Summary
Once a niche genre in the West, JRPGs are more popular than ever before. Likewise, the open-world genre is incredibly popular, with every other big AAA release seeming to be an open-world game (more often than not, with some RPG elements thrown in). It’s strange, then, that there are so few truly open-world JRPGs.
If one takes a look at any list ofthe best open-world games ranked, they’ll find shockingly few JRPGs. There are, however, plenty of JRPGs who share the open-world spirit. Rather than having one continuous map, likeGrand Theft Auto 5, their worlds are stitched together using different zones or areas. While not technically “open-world,” they foster the same sensation of exploration and adventure. The games on this list were ranked by their overall quality, as well as how good their world designs are and how “open” they feel. We’ve omitted games likeZelda: Tears of the Kingdom,Elden Ring, andDragon’s Dogma 2. Not because they aren’t amazing open-world RPGs, but because there’s too much debate about whether they count as true JRPGs.
The originalOctopath Travelerwas released to almost universal praise. Critics and players alike loved how it blended old-school JRPG gameplay with astunning HD-2D art stylethat made the eyes water. Instead of a seamless open world, the originalOctopath Travelerwas made up of a series of connected zones that the players could visit in any order they wished (although some areas were best avoided until later). Unfortunately, there weren’t all that many interesting ways to interact with the world or use the special skills each character came with.
Octopath Traveler 2greatly improved on this by having a moredynamic and interactive-feeling world. In the game’s semi-open world, it’s all too easy to forget about the main quests and just go off the beaten track exploring or simply get distracted by how beautiful everything is. Besides the improved world, the sequel took an"if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it"approach, meaning it was just as fun to play as the original. With its excellent gameplay, immersive world, and excellent combat,Octopath Traveler 2is one ofthe best isometric JRPGs ever made.
It’s always exciting when a franchise as old asShin Megami Tenseidecides to shake things up and introduce a new feature. That’s exactly what Atlus did withShin Megami Tensei 5by introducing a semi-open-world structure. It was amajor departure from the franchise’s traditional dungeon crawlingand a welcome one at that.
It made for a much less linear experience that encouraged players to go exploring, find side-quests, and search for hidden items. It helped that the game’s post-apocalyptic Tokyo setting looked so good and made for a location the player actually wanted to look around. Combined withchallenging but excellent combat, the open world also made hunting down and collecting new demons seem much less repetitive. It made for a game that felt familiar but justified the long wait sinceShin Megami Tensei 4. Perhaps the only complaint was that the desert aesthetic got a little boring after a while, and it would have been nice to explore more biomes. It’s a minor complaint when the rest of the game is so good, but it pushes one ofthe hardest Atlus gamestoward the bottom of this list.
The firstNi no Kunigame was somewhat of a surprise hit as well as being one ofthe best JRPGs made by Level 5. Fans had high hopes for the sequel,Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom, but it was a bit of a flop compared to its predecessor. That’s a shame because if one ignores the high expectations that came before the game’s release, it’splenty of fun.
Ni No Kuni 2was a pretty big departure from the first game. It got rid of the turn-based battle system and replaced it withreal-time hack-and-slash combatwhile adding city-builder elements. Its open-world was akin to the overworlds found in older JRPG titles but was much more detailed and more to scale. Most fans would likely agree that it was thebiggest upgrade from the original game.Unlike the first game, Studio Ghibli didn’t work directly on the sequel, but it shared the same beautiful art style that made the game’s open-world/overworld so pleasant to explore. Unfortunately, outside of battle, there wasn’t that much else to do in it, landingNi no Kuni 2a slightly lower ranking on this list.
Despite beingone of the oldest JRPG franchisesaround, theYsseries is nowhere near as famous or popular as the likes ofFinal FantasyorDragon Quest. That’s probably because, compared to most JRPGs, it’s always been an outlier when it comes to gameplay, thanks to its focus on flashy real-time combat rather than turn-based tactics.
Ys 9: Monstrum Noxhas been a game-changer for the series, though. It received quite a bit more attention upon release, and that’s mostly down to how fun its open-world was to explore. Mostly centered around one city,the game is far from havingthe biggest open-world map. What it does have, though, is several interesting traversal mechanics that the player unlocks after recruiting certain characters. Balduq is packed full of secrets to find once all these mechanics are unlocked. Throw in excellent combat and a great story, andthere’s a lot to love aboutYs 9: Montrum Nox,even if it is a little janky in places.
TheDragon Questfranchise isone of the big dogswhen it comes to JRPGs. It’s been around 1986, and in many ways, the series has barely changed over the years. Much more conservative than its ever-changing rival,Final Fantasy, it tookDragon Questa shocking 19 years to go fully 3D.
The first fully 3D entry in the franchise wasDragon Quest 8, one ofthe most timeless PlayStation 2 RPGs. Being 3D allowed the game to shake up its structure somewhat. The game still had an overworld that linked separately loaded settlements, like most classic JRPGs, but it played like an open-world game. For the first time, the overworld was to scale, making journeying across it seem like a grand journey rather than a short trek from A to B interrupted by battles. Everything else about the game, from its beautiful art style to its classic good vs. evil story and awesome turn-based combat, remains beloved. Thegame was so good the series has barely changed since.
Deciding whichXenoblade Chroniclesgame to put on this list wasn’t easy. The main entries in theXenoblade Chroniclesseries aren’t technically open-world; instead, they’remade up of zones. However, some of those zones are so big they’re the size of some other game’s entire open-worlds. The series does have one fully open-world entry, however,Xenoblade Chronicles X. Unfortunately, it’s notthe bestXenoblade Chroniclesgame.
The game washampered by a dull story and characters,as well as MMO-inspired progression systems that turned some players off. Look past those things, though, andXenoblade Chronicles Xwas a great JRPG with a veryimpressive open world, especially considering it launched on the WiiU. The game features five vast continents, each with unique ecosystems, landscapes, and tons of enemies that create a dynamic and immersive environment. Traversing those continents was sped up by the use of large mechs called Skrells that could be used to explore by land and air. It may not be the bestXenoblade Chroniclesgame, butXdeserves credit for being one of the few truly open-world JRPGs, and a good one at that.
Final Fantasy 7: Rebirthisn’t open-world in that players can explore everywhere and anywhere from the beginning. Instead, it has amassive, unified worldthat can be explored without loading screens, but some areas are locked off until the player reaches certain points in the story. Basically, ittook the traditional JRPG overworld design and made it open-world.
It’s the most open-world that series has been since Final Fantasy 15.Final Fantasy 15had a large, beautiful open world, but there wasn’t that much to do in it. There were vast expanses of nothing with the same old enemies thrown in, sometimes broken up by invisible walls.Final Fantasy 7: Rebirthisfull of optional content, and its map is as densely filled as it is big. Outside the excellent open world,Rebirthhas taken the combat fromFinal Fantasy 7: Remakeand improved upon it, and continues Remake’s story nicely. For being a truly open-world JRPG that’s also just a great game, it gets the second spot.
When Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio announced that the next game in the long-runningYakuzafranchise was going to be a turn-based JRPG, it rang a lot of alarm bells. It seemed like a weird swerve for a series that had been a street-brawler for years and which had always had limited RPG elements. Luckily, what we got was one ofthe best JRPGS ever published by Sega,Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
Four years later, they followed it up withLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. A first for this series, thegame left Tokyo behind to explore an overseas location, an open-world Hawaii. It was a move that risked alienating long-time fans of the series, but it paid off. Hawaii makes for a nice change of pace and allows Ichiban Kasuga and Kauma Kiryu to get into some hilarious fish-out-of-water antics. Like previousYakuzagames, theopen world is full of enemies to beatand insanely random minigames to complete. The main reason it tops this list, however, is the game’s spirit. Ichiban is aDragon Questmega-fan and bothLike A Dragongames feel like an homage to the JRPGs of old but with a modern twist. Whereas other big JRPG franchises have slowly moved away from what fans originally loved about them,Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealthembraces those mechanics wholeheartedly.
