Xbox Game Pass has gone through some turbulent times of late, the sheen completely coming off the subscription service as it made its cheaper tiers much less worthwhile, followed by a series of price increases building to October’s sudden 50 percent hike. $30 a month is a heck of an investment, given that in 2023 it cost half of that, so if you’re paying, you’ll want to get the best out of it. And with over 400 games currently included, finding the stuff worth playing gets harder and harder. So to make life easier, we’ve gone through the jumbled pile and picked out the 10 best RPGs to play.
There are, by Microsoft’s count, 307 games on Xbox Game Pass that it considers to be RPGs. But given that genre titles mean close to nothing now, and all genres are merging together, a fair number of them are stretches. For instance, this list isn’t going to include any Assassin’s Creed games, no matter how many RPG elements the series has begun to include over the years. They can have their day in a Best Action Games list and be happy about it.
Anyway, here are 10 of the best RPGs to install on your Xbox if you’re subscribed to Game Pass, with a good mix of the blatantly obvious and the somewhat more obscure.
Avowed
I said it’d include the obvious, but it’d be criminal not to recommend one of the best new RPGs in years. Obsidian’s first/third-person free-roaming take on its glorious Pillars of Eternity series proved to be an absolutely cracking success. It’s real-time magic-n-swords combat works brilliantly, in a world that’s as rich and detailed and packed with character as either of the previous, more traditional Pillars games. Plus, it offers so many extraordinary choices that you can play it all over again as soon as you’re done.
Dragon Age: Origins
If you prefer, you can assume this entry to be for any of the Dragon Age games, given EA has all four of them included on Game Pass, including last year’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard. But the first one, Origins, will always be the best. It was the result of ten years of work, with an obvious depth of lore and history showing the results of such an extraordinary investment of time. It also plays out with a combination of real-time and pauseable combat, allowing you to approach it new-school or old. It is one of the most wonderful RPG stories ever told.
Fallout: New Vegas (PC Only)
Yes, you can play the more recently revamped Fallout 4 on Game Pass too, but if I’m picking just one of the series’ first-person era, it has to be Obsidian’s New Vegas. It’s scientifically proven to be the best of the lot, and it remains a gruesome tragedy that it’s not received a modern glow-up. But what better time to play this incredibly deep, post-apocalyptic RPG than in the weeks before Amazon Prime’s stunning Fallout TV series reaches Vegas in its second season?
Moonlighter
At a time when so many would-be RPGs have split off into the realm of the roguelite, Moonlighter straddles the two fields like a mighty but modest titan. This adorably splendid game combines running a local store with the need to go off on deathly adventures to find loot to sell in said store. The result is a gorgeous mix of action-RPG and shop-running, town-building loveliness. There’s a sequel in early access on Game Pass too.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
One of 2025’s breakout hits, not least thanks to its inclusion on Game Pass, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has made turn-based RPG combat sexy again. The definitely-not-an-indie game from French developers Sandfall Interactive has a story that twists and turns as its chapters progress, a uniquely interesting defense system, and a voice cast to die for.
There’s no escaping it. It might be 14 years old (although this Special Edition is a mere nine), but Skyrim is still one of the best RPGs ever made. Bethesda’s colossal open-world RPG (long before everyone else was doing that) is still one of the most splendid ways to wile away a spare couple of months. Grab a horse, climb a mountain, find a mysterious cave, turn into a vampire, join a cult, and begin a life of crime, all before lunch.
Arx Fatalis (PC only)
I’ve tried to stick to RPG games that can be played on both Xbox consoles and PC, but I can’t leave Arx Fatalis off the list. This is from Arkane, the creators of Dishonored and Prey, and it’s every bit as much a demonstration of that (monstrously closed) studio’s talent. Originally released in 2002, despite being great, this was a first-person RPG that your dad loved but was a commercial flop. Thanks to the same hateful deal that killed Arkane, the game is now in Microsoft/Bethesda’s library and on Game Pass.
Citizen Sleeper 2
Both Citizen Sleeper and its sequel are on Xbox Game Pass, so you can start at the beginning of these dark, cyber-noir RPG adventures if you so choose. The original game takes place around a single planet, the second an entire solar system, where the roll of the dice decides so much of the fate from which you’re endlessly trying to escape. They’re fantastic games, unlike anything else out there, with stunning writing and the sensibilities of the best of tabletop gaming.
Diablo IV
As much as I may have moaned about genre blurring at the start, there’s no question that action-RPGs are RPGs. For a while, the genre was so specifically dominated by Diablo that it was known as “Diablo-likes,” and it remains the case that Blizzard’s creations rule the roost. Yes, there are those who play these games for their endgame loops and grinds, but don’t let that put you off: clicking your way through the story and combat of the core game is a rewarding experience in its own right.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Has there been a more consistently great trilogy of RPG games than Mass Effect? Well, have it out in the comments. But in the meantime, Mass Effect‘s Legendary Edition is all three of the good games in the series, remastered in 4K, and with all 40 pieces of DLC. It’s a glorious story, and while many were unsatisfied with the (excellent—fight me) ending, the space adventure trilogy remains one of video gaming’s all-time highlights.
Your favorite Game Pass RPG isn’t here? That’s because we found out you like it so much and deliberately left it off the list to make you mad. So get revenge by explaining what you’d have included instead of Arx Fatalis in the comments.
