2024 has been an incredible year for action RPGs: I've played the best of them, and here's why I think you should too

GamesRPG2024 has been an incredible year for action RPGs: I’ve played the best of them, and here’s why I think you should tooWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: FromSoftware)

A skeletal man draped in yellow and basked in light pulling an orange blade out of his own head

When I think about all the games I played this year, there’s a very obvious throughline that I didn’t quite put together until recently. Action RPGs, those monster bonking simulators with sparkling loot, represented the majority of my gaming diet. OK—most of it was Diablo 4, but I dabbled in almost all of the action RPGs that came out this year and not a single one was a miss.

Part of the action RPG genre’s strength is, admittedly, its broad definition. Loot lovers have Diablo 4, soulslike sickos have Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, roguelike ruffians have Hades 2, and then there’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 for anyone who wants their action RPGs to be delightfully weird. Black Myth: Wukong and Final Fantasy 16 veer heavily into the action side of things, and we just got a new Dragon Age that is a better action RPG than I think anyone expected. And don’t forget Path of Exile 2, which didn’t quite make the cut, but is still on track to come out in early access this year.

My favorite part about action RPGs are the stories you hear about players coming up with ridiculous challenge runs or builds that the developers surely didn’t really intend. That’s the charm of a genre that hands you a buffet of combat systems and lets you gorge on whatever you’re hungry for. Let’s dig into each game, what ridiculous things players did in them, and what makes them stand out.

The bizarre action RPG: Dragon’s Dogma 2

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Capcom)

A Dragon’s Dogma 2 screenshot of an archer pulling a bow back with an Unmaking Arrow

Most impressive player feat:Beat the game naked in under 2 hours.

Play itto simulate a D&D party made up of player-created NPCs who cankill you at any moment.

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I can still picture my party of pawns and all the surprises we encountered on the way to finish some mundane task. I owe them my life for how many beasts they kept off of me while I shot arrows from relative safety, and for being good sports whenever I hurled them toward items I didn’t feel like jumping across a gap to get.

The slick action RPG: Hades 2

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Supergiant Games)

Hades 2 early access screenshots

Most impressive player feat:Beat every boss without taking a single point of damage.

Play itforthe jetpack that was just added.

The first Hades is up there with some of my favorite games of all time. Supergiant knows how to make unbelievably satisfying action RPGs that slowly unfold their complexity over time. Hades 2 isn’t finished yet, but already has some new toys that might make me kick Hades 1 down a few ranks.

Every run you can stack boons together to turn your grenade launcher into an explosive shotgun or your sprint into Poseidon’s tidal wave.

Simple things, like Melinoë’s quick dash that leaves a trail of stars behind her to indicate how long you have until you can do it again, are the kind of little touches that give Hades 2’s combat a sturdy foundation. If the basic act of moving around weren’t so satisfying, Hades 2’s entire arsenal of creative weapons and powers wouldn’t work.Every run you can stack boons together to turn your grenade launcher into an explosive shotgun or your sprint into Poseidon’s tidal wave. Supergiant makes it almost impossible to stumble into a build that doesn’t work, activating the right neurons that keep me coming back to do it all over again and again.

The relentless action RPG: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

(Image credit: Tyler C. / FromSoftware)

A cloaked player character riding a horse in a field of graves in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Most impressive player feat:Beat it with 1 HP, 1 FP, and 1 Stamina over 55 hours and 1,900 deaths.

Play itfor itsdual-wielded bladesthat let you slide behind enemies like a ninja.

Apologies to the other action RPGs on this list, but Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is easily the best one I’ve played this year.FromSoftware’s enormous expansion delivers a beautiful new landmass, terrifying new monsters, and weaponry that stretches what I thought was possible in this flavor of action RPG.

The bold action RPG: Black Myth: Wukong

(Image credit: Tyler C. / GameScience)

Black Myth: Wukong game screenshot

Most impressive player feat:Beat the entire game without dodging.

Play itfor its marvelous10-minute intro.

This is the only action RPG on the list where you get to duel a tiger with a katana. I guess you also play as a monkey man with a polearm, so maybe that isn’t surprising.

Wukong is also just a great entry point for anyone who doesn’t play a lot of soulslikes or action RPGs.

The creativity inBlack Myth: Wukong’spowers impressed me the most. The idea of turning into a giant frog to slap enemies with your tongue sounds like a joke but in Wukong it isn’t, and it somehow doesn’t feel out of place. You transform into a lot of different creatures in this game, and each one shifts the pace of the combat in satisfying ways. I spent so much time as a wolf man slicing enemies apart with a fiery blade that going back to the monkey man felt like a punishment.

The cerebral action RPG: Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Blizzard)

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred screenshot of spiritborn character in combat with an array of lightning feathers

Action RPGs to look forward to(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)Path of Exile 2(December 6) - Everyclip of PoE 2has me worried it’s going to grab me and never let go. The early access sequel has it all: a beautiful new look, soulslike action, and more build flexibility than ever before.Monster Hunter Wilds(February 28) - I’ve never been a Monster Hunter guy but it might be time for me to finally pick up an insect glaive and start hunting somebig beastswith my friends.Soulframe(2025) - The Warframe studio is making asoulslike action RPGwith freaky knights, witches, and a big wolf to pet.

Action RPGs to look forward to

(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)Path of Exile 2(December 6) - Everyclip of PoE 2has me worried it’s going to grab me and never let go. The early access sequel has it all: a beautiful new look, soulslike action, and more build flexibility than ever before.Monster Hunter Wilds(February 28) - I’ve never been a Monster Hunter guy but it might be time for me to finally pick up an insect glaive and start hunting somebig beastswith my friends.Soulframe(2025) - The Warframe studio is making asoulslike action RPGwith freaky knights, witches, and a big wolf to pet.

(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

Key art for Path of Exile 2, featuring a Marauder class character standing atop a pile of skulls.

Path of Exile 2(December 6) - Everyclip of PoE 2has me worried it’s going to grab me and never let go. The early access sequel has it all: a beautiful new look, soulslike action, and more build flexibility than ever before.Monster Hunter Wilds(February 28) - I’ve never been a Monster Hunter guy but it might be time for me to finally pick up an insect glaive and start hunting somebig beastswith my friends.Soulframe(2025) - The Warframe studio is making asoulslike action RPGwith freaky knights, witches, and a big wolf to pet.

Most impressive player feat:Discovered powerful bugs that let the new class hit for billions of damage.

Play itto summon a giant poison-spitting centipede as its speedynew class.

Vessel of Hatred reboots Diablo 4 into an even stronger action RPG than I ever thought it could become; an expansion that revitalizes the endless loot chase with a variety of new dungeon types and items to discover.

Clicking demons and picking up loot remains almost unnervingly pleasing, and now there are even more ways to do it. You can speed through the Undercity for runes to steal skills from other classes, battle waves of enemies in Infernal Hordes with ‘boons and banes’ that randomize each run, and challenge yourself in The Pit, a 150-tier dungeon for benchmarking your build.

There’s an entire buffet of activities to sample as you scoop up loot to make whatever build you can dream of. I made a spiritborn who electrified the entire screen usingone buttonand a rogue who turns into a spinning top flinging knives in every direction. Blizzard’s stellar visual effects and tactile combat design elevate Diablo 4 above the other loot-heavy action RPGs. It’s one of the most expressive, satisfying games on this list and only promises to expand as each new season releases.

The unexpected action RPG: Dragon Age: The Veilguard

(Image credit: Tyler C. / BioWare)

Dark-haired elf character looking towards another during a dialogue scene in Dragon Age The Veilguard

Play itfor its snappy combat and gorgeous setting.

WhereDragon Age: The Veilguardmisses with its early game character writing, it really hits with its completely revised action RPG battles. I liked the earlier games in the series, but I wasn’t there for combat. In Veilguard, I’ve found myself poking through the skill tree, eager to see what kind of abilities and bonuses I can unlock. And after only a handful of hours, it’s starting to click.

I’m currently having way more fun than I expected fighting off darkspawn in its gorgeous high fantasy ruins and forests.

PRODUCTSDiablo 4: Vessel of HatredDiablo 4Black Myth: WukongDragon Age: The VeilguardElden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreeHades 2Dragon’s Dogma 2

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The bizarre action RPG: Dragon’s Dogma 2#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The slick action RPG: Hades 2#

The relentless action RPG: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree#

The bold action RPG: Black Myth: Wukong#

The cerebral action RPG: Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred#

The unexpected action RPG: Dragon Age: The Veilguard#