or rpg

@PALversusNTSC Pillars of Eternity is really rich. Dragons Dogma is also good, tho might feel a bit slow at first.

Skyrim
Ys
Diablo III
Witcher 3 ?

So glad Fire Emblem: Three Houses was left off this list. Worst RPG to come out in a long time.

No Dragon Quest Builders 2 (or 1)???
No Skyrim??
No Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate?
No Dark Souls Remastered?
No Disgaea 5 Complete or Disgaea 1 Complete? (Disgaea 4 Complete+ is coming soon)
No Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana?
No I am Setsuna?
No Dragon's Dogma?
No Fire Emblem: Three Houses?
No Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch?

Is Battle Chasers Nightwar really that much better?

@Patron As a strategy RPG, it wasn't eligible for the list. If it were eligible, I'm sure it would have ranked - considering it's one of the best SRPGs to come around in a long time.

@DockEllisD Kemco: soulless husks marauding as games.

@Marshmallow Agree 100% I adored I Am Setsuna and couldn't even finish Lost Sphere.

@LunarFlame17 It is on the list

Battle Chasers and Undertale made the list, but not Witcher 3, Fire Emblem, Dark Souls, Skyrim, any of the Disgaea games, Dragon's Dogma, or Ys 8? Really?

Ys: VIII? Really?

Lol this list is pretty ehhh. Outside of Xenoblade chronicles I'd rather play any of them on either PC or PS4.

Child of Light got a physical release in France, bundled with Valiant Hearts: The Great War on one cartridge.

Seeing no Dragon's Dogma here tells me the author has no damn idea he's talking about.

@AcesCharles think again: Divinity: Original Sin II in the go.

@AcesCharles Lol this list is pretty ehhh. Outside of Xenoblade chronicles I'd rather play any of them on either PC or PS4.
Typical of Trolls. Try taking the PC/PS4 outside of your house to the park or transits and you see how poor this statement is.

@Gwynbleidd we do recall the article did mention Switch console format. Witcher 3 just came out and probably wasn't in the running phase here.

Why the hell would I play video games at the park? Plenty of other things to do. Transits, I'll grant. Honestly though I'm ok with waiting until I get home to play so in that case either PC or ps4 beat the switch versions by a landslide.

@LunarFlame17 Completely agree with everything you said about FF series. 12 is probably my second or third favorite of the entire series and 9 has always been a bit bewildering to me, if I'm to be completely honest. People praise it for capturing classic FF while simultaneously modernizing to the PS1 era of games but I always felt it missed the mark on both counts. To top it all off the game CHUGS, even with the added ability to speed up combat the game still feels slow and there are moments in battle where the game seemingly has no idea what to do or who's turn it is and then just chooses who goes next at random after thinking about it critically for 10-15 seconds or about 5 seconds if you are fast-forwarding the thing.

Why Xenoblade 2 and Diablo 3 are in both list, here and in Action RPGs?? That makes these articles very confusing...
I would create just one list for all of them, and the games that can't be considered RPGs (like Hyrule Warriors or Fire Emblem Warriors) or are nit good enough (Lost Sphear, some indies) just kick them out. It'd be much more useful.

@LunarFlame17 there are three pages on the list and FF X/X-II and XII are in the list.

Surprised Pillars is on the list. I ended up getting a refund last month because even after about half a year of patches the game still had issues for me.

Just a reminder: Ubisoft is giving away Child Of Light for PC on Uplay starting March 24th.

1) Breath of the Wild
2) Dragon's Dogma
3) The Witcher III
4) Skyrim
5) Dragon Quest XI
6) Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
7) Assassin's Creed: Rogue
8) Ashen

plus two predictions:

9) Gods and Monsters
10) Genshin Impact

@KBuckley27
I enjoyed everything about Ni No Kuni apart from the combat which is neither action-based nor turn-based. I prefer to have full control over my character(s)' actions in battle. That's the secret to Zelda (action RPGs) and Dragon Quest (turn-based RPGs).

@NintendoLife: Collection of Mana is there twice...page 2, and 3

Skyrim?
The Witcher 3?
Dark Souls?
YS III?

@gavin - terrible list. And your reasons for not including them are plain stupid.

Wanna go for balance and 90% of this list is JRPGs. Nice balance.

@jipiboily yeah because they wanted to exclude the best RPGs, so to pad out the list you'll need to double up on the sub par ones.

Perfectly makes sense.

Baldur’s gate 2 is my all time favorite but I play it on pc mostly, don’t fit the consoles too good IMO.

I am just now finishing up Trials of Mana for the first time (one elemental boss and then the big bad to go). I had already finished DQXI and I was surprised how much DQXI used similar game play things that are in Trials of Mana. It almost felt like I was playing DQXI at times. Still good though.

"Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a huge standalone DLC, Torna: The Golden Country, that's also well worth playing through. It serves as a prequel to the events of 2, so you can play it before or after."

Least accurate, worst thing I've read on this site in a while. Being a prequel absolutely doesn't mean you can play it before or after. There's no fathomable reason you should or would play it before Xenoblade 2. And if you did, it would ruin about 80% of the game's plot in a matter of hours. A lot of it in a matter of minutes. It 100% assumes you know the story of Xenoblade 2 already. And in fact, it was originally meant to be backstory revealed late in the game before the end, but they fleshed it out enough that it deserved a full game, essentially.

@TheWingedAvenger Zelda isn't an action RPG.

@Deltath
All the main-series Zelda games are action RPGs. When you play, you feel like you are the main character, and that's because the games have all the characteristics of true RPGs: a world to explore at your leisure, combat, character growth, and a story that is not written by a writer but created by you and the actions that you decide to take.

Not only are Zelda games action RPGs, they are among the very few action RPGs in existence. The "Tales Of" games aren't RPGs, because too often you don't decide what you do: the combat plays itself, since you have a bunch of hangers-on that you don't control. Star Ocean is similar. Apart from Zelda, the only true action RPGs that come to mind are Zelda clones such as Golden Axe Warrior, Neutopia and Sylvan Tale.

@TheWingedAvenger Feeling like the character and deciding what you do aren't elements that are related to the VIDEO game genre called RPG. The silly concept that because it has "roleplaying" in the name it means any game where you play a role is something a lot of people argue (and it seems like you're doing that now), but the level to which you're invested in being a particular character is genreless. There are tons of games of every genre where you make tons of decisions and get deeply entrenched as a particular character. That doesn't mean a first person shooter or a life sim or a puzzle platformer are suddenly RPGs because they have those elements.

From a gameplay perspective, there are a number of particular attributes that have become universally accepted to be part of the RPG genre and nothing you mentioned is it. The Tales games are absolutely RPGs and the Zelda games are not. It doesn't make them better games, it just makes them RPGs. FYI, if you think Tales plays itself, you've either barely ever played Tales or you've played on too easy a difficulty. Some of the Tales games have the most blindingly challenging action RPG combat of any games out there. And they make great co-op.

This idea that only a few games are "true action RPGs" is something you've created in your own head. Not a reality.

The two most overlooked games in the last three console generations are Alliance Alive Both HD and DS ver. as well as Nostalgia for the DS. The former had great graphics even on the DS version. They both appear generic and are in fact unique as those style games go.

I would love to know why gaming companies don't hire professional scriptwriters/authors such as oh I don't know, just look at the top ten in sci-fi writers (Steven King or whoever but sci-fi) and take a pick.. have them write the story, dialog and create to game around that, once the general concept is created of course... I would LOVE to see THAT sell!

i can get behind that list Octopath and the mana games were all pretty fun, Xenoblade was amazing as well as FF9 which i never played before. I really want to try Ni no kuni and Alliance alive next

@SyFyTy I am not sure how good you can compare those two. First of all: There is more to a game than story, there are also mechanics, which are usually more the focus of many games and even setting, atmosphere, music and direction of it all. Also there have been attempts at putting proffesional novel authors behind a games story like in Fire emblem fates and the story was hated a lot. Big authors like Steven King of course would also need to want to participate and they might need to adapt to suddenly writing an rpg story, along with several constrictions for the age rating. There are still some good stories in games every now and then and there can just be good directors as well like yoko taro(Nier Automata). Finally, the market for good stories is not that high actually, most people wanna have a good time after all

I'm starting to fear RPGs don't do it for me anymore like they used to. Got Xenoblade DE on launch, and...just no. Didn't like it. I stopped playing when Riki joined the party. I couldn't deal with that annoying speaking beast.

For me (Completed All)
1. Divinity Original Sin 2
2. Witcher 3
3. Skyrim
4. Xenoblade Chronicles 1
5. Ni No Kuni

I think Dragon Quest XI deserves to be high ranked but it was so dull to me. Unpopular opinion but it felt cook cutter. Gorgeous art though.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel all day long

So garbage YIIK gets an entry here but not Tangledeep. Big oof. PSA: YIIK is one of the worst games on the Switch, it's abysmal.

@Bork yeah, it’s still a bloody mess. I ended up having to start over on my PC as I crashed every time I went to jump in the Burial Isle pit on the Switch.

Dragon Quest XI, Octopath Traveler and Ni no Kuni are all must-plays. One day I'll finally get around to Xenoblade(s), Atelier(s) and The World Ends With You... One day.

@Ryan_Again baby’s first open world game isn’t the best Zelda game, let alone the best game ever.

How is Bayonetta not included in this crap list?

I would add Dodgeball Academia, but nobody else would. Why am I the only person that really likes it?

Late to the best Zelda discussion but Wind Waker exists.

Also, Zelda games aren't really RPGs, are they? More like action adventure games.

A great list nonetheless

@OctoAmbush
Yo !
I have ever played Dodgeball Academia on PS4.
I think Dodgeball Academia was unique in term of gameplay but the most satisfying was you can adjust the damage input & output from the Options.
If you set damage taken by 0% and damage deal on opponent by 100%, you were literally became a God, 0 damage on you and 100% damage on opponents, even the Final Boss will give you 0 damage by that adjustment. 😁

Why are there Pokemon Let's Go and SwSh on the list and not the imo way better Legends Arceus and SV?

Great list! As a personal touch I would like to add Atelier Sophie which complements this list like a cute red ribbon on a neatly tied braid

@Ryan_Again Maybe if you are not a fan of the original formula.
For most people who grew up playing Zelda games BoTW was kind of a slap in the face...

I see the term JRPG gets used really loosely now.

@Johnvlachos I grew up playing Zelda games (starting with the original on NES), and Breath of the Wild is still easily the best Zelda game hands down. This is despite the lack of varied, interesting dungeons though. Hopefully Tears of the Kingdom will fix that particular issue.

You updated this to add Octopath Traveler II which you've played an advance copy of but isn't released to the public yet. You taunt us!

>YIIK: A Postmodern RPG on the list

WTF?

Seriously, WTF!?

You could have included SMT nocturne, Chrono cross, Valkyria chronicles 1, Grandia HD Collection, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA, Labyrinth of Refrain, .hack//G.U. Last Recode or Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. But you decided to include f*cking YIIK instead!

I would recommend Victor Vran and Labyrinth of Refrain, both amazing games, though the first would probably fit the "action rpg" cathegory better. Cat's Quest is also a great recommendation you might easily overlook. On the list but definitely underappreciated: West of Loathing. That game is hilarious.

I recently ordered another first person dungeon crawler, because I love Labyrinth of Refrain, and will wait for the sequel to drop in price a bit, and that is Undernauts Labyrinth of Yomi. I really love that specific sub genre, and am glad that Etrian Odyssey will not die with the 3ds now that it's getting the first three remade on Switch.

Lol Earthlock…

Might be time to trim the fat on this one. At the very least, I'd get rid of the Let's Go games and Earthlock. Maybe more controversially, I'd probably toss Child of Light, Golf Story, Dragon Quest XI, Ni no Kuni, and swap Lost Sphear with its predecessor. Xenoblade 2 being first on the list also bugs me. Not that it isn't worth playing, but it's the last one I'd recommend to someone looking to try the series, including Torna. I guess you'd have to change how the whole thing is ordered to fix that, though.

Eastward was pretty good and different!

@LunarFlame17 ff7 is clearly on the list, 6th game listed.

@N64-ROX that's a.....different opinion...

@the_beaver 7 is on the list, what are you talking about?

@Travelguy38 I wrote that because Earthlock is a fairly average game with average reviews. I would expect a website like Nintendolife if they’re writing about the best RPGs, it is actually the best RPGs and not just pages of random RPGs. Look at the title, supposed to be ‘best’.

Also - are you seriously just sat there responding to each and every comment on here? It’s Sunday man, it’s the weekend! Go play some games instead of just writing angry, volatile replies to people!

@Travelguy38 The comments would be a bit boring if everyone just responded with "Wow, great list! Can't wait for the next one!" Since these primarily exist as guides for anyone looking to find more games to play in a particular genre, if I see something that I think is a bad recommendation, or notice a game that I think highly of is missing, I'm going to say so, and maybe someone else who reads my comment will be better off for it.

@BeefSanta what kemco rpg should be added and why?

@Fuecoco I'm not angry, what makes you assume that? I'm on vacation chilling after a week of exploring and once my gf Wakes up who is sleeping in we go out and explore. Not sure why a comment to the contrary automatically makes you jump to the conclusion of angry, interesting leap in logic. I'm here to look for a good game on the plane ride back later tonight as well as helpful user comments supporting or not supporting a game.

@Travelguy38 Mate, read some of your responses. You are quite angry. Bad vacation was it? It must be if you’re spending your last few hours writing comment after comment on a Nintendolife post that says ‘best RPGs’ which is just a list of some of the RPGs.

@Travelguy38 Literally every single comment you have made is you trying to pick arguments with someone’s post.

There is no vacation or GF is there? Just an angry troll who is bored on a Sunday morning.

@Travelguy38 Oh good, this is still happening. deep sigh Okay, so the comments on this article are from every version of this article that NintendoLife has ever done. They did the first version of this article right after FFVII came out and somehow didn't include it. So I commented on that fact, and then they added FFVII, but my comment is still there, so people tell me all the time a fact I already know, which is that FFVII is on this list.

As this list keeps growing, and there were many left OFF of this list even now, I think the Switch is set up as any RPG lovers dream system to take these big adventures in their pockets anywhere they want to go. The RPG scene on Switch is just massive!

A lot of Final Fantasy games are listed, but not 8, which, imho, is better than any of the other FF here. A shame.

I get it, everyone has the favorite games, and lists like this are subjective so I’m really not complaining. The list really shows us how strong of an rpg lineup we have on Switch. This is awesome, as we haven’t had times like this since the SNES days! (And even some of those are available with NSO!)

I have 6 of these, and I want 21 of them. I need a lot more money and time.😂

The Switch is probably one of the best consoles ever for jRPG's. It's just seriously lacking in other major genres, like racing and fighting games.

@Sparrowhawk I wouldn't personally say is seriously lacking there, it could be better since some AAA games on the last few years have avoided the console, but between older games (and with older that include games from the PS3 gen), indies and some new stuff that did release for it there is more than enough from those 2 genres, like 20 times more than the Wii U, 3DS or Wii.

Here I thought I’d only see three titles. Xenoblade, Pokémon and Zelda. In all honesty I’ve put more time in on Valkyria Chronicles (1,2 and 4), Dragons Dogma, Golf/Sports Story and Skyrim. Honorable mentions in Hellpoint and yes, Dodgeball Academia.

What happened to all the SRPG's ? Valkyria Chronicles is listed , but no Fire Emblem Engage etc

Hey guys, I know it's much more efficient to update and repost but you might want to check your TWEWY Final Remix post which seems to suggest the end of the series despite the sequel having launched since