Top 12 RPGs to Play in 2015

2015 is shaping up to be an excellent year for gaming which is good news after some of the disappointments we experienced in 2014. We’re especially looking at some awesome releases in the role-playing universe.

We’ve got a mix of mainstream and indie RPGs, JRPGs, MMO-influenced RPGs, action RPGs, and even a smattering of nostalgia-loving team-based RPGs.

Ready for a list? Here are 12 RPGs you should be on the look out for in 2015 listed in alphabetical order:

Bloodborne

March 24 | From Software | PS4

Director Hidetaka Miyazaki is behind this one (Dark Souls, anyone?), and frankly—that’s reason enough to take notice. Bloodborne is an action RPG set in a quasi-Victorian world of full of ghouls and nasties to mow down. Combat looks to be fast-paced and offers up a ton of fun sidearm choices as well as a few melee weapons that transform into super cool secondary weapons.

Darkest Dungeon

Feb. 3 (Early Access) | Red Hook Studios | PS4, PS Vita, PC

You know what’s been lacking in your favorite action RPG dungeon crawlers? Perma-death. Hardcore perma-death. Fear no more! Darkest Dungeon is here to make all your perma-dying dreams come true. This low-fantasy, gritty dungeon crawler is filled with death and destruction, a hardcore nature, and an XCOM-type party system that changes as AI-controlled party members become dynamically affected by what happens around them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fgcRXhBTZA

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD

March 17 | HexaDrive/Square Enix | PS4, Xbox One

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is a remake of the Japanese version that was released only for the PSP back in 2011. This JRPG follows a bunch of teenagers around as they take part in an intercontinental war. SE is advertising Type-0 as an extremely mature game with deep, mature themes and plenty of blood and guts. Depending on how well the “mature” themes really play out (please be more than just fan service), this one could help give Final Fantasy fans a little more hope in the overall franchise.

Final Fantasy XV

2015 | Square Enix | PS4, Xbox One

Final Fantasy XV may not make it as a release in 2015, but we’re hoping! The game’s cinematics look amazing, and the setting looks to be far more open-world than anything SE’s released in the past couple of years. Definitely a step in the right direction. The combat system’s also taking a few hints from the Kingdom Hearts series, which could mean good things for the game. It’s possible that Final Fantasy fans might finally get an awesome fully-original FF game this year.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

2015 | Warhorse Studios | PS4, Xbox One, PC

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a single-player RPG set in a historically-accurate medieval Bohemia setting. Everything from the game’s music to the character clothing and its buildings is being created with the help of historical-minded costume designers, musicians, and architects.

Miss sleeping and eating in an RPG? Kingdom Come: Deliverance will have a needs system that requires regular meals, sleep, and equipment repair. The game will also feature open-world quests, first-person combat, mounted combat, a customizable class-less character creation system, a crime system, and reputation factions that change how NPCs in the game react to your character.

Kyn

2015 | Tangrin | PC

Kyn is a single-player RPG with team-based combat that focuses on tactical decision-making and skill synergy. With graphics that are similar to Diablo II and a setting that takes place in a Norse universe, this indie RPG caught our eye due to the ways in which it differentiates itself from most top-down Diablo-style clones. Instead of being 99% focused on combat, Kyn will feature a robust exploration system, crafting system, and team customization system.

Pillars of Eternity

March 26 | Obsidian Entertainment | PC

If you’re a veteran PC gamer you likely have many, many fond memories of Baldur’s Gate and its successors. Pillars of Eternity is made by the same folks. It has all the trademarks of an old school RPG, including in-depth party customization, a top-elevated camera angle, game systems that mirror tabletop favorites, and tons of story and dialogue. The updated graphics engine looks gorgeous. It’s official. Pillars of Eternity seems like the perfect ailment for single-player RPG fans who missed the 90s.

Shadow Realms

2015 | BioWare | PS4, Xbox One, PC

BioWare’s going off on a wild limb with this one, but the results seem pretty enticing. Set in both the modern world and a demonic world of sorts, Shadow Realms is one part action RPG, one part choice-based story RPG, and one final part 4v1 multiplayer arena RPG where one enemy player gets to play a big, overpowered baddie. The story will continue to unfold as episodes are released regularly after the game’s initial launch. It’s BioWare. Enough said. Call us curious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_j9uKBmUEk

The Division

2015 | Ubisoft | PS4, Xbox One, PCV

We’re including this one because of its inherent RPG elements. The Division is an open-world, third-person shooter online RPG set in post-apocalyptic New York City. The streets are brutal and well, the game’s an MMO, so expect the players to be even more brutal. Interactions in the world are largely RPG-based, and the game’s inherent progression path is based off upgrading loot, skills, and levels. Players are able to customize skills and roles that help them in a myriad of PvE/PvP situations.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

May 19 | CD Projekt RED | PS4, Xbox One, PC

Wild Hunt is the final installment in The Witcher trilogy, and it definitely looks to impress. Like the other Witcher games, Wild Hunt is an open-world RPG set in a medieval fantasy universe. The new installment brings with it consequence-based quests, a combat system that’s more responsive and robust, and a setting that claims to be 20% larger than in previous Witcher games. Players will even be able to track beasts in Wild Hunt.

Torment: Tides of Numenera

2015 | InXile | PC

2015 is totally the year of nostalgia gaming. We’re getting another major one with Torment: Tides of Numenera—the spiritual successor of Planescape: Torment. This single-player successor started out on Kickstarter and raised over $4 million. Like the original 1999 hit, Tides of Numenera promises deep storylines, tons of dialogue, flexible decision-making, and a huge amount of customization within your player-controlled party. There are some differences from the original, however, most notably in the form of a new setting and a few new game systems that sound rather promising in their current state.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

2015 | Nintendo | Wii U

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a JRPG that’s a spiritual successor to Xenoblade Chronicles and features a similar combat system and the same focus on open-world exploration and story. Players will be able to pilot flying robots around the world and punch each other with them. Yeah, let’s say that again. Flying robots. What’s not to like?