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[DrMano]

Here is my favorites list:

Persona 4 Golden and Nier Replicant are my favorites from the list, the rest I equally love for differing reasons.

 

[jshackles]

An oldie but a goodie:

Probably still my favorite JRPG of all time.

 

[DrMano]

An oldie but a goodie:

Probably still my favorite JRPG of all time.

I was actually a couple hours through it in 2022 but had to drop it due to some personal reasons. I might have to give a go again hmmmm

 

[MMaRsu]

Look no further brother



I only got into the SMT series after having played Persona 5, then I got SMT 3 Nocturne, SMT IV on 3DS, then SMT V on Switch

But SMT V:Vengeance really is something special. It's chock full of gameplay. Not a lot of boring cutscenes or endless dialogues with your party members.

I loved Metaphor up until a certain point, where I kinda got tired of the samey looking dungeons, the endless chats between party members which can honestly go on for 10/15 minutes it feels like.

Vengeance is pure gameplay, you're constantly collecting new angels/demon's (over 270) for your compendium (kind of like how you collect Pokemon for your Pokedex), and you use them to fight in turn based combat, fuse them together to create new ones, lvl them up, customize their skills etc.

The game is a banger and honestly one of my fav RPG's in years. It has a demo as well, so you can check it out for free

 

[Ogbert]

Crosscode.

 

[Boneless]

FFVII (the original, not the hollywood remake) and Chrono Trigger are the best I've played across about 10 JRPG's (including Dragon Quest, Persona, Lost Odyssey, other FFs). Out of the 2, FFVII is king.

 

[Azelover]

Chrono Trigger at the top of the list.

Then Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Final Fantasy IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X.

 

[TintoConCasera]

I'd recommend the Shin Megami Tensei series, specially III, IV and V (Vengeance Version). Also maybe check out Strange Journey if you want a more dungeon-crawler kind of experience. If you want something truly out there, SMT IV is an amazing game, crazy story and setting.

The Dragon Quest series is amazing as well, specially V, VIII and XI. Thing is, DQ are more about the adventure and story while SMT is more about the challenge and gameplay, so keep that in mind.

Also check out Lufia II and the Grandia games.

 

[CliffBronger]

Turn based Final Fantasy games, the Persona series, Dragon Quest, i also really like the new Like a Dragon turn based games.

I've just started my first play thru of Star Ocean The Divine Force, one of my backlog games.
Currently 10 hours in seems ok.

 

[Fbh]

If you like SNES style JRPG's have you tried Chained Echoes?:

It's probably my favorite JRPGs (well JRPG style, since it's not made in Japan) game from the last few years.
I thought the gameplay, characters, world and story where all really fun. Great pacing too.

The world in particular was a lot of fun to explore. It's one of those games where you can go back to earlier areas later on with new traversal options and start finding a lot of secrets and fun optional stuff.
The combat was enjoyable too, with an interesting mechanic that keeps you from falling into the the rhythm of using the same abilities in the same order every fight (as is often the case with turn based JRPGs), and it even has a nice level of challenge (not super hard but you always need to pay attention)

 

[ReyBrujo]

Mind you, I got several others that are usually known to be really good that I haven't played yet (like Octopath Traveler, Xenoblade, etc) so I'll go with these four for SNES (and the two Labyrinth boxes but they are mostly dungeon crawlers):

As to why...

• Final Fantasy 3/6 is the greatest JRPG game ever released. The story is pretty deep and the fact that the second half is literally an open world is pretty cool considering the kind of JRPGs that existed at the time. FF2 is a worthy entry, pales in comparison but it's still pretty good.
• Secret of Mana was literally the origin of action RPGs. I replayed the Switch version in Collection of Mana last year and still holds up, personally it's a far better entry than Seiken Densetsu 3 (or Trials of Mana) even though graphically SD3 is better. The story is really nice, especially if you haven't played the Final Fantasy Adventure because of the surprise factor. By the way Final Fantasy Adventure is a really, really, really good game for Game Boy, I loved it.
• Chrono Trigger is, technically speaking, the best JRPG of the 16-bit generation. Combining both Final Fantasy 6 and Secret of Mana mechanisms it was the first game to add the New Game+ option. It got multiple endings (FF3 has a single ending which has slight differences depending on whether you rescued some of the characters or no whereas CT got completely unique items, from the world destruction to world being overridden with dinosaurs to even talking with the programmers themselves), and the story itself is really nice too. You are even able to change certain events in the future by modifying the past. It also perfected (at the time of release) the team combo attacks where you could execute special attacks between two and three characters.
• Labyrinth of Refrain / Galleria, while not fully JRPG since they are dungeon crawlers they are the best of their class, worth every cent.

 

[Madflavor]

Give Valkyria Chronicles a try. Its gameplay is pretty unique, has a good cast of characters, a good story, and great music. It’s basically Anime World War 2.



They remastered the game a few years ago.

 

[JokerMM]

Look no further brother



I only got into the SMT series after having played Persona 5, then I got SMT 3 Nocturne, SMT IV on 3DS, then SMT V on Switch

But SMT V:Vengeance really is something special. It's chock full of gameplay. Not a lot of boring cutscenes or endless dialogues with your party members.

I loved Metaphor up until a certain point, where I kinda got tired of the samey looking dungeons, the endless chats between party members which can honestly go on for 10/15 minutes it feels like.

Vengeance is pure gameplay, you're constantly collecting new angels/demon's (over 270) for your compendium (kind of like how you collect Pokemon for your Pokedex), and you use them to fight in turn based combat, fuse them together to create new ones, lvl them up, customize their skills etc.

The game is a banger and honestly one of my fav RPG's in years. It has a demo as well, so you can check it out for free

masterpiece

this game is pure jrpg goodness

 

[HRK69]

SMT V: Vengeance for the music alone is worth it

 

[MMaRsu]

SMT V: Vengeance for the music alone is worth it

 

[RedC]

 

[Hudo]

JRPGs I can recommend (I don't count strategy RPGs like FF Tactics):

• Final Fantasy III
  • (Best JRPG on the NES; play the Pixel Remaster)
• Final Fantasy VI
  • (Best game Square have ever made; play the Pixel Remaster)
• Final Fantasy IX
  • (It's Sakaguchi's favorite and I can totally see why; it's the essence of Final Fantasy)
• Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
  • (Even with Square's interference, it's the second-best FF ever and easily the best realized setting Square have ever made. Yasumi Matsuno and Hiroyuki Ito managed to make real-time with pause combat fun for me, which is the highest praise I can give. And the Gambit system (programmable party actions, essentially) is really fun.)
• Chrono Trigger
  • (I mean, you've got Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuji Horii and Akira Toriyama making a game together. Of course it's fucking good)
• Vagrant Story
  • (Again, directed by Yasumi Matsuno. And that dude has yet to make a bad game)
• Xenogears
  • (The real Final Fantasy VII)
• Xenoblade Chonicles: Definitive Edition
  • (Tetsuya Takahashi's best game to date)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2
  • (When you realize that the combat is essentially a rhythm game with color coding for advanced shit, it's actually quite fun)
• Xenoblade Chronicles X
  • (What if Armored Core was made by Tetsuya Takahashi? Here's your answer. Wait for the Definitive Edition)
• Phantasy Star IV
  • (Sega's FF6)
• Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake
  • (This game is the essence of JRPGs)
• Dragon Quest V
  • (DS Version. Plays with the conventions of the JRPG story structure (which Dragon Quest invented) in a really fun way. You have multiple generations fighting the same evil)
• Dragon Quest VII
  • (3DS Remake. What if a JRPG was a Netflix series but with actually competent writing? Here's your answer)
• Dragon Quest VIII
  • (3DS Remake. The most "adventur-y" out of all Dragon Quests, imho. They also fucking nailed Toryiama's style in 3D)
• Dragon Quest IX
  • (It's hard to explain. Game's main thing was the multiplayer, but I somehow like it as a single-player experience as well.)
• Dragon Quest XI S
  • (Horii said that this was intended as a celebration of Dragon Quest's anniversary. And it is. When someone asks me "What's Dragon Quest about?" I'll point to this game. It's also the most polished "classic" JRPG ever made.)
• Yakuza: Like A Dragon
  • (What if Yakuza was a JRPG? Here's your answer. And it's fucking great. Combat, even though it's turn-based, feels fast and fluid and fun.)
• Persona 3 Reload
  • (I'd start with P5. But if you like P5, play this next. It's a modernized Remake of P3, which has a more interesting story than P5 Royal, imho)
• Persona 4 Golden
  • (I think it has the best cast out of all Persona games so far. And I also dig the small town setting. Other than that, it's a Persona game. So of course it's good)
• Persona 5 Royal
  • (The most modern Persona game. With the best waifus. I always say that Persona's "press-turn"-combat feels like Tetris to me. You essentially try to stack up weakned states of enemies by choosing the attack they are weak against, so you can breeze through them without ever giving up your turn. That feels like lining up Tetrominos to get a Tetris)
• Metaphor ReFantazio
  • (What if Persona but fantasy? Here's your answer. Soundtrack is a bit disappointing in comparison, though.)
• Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
  • (The essential "monster-catching JRPG". Even though Dragon Quest V invented that. Pokemon perfected it)
• Pokemon Crystal
  • (Pokemon Red/Blue but even more polished, bigger and better. It's my favorite, tbh)
• Pokemon Emerald
  • (Pokemon on the GBA. It's objectively an even better game than the previous ones. But it didn't quite vibe with me that strongly)
• Pokemon Platinum
  • (Some people say that this is the best Pokemon game ever made. And it is quite good.)
• Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
  • (Remakes of my favorite Pokemon game generation (Gold/Silver/Crystal). And I like them a lot. But there's just something about the GBC graphics. Probably just nostalgia. So I would recommend playing these remakes over the OGs, I guess)
• Pokemon Black/White
  • (The stories of the Pokemon games so far were essentially just an afterthought. Not this time. If you ever asked yourself how the formula could look like with a story, these are the games for you.)
• Pokemon Black 2/White 2
  • (And they continue the story here)
• Breath of Fire IV
  • (Objectively, it's a pretty standard JRPG. What made it on the list is the fucking beautiful presentation of the game. Capcom were masters in 2D sprite work.)
• Suikoden II
  • (There are people who say that this is the best JRPG ever. And I can see why. It's basically a similar fantasy conflict story as Game of Thrones. But based on a Chinese novel)
• Panzer Dragoon Saga
  • (The weirdest JRPG in this list. It's on here because I like the world of Panzer Dragoon and the game is competent enough.)
• Lost Odyssey
  • (The real Final Fantasy XIII)
• Etrian Odyssey V
  • (Do you like the old Wizardry games aka "blobbers"? Do you like the art style of a Hentai mangaka? Do you like Yuzo Koshiro's music? If you said yes to all of these, Etrian Odyssey is the series for you. I like V the most)

For Strategy JRPGs:

• Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
  • (Yasumi Matsuno's master piece.)
• Tactics Ogre Reborn
  • (Yasumi Matsuno's take on the Balkan War but as a fantasy strategy JRPG. It's quite a lot harder and more grim in tone than FF Tactics)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked
  • ("Yo, what if we took Shin Megami Tensei and FF Tactics and combined that, bro?")
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker
  • ("Let's do that again, bro")
• Valkyria Chronicles
  • (Sega's take on WW2. Quite interesting. And it was my first encounter with what I like to call "phases", since you have free movement of your units for a limited amount of steps and the enemies can shoot at you. You'll end your "turn" after your actions and steps have run out or you relinquish it voluntarily)
• Valkyria Chronicles 4
  • (I just like the formula)
• Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
  • (Some people say it's the best Fire Emblem with the best story, because it's the least "anime". I like it.)
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
  • (This, to me, has the best story)
• Fire Emblem: Awakening
  • (It saved the franchise by adding waifus. And as a coomer, it worked on me as well. But luckily, I also like FIre Emblem quite a lot. Win-win)
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  • (The next "evolution" of Fire Emblem. It has more social elements outside the combat. Feels a bit like they took something from the Persona games. I still recommend this but it can also get quite annoying to play, imho. YMMV)
• Unicorn Overlord
  • (My GOTY 2024. It's Vanillaware's take on Ogre Battle, which is another Yasumi Matsuno master piece. Combat is passive, you arrange your squads of units on a world map and move them around in real-time. Combat happens without any input when you encounter/charge an enemy squad. Vanillaware have yet to make a bad game.)
• Shining Force II
  • (Sega saw Fire Emblem and said "hold my Sake!". Even though the director claimed that he was never inspired by Fire Emblem... It's a very good game, though. Better than some of the Fire Emblem games)
• Sakura Wars II
  • (What if you mix Mechas with Final Fantasy Tactics and dating sims? You get Sakura Wars)

The last two are more like visual novels than strategy JRPGs but still recommended:

• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
• Triangle Strategy

 

[IAmRei]

dude, it will be long list,
for new series, which is my best RPG currently for the time:

- Xenoblade Chronicles, all of them (too long to type, definitely the best RPG series for me this decade)
- Tales Arise (visually appealing for me)
- Bravely Default 2 (almost perfect, if not because forced card game)
- Dragon Quest XI (back to oldschool, the visual are nice)
- SMT V (what can I say, I'm more to apocalypse than school days)
- Monster Hunter series (for me it's somehow ARPG)

Currently playing Monark, playing because for research art style purpose

 

[jshackles]

If you like Trails in the Sky, and don't mind action RPGs, might I suggest

The Ys series is great. VIII is probably still the best starting point.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Try Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Vesperia, and ignore Tales of Arise.

 

[Metnut]

Elden Ring
Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Dragon’s Dogma 2

 

[lachesis]

I second Ys series. 8 is probably the best, but I suggest to give all 10 of them besides 5 (at least till they remake it).

 

[Boneless]

Elden Ring
Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Dragon’s Dogma 2

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Easily Final Fantasy IX.

 

[Shifty1897]

A lot of excellent recommendations here, so I'm going to recommend one that hasn't been mentioned yet.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R
I'm almost to the end of the game and this has to be one of the best remakes ever, every design decision here is a definitive and substantial upgrade, but it inexplicably stays true to the original. Absolutely masterful work to walk that balance.

If you've already played that, I also recommend Chained Echoes, it's inspired by Chrono Trigger and Xenogears and it absolutely nails the tone, story and gameplay of that time and evolves it in smart ways.

 

[LectureMaster]

So many great recommendations, I'll pitch for a peculiar one.

The game story started as a meme, but ended up badass. Not to mention Team Ninja's top notch combat system.

 

[LectureMaster]

If you like Trails in the Sky, and don't mind action RPGs, might I suggest

The Ys series is great. VIII is probably still the best starting point.

What a captivating story, my favorite Falcom game.

 

[marcincz]

Many great jrpgs here, but I haven't seen 2 titles.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and TLoH: Trails to Azure.
Both are great, both are very long.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

changed my reply after seeing OP

I don't know why I generally don't think of the Yakuza games as RPGs, but Yakuza 0 is the best story I've ever experienced in a video game, period.

having said that, I am weirdly insanely nostalgic about Grandia 2. I think it's just one of those things where I played it at the exact right time in my life. not quite sure. I should really revisit it some time to see how it has held up

edit: sorry I'm high right now. missed that you are asking for recs. try Grandia 2. Skies of Arcadia is another one I remember fondly.

 

[Gorgon]

Yakuza 1 and 2 (if they count).

 

[Roberts]

Probably one of my least favourite genres ever. But despite being annoyed by million things in them I managed to enjoy a few like Yakuza 0, that turn based Yakuza game and Ni No Kuni.

 

[namenotfound]

I'm just going to assume you've played all the Legends of Heroes games and Yakuza games but if not, play the rest. Really excited for the Trails in the Sky remake this year. Recently Romancing Saga 2 remake came out and I enjoyed that. I haven't played the Persona 3 remake but that's on the list. Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth I still need to get to. If you haven't tried them, embrace the eventual aging man deciding they want comforting games and play Atelier games. New Digimon Story game announced that looks like they've upped the production value so you can go back and play Vita era Cyber Sleuth if you haven't played that yet

 

[riko]

• Dragon Quest VII
  • (3DS Remake. What if a JRPG was a Netflix series but with actually competent writing? Here's your answer)

I agree wholeheartedly with most of your list, but not for DQ7. I found the 3DS remake broke the really engaging difficulty of the original. It's been a trend in a lot of the modern DQ port/remakes (even DQ11 was pretty darn easy compared to what Dragon Quest games used to be if you don't crank up the difficulty via Draconian mode). DQ7 is my favorite in the series, and while I enjoyed the 3DS version I have to say it's worth playing on the PSX first.

 

[Hudo]

I agree wholeheartedly with most of your list, but not for DQ7. I found the 3DS remake broke the really engaging difficulty of the original. It's been a trend in a lot of the modern DQ port/remakes (even DQ11 was pretty darn easy compared to what Dragon Quest games used to be if you don't crank up the difficulty via Draconian mode). DQ7 is my favorite in the series, and while I enjoyed the 3DS version I have to say it's worth playing on the PSX first.

I cannot argue that it isn't easier. It is, you are right. On the other hand, the PSX version of DQ7 is longer and slower. DQ7 3DS is streamlined. I like both versions, though.

 

[Davevil]

Suikoden 2
best. jrpg. ever.

 

[RoboFu]

Mind you, I got several others that are usually known to be really good that I haven't played yet (like Octopath Traveler, Xenoblade, etc) so I'll go with these four for SNES (and the two Labyrinth boxes but they are mostly dungeon crawlers):

As to why...

• Final Fantasy 3/6 is the greatest JRPG game ever released. The story is pretty deep and the fact that the second half is literally an open world is pretty cool considering the kind of JRPGs that existed at the time. FF2 is a worthy entry, pales in comparison but it's still pretty good.
• Secret of Mana was literally the origin of action RPGs. I replayed the Switch version in Collection of Mana last year and still holds up, personally it's a far better entry than Seiken Densetsu 3 (or Trials of Mana) even though graphically SD3 is better. The story is really nice, especially if you haven't played the Final Fantasy Adventure because of the surprise factor. By the way Final Fantasy Adventure is a really, really, really good game for Game Boy, I loved it.
• Chrono Trigger is, technically speaking, the best JRPG of the 16-bit generation. Combining both Final Fantasy 6 and Secret of Mana mechanisms it was the first game to add the New Game+ option. It got multiple endings (FF3 has a single ending which has slight differences depending on whether you rescued some of the characters or no whereas CT got completely unique items, from the world destruction to world being overridden with dinosaurs to even talking with the programmers themselves), and the story itself is really nice too. You are even able to change certain events in the future by modifying the past. It also perfected (at the time of release) the team combo attacks where you could execute special attacks between two and three characters.
• Labyrinth of Refrain / Galleria, while not fully JRPG since they are dungeon crawlers they are the best of their class, worth every cent.

The 4 greatest of all time right there.

 

[Neff]

Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy XII
Lost Odyssey
Phantasy Star

 

[Inanilmaz]

On 3DS with Celebi event

 

[sono]

I was going to post Nier but it is in your list

One of my top all time games

 

[Mozzarella]

Excluding ARPGs

Suikoden 2 - Has a grand story with interesting characters
Chrono Trigger - Great pacing which is a rare thing in this genre
Tactics Ogre - Has good combat another rare thing in this genre
Final Fantasy X - I dont like the level design of this game and its a lot of cutscenes but i think its one of the best FF games despite that, the story is good and it aged pretty well.
SMT: Nocturne - Dungeon focused, but i like the rpg mechanics more than Persona

I like some more but those came to my mind right now.

 

[ReyBrujo]

Etrian Odyssey V

• (Do you like the old Wizardry games aka "blobbers"? Do you like the art style of a Hentai mangaka? Do you like Yuzo Koshiro's music? If you said yes to all of these, Etrian Odyssey is the series for you. I like V the most)

If you like Etrian try the Labyrinth of Refrain / Galleria, I think they are a step above Etrian, and I bought the Etrian as soon as they were released on DS back in the day. The Switch remasters of Etrian are good but the stylus, man, it makes such a difference when mapping stuff compared to using the analogs.

 

[Queso de Grande]

Play any of the Xenoblade games and they will top your list of favorites.

For older RPGs Lunar 1 & 2 are great. I also highly recommend Grandia.

 

[Kataploom]

Xenoblade for be is peak RPG, also Dark Souls but many don't count those because "they don't look anime bruh".

But Xenoblade man, Xenoblade... It's so peak I named my child after one of characters,not kidding.

 

[Blank Space Invader]

• Secret of Mana was literally the origin of action RPGs. I replayed the Switch version in Collection of Mana last year and still holds up, personally it's a far better entry than Seiken Densetsu 3 (or Trials of Mana) even though graphically SD3 is better. The story is really nice, especially if you haven't played the Final Fantasy Adventure because of the surprise factor. By the way Final Fantasy Adventure is a really, really, really good game for Game Boy, I loved it.

May I ask what you think about the modern version of Secret of Mana (2018), assuming you have played it?

 

[Hudo]

If you like Etrian try the Labyrinth of Refrain / Galleria, I think they are a step above Etrian, and I bought the Etrian as soon as they were released on DS back in the day. The Switch remasters of Etrian are good but the stylus, man, it makes such a difference when mapping stuff compared to using the analogs.

I will take a look! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

Some of those are my favourites too op

I won't list all the obvious good ones that are already being shared a lot but an underrated Jrpg I can think of is: Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE

It's kind of like a "Persona lite" with great combat that combines SMT and fire emblem elements and it has great music also. When I say it's like Persona Lite, it's young people's experience joining a talent agency. There's no social links or school life sim, but you do get to know characters better and expand their abilities and do their quest lines. It's smaller than a persona game also so it doesn't feel bloated at all. Fun and colourful. Unfortunately it was censored so that some minor story elements make no sense and character costumes are missing like swimsuits, but it's still a great game and SMT + Fire Emblem is a strong concept that should have led to a multi-game series. Japanese audio only.

 

[riko]

I cannot argue that it isn't easier. It is, you are right. On the other hand, the PSX version of DQ7 is longer and slower. DQ7 3DS is streamlined. I like both versions, though.

Yea fair. Something about the slowness of the PSX version really worked for me, but I was also at a much different time in my life... almost 25 years ago. Geez I feel old.

 

[ReyBrujo]

May I ask what you think about the modern version of Secret of Mana (2018), assuming you have played it?

I haven't, read that it respects the mechanisms of the original one so much that they feel kind of outdated, especially hit detection, but haven't played it still. Curious about it though, but backlog is long unfortunately.

 

[Grizzled Ghost]

Rogue Galaxy

Rogue Galaxy™

Experience Rogue Galaxy™ originally released on the PS2™ system with up-rendering and Trophies. Set Sail on a Space Pirate Adventure. Jaster dreams of exploring the galaxy. In a sudden turn of fate, he is recruited into a band of space pirates and takes flight on an adventure of a lifetime...

store.playstation.com

Unfortunately this one's not available on any modern consoles/pc, and iirc it doesn't emulate well (missing the attack ring in battle)

 

[wa600]

My faves are probably:
Breath of Fire III
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy X
Illusion of Gaia/Time
Lufia II
Ni no Kuni
Secret of Mana
Persona 3 FES
Persona 4 (Golden)