Updated September 2026
This is the ranking of the best Turn-Based CRPGs, 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. Divinity: Original Sin 2, Persona 5 and RimWorld lead the chart — the highest-rated titles in the genre according to our data. The top-25 average NextGameLike Score is 88/100, out of 54 games catalogued. The ranking updates continuously as new reviews and votes come in.
Top 3
Top of “The 20 Best Turn-Based CRPGs (2026)”: Divinity: Original Sin 2 (92.9/100). Close behind: Persona 5 and RimWorld.
Ranked by NextGameLike Score · 54 games catalogued
Players and critics agree on Divinity: Original Sin 2, which is rarer than it sounds in Turn-Based CRPGs. Hence the first place.
Persona 5 is more loved by critics than by the average player. It holds the best critic score on the whole list, 94/100. That puts it at number 2.
Players and critics agree on RimWorld, which is rarer than it sounds in Turn-Based CRPGs. No other entry of the 20 has a higher share of positive reviews: 98%. That puts it at number 3.
Monster Train is one of the few Turn-Based CRPGs where players and critics say the same thing. That gets it into the top 10, at number 4.
Darkest Dungeon® is one of the few Turn-Based CRPGs where players and critics say the same thing. That gets it into the top 10, at number 5.
Critics were lukewarm on Divinity: Original Sin II; players were not. Number 6, inside the top 10.
No argument here: XCOM® 2 wins over players and critics alike. Number 7, inside the top 10.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is here because of its players — they are who it won over. That gets it into the top 10, at number 8.
Final Fantasy VII is one of the few Turn-Based CRPGs where players and critics say the same thing. Number 9, inside the top 10.
Players and critics agree on Hearts of Iron IV, which is rarer than it sounds in Turn-Based CRPGs. It is the most reviewed of the 20: 364,977 Steam reviews. Number 10, inside the top 10.
West of Loathing is one of the few Turn-Based CRPGs where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 11 of 20.
Players and critics agree on The Banner Saga, which is rarer than it sounds in Turn-Based CRPGs. It sits at 12 of 20.
Players and critics agree on Caves of Qud, which is rarer than it sounds in Turn-Based CRPGs. It sits at 13 of 20.
Kingdom Rush Vengeance - Tower Defense is here because of its players — they are who it won over. It lands at 14 of 20.
Critics were lukewarm on Kingdom Rush - Tower Defense; players were not. It sits at 15 of 20.
Shogun Showdown is one of the few Turn-Based CRPGs where players and critics say the same thing. It is the newest on the list (2023), and has already earned its place. It lands at 16 of 20.
Critics rated Fire Emblem: Three Houses higher than the public did. It lands at 17 of 20.
No argument here: Into the Breach wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 18 of 20.
Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten (DX edition) is here because of its players — they are who it won over. It sits at 19 of 20.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars has little in the way of ratings and a great deal of standing. It is the oldest game in the ranking (1996) and still here. It lands at 20 of 20.