7 best action RPGs to play in 2025

Action RPGs are among the most popular gaming genres of today, merging the exploration of action-adventure games with the stats and storylines of RPGs. These games is slowly becoming the most sought-after in the market due to the success of various open-world action and Soulslike titles. However, sorting through a vast list of great titles can be daunting.

Here are seven of the best action RPGs you can play in 2025 that offer great gameplay, story, graphics, and more to immerse you in their worlds.

Note: This list is subjective and reflects the author's personal opinions.

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Best action RPGs you must play in 2025

1) The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 is one of the best fantasy action RPGs of all time (Image via CD Projekt Red)

• Release Date: May 2015
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt has amassed legendary status over the last decade. It is the third installment based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's book series and wraps up the tale of Geralt of Rivia as he takes down humans and monsters to save his adopted daughter Ciri.

Upon its release in 2015, this game received universal acclaim from critics and players for its gameplay, story, quest design, world building, and more. It has some of the best side quests in the history of gaming, along with great graphics that still look great today. As Witcher 4 might come out next year, now is a great time to play this game and experience the end of Geralt's journey and the start of Ciri's.

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2) Lies of P

• Release Date: September 2023
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, macOS

Lies of P is regarded as one of the best soulslike action RPGs not made by genre mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware. Known for its brutal difficulty and gritty atmosphere, this game was an instant hit among soulslike fans for staying true to the tried-and-tested formula and adding enough depth to make it different from its peers.

Lies of P follows the story of Pinocchio, who must work with his maker, Geppetto, and unravel the truth behind puppets killing humans in the dark and gritty city of Krat. P has many melee weapons in his arsenal, ranging from greatswords to the Royal Horn Bow. He also has a prosthetic arm with many tools to use in combat to spice up your playstyle. Play this game now since its Overture DLC just dropped recently, adding many hours of new content and a ton of amazing bosses.

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3) Elden Ring

Elden Ring redefined what action RPGs could be like (Image via Bandai Namco)

• Release Date: February 2022
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2

Elden Ring is hailed as FromSoftware’s crown jewel, where director Hidetaka Miyazaki finally perfects the formula of creating a great soulslike game. Featuring a vast, explorable open world jam-packed with many places to explore, as written by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, the game’s map is notable for featuring no traditional quest markers and letting you go in any direction you want and carve your path forward in its cryptic storyline.

You can build your character to follow any playstyle you want, whether it be a greatsword-wielding Guts cosplayer or a magic user that can transform into a dragon - the build variety is almost endless. While this game was already stuffed with over 100 hours of content, the addition of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC adds many new bosses and new explorable areas that are well worth your time.

As such, action RPGs like Elden Ring are so good that people will play and replaying it in 2025 and later for years to come without ever getting bored. So, we recommend playing this game now to try new builds you only imagined doing before.

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4) Black Myth: Wukong

• Release Date: August 2024
• Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

When people first saw the gameplay trailer for Black Myth Wukong in 2021, the first AAA game by Chinese developers Game Science, everyone thought it was fake. Based on the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West with hardcore soulslike gameplay with tons of unique bosses, and vast explorable zones, this game seemed too good to be true in a sea of other similar action RPGs.

However, the developers did the impossible when they delivered on all aspects shown in their trailers, becoming everyone’s favorite Game of the Year 2024 contender. While a DLC is currently in development and might be released early next year, now is a great time to experience this game to catch up on its lore.

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5) Final Fantasy 16

Final Fantasy 16 changed the series forever (Image via Square Enix)

• Release Date: June 2023
• Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Final Fantasy 16 is one of the most divisive action RPGs from this decades-long series. Instead of featuring a vast explorable open world where you stop evil tyrants alongside your party of interesting characters using turn-based combat, this game eschewed all of these core elements for a straightforward revenge story with a singular hero and bombastic hack-and-slash combat, becoming one of the best JRPGs without turn-based combat.

Its combat and boss fights are its main draw, since it looks spectacular from all aspects. The boss fights with gigantic Eikons, with one taking place in outer space, remain the game’s main highlight. As such, playing FF16 will be a great idea since it's now available for the Xbox Series X/S consoles too, featuring all the DLCs packed together.

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6) Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Mass Effect is one of the most iconic sc-fi action RPGs (Image via Electronic Arts)

• Release Date: May 2021
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is the best way to play this sci-fi space opera following the story of how Commander John Shepard saved humanity from getting wiped out by a race of genocidal mechanical beings known as the Reapers. This edition consists of three games: a remake of the first game, along with enhanced versions of Mass Effect 2 and 3.

It’s recommended to play all three games in order, since many of the choices you make throughout the story carry over to the next game and influence its overall narrative. This trilogy has a roster of great party members, like the caring but daring Liara T’Soni and everyone’s favorite Garrus Vakarian, along with great third-person shooting and many classes.

You must experience the Mass Effect Trilogy in its entirety as a fan of action RPGs. However, if you want to play only one of them, we recommend Mass Effect 2 since it’s the best in the trilogy. It’s the best time to play this now since Mass Effect 5 is in early development.

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7) Wuthering Waves

• Release Date: May 2024
• Platforms: Windows, PS5, macOS, Android, iOS

The last entry on this list of the best action RPGs will be Wuthering Waves, a popular gacha game by Kuro Games. If you like JRPGs with action combat and gacha mechanics like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero, this game is right up yout alley, comparable to other underrated RPGs.

Over the years, Genshin Impact became one of the most popular free action RPGs you can play on your PC, consoles, as well as your smartphones, by yourself or with your friends. Kuro Games smartly incorporated all the elements players love and removed what they hate about action-packed gacha games, along with improving combat to make it more aggressive and dynamic.

Wuthering Waves constantly releases new updates, adding more content and characters while being one of the best free action RPGs on the market, making it a great action RPG to start playing in 2025 and keep playing for years to come.