10 Best ARPGs to play in 2026

When I set out to rank the best action RPGs of all-time, I didn't expect it to trigger a war among my colleagues. What constitutes an ARPG, we pondered, and what differentiates them from the best RPGs as a whole? We settled on the fact that action RPGs put a stronger focus on combat compared to more story-based experiences, taking level and loot-based systems a step further.

With many ways to skill up and spec out your playable characters, achieving the ultimate power fantasy is often the goal in the best action role-playing games. Many games on this list are a testament to that, with combat so good you won't care that the story is bland. Others among the best choice-based RPGs show that you actually can have branching questlines and deep action mechanics all at once. I've also included vibes for each pick, which you can learn more about in our handy FAQ section.

I've aimed for variety between those two parameters on my quest to uncover the unequivocal best ARPGs you can and should play in 2026 – though with only 10 spots to fill, competition was fierce.

The best ARPGs, starting with..

10. Path of Exile 2

It's still in Early Access, but Grinding Gear Games has already impressed me with Path of Exile 2. Borrowing from the best ARPGs that came before, this top-down isometric adventure has it all: robust combat, a huge open world to explore, and dense character customization tools to make the fantasy truly your own.

It's an old-school dungeon crawler through and through – fans of the best CRPGs, take heed – and that means it has its fair share of mystery about it. Our Path of Exile 2 review-in-progress comments on how the level of customizability can feel dubious at times for lack of instruction. Similarly, the difficulty spikes are in need of a little work – but hey, isn't that what Early Access is for? Path of Exile 2 flourishes when you simply lose yourself in its systems and emergent combat encounters, so here's your sign to check it out in 2026 if you're still on the fence.

9. Lies of P

I wrote my glittering Lies of P review back in 2023, and I stand by my words to this day. Developer Neowiz really looked at Bloodborne and said, "what if we make a spiritual successor, only make it a twisted fairytale?" Enter Pinocchio, aka P, our puppet hero armed with a steel arm, a litany of terrifying weapons, and a Belle Epoque-inspired Victorian gothic world to cleanse of corruption.

My favorite thing about Lies of P is its stylish combat. You can mix and match weapon blades and handles to craft new implements, each with their own movesets, stats, and status effects. Weapon and skill upgrades are purchased with Erg, a resource gathered from slain enemies, which is dropped upon death. All of this cements Lies of P as an additive rather than derivative action-RPG, paying homage to the best FromSoftware games while delivering a fresh, unique Soulslike experience at the same time.

8. Cyberpunk 2077

As per our Brand Director's Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review, few games have as complex a combat system as CD Projekt Red's latest – even among the best ARPGs. Each different cyberware operating system dictates a specific playstyle: cyberdecks are great for hack-heavy stealth or ranged gameplay, a Sandevistan and its time-slowing capabilities are brilliant for melee diehards who want to go wild with a katana, and the damage-negating Berserk proves a great panic button for those extra gnarly Cyberpunk 2077 shoot-outs.

If you can't decide, I have great news: you can swap out your OS at any time to try other ones. But respeccing in Cyberpunk 2077 can be a lengthy process. Some weapon and skill attributes synergize very well with certain bits of cyberware, so unless you want to completely re-build your weapons cache from scratch, I'd recommend saving yourself something new to explore in a repeat playthrough.

7. Diablo 4

With one DLC down and another in the tank for later in 2026, Diablo 4 has earned its stripes as one of the best ARPGs of recent years. The dungeon crawler builds off the satisfying raiding and looting systems we've seen in Diablo games across the years, so much so that our Diablo 4 review christens it a "magnificent and absurd loot theme park".

You'll be fighting all manner of fearsome monsters in hot pursuit of said precious rewards, with six classes to tailor-make your build to suit your tastes. It all makes for a densely personalized action role-playing experience that only Blizzard could pull off, and with Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred DLC right around the corner, there's no better time to get stuck into its weird and wacky machinations.

6. Dragon's Dogma 2

Dragon's Dogma 2 is an action RPG that seriously tested me. It let me down on a narrative level at first – coming to it from Baldur's Gate 3, I guess my standards had been set for the best fantasy RPGs – but it blows just about every other 2024 RPG straight out of the water when it comes to dynamic combat systems.

With a host of vocations at your fingertips, Dragon's Dogma 2 champions both experimentation and mastery. As the game's answer to classes, you can take your pick from a range of starter vocations like high DPS Thief, ranged Archer, or a good old-fashioned spell-slinging Mage, and level up skills at vocation guilds. You'll unlock higher tiers of certain vocations as the game progresses, and even unlock special classes like Mystic Spearhand and Trickster by completing prerequisite missions. The sky really is the limit here, and just as our Dragon's Dogma 2 review states in the headline, embracing the chaos is absolutely paramount.

5. Nioh 3

If you like your action RPGs with a side of samurai slicing and dicing, Nioh 3 should be right up your street. Hailed in our Nioh 3 review as a "triumphant evolution" of everything that made the series great to begin with, Team Ninja's latest offering delivers slick combat, dense customization, and a whole lot of grisly delights to boot. A tonal redesign puts it on a visual par with games like Elden Ring, but a focus on quality over quantity makes it "a tight experience with no filler, and no boring empty areas".

That's a great boon for anyone looking for a combat-heavy ARPG experience that puts battles front and center, trimming the fat for nailbiting combat encounters that would put even the hardiest first-person melee fans to the test. Some of its systems might stump you at first, but what's the fun in having things handed to you on a silver platter anyway?

4. Monster Hunter World

This might be a bit of a hot take, but Monster Hunter World is a far superior action RPG compared to the latest instalment. With an immersive open world teeming with beasts to tame, a tastier array of features perfected over the years through post-launch updates, and the "best combat, harvesting, and crafting" in the series according to our Monster Hunter World review, it's pretty hard to beat even by the lofty standards held by Capcom.

A major change seen in 2025's Monster Hunter Wilds saw the skills system given a total rework, which is something that stumped many players given how well it all worked in World. It just goes to show that perfection does exist, and sometimes, there's no need to fix what wasn't broken in the first place.

3. Yakuza 0

As a prequel that perfectly sets up the games that follow, Yakuza 0 still stands out as the pinnacle action RPG experience among its Sega peers. It's a great introduction to the series' action-driven combat: fun, approachable, and a great jump-off point for newbies as well as a great experience for ARPG vets, according to our Yakuza 0 review.

Dual protagonists Kiryu and Majima have different fighting styles you can switch between – Majima has his chaotic breakdancing, while Kiryu is more of a tanky brawler – each with unlockable skills you can train for and invest in. As a result, Yakuza 0 offers an engaging amount of variety and experimentation to toy with before ultimately landing on your favored playstyles. Also, it's the only Yakuza game other than Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii that lets you play as Majima – which is a huge draw to this day.

2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 is one of those classic action role-playing games that might not sound like one at first. But Geralt's journey, beautifully written and choice-heavy though it is, wouldn't be the same without its dynamic combat, complex skills system, and weapon leveling.

Mutagens and abilities go hand in hand to help craft a specific build. Matching mutagens to ability trees to achieve optimum results can take a little bit of getting used to – stylized RPG systems are developer CD Projekt Red's bread and butter – but the payoff cannot be overstated. The combination of Witcher signs, abilities, mutagen buffs, sword oils, and drinkable decoctions Geralt consumes all play a role in turning him into the one-man weapon we know him to be. Our Witcher 3: Blood and Wine review was right to call it "a spellbinding tale" – and a badass one, too, at that.

1. Elden Ring

Crystallize the essence of Soulsborne games, toss it into a huge open world, and you get Elden Ring. The 2022 epic was a paradigm shift for every other action role-playing game to come, and it's still the unequivocal best of the bunch.

DLC Shadow of the Erdtree might lean into the game's narrative context, and co-op roguelike Elden Right Nightreign lets you team up with friends to take on challenges together, but combat truly is king in these parts. The game's complex souls system lets you spec out your character to your heart's content, min-maxxing your way to victory (or defeat, most of the time) as you battle towering enemies in the medieval fantasy realm of the Lands Between. There's a reason it's supplanted even the likes of Bloodborne. Our resident FromSoftware guru and Guides Editor says it best in his Elden Ring review: "suffering has never been as much fun."

Best ARPGs FAQs

Next, look ahead with our list of all the upcoming RPGs still on the way. Or for more recommendations, we also have a list of the best action games to play right now.