The best JRPGs that can keep you busy for months

Important takeaways

  • JRPGs are known for their extreme length, offering players months of gameplay for their money.
  • Games like
    Bravely Default 2, Shin Megami Tensei 5,
    and
    Persona 5 Royal
    each offering nearly 100 hours of engaging gameplay.
  • Fire emblem: Three houses
    and
    Disgaea 6
    providing over 200 hours of content with multiple story paths and mechanics to explore.



JRPGs are known for many beloved tropes, but their extreme length is perhaps their most famous characteristic. For a long time, JRPGs were made long to give players the best bang for their buck, and that ethos has persisted to this day, scaring off some, but making the genre all the more appealing to players who want to spend months working their way through an epic adventure.

FAMILY

6 classic JRPGs with dark, mature themes

The JRPG genre is known for exploring multiple genres, and these games have explored dark, complex subjects in some amazing ways.

Whether it's classic JRPG journeys through an epic fantasy world or a school simulator game that runs through an entire school year, these games all have solid playtimes and deep endgames that make them well worth picking up for any JRPG fan looking for value for their money.


8 Bravely Default 2

50–90 hours


System

super grayscale 8-bit logo PC-1

Released
February 26, 2021

Developer
Claytechworks

OpenCritic Rating
Strong

About the relatively new Bravely Default series had a mission, it was to revive the old school JPRG formula for a modern age, bringing all the story tropes, tight mechanics, a deep job system and engaging epic stories. Bravely Default 2 further refines the formula, making it the equivalent of catnip for all JPRG fans out there.

While the game's story is a good time that follows traditional JRPG tales of wandering across the land for magical items, what really shines is Bravely Default 2's signature combat system, where players can store actions to unleash everything at once in a strategic moment. The simple idea carries almost a hundred hours of gameplay; it's so satisfying to pull off.

7 Shin Megami Tensei 5

46–97 hours


System

super grayscale 8-bit logo

Released
November 12, 2021

OpenCritic Rating
Powerful

As the somewhat underrated brother of Persona franchise, the Shin Megami Tensei games are generally under loved, but JRPG fans appreciate that this series is the true originator of Persona games and usually have more hardcore JRPG tendencies as well.

Family

How Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance improves on the original's side quests

Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance adds to the side quest variety of the original and showcases both its demons and the different ideologies of the characters.

These modern JRPG trends were brought to their full potential in 2021 with the latest release of Shin Megami Tensei 5. Players must fight their way through a post-apocalyptic Tokyo ravaged by literal angels and demons trying to decide whether the old world should be destroyed or a new world created in its place. It is a classic JRPG fair that has almost 100 hours of stable gameplay.

6 Dragon Quest 11

58–130 hours

Released
September 4, 2018

OpenCritic Rating
Powerful

Even if Final Fantasy franchise may be the most famous JRPG series of them all, JRPG fans know that Dragon Quest games are the true king of the genre. The series remains incredibly popular in Japan, known for its often brutal difficulty and incredibly long storylines that can keep players busy for months.


It remains true with Dragon Quest 11which sees the titular hero embark on a new, long and colorful journey through a fantasy world filled to the brim with quests, monsters and XP to grind for. It's a great encapsulation of everything that does Dragon Quest fantastic, brought to the modern era, making it a perfect choice for a JRPG fan looking for their next month-long fix, with even more content awaiting once the game is beaten.

5 Persona 5 Royal

101–142 hours

Released
March 31, 2020

Developer
Atlus, P-Studio

OpenCritic Rating
Powerful

It is difficult to overestimate the sheer magnitude of Persona 5s influence on the JRPG world, both in launching the genre to new levels of mainstream attention and introducing a whole new set of fans to the JRPG world. It's good that it's not just that Persona 5 one of the best JPRGs ever made, though Persona 5 Royalredux version, somehow makes it even better.


Taking on the role of a high school student who becomes a phantom thief to literally steal the hearts of his targets (it makes sense in context), players are treated to an epic yet intimate odyssey through the eyes of a school student who must juggle his time between tough dungeon- crawls and slice-of-life personal adventures. It's an all-around great game that rewards completers with a meaty playtime and offers plenty of side quests and optional content to fill the runtime full of activities.

4 Final Fantasy 12

61–159 hours

Released
31 October 2006

Final Fantasy Games have long earned a reputation for creating high-quality long-form epics that always involve saving the world from an apocalyptic threat. These efforts are built into over-long campaigns filled to the brim with interesting characters, but no campaign has ever been as long (in the single-player contributions) as Final Fantasy 12.


Especially with Age of Zodiawhich adds even more content, Final Fantasy 12s open world hubs are filled to the brim with side quests, adventures and opportunities for XP grinding, resulting in a very long game that ends in a fittingly epic fashion. While not something for newcomers to the franchise, Final Fantasy 12 delivers in spades for hardcore fans of the genre.

3 Fire emblem: Three houses

50–211 hours

Fire emblem: Three houses

System

super grayscale 8-bit logo

Released
26 July 2019

Developer
Intelligent Systems, Koei, Koei Tecmo, Koei Tecmo Games

OpenCritic Rating
Powerful

At first glance, Fire emblem: Three houses It's actually not that long, it's about 40-50 hours for a first playthrough. But things get really complicated when you consider the very different paths players can take through the game. If a player is looking to maximize their time with Three housesthen many other paths through the main game will vary the content and story and are definitely worth exploring.


Family

Future Fire Emblem Games should not forget three houses most immersive schoolyard system after commitment

Fire Emblem Engage takes many mechanics from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but despite the recurring systems, one of the best of its predecessor is missing.

If players replay through the different variations of the story, depending on their faction lineup, the initial playtime balloons massively. Fortunately, game off Three houses supports this extended playtime with rock-solid mechanical depth and an engaging story full of missed characters and narrative opportunities that all add emotional depth to the evolving and divergent story.

2 Disgaea 6

22-200+ hours

Released
29 June 2021

Developer
Nippon Ichi software

OpenCritic Rating
Equitable

It is notoriously difficult to explain or introduce one Disgaea game to anyone new to the series, because it sounds a little absurd that power smoothing and grinding can be so much fun. But it really is, and Disgaea 6 may be one of the most clean and outstanding iterations of the entire franchise.


Based on a grid map, the player's party takes turns beating a group of enemies. Simple, right? Well, things get complicated when stats and abilities get involved, as well as gear, team composition, stat boosts, Dark Assembly, and a menagerie of other deep mechanics that can be pushed to their absolute limits, resulting in absurd damage numbers. This game takes over 200 hours to get anything close to a complete run. It's addictive and hella fun, even for beginners.

1 Final Fantasy 14

100-1000+ hours

System

PC-1

Sure, putting an MMO at the top of this list might be cheating, but Final Fantasy 14 has earned its place in Final Fantasy canon by pulling itself out of oblivion after an underwhelming initial launch and returning as one of the most popular MMOs in the world, one that actively competes with the biggest competitors in the genre that World of Warcraft and Destiny 2.


Of course, as an MMO that has received countless updates and brilliant expansion packs, the amount of content in Final Fantasy 14 is massive. When a player considers playing again as a different class or character, the play time is significantly longer again. Some players can exclusively play this game for years and almost never repeat content. That's how long it is, and it's arguably one of the longest JRPGs ever made.

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