Updated September 2026
This is the ranking of the best Action RPGs, sorted by NextGameLike Score: a 0-100 metric blending Steam reviews, IGDB ratings (community and critic), Metacritic, OpenCritic and the NextGameLike community votes into a single number. Unlike opinion-based editorial lists, this order is computed from real data and applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment so games with few reviews can't inflate the top of the chart. Baldur's Gate 3, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Red Dead Redemption 2 lead the chart — the highest-rated titles in the genre according to our data. The top-25 average NextGameLike Score is 91/100, out of 398 games catalogued. The ranking updates continuously as new reviews and votes come in.
Top 3
Top of “The 20 Best Action RPG Games (2026)”: Baldur's Gate 3 (96.2/100). Close behind: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Ranked by NextGameLike Score · 398 games catalogued
No argument here: Baldur's Gate 3 wins over players and critics alike. It holds the best critic score on the whole list, 96/100. That is why it tops the ranking.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the few Action RPGs where players and critics say the same thing. That puts it at number 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the few Action RPGs where players and critics say the same thing. That puts it at number 3.
No argument here: God of War wins over players and critics alike. Number 4, inside the top 10.
ELDEN RING is one of the few Action RPGs where players and critics say the same thing. It is the most reviewed of the 20: 1,132,885 Steam reviews. Number 5, inside the top 10.
No argument here: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice wins over players and critics alike. Number 6, inside the top 10.
Players and critics agree on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which is rarer than it sounds in Action RPGs. That gets it into the top 10, at number 7.
Players and critics agree on Hi-Fi RUSH, which is rarer than it sounds in Action RPGs. That gets it into the top 10, at number 8.
Devil May Cry 5 is one of the few Action RPGs where players and critics say the same thing. Number 9, inside the top 10.
Final Fantasy III has little in the way of ratings and a great deal of standing. It is the oldest game in the ranking (1994) and still here. Number 10, inside the top 10.
Critics were lukewarm on Mass Effect; players were not. It sits at 11 of 20.
Critics rated Bloodborne higher than the public did. It sits at 12 of 20.
Fallout: New Vegas is one of the few Action RPGs where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 13 of 20.
No argument here: DAVE THE DIVER wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 14 of 20.
Critics were lukewarm on Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game; players were not. It sits at 15 of 20.
No argument here: Dark Souls III wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 16 of 20.
South Park™: The Stick of Truth™ is one of the few Action RPGs where players and critics say the same thing. No other entry of the 20 has a higher share of positive reviews: 98%. It lands at 17 of 20.
Fallout 2 is here because of its players — they are who it won over. It sits at 18 of 20.
Final Fantasy X earns its place on presence rather than on a score. It sits at 19 of 20.
Critics rated Hades II higher than the public did. It is the newest on the list (2024), and has already earned its place. It sits at 20 of 20.