Best PS5 JRPGs to play in October 2024

If you're looking for some of the best PS5 JRPGs to play in October 2024, then check out our picks for the top 14 games you can pick up right now.

Best PS5 JRPGs to play in October 2024
Lee Brady

Lee Brady

Published

With PlayStation being such an iconic Japanese brand, it's no wonder the PS5 and PS4 have such a strong JRPG presence. That said, these games are often long and require quite a commitment from the player, so if you could only play one, which should it be? Join us as we rank the best PS5 JRPGs on our hunt for the very best the genre has to offer.

The best PS5 JRPGs, ranked

First, the immortal question: What is a JRPG? Well, the quick and lazy answer is a role-playing game made in Japan, though this hardly helps us figure out whether it's the kind of game we like to play. For the sake of this list, JRPG games are role-playing games that skew closer to the traditional RPGs that Japan made famous during the 1980s and 1990s.

As you'll soon see, there's already plenty of wiggle room for game mechanics and aesthetics within that definition. Check out our picks for the best JRPGs on PS5 below.

SeanL

14. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana puts you in the role of Adol, who awakens to find himself stranded on a cursed island. With no other option, he and the other shipwrecked passengers must build a village to challenge the fearsome beasts that roam the lands. Amidst this chaos, Adol begins to dream of a mysterious blue-haired woman, but just who is she?

The gameplay is a lot of fun — taking down enemies feels clean and stylish while building up the village and saving all the shipwrecked passengers breaks up the game quite nicely. While many Ys games could contend for a spot on this list, Ys VIII just has a lot of great mechanics going for it that help to elevate it above the other games in the series.

Lee

13. Star Ocean The Second Story R

If you’ve been sinking time into every Star Ocean game on PS Plus, then this is what it should all be building up: the chance to start playing Star Ocean The Second Story R. With the original PS1 version of this game often being touted as the very best in the series, stakes were high with this PS5 and PS4 remake. Thankfully, Second Story R more than sticks the landing.

Playing as Claude and Rena, you’ll engage in a story that skews very close to traditional JRPG narratives of light and dark — but in space. The big shake-up is the sheer amount of alternating story paths and endings you can wind down, all of which depend on the “Private Actions” you take as you guide the two heroes on a journey to save the planet of Expel.

SeanL

12. Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth

Following our chosen Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth character's dark journey into the digital world makes for a compelling adventure. Emerging into the real world as a half-digitized entity, players wind up being rescued by a detective named Kyoko Kuremi who specializes in cyber crimes and offers to take them into her service as her assistant in a world teeming with Digimon.

The Digimon Cyber Sleuth trophies are going to put some players through their paces and will definitely force a long grindy search onto the player. This means you will need to be searching every nook and cranny to take this one home. Still, if you're in the mood for a grind and you like games like Shin Megami Tensei: Soul Hacker, then this is as easy a recommendation as they come.

SeanL

11. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered

Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch is an absolute marvel to play, with gorgeous graphics and adorable characters to get to know. Ni no Kuni follows the journey of Oliver, who travels to a new world with his new magical friend after the death of his mother. In this world, Oliver has the chance to save his mother and undergoes a dangerous journey to bring her back.

There is something so fun and rewarding about collecting the various creatures of this world and using them in battle, it is very reminiscent of Pokémon in that aspect. Finally: a way to get your Pokémon fix on PlayStation systems.

Lee

10. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

13 Sentinels is one of those games that does so much and can be described so many ways that's a little challenging to know where to start. It's part-real-time strategy and part-turn-based traditional JRPG. It's set in 1985 Japan, but also post-war 1945 Japan, and also the distant future. It features 13 distinct characters, it's got kaiju to battle, and obviously there a giant mechs involved.

Forget it, let's just put it this way: it's a brilliant (and mad) game from Vanillaware (of Odin Sphere fame) and features backing from publisher Atlus; the Persona company. It's got some genuinely fantastic characters, an exceedingly dense plot, and it's just packed full of shocks and twists on every turn. 13 Sentinels is currently also on PS Plus Extra, so there's never been a better time to check it out.

Lee

9. Octopath Traveler II

Anyone who has attempted to collect all of those Octopath Traveler II trophies will likely tell you the same thing: that Octopath Traveler II is easily one of the most overlooked games of 2023, let alone one of the most overlooked JRPGs.

Using the first game’s dense combat, stunning “HD-2D” visuals, and interlocking narrative structure as a foundation, Octopath Traveler II builds things further in every regard. “Latent Powers” helps give the flow of combat more structure and the new daytime/nighttime action brings out even more variety in the story and more stunning visuals to gawk at. It’s just a great time and you need to check it out.

Lee

8. Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection

  • Release Date: April 19, 2023
  • Gameplay: Turn-Based Combat
  • Is it on PS Plus? No
Yeah, that's right — we are absolutely cheating on this one. However you must understand how big a deal it is for us to have the first six mainline Final Fantasy games receive trophy support on PS4. From Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy VI, you can earn six delightful platinums via the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection. What were we supposed to do, put all six games on this list separately?

Besides, these six games have arguably never played better, in the sense that the Pixel Remasters let you cut out a lot of the stuff that feels exceptionally dated in older Final Fantasy games. New settings allow you to skip random battles and crank up the experience and cash rewards so that these games feel a little more impactful. It's a great twist that keeps Final Fantasy's oldest entries feeling fresh.

Lee

7. Persona 3 Reload

Move aside Persona 3 Portable — finally, we have that top-to-bottom Persona 3 remake we've been looking for all this time. Persona 3 Reload brings the classic PS2 RPG bang up to date with much of the same graphical flair as players will expect from the later Persona 5 Royal. The game has also been reworked in terms of difficulty and structure, with the biggest change being that your character will no longer repeatedly fall sick during the school year.

This particular change makes Persona 3 Reload the most accessible and easily the most enjoyable way to enjoy the Persona game that really kickstarted the series' identity. While the game's characters and story don't quite live up to the standards of later games in the series, its darker vibe and fantastic music still makes it an easy recommend for both newcomers and fans of Persona 4 and 5.

Lee

6. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix

Sure, the more recent Kingdom Hearts III is pretty great, and maybe if Sony hadn’t added all of the mainline Kingdom Hearts games to PS Plus Extra we may have given the nod to that more recent game's luxurious worlds and gorgeous visuals. That said, if you asking me to recommend you a Kingdom Hearts game to platinum, I'm always going to recommend Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix on PS4 and PS Plus Extra.

The story was never cleaner; the imagination of the Disney worlds was never so firmly realized than in Kingdom Hearts II. The Kingdom Hearts series' action offers the perfect blend of real-time combat and menu-hopping JRPG gameplay, and it was never done better than in KHII. This is a big, challenging, and often beautiful game that you really should give a shot, even if it is exceptionally jarring to adventure with Donald Duck by your side.

Lee

5. Unicorn Overlord

Vanillaware and Atlus team up again — this time to take on the tactical JRPG formula that Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Fire Emblem continue to lord over. The result is a triumphant new stab at the venerable genre, rife with beautiful art and tricky fights that will depend on the recruits you've brought into your ranks and the choices you've made throughout the story.

Speaking of, the story is a simple throwback to classic JRPG tales — surviving heir of a vanquished kingdom, Alain, must band together the Liberation Army against Galerius, a general with an evil mind-controlling power. There's magic rings, evil forces, and many a twist and turn in the plot that keeps this PS5 JRPG compelling right to the end. An absolute must if you're looking for a fresh take on this old genre.

Kes

4. Dragon Quest XI S Echoes of an Elusive Age

Dragon Quest XI S Echoes of an Elusive Age is the definitive edition of this entry in the legendary JRPG series. With a much more classic approach to the genre, you'll find a game that looks like it's of our generation (barely) but with the sensibilities of an entry like Dragon Quest VIII. The protagonist begins a tale almost directly from myth woven with high fantasy in a sprawling and vast tale of epic deeds and battles.

With refined combat systems, it's a great playing experience for those that love great looking turn-based combat. It also happens to have a great story this time around with some under appreciated writing. If you love JRPGs without any deviations from the genre norm, then I think Dragon Quest XI is essential playing — so go and play it on PS Plus!

Lee

3. Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth

While the Yakuza series typically steers far closer to the brawler and action RPG genres, Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth continues the gameplay shift and story from from Yakuza Like a Dragon while cranking the content up to 11.

In this latest adventure, new series protagonist Ichiban ends up teaming up once more with classic Like a Dragon protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. This time, these former yakuza members will take off to Honolulu, Hawaii, and will ultimately wind up driving taxis, photographing poorly dressed men, and trying out the latest dating apps. If you like your RPGs to have a sense of humor, you should definitely check this out.

SeanL

2. Persona 4 Golden

Collecting Persona 4 Golden trophies will be unlike any other gaming experience you will ever have. With an incredible storyline that keeps you guessing right until the very end, you will fall in love with a roster of characters but struggle to decide between which your favorite is (unless you're me, in which case, it's Kanji — it's always Kanji).

You also have access to an amazing OST that you can sit and jive to while you explore the wonderfully designed dungeons that you will spend a chunk of your time in. Then, throw in the slice-of-life element and you have a truly unique JRPG experience that no other game can really provide. Well, besides maybe some of the other Persona games. Just be wary: you can spend over 100 hours trying to get all of those Persona 4 Golden trophies as it will take at least two playthroughs to be able to snatch up all the different trophies.

Lee

1. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

While we still absolutely you play through FFVII Remake and its DLC before jumping into Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, if there's one big JRPG you need to play on PS5, it's this latest entry in the series. I was utterly stunned by my first impressions of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a JRPG that feels like a true classic video game from another era brought right up to date with all the latest graphics and advancements.

It's an enormous game, yet it lets you play it however you like, so if you don't feel like lingering around its massive open-world segments, you can beeline directly to the next objective. The characters are brilliantly realized, the action as punchy and addictive as it was in Remake, and it just feels like the kind of adventure we're not going to see done to this scale for a long, long time. So, fire up your PS5 and make the best of it!

That list should take you roughly a few years to finish, but if you're somehow hungry for more, why not check out our list of the best PS5 games around? What game do you think is the best JRPG on PlayStation? Did we miss any big ones? Let us know your recommendations in the comments below!
Written by Lee Brady
Staff Writer Lee keeps one eye on the future (Astro Bot), one eye on the past (PS1, PS2, and PS3 games), and his secret third eye on junk he really likes (Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Sonic). A PlayStation fan for over 25 years, he loves replaying classic games via PS Plus.
Hide ads
View discussion...
Hide ads