RPGs owned 2026. The single best-reviewed game of the year across all platforms is a JRPG remake, the best-reviewed Star Wars game in two decades is a tactics RPG, and Nintendo closed the summer with the biggest Fire Emblem ever made. These are the 15 best RPGs released between January 1 and September 17, 2026, spanning JRPGs, CRPGs, soulslikes, and tactics.
15. Ys X: Proud Nordics
Falcom’s February 20 action RPG sends Adol Christin to sea with a naval layer bolted onto the series’ famously fast combat. At 83 it is not the studio’s masterpiece, but Ys remains the most reliably enjoyable action RPG series running, and this is its most approachable entry in years.
14. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
Square Enix rebuilt one of the longest, most notoriously slow-starting JRPGs ever made (February 5) and fixed its pacing without losing the fragment-hunting structure that made it special. It scored 83 and is the version to finally see this story through.
13. The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon
January 15’s entry continues Falcom’s sprawling Trails saga with an 84, and it is the year’s second-best argument (after the game at number one) that nobody writes long-form RPG plotting like this studio. Newcomers should not start here, but the faithful got exactly what they wanted.
12. Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred
April 28’s expansion adds the Paladin and Warlock classes and the Skovos Isles, scoring in the mid-80s and drawing lapsed players back in force. Four-player co-op remains the most frictionless in the genre. Our Season of Hell’s Legacy guide covers the current anniversary season, and the Switch 2 version arrived this month.
11. The Blood of Dawnwalker
Rebel Wolves’ September 3 debut, made by ex-CD Projekt Red developers including a Witcher 3 director, sold a million copies in about two days. Coen is human by day and vampire by night, and the whole campaign runs against a 30-day clock that forces real choices about what you will never get to. Our Dawnwalker guides explain the time limit and the corruption system.
10. Shards of Order
Awaken Realms’ July card-battle dark fantasy RPG scored 85 by making deck construction feel like character building rather than a minigame bolted onto an RPG. It is the year’s best surprise for anyone who likes Slay the Spire but wants a world attached.
9. Star Wars Zero Company
Built by former Firaxis developers including XCOM’s art director, this August 27 Clone Wars tactics RPG earned an 85 and, per Forbes, the highest Metacritic score of any Star Wars game in 22 years. Permadeath makes every squad member matter; our Zero Company guides cover squad composition and the Beskar mode rules.
8. Esoteric Ebb
The best-reviewed CRPG of the year (March 3) is a one-developer project published by Raw Fury that runs on actual D&D dice mechanics and wears its Disco Elysium influence openly. At 85 on Metacritic and 88 on OpenCritic, it is proof that the genre’s most interesting work still comes from its smallest teams.
7. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Switch 2 Edition
Monolith Soft’s July 30 re-release finally gives one of the Switch era’s great RPGs the resolution it deserved: 4K docked, 1080p handheld, locked 60fps. It scored 86. The original’s handheld blur was a running joke for years, and this edition quietly ends it.
6. Nioh 3
Team Ninja’s February soulslike scored 86 on PS5 and 85 on PC by finally letting players switch between Samurai and Ninja combat styles mid-fight, and by opening the level design into semi-open fields. Three-player online co-op makes its brutal late game survivable.
5. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Capcom’s March 13 monster-collecting RPG scored as high as 87 on PC with a story about twin Rathalos hatched from a single egg. The one significant complaint, from critics and fans alike: co-op is gone, making this a strictly single-player adventure unlike Stories 2.
4. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Square Enix’s open-world middle chapter reached Switch 2 and Xbox on June 3, scoring 87 on Switch 2 and opening the trilogy up to two audiences that could not play it before. It is a genuinely enormous RPG, and running it on a handheld at all is an achievement.
3. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
Released today, September 17, Intelligent Systems’ Switch 2 exclusive is the biggest Fire Emblem ever made: four full campaign routes of 35 to 40 hours each, a certification-exam class system, and relationship-driven recruitment across a roster of more than 80 characters. It opened at 89 with 97 percent of critics recommending it.
Our full cluster covers which route to play first, how classes work, and how romance and supports work, with everything else in the Fortune’s Weave hub.
2. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition
FromSoftware’s August 28 Switch 2 edition bundles the complete Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and earned a 90 from 50 reviews, every one of them positive. It runs between 30 and 45fps, a trade most players accept happily for the ability to carry the Lands Between around. Three-player co-op survives intact.
1. Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter
Falcom’s September 17 remake is not just the best RPG of 2026, it is the best-reviewed game of the year full stop, at 92 across both Metacritic and OpenCritic. It is a complete modern rebuild of the beloved 2006 original rather than a port, with full voice acting and a combat system that moves fluidly between real-time action and turn-based tactics.
What makes it number one is that it serves two audiences at once without compromising for either. Newcomers get a patient, generous JRPG that teaches its own world; long-time fans get the definitive version of a story they have been recommending for twenty years. It is on PS5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC, so almost everyone can play it.
Honorable Mentions
Mortal Shell II (August 20) sharpened its soulslike formula to an 82, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition brought Monolith Soft’s strangest world to Switch 2 in February, Gothic 1 Remake finally modernized a cult classic, and Dimraeth launched into Early Access on September 15 with 8-player co-op; our Dimraeth guides cover its classes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best RPG of 2026 so far? Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter at 92, which is also the highest-rated game released in 2026 on any platform.
What is the best RPG on Switch 2 in 2026? Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave for exclusives, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition for scope. Both sit near the top of our best Switch 2 games of 2026.
Are there any co-op RPGs from 2026? Yes: Elden Ring Tarnished Edition (3 players), Nioh 3 (3 players), Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred (4 players), and Dimraeth (8 players, Early Access). Monster Hunter Stories 3 notably dropped co-op.
What big RPGs are still coming in 2026? GTA VI arrives November 19, and Silent Hill: Townfall lands September 24. We will revisit this ranking as the rest of the year lands.