Top 10 Best RPGs To Get Back to in 2024
You probably know that they are releasing plenty of new games all the time, but maybe you have a quiet month or you're looking to spend less money, or maybe just redownload, replay, or revisit something. So today, we're diving deep into the RPG world, and we're going to talk about 10 RPGs to return to in 2024.
10 RPGs To Get Back to in 2024
💡 Table of Contents
10. Fallout New Vegas
Starting off at number 10, let's talk about 2010's Fallout New Vegas. It's been a minute since we mentioned this seminal classic at this point, but it is absolutely worth revisiting in 2024 for a variety of reasons. Maybe you still have a bad taste left in your mouth from Fallout 76 or whatever, or maybe there's a bigger chance that you just never played Fallout New Vegas. But you should because this is the one that really whisked people away and also convinced people of, like, the RPG gods that were Obsidian at the time, with the writing, the questing, the details, the world-building they have in New Vegas. It's unlike anything else and really feels a bit different than Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Bethesda stuff. Hey, maybe it's also worth revisiting because when it released on consoles back in the day, it kind of ran like crap.
Now it's better, you just play it on PC, whatever, it's fine with some fixes. So there's that. And also, maybe you're just in the mood because of the Fallout TV show, the Amazon-produced Fallout TV show. I'm recording this right before that show drops, but you might want to just get in the mood, play an old Fallout but play a different one. New Vegas is definitely your best bet. I mean, the new Fallout show takes place in California. Fallout New Vegas obviously does take place more to the West, so it's kind of interesting. I mean, we don't know yet if the Amazon show is going to be any good, it could be absolute garbage or it could be cool, we don't know. But what we do know is that Fallout New Vegas, the game, absolutely rocks with de.
9. Marvel's Midnight Suns
Next, over at number nine, something more recent, but it's 2022's Marvel's Midnight Suns. Now, this got passed over when it came out, reviews were a little all over the place, nothing absolutely bad but, you know, a lot of the game went viral for kind of more cringe-inducing clips. But some of it is just charming, quirky comic book goodness, some of it is a little weird. But regardless, it seems like people are starting to better appreciate what the game was doing, specifically gameplay-wise. And also, it's just always on sale, so that's always a good enough reason for a lot of people.
But, uh, it's really the people behind the game, the people who worked on this game, know what they're doing. They're XCOM people, but this is a little bit different. If you can get over some of the more cheesy, more tongue and cheek comic book moments, there is some cool stuff here, and it definitely has grown on a lot of people. You can actually dump a lot of hours into this one too.
8. Bloodborne
Next, over at number eight, we have— who wrote this?— it's Bloodborne, it's 2015's Bloodborne. Of course, this is something worth revisiting. I think out of a lot of the games on this list, this is the one worth revisiting anytime because it is absolutely awesome. It's also a FromSoftware game, so if you're hooked on those, this is a no-brainer. But even if you're not and you're more like me, you just love weird Gothic horror, this really is incredibly unique. It is also immensely challenging because it is a FromSoft Souls-like game, so there's that. But it's worth pushing through because you get to see the coolest monster designs, the most beautiful environments, all gloriously running on PS4 in like 30 frames per second.
They've never updated this game, they've never released it on PC or updated nothing, and that is absolutely killing us. But you get used to it, you know? I'm not defending like a rough 30 frames per second or anything like that, but jumping into it, you get used to it. And there's a reason why people still loved it, the framerate didn't matter as much when it came out and you should still check it out, Bloodborne absolutely kicks ass. And I mean, we don't know if we're ever going to get a sequel at this point, but at the very least, the original game is always there waiting for us. You know, I was about to say like they don't make them like they used to, but I—I mean FromSoftware is definitely still making them real good.
But seriously, could you imagine a sequel? I think that would be nuts. I think everybody would explode. Regardless, it has the RPG chops, there's fun character builds, cool ways to experiment with weapon type, and basically what you'd expect from a FromSoftware game at this point, they've been killing it for a while."
7. South Park: The Stick of Truth
Next, over at number seven, we have South Park: The Stick of Truth. Um, this one is worth revisiting because South Park just got a new game recently called South Park: Snow Day, and it's not very good. It actually feels like the old days of the Nintendo 64 South Park games that were absolutely rough. But back then, we were younger and there was nostalgia, and we didn't care as much. Whereas Snow Day is out now, we're all adults and like, what is this? It's especially hard when you go back and you look at something like South Park: The Stick of Truth, which absolutely beautifully understands what South Park is, the comedy behind it, it builds out the world, and it actually is a damn fun RPG.
Like straight up, it's also developed by Obsidian, Obsidian who we already talked about like has behind stuff like Fallout New Vegas, The Outer Worlds, they know how to build RPG games, and South Park: The Stick of Truth just takes the meta commentary on video game culture and RPGs and just runs with it and has a lot of fun, but is actually a fun video game to play at the same time. Not only that, it was actually pretty closely worked on with the creators of South Park, you know, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They seem like they give a damn about video games, and it absolutely showed with this one. South Park: The Stick of Truth is really a special thing, like if you like South Park, this really felt like the first time, like South Park in a thing other than TV or movie like was actually understood, they got it right here.
You make your own character, you do questing, you do turn-based battles, and it's just a cool-ass RPG, but most importantly, it's uncompromisingly funny. Oh no, you don't! A lucky shot, but no matter, Princess Kenny still has lots of tricks up her puffy sleeves.
6. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Next, over at number six, we have Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. This is worth revisiting for a multitude of reasons. It's a great RPG, it's a classic-style RPG. This is one where I literally mean it when I say they don't make them like this anymore. That being said, they're trying. I mean, there's a sequel on the way, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, but who knows what's going on with that one? There's been so much news and headlines of development hell, delays, development studio changes that we don't really know how the game is going to shake out.
But thankfully, we always have the original which holds up pretty well. I mean, for some people it won't, but I'd say if you're like at least 25 years old or older, you can get over some of the old school PC-ness, but that's also a lot of the charm here. What a scene, man, the mood, the sense of atmosphere, the visuals really help sell the whole thing. Also, it's a vampire game, and on Game Ranks, anytime I get the opportunity to talk on here, I'm always going to say it, dude, we need more vampire games, and this here is one of the best examples of why.
5. Dragon Quest 11
Next, over at number five, we have Dragon Quest 11 from 2017. This is one that Western audiences didn't really totally embrace in the mainstream, but Dragon Quest was and will continue to be a big deal, and Dragon Quest 11, by a lot of people, is considered to be one of the best. I'm no expert on this series, but they have their appeal, the style is unparalleled, obviously, I mean, look at them, and they're just fun for classic JRPG fans. A lot of Dragon Quest titles had just kind of been like a dream come true, and with revisiting Dragon Quest 11, the Dragon Quest team is being restructured, so it might be a long time before Dragon Quest 12 is a thing.
We know it was announced, but there's been a whole team reshuffling behind the scenes, and we don't really know when we're going to see what the deal is with this one. Probably going to be beyond 2024, there's a lot of speculation, but the Flames of Fate, you know, might leave us waiting. Still, there's always Ale to go back to in case you missed it too. It seems like there's going to be plenty of time to catch up.
4. Banger: the Mass Effect Trilogy
Next, over at number four, here's a banger: the Mass Effect Trilogy, the OG Trilogy, one of the best we've seen in a while. It got re-released in 2021 for modern consoles with some updates as the Legendary Edition, and to be honest, Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3 are all absolutely kick-ass. If you've never played these, now is the time to play and see why people were always so excited about BioWare. And I mean, I think now with no BioWare games in sight really, I mean, maybe we'll hear about Dragon Age soon, but still, who knows how that's going to end up? The last couple of BioWare games haven't really been up to the caliber, so why not go back and revisit their most consistent Trilogy of games?
You know, people say Mass Effect 3, the ending, all that doesn't matter now because still, the trilogy is so great. All games, all three of them, bring something unique to the table, and this galaxy, the characters created, the races of different species, everything, the lore is just so good. The Legendary Edition does a really good job, they all run very well, and if you've never experienced them, now is the time, if you were waiting to get into Mass Effect with like whatever Mass Effect game is coming down the line that they announced, no, just play this now.
3. Planescape: Torment - Enhanced Edition
Now, next at number three, we're going in a bit of a different direction with Planescape: Torment - Enhanced Edition from 2017. This is a re-release of the classic game, and we're going to recommend this one specifically because Baldur's Gate 3 popped off, it reached mainstream success, and a lot of people really loved it. Now, Planescape isn't mechanically similar, it's different, like this is mostly a lot of dialogue, but story-wise, it gets into a lot of the weirder parts of the Forgotten Realms which Baldur's Gate 3 really only hinted at. So if it's like you want to know more, you want to learn more, you want to dive more into these types of worlds, and if you were a little into something more like what I was talking about with Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, like something that feels a little bit more old school PC, you should consider this.
2. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Now, down at number two, we have Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana from 2018. This is a long, long-running series, obviously, you can tell from the fact that this is eight. But for a lot of people, they consider this the best entry in this series, and that's hard because there are a lot of these games. It's just a fun, fast-paced action RPG that doesn't really get bogged down in long-winded dialogue sequences or stop-and-start storytelling, it just freaking goes. This was originally a Vita game and then eventually released for a bunch of platforms, PC, PS4, Switch, and there's a reason why people love this one.
It's got cool characters, a cool visual style that feels just the right amount of old school JRPG, but again, with good solid consistent pacing and an emphasis on just like the fun factor, the good old-fashioned stuff. This was specifically recommended by one of the Game Ranks guys behind the scenes, totally vouching for it, and specifically if you've never played any of the games in this series, this is a good one to check out for sure."
1. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
And down at number one, we have Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. This 2018 game is absolutely awesome. It's an isometric RPG with an emphasis on character building, storytelling, dialogue, decision-making, and it just absolutely hits. I remember, I think I did the 'Before You Buy' for this one, and I just had a really good time with the setting, the little bit more of like a swashbuckling thing to it. So if you are into something like Baldur's Gate 3 or Larian's previous games like Divinity: Original Sin, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is just awesome.
And again, what's significant about it is that it is once again an Obsidian game when they were really firing on all cylinders. I mean, like the writer was Josh Sawyer, the director is Josh Sawyer, one of the best at Obsidian. All the people behind the scenes, like they just built another really good one. Surprise, surprise. The interesting setting, the things going on with the characters, and just the way it plays with like a seafaring thing, like ship-based, you know, island-hopping, that stuff just really hits here.
Bonus
Those are 10 RPGs worth revisiting or checking out for the first time, but we got a couple of bonus ones, of course, that we couldn't squeeze in the top 10. Most notably, Wasteland 3 from 2020. It was overlooked by mainstream audiences, but I mean, this is a classic. It's in the spirit of the original Fallout games, it still holds up well, and revisiting is much, much better than their last attempt at a revival with Wasteland 2. This one really nails it. Also, some of you might hate us for mentioning this, but Fallout 76. This game has had a massive overhaul and is actually now kind of good.
They've added so much to it, they've stuck with it, and I know if you're just really angry at Bethesda, you're not going to want to hear it, but if you're willing to give it a shot, you might find something cool here. Also, Blue Dragon from 2006. Some of you may have forgotten about this one, but it was really cool, and you know, in honor of Akira Toriyama passing, you know, his art style, his vibe, this is actually a pretty decent Xbox 360 RPG with like an amazingly ridiculous boss theme that's one of the more memorable things about it, but it's just a cool playthrough.
Last and final review
So anyway, those were 10 cool RPGs worth revisiting or trying for the first time, something to return to in 2024. Hopefully, you liked our game recommendations, but what we're doing here is we're talking games every day. So if you like that, clicking the like button helps us, and if you've got other picks because we couldn't fit them all here, let us know in the comments. There are going to be other people scrolling, so you can recommend them games too. But really, that's it. Thank you guys very much for reading, and we'll see you next time.
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