Top 10 Best RPGs of 2015

August 2015 Update: As we originally wrote this list in late 2014, we've replaced a couple of games on this list with a pair of titles that were announced this year. If you're a fan of the RPG genre, you'll definitely want to take a look at what we added. 

2014’s been a fine year to be an RPG fan, with Bravely Default, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Wasteland 2 and lots of other quality roleplaying experiences. 2015 is looking just as strong, perhaps even more so, with lots of interesting titles on the horizon. There’s a little something for everyone, from sequels to creators of classics returning and even some entirely new stuff. There’s simply a lot of interesting stuff to look forward to.

The upcoming RPGs for the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will do more than sate your appetite for role-playing games in the coming year, especially once you're done with the likes of the very lengthy Dragon Age: Inquisition. 

With that said, here’s the RPGs that we’re looking forward to the most in 2015.

Feel like we left out or forgot about something? Tell us in the comments!

Xenoblade Chronicles X

How do you improve any given game? Why, you add mechs of course! That’s what Monolith Software has done with their spiritual successor to their Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles, creatively titled Xenoblade Chronicles X (wow!). 

In 2053, two alien races do battle near Earth and force its inhabitants to take off for new homes in giant spaceships. The one launched from the US gets shot down and crashlands on an unkown alien planet, and its inhabitants must fend for themselves against both local wildlife and the aliens that forced them from their home to begin with.

With mechs, an improved combat system, beautiful enviroments and online co-op, Xenoblade Chronicles X is looking like a really good reason for JRPG fans to get a Wii U.

 

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD

Western fans of Final Fantasy have been clamoring for an English localisation of the PSP title Type-0 for years, and Square Enix has decided to finally grant their wish in the form of an HD re-release for the PS4 and Xbox One. This spin-off sees fourteen military school students, each with their own abilities, defending their homeland of Rubrum from the invading Milites empire. 

The combat looks really interesting, and the fact that the game fared really well both commercially and critically in Japan is definetly a good sign. Plus, access to the Final Fantasy XV isn’t too shabby either. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is out in March 2015.

Persona 5

Persona 4 was one of the best and most successful JRPGS released in years, and it’s easy to see why. Mixing traditional turn-based fighting and dungeon-crawling with social simulation elements made it not only fun and addictive as hell but also quite unlike any other JRPG, and it had a great story with tons of interesting characters to interact with to boot. 

Not much is known about Persona 5 except the fact that it’s coming to PS3 and PS4 and once again takes place in high school, but those who’ve played its predecessor(s) are no doubt itching to get their hands on it when it comes out next year. Here’s an interesting thing to think about: Will Persona 5 let players pursue homosexual relationships for the first in series history? It’s been a popular request from fans for a while now, so here’s hoping it makes it in.

 

The Banner Saga 2

A sequel to the first title from Stoic, The Banner Saga 2 is set in a fantasy world that combines elements of Norse folklore and turn-based strategy. 

Apart from its highly polished, and fantastic introduction trailer, which was revealed at a Sony event in late 2014, very little is known about the game. 

There are many ways in which the game can improve upon its predecessor, but the art direction and the story certainly promise to deliver. 

 

Bloodborne

There's no games out there right now quite like Demon's Souls and the Dark Souls games. These action RPGs by From Software are brutally difficult, dark and slow-paced and their stories leave a lot of room for interpretation, being mainly told through item descriptions, random NPC dialogue and the like.

Bloodborne looks like the next step in the evolution of their very special sort of gameplay, now with dashing instead of shields, the ability to use firearms, blood instead of souls and a Gothic, Victorian London-inspired setting. From Software are intentionally keeping everyone in the dark about this game, but that just makes us all the more excited. Bloodborne is out on PS4 in March 2015.

 

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

The Monster Hunter series is one of the biggest franchises in Japan, and it's easy to see why. Fun and weighty combat, exciting boss monsters, tons and tons of weapons and armor to craft and online multiplayer for four players makes these games both highly enjoyable and highly addictive. After almost two years of waiting, fans outside of Japan are finally getting their hands on the latest installment in the series Monster Hunter 4, by way of the updated version Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Utimate is a 3DS exclusive, and is introducing a whole lot of new stuff including new weapon types, new monsters, added verticality through climbing and jumping and monsters being able to change the terrain. We can't wait to take down some giant behemoths when Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate releases on 3DS sometime in early 2015.

 

Shadowrun: Hong Kong

Funded through Kickstarter like the first Shadowrun RPG, Harebrained Schemes' latest title is set in the cyberpunk Shadowrun setting, where magic and technology collide.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong takes place in an all new location (much like Dragonfall took place in Berlin, and the first game in Seattle) featuring an all new cast of characters and a storyline that promises to build upon the strengths of the series—namely, in terms of writing and gameplay.

This turn-based strategy RPG promises to satiate the thirst of any old-school fan of the genre and anyone who appreciates a good game.

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 promises to be the biggest and greatest entry in the long-running series, which began with the release of Fallout way back in the late '90s.

Developed by Bethesda, the latest addition to the Fallout franchise is set in the city of Boston and its surrounding locales and takes place in the same universe as the previous games in the series.

For the first time ever in the series, the game offers a myriad of crafting options ranging from the ability to fully customize your weapons and armor, as well as building your very own settlement for traders and other survivors of the wasteland.

Pillars of Eternity

September 14th, 2013 was a really good day for fans of classic western RPGs like Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale. On that day, Obsidian unveiled the Kickstarter for their new game Pillars of Eternity, and within 24 hours it had already reached it’s 1.1 million goal (for a total of a little over 4 million).

An oldschool RPG inspired by the games mentioned above, Pillars of Eternity will feature six races, eleven classes, a tabletop-inspired game system with pausable realtime combat. It’s great to see oldschool games like this making a return thanks to crowdfunding, but whether those millions were well-spent we’ll have to see when the game releases on PC, Mac and Linux sometime in 2015.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

If you’re a fan of western RPGs, chances are you’ve already played at least one of the Witcher games. This series of Polish games based on the works of Andrzej Sapkowski has gained a lot of fans over the years, mainly thanks to its complex world and stories, incredible graphics and deep gameplay systems.

The third and final installment in the series sees an aging Geralt of Rivia – one of the titular Witchers – dealing with the invasion of the Northern Kingdom by the Nilfgaard Empire and the otherworldy threat of the Wild Hunt, spectral riders who’ve plagued humankind for ages. With a massive open world without loading times, hours upon hours of story content and sidequests, tons of NPCS to interact with and monsters to hunt, a living economy that adapts to different locations and events and improved gameplay, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is looking like a worthy conclusion of the series.