RPGs are a cornerstone of the video game community, allowing players to get lost in virtual words for hours on end in titles like Skyrim, The Witcher, or Dragon Age. With the proper free time, there's truly no limit to what a gamer can accomplish or explore in an open-world RPG.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the time to invest in expansive RPGs, with some titles feeling daunting as a result. Thankfully, there are still quite a few RPGs that can be completed in a single day, allowing gamers of all backgrounds to enjoy the genre.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars may be an older entry in the storied series, but it's remained a well-regarded RPG since its release in 1996. It was the first RPG in the Mario franchise, modeled after other iconic games like Final Fantasy, and both critics and fans found much to appreciate in this epic adventure.
Tasked with searching for the seven star pieces of the Star Road after a tyrant named Smithy steals them at the start of the game, the main narrative only takes around 17 hours to beat, and the RPG mechanics are easy to grasp for gamers of any experience level.
South Park: The Stick of Truth
The Stick of Truth doubles down on the shocking and subversive humor that so many fans appreciate from the hit South Park series, capturing an epic conflict between humans, wizards, and elves for the titular "Stick of Truth," while all three groups additionally fend off foes like aliens, Nazi zombies, and gnomes.
Remarkably, South Park: The Stick of Truth is able to pack all of that absurdity into a rather streamlined story, as the game only takes an estimated 11 hours to complete—a manageable feat in the course of a single day.
Mass Effect
As one of the most popular video game franchises of the past decade, Mass Effect has certainly made a name for itself in the gaming community. While later entries in the series run a bit longer, the first game's storyline is relatively swift.
Taking the form of the courageous Commander Shepard, players must prevent the galactic invasion of a highly advanced machine race known as the Reapers. A player can complete the game in just 17 hours.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles serves as a spin-off from the main Final Fantasy series, where players take on the role of adventurers traveling in a caravan across a surplus of settings, gathering mystical fuel for crystals to protect their world from the monstrous Miasma.
The straightforward and simplistic gameplay allows younger audiences to get in on some Final Fantasy action, but gamers of all ages can still enjoy Crystal Chronicles and complete its core story over the course of around 20 hours.
Bastion
Released in 2011, Bastion became an instantly acclaimed and widely adored RPG sensation, as players fell for its fantasy-themed environments and cherished the central quest they were asked to complete, in which they took on the role of "The Kid" and collected shards of rock to power a "Bastion" to combat an apocalyptic calamity.
While packed with lively lore and wondrous worlds, Bastion won't take up a gamer's entire day, as it moves at a quick pace. Its story only takes six hours to beat when all is said and done.
Vagrant Story
Set in the fictional kingdom of Valendia and the ruined city of Leá Monde, Vagrant Story follows Riskbreaker Ashley Riot as she becomes caught up in a conspiracy that could change her world centered around the mysterious murder of a member of the Valendian Parliament.
Vagrant Story may stretch a gamer over the course of a single day, as it takes approximately 23 hours to complete, but with such a suspenseful story and a number of perplexing puzzles to solve, it will certainly keep a player busy.
The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds was an instant hit with critics and video game fans upon its release in 2019, with many easily becoming engaged in the compelling complications of the Halcyon colonies, as fearsome factions jockey for power at the edge of the galaxy.
With many eerie environments to explore and frightening foes to fight, there's certainly enough interesting elements in The Outer Worlds to keep gamers satisfied for a single day, especially since its main story only takes 12 hours to complete.
Fable
As the first entry in the iconic video game franchise, many gamers still hold the original Fable close to their hearts, and for good reason: from the captivating characters players can interact with to the valiant villains they must defeat, there's little chance a video game fan won't find something to love in this layered world.
When gamers take on the persona of a young boy working his way up through the Heroes' Guild by completing quests throughout the city-states of Albion, this story should only take 12 hours to complete, which is more than manageable in a single day.
Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve, released in 1998, follows police officer Aya Brea over a six-day span in 1997, as she searches for and aims to stop the evil Eve, a woman who plots to destroy the human race through spontaneous human combustion.
Rooted in the world of Japanese horror, Parasite Eve received positive reviews for its satisfying battle system and dark character development, and many appreciated how succinct the story was, too, since it was able to be completed in just 10 hours.
Suikoden
1996's Suikoden was loosely based on the Chinese novel Shui Hu Zhuan, telling the story of the struggles of the Scarlet Moon Empire, with players inhabiting the character of the Empire general's son, who has to seek out 108 warriors in order to topple the corrupt sovereign state and bring peace to the land.
While some fans felt that the battles in Suikoden were "basic," many enjoyed the opportunity to command so many other characters throughout the course of the narrative, and the story has more than enough twists and turns to keep gamers engaged over its 20 hour playthrough time.