The PlayStation 3 collected a dense library of now-classic RPGs over its 7-year lifespan before the PS4 was released. The successes of several of these games have led to remasters, ports, and long-running fan support.
The voting community at Ranker put together their list of the 10 best games in this sprawling genre that the PS3 had to offer, with a great degree of variety among them. These titles range from beloved JRPGs like the Tales and Ni no Kuni series, western-RPG titans like The Elder Scrolls, and FromSoftware's genre-revolutionizing Souls-likes.
Dragon's Dogma
In terms of action RPGs, Capcom's Dragon's Dogma is likely one of the biggest cult classics. The game was set in a high-fantasy world where the protagonist Arisen embarks on a quest to stop a world-ending dragon named Grigori. The game received an overall positive critical reception, especially thanks to the Dark Arisen re-release that cleaned up technical issues and added additional gameplay content, though, the story was admittedly regarded as a weak point.
But where Dragon's Dogma made it for it was in its combat. The game featured cathartic and creative boss fights, hack-and-slash-like mechanics, and the Pawn system to customize the player's party.
Tales Of Vesperia
Bandai Namco's Tales JRPG series saw its popularity dwindle in more recent years until Tales of Arise revitalized it, but there have been several beloved older entries regardless. Similar to other JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Tales of Vesperia takes an anthology-like approach from its predecessors by taking place in a new world.
It follows a former Imperial Soldier tasked with protecting a noblewoman, coming into conflict with political factions along the way with their agendas for abusing the land's natural resources. Overall, Tales of Vesperia was seen as a welcome improvement over prior games. Reviews cited its technical polishing and combat tweaks as high points, making the game a strong starting point for new fans.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Bethesda's fourth mainline endeavor in its flagship The Elder Scrolls series is still the best for many veteran fans. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was a revelation when it launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360, as it helped pave the way for what the open-world format of games would evolve into -- including Skyrim.
The game took place in Cyrodiil, where the protagonist joins in on the effort to stop a demonic cult from opening the gates to the titular, hellish realm of Oblivion. As is common for this series, Oblivion was critically acclaimed thanks to its open-world setting, character class customization options, and immersive quests set against the backdrop of a dynamic fantasy world.
Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning
Developers Big Huge Games and 38 Studios' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is also something of a cult-classic RPG from the PS3 console era. It was, unfortunately, the only game 38 Studios managed to develop, but this high-fantasy adventure earned some affection nonetheless.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning took place in a vibrant high-fantasy universe that aesthetically looks similar to Microsoft's classic Fable series, while it approaches its RPG conventions like a single-player version of an MMORPG like World of Warcraft. Though some criticisms were leveled at it for feeling a bit shallow the longer the game progressed, the reception was overall warm thanks to its grandiose fantasy story, character customization, and engaging real-time combat system.
Fallout: New Vegas
While the game initially launched in a rocky technical state, Obsidian Entertainment's Fallout: New Vegas garnered a strong critical reception. But even more important than that, after several years and mod support from the community, New Vegas has commonly been regarded as the best game in the Fallout series.
The story revolves around the player character's courier who's on a quest to hunt down the person who nearly killed them and stole their package. New Vegas was praised for its storytelling and writing -- including the series' signature brand of dark humor -- as well as the exceptional quest variety. Likewise, the gameplay in terms of gunplay and weapon customization saw strong improvement from Bethesda's Fallout 3.
Dragon Age: Origins
Still regarded today as one of the best RPGs of the last couple of decades, Dragon Age: Origins is credited with being one of the most influential games of its genre. It was one of the games developed during the golden age of developer studio BioWare before its reputation became muddled with entries like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem.
Set in an inventive blend of a high- and low/dark-fantasy world, Dragon Age: Origins follows the protagonist as they join the ranks against the invading Darkspawn and their Archdemon leader. Origins was lauded for its fleshed-out fantasy world and intricately its story was written to be focused on the main cast of characters. Similarly, the combat was well-received for being strategically engaging.
Demon's Souls
Director Hidetaka Miyazaki and the rest of FromSoftware planted the seeds for what would become a genre-defining succession of games akin to what Metroid and Castlevania did in the '80s. Demon's Souls became a classic action RPG in 2009, spawning what would become known as the "Souls-like" subgenre.
Taking inspiration from an amalgamation of revered fantasy works from several mediums, Demon's Souls crafted a lore-dense and dreary dark-fantasy world. The game's acclaim came from its addictively challenging combat, boss fights, atmosphere, impressive lore, and worldbuilding. Demon's Souls has since been remade from the ground up for the PS5, but the original walked so that Elden Ring could run.
Dark Souls
FromSoftware's Demon's Souls paved the way for an RPG dynasty and the aforementioned Souls-like subgenre, and in certain fan circles, the original Dark Souls is still fans' favorite game from the developer. The game started a new dark-fantasy world rich with lore, worldbuilding, and Miyazaki's vintage brand of subtle storytelling.
Dark Souls is an expectedly challenging game, but it's cathartic to test one's mettle and overcome. Among other things, the game was acclaimed for taking inspiration from the "Metroidvania" subgenre in its inventive level design as well as some truly inspired creature designs.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Many diehard fans of The Elder Scrolls series stand by Oblivion or Morrowind being the best the franchise has to offer, but what Skyrim accomplished was a landmark in the gaming industry. Taking place two centuries after the events of Oblivion, the Dragonborn goes from prisoner to fabled hero, as they are tasked with navigating the various complex allegiances of Skyrim and stop Alduin, the draconic World-Eater from ushering in a dragon-ridden apocalypse.
The fantasy RPG was acclaimed for its wealth of content and, most importantly, its rewarding player freedom. Instead of the usual class-based system, Skyrim has a free-flowing series of progression trees to allow for more creativity than ever before. This gave the game an incredible, seemingly unending replay value.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch
Many JRPG giants like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Persona, and more quickly come to most fans of the subgenre's minds, but developer Level-5's Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch proved to be an acclaimed modern classic in its own right. It's perhaps one of the most underrated JRPGs of the PS3 console era, as it provided a satisfying and emotional high-fantasy story.
In terms of visuals, Ni no Kuni is instantly recognizable thanks to its Studio Ghibli anime art style, with a resonating coming-of-age tale to match. Its classic turn-based combat was also well-received, and the PS4, Switch, and PC remaster make it a JRPG worth playing in the current era of gaming as well.