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The benefit of Xbox Game Pass is that it provides subscribers with a mountain of games that they can play as much as they want as long as their subscription is active or until they are removed. You could easily get your money's worth regardless of what you choose to play, but if you want to get the most bang for your buck, Game Pass' selection of RPGs is a great place to start.
The Game Pass offers a plethora of 50-100 hour adventures that will keep you coming back for more, but which RPGs are the best of the best? We've compiled a list of the best RPGs on Game Pass so you can get started. It's worth noting that, due to the revolving door nature of the Xbox Game Pass library, some of these games will cycle in and out of the service, but we'll keep this list updated as that happens. With that in mind, here are the best Xbox Game Pass RPGs.
1. Black Desert
If RPGs are time sinks at best, MMORPGs are time black holes, sucking up all your free time as you engage in the never-ending quest for better numbers on your gear. There are a couple of MMORPGs available on Xbox Game Pass, including The Elder Scrolls Online, but we're going with Black Desert because it's a fantastic MMO and one of the best RPGs on Xbox Game Pass.
Black Desert is a complex sandbox game in which players can choose from multiple classes and develop a variety of life skills that can earn you money in-game, but the main reason to stick around is the stellar combat.
Unlike other MMOs that struggle to transition to console, the controls in Black Desert feel tailor-made for consoles, making it one of the easiest MMORPGs to play on console.
2. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, the most recent addition to this list, is a prequel game to the Kickstarter-funded RPG Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Rising is a prequel, so it's a bit more of a bite-sized adventure than other RPGs available on Xbox Game Pass, but that doesn't mean it's not worth your time. It's one you should definitely keep an eye on.
CJ, Garoo, and Isha, two adventurers and a town mayor, respectively, lead the party through a series of dungeons in search of treasure in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. The main goal is to improve the town in which you all live by using the resources you obtain to upgrade the merchants and vendors who live there.
Eiyuden Chronicle is a good bet if you enjoy seeing an entire town prosper over the course of a game.
3. The Fable Trilogy
The Fable series is synonymous with the term "Xbox RPGs," as the original trilogy of games is remembered fondly by almost everyone who has played them. Sure, they promised the world but couldn't deliver, but they're still incredibly fun and enjoyable RPGs that you should check out. Fable 1 may have been released nearly two decades ago, but the Anniversary Edition on Game Pass is still an all-time classic.
Fable 2 and 3 are also available on Game Pass once you've completed the first game. Both of which improved the series' core gameplay and presentation while also introducing new features such as a dog companion. The addition of the dog alone elevates Fable 2 and 3 to the top of the series, though all three are still worthwhile.
If nothing else, it'll keep you occupied while you wait for Playground Games' new Fable game.
4. Fallout: New Vegas
Because of Xbox's purchase of Bethesda, Game Pass now has access to a few Fallout games, so if you'd rather play Fallout 3, Fallout 4, or Fallout: 76, feel free to replace this entry with one of those titles. However, Fallout: New Vegas remains the series' pinnacle in our opinion. Its setting, story, characters, and gameplay are among the best the Fallout series has to offer in its current incarnation, making it one of the best RPGs available on Xbox Game Pass.
Players in Fallout: New Vegas assume the role of The Courier, who was betrayed and left for dead in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Awake and seeking vengeance, you gradually become entangled with the various factions vying for control of New Vegas. Naturally, you have the authority to decide who gets to keep everything, or you could simply make a bid for everything yourself.
The choice is entirely yours.
5. Hades
Hades is a roguelike, but it has RPG elements running through it, so much so that we included it in a few of our RPG lists, so it's only natural that one of the best games of the last few years would also be featured here. To be honest, the fact that Hades is on Game Pass adds so much value to the subscription service that it will be a sad day when it leaves.
You play as Zagreus, the son of the titular God of the Underworld, in this game based on Greek mythology. Hades runs his underworld like a government, and Zagreus doesn't feel at home. On top of that, he's discovered that his biological mother is now living on the surface. Zagreus, determined to discover the truth about his life, attempts to escape the Underworld, becoming stronger with each subsequent run.
6. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
Why settle for one fantastic RPG when you can have three? Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is the (mostly) definitive version of three classic sci-fi role-playing games. This is the ideal Game Pass game if you want to experience the absolute best of the best. Just don't be surprised if it takes you 150 hours to complete all three games. There's a lot to choose from, and almost all of it is excellent.
In the original Mass Effect trilogy, players were tasked with creating their own Shepherd, a human commander tasked with saving the galaxy from the dreaded Reapers. Throughout all three games, you'll assemble a formidable squad, form bonds and relationships that will carry over from one to the next, and attempt to put a stop to the Reapers in your own unique way.
After you've finished the Legendary Edition, you could try Mass Effect: Andromeda.
7. The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds is a role-playing game for those who believe Fallout: New Vegas is one of the best games ever made, so it's no surprise that it's included on this list. The Outer Worlds may not be as well-known as the game that inspired it, but it is still an incredibly entertaining and absorbing RPG that allows you to be the space adventurer you want to be. Yes, you are free to be an insufferable jerk to everyone.
You play as someone who has been suspended in space for decades, trapped on the other side of the galaxy under the thumb of a hyper-capitalist hellscape. As you travel from planet to planet, you'll meet people who want to help you rescue the other people trapped on the spaceship, or who just want to use you for their own purposes.
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The joke that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been ported to numerous platforms over the years is popular, but there's a reason for that. If you can create an RPG as expansive and immersive as Skyrim, wouldn't you want to release it on every platform imaginable? Skyrim isn't a new experience for many players, but it's a consistently brilliant one, making it an ideal Game Pass RPG.
Skyrim casts players in the role of the Dragonborn, a prophesied warrior tasked with saving the world from a Dragon invasion. Of course, that's assuming you actually finish the main quest, as most Skyrim adventures get derailed at the first sign of side content. It's been 100 hours or more, you've conquered a few guilds, and you may have even solved a civil war.
But it's a shame those dragons are still around.
9. Stardew Valley
RPGs allow players to take on any role they want, though it appears that many people just want to be someone who looks after their grandparents' farm. Stardew Valley follows that principle by allowing players to relocate to a quiet town and establish their own farm, despite the fact that a large national corporation is also attempting to wrest control. It is entirely up to you how you construct your farm.
Farming is just one of many possible lifestyles in Stardew Valley; you could also spend your days wooing the various townsfolk, or you could toil away in the mines and dungeons killing monsters. Furthermore, there is support for online co-op play, which means you can recruit your friends as free labour for your farm.
Just don't let them seduce one of the villagers out from under you.
10. Yakuza: Like A Dragon
RPG fans have been enjoying the Yakuza series for years, but with eight games in the series, it may be a difficult nut to crack for newcomers. If you've never played a Yakuza game and prefer turn-based combat to real-time combat, you should start with Yakuza: Like A Dragon, which marks a new beginning for the entire series. New characters, new gameplay, and a completely new story — this is an excellent place for new players to begin.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon casts players in the role of Ichiban Kasuga, a footsoldier sentenced to 18 years in prison. Ichiban is completely abandoned by his clan after spending all that time hoping for a hero's welcome upon his release. With no answers and few friends, Ichiban forms a group determined to discover the truth.
However, in typical Yakuza fashion, you'll be distracted by all the minigames first.
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