Top 10 Action RPG Series!

Welcome to Pandora, where literally everything is most likely to make you laugh your ass off before trying to kill you. As one of many Vault Hunters, ranging from the badass Lilith to the haiku-spouting space swordsman Zer0, players must traverse the treacherous planet in such of incredible wealth. With its signature loot system; scavenging for weapons and other items has never been so rewarding. Of course you can’t talk about Borderlands without discussing the head-honcho villain who for all his megalomania became one of the most entertaining villain in modern gaming; Handsome Jack.

Every Disney fan’s dream came true when Square Enix took icons from classic animated films and meshed them together for a ‘heartfelt’ adventure with one heck of a nostalgia factor. As the Keyblade Master, Sora along with familiar faces Donald Duck and Goofy must overcome the likes of the Heartless, various Disney villains as well as Organisation XIII in order to save the Mouse House multiverse. With a snappy combat system, challenging boss battles with their own gameplay mechanics, and the sheer joy of seeing Mickey Mouse and Sephiroth in the same game, this series definitely knows how to bring out our inner child. We good Square Enix? Now would you please hurry up with Kingdom Hearts 3 already!

This one pretty much is what it says on the tin, and works all the better for it. Surrounded by every kind of monster you can imagine, players must take on the role of the titular hunter, capturing and killing creatures of all sizes. As you might expect, these beasts will not go down easy, and it’s up to you to properly stock up on the correct weapons, armour and other worldly items to stand a better chance against the likes of the Gore Magala and the Lagiacrus. As is true for most entries in this series, the best experience comes from slaying together with friends.

Sometimes the world doesn’t need a hero, it needs a professional. Geralt of Rivia’s journey to recover his memories has lead him through a whole plethora of beautiful, twisted and haunting locations, which more often than not are filled to the brim with grotesque monsters straight out of legend. As such, players will be expected to investigate and take precautions before busting out both the silver and steels swords, taking on everything from goblins to the Wild Hunt itself. If you manage to get that far that is, this series has managed to pack so many questlines into its narrative that it’s fit to bursting. Not forgetting it does have one of gaming’s hardest choices: Triss or Yennefer?

Artificial human enhancements, Secret organizations conspiring to influence governments, and multiple options to reach your goal, these are the key elements that have been with this Cyberpunk series since it’s inception. The original released back in 2000 is widely regarded as one of the greatest PC games of all time, thanks to its overall focus on player choice and strong replay value. And while the series laid dormant after it’s disappointing sequel, it wasn’t until 2011 when Eidos revived the franchise with a slap of gold paint, and modernised the series for a new generation, without sacrificing the elements that defined the original. We certainly asked for this.

Roaming through a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland has never been so much fun. After the fall of civilisation, players must venture through a world long gone, where the only semblance of order is barely held together by fractured societies who ideologies tend to drift towards the immoral side of things. Oh, and there are Super Mutants and Ghouls to worry about as well. As you emerge from the vault and end up tackling New Vegas or the various wastelands, you’ll find yourself a Pip-Boy’s worth of missions, factions and enemies to overcome. Which is best handled by busting out the V.A.T.S and blowing up a few heads.

Throwing their hat into sci-fi ring has proven to be Bioware’s most successful outing, as the antics of Commander Shepard and crew not only gave us an exquisite galaxy worth of content to explore but an awesome third-person cover-based shooter that we were more than happy to spend hours investing in. Paragon or renegade, assault rifles or biotics, Liara or Tali, MaleShep or FemShep, the choices as players set out to defeat the interstellar threat of the Reapers seemed almost endless. While action often took preference over customisation, no one can deny that the desperation they felt as they endeavoured to keep their beloved crew alive, one suicide mission after another.

Still going strong after all these years, the provinces of Tamriel are still finding ways pull players back in. Expanding from its humble beginnings, from the ashy slopes of Varrdenfell to the frosted valleys of Skyrim, this fantasy epic is all about making your mark on a land with so much history to it that you can easily put days into reading through its readily available text. But if browsing through the latest chapter of the Lusty Argonian isn’t your thing, you can always craft yourself new weapons and armour, explore dungeons, hunt dragons, serve Daedric Princes, end a civil war, become the Dragonborn, join the Dark Brotherhood and kill the Emperor all in one afternoon.

While not as overt in terms of narrative like some of the other entries, this punishing franchise has earned a reputation and fanbase like few have seen. Mainly from just how damn hard it is! Alongside its spiritual counterpart Bloodborne, this series brought a new kind of fear to gamers, fear of which kind of obscenely strong enemy was waiting around the next corner ready to drain them of their humanity. The difficulty spikes may seem like a hindrance at first, but with its gothic atmosphere, plenty of armour and weapons to suit your mood, you’ll soon find yourself revved up to take on Ornstein and Smough for the fiftieth time.

Before we get to our top pick, Here are some honourable mentions.

“Dragon Age” (2009-)

“Mana” (1991-)

“Torchlight” (2009-)

The godfather of the genre still stands tall by continuing to bring us the darkness, threat and endless loot-gathering we could ever hope for. Centred around defeating the ultimate evil known as Diablo, the original not only had the feel of a macabre fantasy with its lore and abundance of creatures but also blended together mechanics such as procedurally generated dungeons and even hack-and-slash elements. The sequels have only expanded on this, further delving into the richness of the environment, the characters, class system, not to mention the fierceness of Diablo himself. Players who like their RPG with a bit more bite to it have a duty to at least check out this old school heavyweight.

Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the best action RPGS series? With new top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.