Growing up,JRPGswere always the strict territory of consoles, PlayStation especially. If I had to guess, it was because PC gaming hadn’t really established itself in the mainstream back then, so publishers probably just didn’t want to bother.
Thankfully, that’s not even remotely the case anymore – not only has PC gaming found its way definitively into the mainstream of gaming at large, but publishers have taken notice, and JRPGs have made their way to desktops.
10 Best GBA JRPGs, Ranked
Those who wanted to explore Nintendo’s JRPG catalog in the 2000s would have to rely on its handhelds rather than home consoles.
I already spend a borderline-unhealthy amount of time at my computer anyway, so I might as well use all that time to really invest myself in a lengthy, character-driven game, especially when I can crank the quality up on the visuals.
I know I’m not alone on that, as JRPGs have found happy homes on PC platforms like Steam. Steam users love their JRPGs, and for some JRPGs, that love is quite all-encompassing.
There are a few rules for this list: the game in question must have the JRPG user tag on its Steam store page and its overall user score must be 90% or higher. Additionally, just to keep things interesting, we’re sticking to one game per series.
9Persona 5 Royal
96% Positive Rating
Persona 5 Royal
Odds are high that, if you ever check the JRPG tag on Steam, the game at the very top of the list will bePersona 5 Royal. Obviously, the Persona series was already the hottest thing since toasted bread even before it snuck off the PlayStation and onto Steam, but the jump to PC seems to have only done it more favors.
Multiple Steam users have registered well over a hundred hours on the game, and if you’ve played it, you know why: it’s an absolute time vampire.
That“one-more-day” feeling of the in-game calendarticking along while you tackle Palace objectives and improve your social stats sucks you into an inescapable cycle. It’s like planning a jam-packed week of fun activities in your off time, except it never, ever stops.
On multiple occasions, I have sat down to play a couple of hours of Persona 5 Royal in the afternoon, only to blink and have an entire day get away from me. It’s like the video game equivalent of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber; a week in-game is a day in real life.
8Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
95% Positive Rating
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Fextralife Wiki
The important thing to remember about JRPGs is that, even though the J technically stands for “Japanese,” a game doesn’t need to have been made by a Japanese dev to be considered a JRPG.
A JRPG is a state of mind, a very particular flavor of gaming experience you might not get from a western-styled RPG, and nowhere is that clearer than the unabashedly FrenchClair Obscur: Expedition 33.
I remember seeing the first trailer for Clair Obscur in some random presentation a while back. The plot hook seemed interesting, so I kept a casual eye on it up til release. When I finally got my mitts on it, I was absolutely stunned. This game came completely out of nowhere and absolutely rocked everything we thought we knew about JRPGs.
Not only does it have an incredibly engaging combat system reminiscent of some of the greats, Clair Obscur meshes that withbreathtaking visualsand heartfelt character writing and storytelling.
I can say this game is an excellent JRPG because it did something only a few games have done: its ending made me upset. When an ending makes you upset, that’s how you know you’ve fallen hook, line, and sinker.
7Yakuza: Like A Dragon
94% Positive Rating
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Speaking as someone who got into Yakuza/Like a Dragon with Yakuza 0, I was understandably a little wary when word came down that the seventh game,Yakuza: Like a Dragon, was switching from a traditional brawler to a turn-based RPG.
In hindsight, I really should’ve trusted RGG Studio, because if anyone knows how to pivot to completely unrelated gameplay styles, it’s those guys.
Using the original brawler framework and switching to a turn-based combat system ended up being a stroke of genius. You get all the same face-smashing action, but now you don’t have to worry about your attacks getting blocked.
Plus, the game hits all the necessities of a Yakuza entry, particularly in its metric whoa-ton of side content and minigames. More than that, though, Like a Dragon also introduced us to Ichiban Kasuga.
Much like the game itself, I wasn’t sure we could ever have a proper successor to Kiryu, but if anyone could do it, it’s Ichiban. Several Steam users even call himtheir “comfort character,”and honestly, I agree wholeheartedly.
6Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
93% Positive Rating
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
Dragon Quest is the granddaddy of the entire JRPG genre, a family of royalty that all defer to. Surprisingly, unlike some other big JRPG series, its transition to Steam has been relatively slow, despite its prestige, with only two mainline games available to date.
Still, one of those games isDragon Quest XI S, and based on how that game performed, the rest of the series would be welcomed with open arms.
Dragon Quest XI was a perfect meshing of the series’ old-school sensibilities and modern quality-of-life. It’s still got most of the hallmarks Dragon Quest has been running with since the beginning, but also additional nifty mechanics like a big, open world and enemy field symbols instead of random encounters.
10 Best Dragon Quest Monster Designs, Ranked
What would Dragon Quest be without monsters like Slimes and Golems?
Plus, with the S version specifically, if you really prefer old-school Dragon Quest, you can just flip to 2D mode.
Really, the only thing I don’t like about Dragon Quest XI S is that, since I bought the original Steam release of the game, and they didn’t upgrade us for free, I had to buy it twice. I guess that’s more of a me problem than a Dragon Quest problem, though.
5Octopath Traveler 2
Octopath Traveler 2
For the last ten years or so, Square Enix has been tinkering with an art style for its games it calls “HD-2D,” wherein traditional 2D character sprites are meshed with elaborate pixel artwork and 3D environments.
One of its biggest endeavors with this style was Octopath Traveler, though while that game was great, its sequel,Octopath Traveler 2, showed what the format could really do.
Steam users generally agree that Octopath Traveler 2 is a straight upgrade over its predecessor in most ways that matter, including more engaging character stories and relationships and tweaked combat and exploration mechanics. 2 has a stronger positive rating over the first game by a good 8%, so they definitely did something right with this one.
I think my favorite thing about Octopath Traveler 2 is the way the individual character stories weave together, ultimately leading into the big final arc. Yeah, the first game did that too, but it felt a lot more forced and clumsy.
In the second game, there’s a consistent through line throughout every character’s story, not to mention actual interactions between them, to make it feel more like a proper party.
4Tales Of Berseria
91% Positive Rating
Tales of Berseria
A decent chunk of Bandai Namco’s Tales series of JRPGs has gradually found its way to Steam over the years, with most of the big 3D hits like Symphonia and Vesperia accounted for.
Of course, the newest Tales games release on Steam as well, though to date, the best and highest rated of both the old and new Tales games on the platform remainsTales of Berseria.
Tales of Berseria was a substantial improvement over its direct predecessor, Tales of Zestiria, in both story and gameplay. It fixed just about every problem I had with Zestiria, with faster, more engaging combat and a lovable cast of national criminals.
More than that, though, when I played the following game in the series, Tales of Arise, I frequently found myself thinking, “I wish I was playing Tales of Berseria right now.”
Based on some of Berseria’s Steam reviews, I may be in the minority regarding my feelings on the game versus Arise. Even so, the numbers don’t lie: Berseria does have a higher positive rating out of its user reviews than Arise does.
3Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
97% Positive Rating
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
I’ve been a fan of the Paper Mario seriessince it started back on the N64, which is why I’m still pretty irritated by the half-baked direction it took from Sticker Star and onwards.
The release of the Thousand-Year Door remake was a positive step, and I hope it’s a sign that more games of that nature are on the way. Though, maybe if Nintendo had been a little more expedient about that,Bug Fableswouldn’t have already eaten its lunch.
Bug Fables is a pretty transparent send-up to the classic Paper Mario games, both in aesthetic and gameplay, and based on its positive Steam reviews, it’s proof positive that those elements were when Paper Mario was at its best.
In addition to those Paper Mario vibes, though, Bug Fables has distinctive elements in its gameplay elements and storytelling. While it’s a fairly whimsical setting, the cast of Bug Fables is a little more well-defined, not to mention capable of being serious when the situation calls for it.
I wouldn’t say it’s objectively better than Paper Mario, but it shows what that kind of game can be when you really commit to it instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
2Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy 9
Just about all of the original lineup of Final Fantasy games have found their way to Steam in the form of upscaled and/or remastered ports.
Surprisingly, one of the highest-rated entries available on Steam, even more than both the original Final Fantasy VII and Remake, isFinal Fantasy IX. I wish Square Enix would take that as a sign to give it its own remake, but I’ll take what I can get.
I think what helps distinguish Final Fantasy IX from its siblings is that, unlike the generally more serious stories of VII or VIII, it’s a much more whimsical, fantastical game. The characters may look sillier, but they’re also very personable and fleshed-out.
I don’t dislike the other games’ settings, of course, but I’ve always been fond of storybook-esque fantasy adventures, a vibe IX captures perfectly.
It also helps that the Steam port has some improvements over the original PlayStation release, particularly the ability to disable encounters at will. Old JRPGs had weirdly high random encounter rates for some reason, and just being able to say, “okay, enough already” is a blessing, truly.
1Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
92% Positive Rating
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
I played the original version ofShin Megami Tensei Vback when it was released on the Switch. Great game, but boy howdy, was the Switchnotconducive to playing it.
The thing chugged like nobody’s business, and the graphical quality wasn’t as high as I would’ve liked. That’s why I was so relieved when the updated version, Vengeance, had a multi-platform release, PC included, and I definitely wasn’t the only one.
Besides still being a generally excellent entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series, Vengeance also added a bunch of quality-of-life improvements to the mix that helped the game shine all the brighter.
Even though the new story is the main draw of this version, it’s remarkable how much more enjoyable the original story becomes when you’re not locked at 30 FPS and can save anywhere.
Compared to Atlus’ other JRPGs, it’s a pretty difficult game, but if you like your JRPGs with a little extra pepper sauce, as many Steam users seem to, it’s an enjoyable romp.
10 Best JRPGs For Non-JRPG Fans
JRPGs are an acquired taste for some, but these games are tasty no matter what.
