Best RPGs for Beginners

Role-playing games (RPGs) are an amazing game genre because they combine memorable stories with a variety of ways to play. That same variety of in-game options can also intimidate RPG newbies.

Want to try out a great RPG, but don’t want to be overwhelmed by character options or brutally difficult bosses? Fear not! Here’s ten amazing RPGs for you to explore without getting overwhelmed.

10 Fable

Player Choices Front And Center

Systems

Engine

Unreal Engine 3

ESRB

m

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Fable is a classic action-RPG in which you play through adventures during your character’s entire life. Set in a colorful and magical medieval fantasy world, Fable offers a taste of everything the genre has to offer.

This game is best known, however, for its system of moral choices which alters your character’s appearance and abilities depending on the decisions you make. Want to play an angel or demon? Fable can make that happen.

Better yet, Fable remains easily accessible in Fable: Anniversary on both PC and Xbox (including Game Pass).

9 Final Fantasy 7

Iconic Hero With Over-Sized Sword

Systems

Released

February 29, 2024

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

How Long To Beat

40 Hours

Metascore

93

PS Plus Availability

N/A

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The Final Fantasy series is practically synonymous with JRPGs, and Final Fantasy 7 is certainly a close contender for its best entry. With iconic characters like Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth making appearances anywhere from Disney’s Kingdom Hearts to gaming memes across the internet, it’s likely you’ll recognize nearly half the cast from the get-go.

It’s hard to pick a “perfect” Final Fantasy game for beginners, because most entries offer a comfortable balance between choice and complexity. The seventh game stands out in particular for its unique eco-terrorist narrative and its simple—but engaging—combat system. It also remains available in a remake which is one of the PlayStation 5’s best RPGs.

8 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Give In To Your Anger

The Star Wars franchise is filled with excellent RPGs, such as the beloved Knights of the Old Republic. Yet The Force Unleashed earns its place on its list because of the game’s sheer intensity while wielding the Force.

This action-RPG about playing Darth Vader’s secret apprentice is the most deeply immersed I’ve ever been in a Jedi power fantasy. A short tree for purchasing new abilities is great for introducing the concept to new players, and all the abilities are exciting to use during gameplay.

Plus, you get to pull a Star Destroyer crashing down into a planet.

7 Stardew Valley

A Charming Life On The Farm

Many RPGs don’t focus on adventures and violence. Indie gem Stardew Valley is a certified-fresh simulation RPG about relocating to rural life.

Despite the absence of an overt “campaign,” Stardew Valley is perfectly written to allow you to determine your own story and goals. A lack of “failure” situations coupled with addictive and easy-to-learn gameplay make this a great game for newbies.

It won’t be long before you’re telling yourself “I’ll play just one more day!” on the farm.

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6 Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Love, Betrayal, And Tactical Warfare

In contrast with real-time action or “three people stand in a line” turn-based battles, the Fire Emblem franchise is about battles where you’re the tactician leading a group of characters. Infamous for its tactical challenges and perma-death campaigns, modern installments like Three Houses implement new options to welcome new players.

This is combined with a powerful story about love and family, loyalty and betrayal, as Fódlan is torn apart by war. A branching story makes the game a delight to replay, and a magic power to rewind turns—or simply turning off perma-death—gives you the ability to solve even the trickiest tactical situations.

5 Undertale

Heartwarming Story Shaped By Your Actions

The most unconventional game on this list, Undertale is nonetheless a fantastic first RPG because it tells a story where your choices truly impact the game’s ending. Many RPGs try to do so and end up as caricatures.

Throughout the game, you can befriend, belittle, and battle practically every character you meet. Your choices as you explore the Underground shape the rest of your experience. This unique experience is a great way to get your first sample of why RPGs shine.

4 Pokémon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl

Modern Remake Of A Nostalgic Classic

Systems

Released

November 19, 2021

Developer(s)

ILCA

Publisher(s)

ILCA

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

unity

ESRB

rp

How Long To Beat

109 Hours

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Everyone knows Pokémon, and huge numbers of people have played at least one game in the series. The Pokémon games are great beginner RPGs because they introduce many basic concepts of the genre.

Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl are recent remakes for the Nintendo Switch which balance classic and modern elements of Pokémon games into an engaging RPG. They strike a good balance between accessiblity and difficulty, providing just enough challenge that the game never grows dull. Well worth trying out!

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3 Paper Mario

Platform-Jumping Powerhouse Levels Up

Systems

Franchise

Paper Mario

Released

February 5, 2001

Engine

Proprietary Engine

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Comic Mischief

How Long To Beat

23 Hours

Metascore

93

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Every video game genre (or sub-genre) has its own variations, games that twist the formula. Nintendo’s Mario franchise does exactly that with its implementation of “action command” quick-time events and overworld platforming in the turn-based JRPG formula (which inspired a variety of similar games).

Of these games, Paper Mario is the best RPG for beginners because it blends familiar concepts—Bowser kidnapped Princess Peach!—with exciting worlds to explore. It makes a great use of both puzzles and combat to provide a variety of challenges, and rewards exploration without demanding you investigate every last nook and cranny.

Currently Paper Mario is most easily available on Nintendo Online’s Expansion Pack of free Nintendo 64 games. Its acclaimed sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, was recently remade for the Switch.

The only reason it didn’t take this entry is that The Thousand-Year Door features slightly more difficult puzzles and battles.

2 Hogwarts Legacy

You’re A Wizard, Player!

One of the strongest new-player experiences available comes from a very familiar franchise—Harry Potter. Hogwarts Legacy is great for RPG beginners because it’s accessible to non-gamer Harry Potter fans.

Join a Hogwarts house, learn spells, brew potions, and more in this nostalgic love-letter to a childhood favorite. The familiar setting makes it easy to understand the game’s open world, and it provides just enough options that choices are interesting, but not overwhelming.

The only flaw is that, well, Hogwarts Legacy does assume you at least know the films. If you’ve never consumed any Harry Potter media, your experience may be less magical.

Wield The Might Of Dragons

Skyrim is a fantastic RPG for beginners to the genre because it combines a high-stakes story with action-packed gameplay. It takes a classic theme in myths and legends—slaying a dragon—and builds an entire fantasy game around it.

This game has all the essentials of any RPG subgenre. From narrative choices, to building a character through level-up perks, to exploring the world and its surprisingly deep lore,Skyrim is the quintessential RPG experience.

Yet all of these elements maintain an appropriate amount of depth for new players. It’s easy to feel lost in a large open world, but Skyrim uses “radiant” quests to ensure you can always have an immediate goal—you’re never paralyzed by all the available choices.

As an added bonus, you’ll better understand a load of memes, too.

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