Action role-playing game

{{short description|Subgenre of role-playing and action video games}}

{{VG Action}} An '''action role-playing game''' (commonly abbreviated to '''Action RPG''' or '''ARPG''') is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing game genres.

== Definition == Action role-playing games emphasize real-time combat that challenges a player's physical coordination or reaction time, as opposed to turn or menu-based combat. These games often use action game combat systems similar to hack and slash or shooter games. Action role-playing games and action-adventure games differ as the former include role-playing game mechanics like player driven characters creation,{{Sfn|Adams|Rollings|2003|p=347}} decision-making regarding player character development,<ref name="Cover">{{Cite book |last=Grouling |first=Jennifer |url=https://archive.org/details/creationnarrativ00cove |title=The Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7864-4451-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/creationnarrativ00cove/page/n16 6] |quote=As suggested by the name, TRPGs are played face-to-face (around a table, most likely), and involve players 'acting out' a role. This acting is not always literal. Players do not arrive in costume or speak exclusively in character – something that differentiates TRPGs from live-action role-playing games (LARPs). Instead, players develop characters based on certain rules and are responsible for deciding what those characters do over the course of the game. |url-access=limited}}</ref> skill trees, or direct control over a customizable team of game characters, usually called a party. The player character's stats determine relative strength, effectiveness or abilities and can increase when a character gains a level. MMORPGs with real-time combat systems are also ARPGs.<ref name="touch" />

==History== {{see also|Hack and slash}}

===Early 1980s: Precursors=== Several games prior to 1984 are considered precursors to the action RPG genre. Jeremy Parish of ''USgamer'' cited ''Adventure'' (1980).<ref name="1up_parish2">{{cite web |title=Montezuma's Revenge, an Atari Quest to Make Adventure Proud |author=Jeremy Parish |website=USGamer |year=2014 |url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/montezumas-revenge-an-adventure-to-make-adventure-proud |access-date=October 18, 2017 |quote=By borrowing from Atari's action RPG, Utopia created a platformer classic. |archive-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729162836/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/montezumas-revenge-an-adventure-to-make-adventure-proud |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton cited the Intellivision games ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (1982) and ''Treasure of Tarmin'' (1983).<ref name="gamsut">{{cite web|title=A History of Gaming Platforms: Mattel Intellivision |last1=Barton|first1=Matt|last2=Loguidice|first2=Bill |website=Gamasutra |year=2008 |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/a-history-of-gaming-platforms-mattel-intellivision |access-date=October 18, 2017 |quote=Mattel's lineup included the classic action role-playing games ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Cartridge'' (1982) and ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Treasure of Tarmin Cartridge'' (1983).}}</ref> Shaun Musgrave of ''TouchArcade'' discussed ''Adventure'', ''Bokosuka Wars'' (1983) and ''Gateway to Apshai'' (1983). He noted ''Adventure'' lacked RPG mechanics such as experience points or permanent character growth, arguing that ''Gateway to Apshai'' is "the earliest game I'd feel comfortable calling an action-RPG" but that "it doesn't fit neatly into our modern genre classifications" though came closer than ''Bokosuka Wars''.<ref name="touch">{{cite web|last1=Musgrave|first1=Shaun|title=RPG Reload Glossary: The Origins of Action-RPGs|url=http://toucharcade.com/2017/07/13/rpg-reload-glossary-the-origins-of-action-rpgs/|website=TouchArcade|date=July 13, 2017}}</ref>

===Mid-1980s: Emergence of genre===

According to Jeremy Parish of ''1UP'', the action RPG genre was established by several Japanese developers in 1984, who combined the role-playing genre with arcade{{nbh}}style action and action-adventure elements.<ref name="1up_parish">{{cite web|title=What Happened to the Action RPG? |author=Jeremy Parish |website=1UP |year=2012 |url=http://www.1up.com/features/what-happened-action-rpg.html |access-date=January 14, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150112012702/http://www.1up.com/features/what-happened-action-rpg.html |archive-date=January 12, 2015 }}</ref> Shaun Musgrave of ''TouchArcade'' also traces the genre's roots to Japan, and notes that the "Western game industry of the time had a tendency to treat action games and RPGs as separate things for separate demographics". Jeremy Parish has reported action RPGs were popularized by ''The Tower of Druaga'' in Japan.<ref name="1up_parish" /> It was released for arcades in June 1984, and was intended as a "fantasy version of ''Pac-Man'', with puzzles to solve, monsters to battle, and hidden treasure to find".<ref name="touch" /> Its success in Japan inspired the development of ''Dragon Slayer'' (1984)<ref name="1up_parish" /> and ''Hydlide'' (1984).<ref name="touch" /> ''Dragon Slayer'', ''Hydlide'' and ''Courageous Perseus'' (1984) "vie for position as genre precedent" states John Szczepaniak, and there was an ongoing rivalry between the ''Dragon Slayer'' and ''Hydlide'' series over the years.<ref name="Szczepaniak38">{{cite book|last1=Szczepaniak|first1=John|title=The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 2|date=2015|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|isbn=9781518818745|pages=38|quote=It cannot be overstated how influential Hydlide was on the ARPGs which followed it, nor how popular it was on both computers and the Famicom in Japan. But it is imperative you compare ''Hydlide'' only to games released that same year, to fully appreciate the merit in its ideas. There were two other similar titles in 1984, ''Courageous Perseus'' and ''Dragon Slayer'', and all three vie for position as genre precedent – amusingly, a friendly rivalry even developed with Dragon Slayer's creator Yoshio Kiya, of Falcom, as over the years T&E Software and Falcom competed against each other.}}</ref> Falcom's ''Dragon Slayer'', created by Yoshio Kiya,<ref name="Dragon-Slayer" /> is "the very first action-RPG ever made" as claimed by GameSetWatch.<ref name="GameSetWatch">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/07/column_compilation_catalog_fal_1.php|title=Falcom Classics|publisher=GameSetWatch|date=July 12, 2006|access-date=May 18, 2011|archive-date=March 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326224503/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/07/column_compilation_catalog_fal_1.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Originally released for the PC-8801 computer in September 1984,<ref>[http://i.imgur.com/T62BuYo.jpg ''Falcom Chronicle''], Nihon Falcom</ref> it abandoned the command-based battles of earlier role-playing games in favor of real-time hack-and-slash combat that required direct input from the player, alongside puzzle elements.<ref name="Dragon-Slayer">{{cite web|last=Kalata |first=Kurt |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dragonslayer/dragonslayer.htm |title=Dragon Slayer |publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=July 23, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723142515/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dragonslayer/dragonslayer.htm |archive-date=July 23, 2011 }}</ref> In contrast to earlier turn-based roguelikes, ''Dragon Slayer'' was a dungeon-crawl role-playing game with real-time, action-oriented combat,<ref name="GameSetWatch" /> combined with traditional role-playing mechanics.<ref name="1up_parish" /> ''Dragon Slayer's'' overhead action role-playing formula was used in many later games.<ref name="Xanadu" /> ''The Tower of Druaga'', ''Dragon Slayer'' and ''Hydlide'' were influential in Japan, where they influenced later action RPGs such as ''Ys'', as well as action-adventure games like ''The Legend of Zelda''.<ref name="Szczepaniak">{{cite book |last1=Szczepaniak |first1=John |title=The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 2 |date=2015 |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=9781518818745}}</ref>{{rp|38}}<ref name="Dragon-Slayer" />

T&E Soft's ''Hydlide'', released in December 1984,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hydlide (PC88)|magazine=Famitsu|url=http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=28193|access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref> was created by Tokihiro Naito, who was influenced by ''The Tower of Druaga''.<ref name="Szczepaniak" />{{rp|42–49}} It was the first action RPG with an overworld.<ref name="touch" /> The game was immensely popular in Japan, and sold 2 million copies across all platforms.<ref name="john">{{cite web|url=http://www.kinephanos.ca/2015/history-of-japanese-video-games/ |title=History of Japanese Video Games |publisher=Kinephanos |access-date=July 23, 2016}}</ref> John Szczepaniak claims that it "cannot be overstated how influential Hydlide was on the ARPGs which followed it".<ref name="Szczepaniak38" /> The same year, ''Courageous Perseus'' was also one of the earliest action RPGs.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Szczepaniak|first1=John|title=The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 2|date=2015|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|isbn=9781518818745|quote=''Courageous Perseus'' is one of the earliest if not the first Action-RPG}}</ref> ''Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu'', released in 1985 (billed as a "new type of real-time role-playing game"), was an action role-playing game with many character stats and a large quest.<ref name="GameSetWatch" /> It also incorporated a side-scrolling view for exploration and an overhead view for battle,<ref name="Xanadu" /> and an early "Karma" morality system where the character's Karma meter will rise if he sins (kills "good" enemies), which in turn causes the temples to refuse to level him up.<ref name="GameSetWatch" /> ''Xanadu Scenario II'', released in 1986, was an expansion pack, created to expand the content of ''Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu''.<ref name="Xanadu">{{cite web|first=Kurt|last=Kalata|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/xanadu/xanadu.htm|title=Xanadu|work=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=September 7, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110723142521/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/xanadu/xanadu.htm| archive-date= July 23, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> ''Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness'' (1985) also featured a morality system.<ref name="touch" /> ''Eurogamer'' cites ''Fairlight'' (1985) as an early action RPG.<ref name="eurgam">{{cite web|title=The classic 8-bit isometric games that tried to break the mould |last=Mason|first=Graeme |website=Eurogamer |date=July 24, 2016 |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-07-24-the-classic-8-bit-isometric-games-that-tried-to-break-the-mould |access-date=October 18, 2017 |quote=[T]here were potions and food to collect as well, making Fairlight an early entry in the action RPG genre seen so commonly today.}}</ref>

An important influence on the action RPG genre was the 1986 action-adventure ''The Legend of Zelda'', which served as the template for many future action RPGs, even though it does not strictly fit the definition of later action RPGs.<ref name=zeldainfluence>{{cite web|title=GameSpy's 30 Most Influential People in Gaming |publisher=GameSpy |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/march02/top30/61/index3.shtm |access-date=April 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302042627/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/march02/top30/61/index3.shtm |archive-date=March 2, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In contrast to previous action RPGs, such as ''Dragon Slayer'' and ''Hydlide,'' which required the player to bump into enemies to attack them, ''The Legend of Zelda'' featured an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen.<ref name=Dragon-Slayer/><ref name=Hydlide>{{cite web|title=Hydlide|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/hydlide/hydlide.htm|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|last1=Kalata|first1=Kurt|last2=Greene|first2=Robert}}</ref> It was also an early example of open-world, nonlinear gameplay, and introduced new features such as battery backup saving. These elements have been used in many action RPGs since.<ref>{{cite web|title=15 Most Influential Games of All Time: The Legend of Zelda |publisher=GameSpot |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/15influential/p9_01.html |access-date=January 24, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515053341/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/15influential/p9_01.html |archive-date=May 15, 2010 }}</ref>

===Late 1980s: Genre evolution===

In 1987, ''Zelda II: The Adventure of Link'' implemented a more traditional RPG-esque system, with experience points and levels with action game elements.<ref>{{cite web|author=Comedy|date=February 25, 2006|title=Zelda II: The 20-Year-Late Review|url=https://www.wired.com/2006/02/zelda-ii-the-20/|access-date=July 20, 2021|publisher=WIRED}}</ref> Unlike its predecessor, ''Zelda II'' more closely fits the definition of an action RPG.<ref name="touch"/>

Another ''Metroidvania''-style action RPG released that year was System Sacom's Sharp X1 computer game ''Euphory'', which was possibly the only ''Metroidvania''-style multiplayer action RPG produced, with two-player cooperative gameplay.<ref name=Retro>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers4.htm|author=John Szczepaniak|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|page=4|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=March 18, 2011}} (Reprinted from ''Retro Gamer'', Issue 67, 2009)</ref> The fifth ''Dragon Slayer'' title, ''Sorcerian'', was also released that year. It was a party-based action RPG; the player controls a party of four characters at the same time in a side-scrolling view. The game also featured character creation, highly customizable characters, class-based puzzles, and a new scenario system, players could choose from 15 scenarios, or quests, to play through in the order of their choice. It was also an episodic video game, with expansion disks later released with more scenarios.<ref name=Dragon-Slayer/> Falcom also released the first installment of its ''Ys'' series in 1987. While not very popular in the West, the long-running ''Ys'' series has performed strongly in the Japanese market, with many sequels, remakes and ports in the decades that followed its release. Besides Falcom's own ''Dragon Slayer'' series, ''Ys'' was also influenced by ''Hydlide'', from which it borrowed certain mechanics such as health-regeneration.<ref name="gtm_falcom">{{cite journal|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=July 7, 2011|title=Falcom: Legacy of Ys|url=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9zubzM0zBY/Tha7EQvCY6I/AAAAAAAADWA/Z0XpWaMpSdw/s1600/1.jpg|journal=GamesTM|issue=111|pages=152–159 [153]|access-date=July 20, 2021}}</ref>

''The Faery Tale Adventure'' offered one of the largest worlds at the time, with over 17,000 computer screens without load times.<ref name=sega16>{{cite web|last1=Horowitz|first1=Ken|title=Genre Spotlight: RPG Round-Up|url=http://www.sega-16.com/2009/01/genre-spotlight-rpg-round-up/|website=Sega-16|access-date=October 19, 2017|date=January 8, 2009|quote=It was hailed at the time as having the largest in-game world of any RPG (almost 17,000 screens)...}}</ref>

In 1988, Telenet Japan's ''Exile'' series debuted and was controversial due to its plot, which revolves around a time-travelling Crusades-era Syrian assassin who assassinates various religious/historical figures as well as 20th-century political leaders,<ref name=Exile>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/exile/exile.htm|title=Exile / XZR|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=April 11, 2009|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=August 10, 2009}}</ref> The gameplay of ''Exile'' included both overhead exploration and side-scrolling combat and featured a heart monitor to represent the player's Attack Power and Armor Class statistics. Another controversial aspect of the game involved drugs (instead of potions) that increase/decrease attributes, but with side effects such as heart-rate increase/decrease or death.<ref name=Exile/> Origin Systems, the developer of the ''Ultima'' series, also released an action RPG in 1988, titled ''Times of Lore'', which was inspired by various NES titles, particularly ''The Legend of Zelda''.<ref name="Barton">{{cite book|last1=Barton|first1=Matt|title=Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games|date=2008|publisher=A K Peters|location=Wellesley, Massachusetts|isbn=978-1568814117|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPPRBQAAQBAJ}}</ref>{{rp|182, 212}} ''Times of Lore'' inspired several later titles by Origin Systems, such as the 1990 games ''Bad Blood'' (another action RPG based on the same engine)<ref name="Barton"/>{{rp|183}} and ''Ultima VI: The False Prophet'', based on the same interface.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/TheOfficialBookOfUltima|title=The Official Book Of Ultima|date=September 17, 1990|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>{{rp|83–84}}

Also in 1989, the enhanced remake ''Ys I & II'' was one of the first video games to use CD-ROM, which was utilized to provide enhanced graphics, animated cut scenes,<ref name="gtm_falcom_156">{{cite journal|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=July 7, 2011|title=Falcom: Legacy of Ys|url=http://imageshack.us/f/35/yshistory05.jpg/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114061257/http://imageshack.us/f/35/yshistory05.jpg/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 14, 2013|journal=GamesTM|issue=111|pages=152–159 [156]|access-date=September 8, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Ys">{{cite web|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|title=History of Ys interviews|url=http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/07/history-of-ys-interviews-by-john.html|work=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=September 6, 2011|date=July 8, 2011}})</ref> a Red Book CD soundtrack,<ref name="gtm_falcom_155">{{cite journal|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=July 7, 2011|title=Falcom: Legacy of Ys|url=http://imageshack.us/f/35/yshistory04.jpg/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209093604/http://imageshack.us/f/35/yshistory04.jpg/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 9, 2012|journal=GamesTM|issue=111|pages=152–159 [155]|access-date=September 8, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Ys"/> and voice acting.<ref name="gtm_falcom_156"/><ref name="gtm_falcom_155"/> Its English localization was also one of the first to use voice dubbing. The game received the Game of the Year award from ''OMNI Magazine'' in 1990, as well as other prizes.<ref name="gtm_falcom_156"/> Another 1989 release, Activision's ''Prophecy: The Fall of Trinadon'', attempted to introduce "Nintendo-style" action combat to North American computer role-playing games.<ref name="scorpia199110">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1991&pub=2&id=87 | title=C*R*P*G*S / Computer Role-Playing Game Survey | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=October 1991 | access-date=November 18, 2013 | author=Scorpia | page=16}}</ref>

=== 1990s: Console games and ''Diablo'' === [[File:Montreal Comiccon 2015 - Barbarian, Wizard and three Demon Hunters (Diablo 3) (19290826830).jpg|thumb|''Diablo'' cosplay.]]

Action RPGs were far more common on consoles than computers, due to better suitability of gamepads to real-time action than the keyboard and mouse.<ref name="Loguidice">{{cite book|last1=Loguidice|first1=Bill|last2=Barton|first2=Matt|title=Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time|date=2009|publisher=Focal Press|location=Boston|isbn=978-0240811468}}</ref>{{rp|43}} Early-’90s consoles refined the real-time, stat-driven formula. Though there were action-oriented computer RPGs created in the late 1980s and early 1990s, very few saw any success.<ref name="Loguidice"/>{{rp|43}} ''Times of Lore'' was one of the more successful attempts in the American computer market,<ref name="Loguidice"/>{{rp|43}} where there was a claimed generally negative attitude from some players towards genres combination and an emphasis on the purity of the RPG genre.<ref name="1up_parish"/> For example, a survey in the 1991 issue of ''Computer Gaming World'' criticized several computer role{{nbh}}playing games; including ''Ys'', ''Sorcerian,'' ''Times of Lore,'' and ''Prophecy,'' for their resemblance to "arcade" or "Nintendo-style" action combat.<ref name="scorpia199110"/>

In 1991, Square released ''Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden'', also known as ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' or ''Mystic Quest'' in the West, for the Game Boy. Like ''Crystalis'', the action in ''Seiken Densetsu'' bore a strong resemblance to that of ''Legend of Zelda'', but added more RPG elements. It was one of the first action RPGs to allow players to kill townspeople, though later ''Mana'' games removed this feature.<ref>{{cite web|author=Andrew Vestal |title=Other Game Boy RPGs |publisher=GameSpot |date=November 2, 1998 |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/rpg_hs/gameboy3.html |access-date=November 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711071821/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/rpg_hs/gameboy3.html |archive-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref> ''Arcus Odyssey'' by Wolf Team (now Namco Tales Studio) was an action RPG that featured an isometric perspective and co-operative multiplayer gameplay.<ref name="levi">{{cite web|url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/882/882363p1.html|title=Top 10 Renovation Games|last=Buchanan|first=Levi|date=June 17, 2008|publisher=IGN.com|access-date=November 6, 2009}}</ref> In 1993, the second ''Seiken Densetsu'' game, ''Secret of Mana'', received considerable acclaim,<ref name="EuroGamer" /> for its innovative pausable real-time action battle system,<ref>{{cite web|title=Secret of Mana|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/secretofmana/Secret_of_Mana-2.html|website=RPGFan|access-date=July 23, 2016|archive-date=November 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101174523/http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/secretofmana/Secret_of_Mana-2.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and its innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay,<ref name="EuroGamer">{{cite web|last=Dutton |first=Fred |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-12-17-secret-of-mana-hits-app-store-this-month |title=Secret of Mana hits App Store this month • |publisher=Eurogamer.net |date=December 17, 2010 |access-date=July 23, 2016}}</ref> where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time, and did not have to join the game at the same time.<ref name="NowGamer" /> The game has remained influential through to the present day, with its ring menu system still used in modern games and its cooperative multiplayer mentioned as an influence on games such as ''Dungeon Siege III'' (2011).<ref name="NowGamer">{{cite web|url=http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1127/dungeon-siege-iii-developer-interview |title=Obsidian: We Wish New Vegas 'Wasn't Glitchy' |publisher=NowGamer |date=May 8, 2011 |access-date=July 23, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102110139/http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1127/dungeon-siege-iii-developer-interview |archive-date=January 2, 2011 }}</ref>

On PC, the genre's inflection point was ''Ultima Underworld'' (1992) which has been cited as the first RPG to feature first-person action in a 3D environment.<ref name="gama22">{{cite web |author=Shahrani, Sam |date=April 25, 2006 |title=Educational Feature: A History and Analysis of Level Design in 3D Computer Games (Part 1) |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2674/educational_feature_a_history_and_.php?page=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629172105/http://gamasutra.com/features/20060425/shahrani_01.shtml |archive-date=June 29, 2006 |access-date=February 10, 2009 |website=Gamasutra}}</ref>''<ref name="TES1">{{cite web |title=Arena: Behind the Scenes |url=http://www.elderscrolls.com/tenth_anniv/tenth_anniv-arena.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211032310/http://www.elderscrolls.com/tenth_anniv/tenth_anniv-arena.htm |archive-date=December 11, 2007 |access-date=September 28, 2007 |publisher=Bethesda Softworks}}</ref>'' In 1998, ''PC Gamer'' declared it the 18th-best computer game ever released, and the editors called it "Light-years ahead of their time, and still regarded as some of the best roleplaying games ever created".<ref name="pcgtop50">{{cite journal |date=October 1998 |title=The 50 Best Games Ever |journal=PC Gamer US |volume=5 |pages=86, 87, 89, 90, 92, 98, 101, 102, 109, 110, 113, 114, 117, 118, 125, 126, 129, 130 |number=10}}</ref> A poll conducted in May 2023 by GQ among a team of video game journalists listed it as the 95th-best video game of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by experts |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best-video-games-all-time |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB}}</ref> ''The Elder Scrolls: Arena'' (1994)'','' the first game in the ''Elder Scrolls'' series, was released for MS-DOS in 1994. ''Diablo'' (1996/97), Blizzard North’s click-to-move, real-time “dungeon crawl” stripped friction from combat and loot, while the launch of Battle.net alongside Diablo brought always-available online co-op. Contemporary reports noted Battle.net's explosive uptake within a week of launch.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Saltzman |first=Marc |title=Blizzard Takes Online Gaming by Storm |url=https://www.wired.com/1997/01/blizzard-takes-online-gaming-by-storm/ |access-date=2025-09-10 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> ''Diablo''{{'}}s effect on the market is significant, inspired many imitators. Its impact was such that some use the term Action RPGs exclusively to ''Diablo''-style games.<ref name="1up_parish" /> Other games influenced by ''Ultima Underworld'' include ''Deus Ex'',<ref name="eurogamer">{{cite web |date=August 4, 2000 |title=Warren Spector of Ion Storm (Part Two) |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=337 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518105205/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/warrens2 |archive-date=May 18, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2009 |work=Eurogamer}}</ref> ''Deus Ex: Invisible War'',<ref name="rpgvault">{{cite web |last=Aihoshi |first=Richard |date=November 17, 2003 |title=''Deus Ex: Invisible War'' Interview, Part 1 |url=http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/440/440693p1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031119071038/http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/440/440693p1.html |archive-date=November 19, 2003 |access-date=March 6, 2009 |publisher=IGN}}</ref> ''Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines'',<ref name="boyarsky">{{cite web |last=Boyarsky |first=Leonard |date=December 13, 2003 |title=''Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines'' Designer Diary #3 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-designer-diary-3/1100-6085643/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518130331/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-designer-diary-3/1100-6085643/ |archive-date=May 18, 2016 |publisher=GameSpot}}</ref> and ''Half-Life 2''.<ref name="euro">{{cite web |last=Reed |first=Kristan |date=May 12, 2004 |title=''Half-Life 2'' - Valve speaks to Eurogamer |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/i_e3valvesoftware_pc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126011711/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/i_e3valvesoftware_pc |archive-date=January 26, 2010 |access-date=March 6, 2009 |publisher=Eurogamer}}</ref>

Some action RPGs used a side-scrolling perspective typical of beat 'em ups, such as the ''Princess Crown'' and its spiritual successors, which includes ''Odin Sphere'' and ''Muramasa: The Demon Blade''. ''Princess Crown'' had a more cartoon-like visual appeal. It still had quality visuals due to the George Kamitani style.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/can-t-wait-for-dragon-s-crown-try-its-spiritual-predec-568231331|title=Can't Wait for Dragon's Crown? Try its Spiritual Predecessor|website=Kotaku|date=June 25, 2013 |language=en-us|access-date=November 19, 2019}}</ref> ''LandStalker's'' 1997 spiritual successor ''Alundra''<ref>{{cite web|title=Alundra|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/alundra/Alundra.html|work=RPGFan|access-date=January 20, 2015|author=Webber|date=March 2, 1998|archive-date=December 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214065236/http://rpgfan.com/reviews/alundra/Alundra.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> is considered "one of the finest examples of action/RPG gaming", combined platforming elements and puzzles with an innovative storyline about entering people's dreams and dealt with mature themes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zimmerman|first=Conrad|title=An RPG Draws Near! Alundra|url=http://www.destructoid.com/an-rpg-draws-near-alundra-125565.phtml|publisher=Destructoid|access-date=January 30, 2012|date=March 20, 2009|archive-date=November 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104054923/http://www.destructoid.com/an-rpg-draws-near-alundra-125565.phtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== 2000s: Online co-op, console brawlers, and open worlds === thumb|''Kingdom Hearts'' cosplay.

Right at the turn of the millennium, ''Diablo II'' (2000) scaled its predecessor's formula with class variety, seasons-like ladder play, and deeper itemization that moved millions of copies quickly and entrenched the “loot chase” as a genre pillar. ''Phantasy Star Online'' (2000) then brought real-time, instance-based ARPG play to consoles over the Internet.

The early 2000s pushed ARPGs in multiple directions. ''On consoles, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance'' (2001) popularized silky, pad-first hack-and-slash co-op (often called the “Snowblind engine” lineage after the developer ), and led to a wave of couch-co-op ARPGs. In the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (now known as the D.I.C.E. Awards), the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Dark Alliance with "Console Role-Playing Game of the Year".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=I. G. N. |date=2002-03-27 |title=Baldur's Gate Wins Arts and Sciences Award |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/03/27/baldurs-gate-wins-arts-and-sciences-award |access-date=2025-09-10 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref>

''Kingdom Hearts (2002)'', the first game in the series, was released in Japan on March 28, 2002, for PlayStation 2 continuing the trend of character action or hack and slash role-playing games.<ref name="KH-IGNProfile">{{cite web |title=Kingdom Hearts |url=https://www.ign.com/games/kingdom-hearts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924225219/http://www.ign.com/games/kingdom-hearts |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=September 4, 2007 |website=IGN}}</ref><ref name="KH-GameFAQS">{{cite web |title=''Kingdom Hearts'' Info |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps2/516587-kingdom-hearts/data |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170818/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/516587-kingdom-hearts/data |archive-date=2016-03-03 |access-date=May 12, 2007 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> It is a crossover of various Disney properties based in an original fictional universe. This series has been critically and commercially successful. As of March 2014, the series had sold over 20 million copies worldwide.<ref name="17million">{{cite web |date=March 31, 2014 |title=Businesses – Square Enix Holdings |url=https://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/group/index.html#game4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121013036/http://www.square-enix.com/eng/group/index.html |archive-date=January 21, 2012 |access-date=August 18, 2014}}</ref>

PC saw continued ''Diablo''-style games and fresh spins: ''Titan Quest'' (2006) and later ''Torchlight'' (2009) kept isometric, loot-centric ARPGs vibrant, with Torchlight explicitly positioned by ex-Diablo developers as a modern, fast-moving take on the formula. Meanwhile, real-time, first-person/third-person ''open-world ARPGs'' like ''The Elder Scrolls'' entries and Gothic built action combat atop simulation-heavy RPG systems, and broadened what “action role-playing” encompassed. ''Ultima Underworld'''s influence has been found in ''BioShock'' (2007),<ref name="eludamos">{{cite journal | url=http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/27/40 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306020123/http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/27/40 | title=Bioshock: A Critical Historical Perspective | last=Weise | first=Matthew Jason | date=February 29, 2008 | archive-date=March 6, 2008 | journal=Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture | volume=2 | issue=1 | doi=10.7557/23.5977 | s2cid=145315938 | oclc=220219478 | at=151–155 | access-date=March 8, 2009 | doi-access=free }}</ref> and that game's designer, Ken Levine, has stated that "all the things that I wanted to do and all the games that I ended up working on came out of the inspiration I took from ''Ultima Underworld''".<ref name="forbes">{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/12/03/ken-levine-bioshock-tech-personal-cx_mji_1203levine.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225110906/http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/03/ken-levine-bioshock-tech-personal-cx_mji_1203levine.html | archive-date=February 25, 2009 | title=Games Are The Convergence Of Everything | last=Irwin | first=Mary Jane | date=December 3, 2008 | work=Forbes | access-date=March 17, 2009 }}</ref> ''Gears of War'' designer Cliff Bleszinski also cited it as an early influence, and stated that it had "far more impact on me than ''Doom''".<ref name="mtv">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1532185/20060519/story.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304115303/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1532185/20060519/story.jhtml |title=Gaming Roundtable Considers Bloody Monsters |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=May 22, 2006 |archive-date=March 4, 2010 |publisher=MTV |access-date=March 6, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''The Witcher'' series began in 2007 with the release of ''The Witcher'', and concluded with 2015's ''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt''. The series has three main standalone games, two expansion packs and seven spin-off games. 2007 also saw the release of ''Mass Effect'' which sold over one million units worldwide in less than three weeks after launch''.<ref name="3 Weeks Sales">{{cite web |author=James Brightman |date=December 10, 2007 |title=Mass Effect Amasses One Million Copies Sold |url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/mass-effect-amasses-one-million-copies-sold/18805/?biz=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212145929/http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/mass-effect-amasses-one-million-copies-sold/18805/?biz=1 |archive-date=December 12, 2007 |access-date=December 12, 2007 |website=GameDaily}}</ref>'' The ''Mass Effect'' series had sold a total of 14 million units by July 5, 2014.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sun |first=Leo |date=July 5, 2014 |title=What EA Must Do to Make 'Mass Effect 4' a Blockbuster |url=http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/07/05/what-ea-must-do-to-make-mass-effect-4-a-blockbuste.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924042635/http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/07/05/what-ea-must-do-to-make-mass-effect-4-a-blockbuste.aspx |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=March 2, 2015}}</ref> Bethesda acquired the ''Fallout'' franchise from Interplay and released ''Fallout 3'' (2008) as an action RPG in departure from previous titles.

FromSoftware's ''Demon's Souls'' (2009) emphasized hard enemies and environments, combined with risk-and-reward mechanics such as limited checkpoints, "souls" that can be collcted and consumed as experience points to increase the player's stats, or as a currency to purchase items, and player death penalties instead of an outright failure state. It also incorporated online features and allowed players to: leave messages in the overworld that can be read by other players, to temporarily join other players' sessions to assist them cooperatively, or "invade" another player's session to engage in player versus player combat. Especially after the release of its spiritual successor ''Dark Souls'' (2011) and its sequels, other action RPGs emerged in the 2010s that incorporated mechanics influenced by those of ''Demon's Souls'', which have been popularly referred to as "Soulslike" games.<ref name="IGNReview">{{cite web|author=Sam Bishop|date=2009-10-09|title=IGN Demon's Souls Review – One of the most rewarding, challenging PS3 games finally hits the US.|url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/103/1033437p1.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719081805/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/103/1033437p1.html|archive-date=2012-07-19|access-date=2010-01-27|website=IGN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Prescott|first1=Shaun|title=The best Souls-like games on PC|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-souls-like-games-on-pc/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714180852/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-souls-like-games-on-pc/|archive-date=July 14, 2019|access-date=July 14, 2019|website=PC Gamer|date=April 11, 2019 }}</ref><ref name="ign soulslike def 2021">{{cite web |title=The Best Soulslike Games|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-soulslike-games|work=IGN|date=February 11, 2021 |access-date=February 11, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Cameron|first=Phill|date=April 9, 2015|title=Cheating Death: Accommodating player failure and recovery|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/cheating-death-accommodating-player-failure-and-recovery|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928000609/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/240418/Cheating_Death_Accommodating_player_failure_and_recovery.php|archive-date=September 28, 2019|access-date=September 27, 2019|work=Gamasutra}}</ref> ''Borderlands'' is the first game in the ''Borderlands'' series.

=== 2010s: Soulslike and global popularity ===

This decade saw continued global popularity of Action RPGs with new and old game series seeing success. ''Bastion'' developed by independent developer Supergiant Games published in 2011 sold over 3 million copies by January 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bastion Sells 3 Million, Transistor Hits 600,000 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bastion-sells-3-million-transistor-hits-600-000/1100-6424555/ |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref> Bob Mackey of ''1UP.com'' called it "the perfect mesh of game and story",<ref>{{Cite web |title=Video Game News, Reviews, and Walkthroughs |url=https://www.ign.com/ |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> and McKinley Noble of ''GamePro'' said that it "raises the visual and narrative bar for downloadable titles". ''Diablo III'' (2012) launched with a real-money auction house that Blizzard ultimately shuttered in 2014 after it undermined the loot-hunt core; the ''Loot 2.0'' overhaul restored the series’ feedback loop and became a cautionary case study in ARPG commerce.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Moore |first=Bo |title=Why Diablo's Auction House Went Straight to Hell |url=https://www.wired.com/2013/09/diablo-auction-house/ |access-date=2025-09-10 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hutchinson |first=Lee |date=2014-03-18 |title=Diablo 3 says goodbye—and good riddance—to the Auction House |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/03/diablo-3-says-goodbye-and-good-riddance-to-the-auction-house/ |access-date=2025-09-10 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref>

Capcom's ''Dragon's Dogma'' (2012) blended responsive action combat with systemic RPG depth (pawns, vocations). In 2013, ''Vanillaware'' released the fantasy beat 'em up ARPG ''Dragon's Crown'', a spiritual successor to ''Princess Crown'' and a "deeply moving product" of Vanillaware director George Kamitani. Kamitani cites many classic RPGs as his inspiration, states in the ''Dragon's Crown Artworks'' foreword: "The motif within Dragon's Crown is all the fantasy works that has affected me until now: the PC RPG Wizardry that I first came into contact with as a student; Ian Livingstone's gamebooks; games like ''Tower of Druaga'', ''Golden Axe'' and ''The King of Dragons''." He also cites his early 20s work on ''Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom'' as "truly something that I had aspired for". ''Dragon's Crown'' was re-released with a PS4 "Pro" edition in 2018.

''Assassin's Creed,'' a previously action-adventure franchise of Ubisoft, shifted towards the action RPG formula, inspired by the successes of ''The Witcher 3'' and the ''Dark Souls'' series,<ref>{{cite web |last=Kain |first=Erik |title='Assassin's Creed Origins' Learned Important Lessons From 'The Witcher 3' And 'Dark Souls' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2017/10/26/assassins-creed-origins-learned-important-lessons-from-the-witcher-3-and-dark-souls/ |access-date=2021-09-02 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2017-08-11 |title=New Assassin's Creed Origins Combat Video Shows Heavy Dark Souls and Witcher Inspiration |url=https://geekreply.com/geek-culture/gaming-geek-culture/2017/08/11/new-assassins-creed-origins-combat-video-shows-heavy-dark-souls-witcher-inspiration |access-date=2021-09-02 |website=Geek Reply |language=en-US}}</ref> with its titles ''Origins'' (2017), ''Odyssey'' (2018) and ''Valhalla'' (2020). ''Persona 5 Strikers'' ''(2020)'' is an action RPG offering from the turn based ''Persona'' series''.'' By November 2023, the game had sold over 2 million units.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vitale |first=Adam |date=November 10, 2023 |title=Persona 5 Strikers surpasses 2 million units sold |url=https://www.rpgsite.net/news/15094-persona-5-strikers-surpasses-2-million-units-sold |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=RPGSite |language=en}}</ref>''

''Horizon Zero Dawn'' (2017) is an action role-playing game set in post-apocalyptic United States and played from a third-person view.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Donaldson |first=Alex |date=27 June 2016 |title=Horizon: Zero Dawn appears to be a proper RPG, and an exciting one |url=https://www.vg247.com/2016/06/27/horizon-zero-dawn-appears-to-be-a-proper-rpg-and-an-exciting-one/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20160701231558/https://www.vg247.com/2016/06/27/horizon-zero-dawn-appears-to-be-a-proper-rpg-and-an-exciting-one/ |archive-date=1 July 2016 |website=VG247 |publisher=Videogaming247 Ltd}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farokhmanesh |first=Megan |date=24 June 2015 |title=Horizon Zero Dawn aims to fill the open-world gap between GTA and Skyrim |url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/24/8834897/horizon-zero-dawn-e3-2015-preview-gta-skyrim |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150624150901/http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/24/8834897/horizon-zero-dawn-e3-2015-preview-gta-skyrim |archive-date=24 June 2015 |website=Polygon |publisher=Vox Media}}</ref>'' In ''Nier: Automata'' (2017) avant-garde narrative coexists with high-tempo action-RPG combat. Monster Hunter was followed by ''Monster Hunter: World'' (2018) which became Capcom's best-selling title ever, and popularized cooperative, animation-driven “hunting” ARPGs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-30 |title=Platinum Titles {{!}}Product Data {{!}} CAPCOM |url=https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html |access-date=2025-09-10 |language=en-US}}</ref> 2020 saw the popularity of live and free-to-play ARPGs: ''Genshin Impact'' (2020) fused open-world action, character progression, and gacha monetization to enormous commercial success.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diaz |first=Ana |date=2024-08-20 |title=Genshin Impact is finally coming to Xbox |url=https://www.polygon.com/news/442075/genshin-impact-coming-to-xbox-gamescom-2024/ |access-date=2025-09-10 |website=Polygon |language=en}}</ref>

=== 2020s: Continued popularity === {{Expand section|date=September 2025}}

The popularity of action RPGs continues to grow. In 2022, FromSoftware's ''Elden Ring'' mixed open-world exploration with Soulslike combat and systems, and swept Game of the Year honors and surpassed 25M sales within its first few years (the DLC itself set records).<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Issy van der Velde |date=2025-07-24 |title=At 10 million copies sold, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has one of the highest attach rates in DLC history, rivalling CD Projekt Red's sterling run with The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/action-rpg/at-10-million-copies-sold-elden-ring-shadow-of-the-erdtree-has-one-of-the-highest-attach-rates-in-dlc-history-rivalling-cd-projekt-reds-sterling-run-with-the-witcher-3-and-cyberpunk-2077/ |access-date=2025-09-10 |website=GamesRadar+ |language=en}}</ref> Avalanche Software released ''Hogwarts Legacy'' in 2023. Set in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and nearby areas, the game is played from a third-person perspective.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2021-01-13 |title=Hogwarts Legacy delayed to 2022 |language=en |work=Eurogamer.net |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/hogwarts-legacy-delayed-to-2022 |access-date=2023-10-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-08-23 |title=Hogwarts Legacy: Everything we know about the new Harry Potter game |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/hogwarts-legacy-harry-potter-RPG-release-date/ |access-date=2023-10-02}}</ref> Players can customize their player character, who learns to cast spells, brew potions, and master combat abilities, and eventually develop their own special combat style.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fay |first1=Kacee |last2=Tomakic |first2=Izabela |date=2023-02-06 |title=How many spells are in Hogwarts Legacy? All confirmed spells so far |url=https://dotesports.com/hp/news/all-spells-in-hogwarts-legacy |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=Dot Esports |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> As of March 2022, the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series has shipped more than 36 million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Reports｜Investor Relations {{!}} SQUARE ENIX HOLDINGS CO., LTD. |url=https://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/ir/library/ar.html |access-date=28 October 2022 |website=www.hd.square-enix.com |language=en}}</ref> As of November 2022, more than 77 million copies of ''Borderlands'' games had been shipped, with 26 million from ''Borderlands 2''.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 16, 2022 |title=Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Reports Strong Results for Fiscal Year 2022 |url=https://www.take2games.com/ir/news/take-two-interactive-software-inc-reports-strong-results-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521184430/https://www.take2games.com/ir/news/take-two-interactive-software-inc-reports-strong-results-21 |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=May 20, 2022}}</ref> An additional five million copies of ''Borderlands 3'' were sold within five days of release, bringing the total series' net revenues to over {{USD|1 billion}}.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kerr |first=Chris |date=September 23, 2019 |title=Borderlands 3 has sold over 5 million copies in five days |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/350947/Borderlands_3_has_sold_over_5_million_copies_in_five_days.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923133959/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/350947/Borderlands_3_has_sold_over_5_million_copies_in_five_days.php |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |work=Gamasutra}}</ref> The ''Witcher'' series is critically acclaimed and commercially successful, selling over 75 million units by March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-29 |title=The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt sales top 50 million; The Witcher series tops 75 million |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2023/05/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-sales-top-50-million-the-witcher-series-tops-75-million |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619235606/https://www.gematsu.com/2023/05/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-sales-top-50-million-the-witcher-series-tops-75-million |archive-date=19 June 2023 |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=2023-05-29 |title=The Witcher is officially one of the most successful game series of all time |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/29/23741471/the-witcher-cd-projekt-red-cdpr-gaming-franchises |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529190619/https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/29/23741471/the-witcher-cd-projekt-red-cdpr-gaming-franchises |archive-date=29 May 2023 |access-date=2023-05-29 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref> Blizzard's ''Diablo IV'' (2023), launched as the fastest-selling title in Blizzard's history, and signaled sustained appetite for shared-world, seasons-driven ARPGs on PC and console.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blizzard |first=Activision |title=Diablo IV earns more than $666M in sales in first five days, setting a new Blizzard record |url=https://newsroom.activisionblizzard.com/p/diablo-iv-launch-sales-record |access-date=2025-09-10 |website=newsroom.activisionblizzard.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Blizzard Press Center - " Diablo® IV Launches, Immediately Sets New Record as Blizzard Entertainment's Fastest-Selling Game of All Time" |url=https://blizzard.gamespress.com/Diablo-IV-Launches-Immediately-Sets-New-Record-as-Blizzard-Entertainme |access-date=2025-09-10 |website=blizzard.gamespress.com}}</ref>

New mainline entries in the long-term turn-based RPG series of ''Final Fantasy'' and ''Dragon Age''; ''Final Fantasy XVI'' (2023) and ''Dragon Age: The Veilguard'' (2024), respectively, have been action RPGs. ''Diablo''-style ARPGs also continue to be popular.

==Subgenres==

=== Dungeon crawl === {{see also|Dungeon crawl}}A ''dungeon crawl'' is a type of scenario in role-playing games (RPGs) in which players navigate a maze (a "dungeon"), battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find.<ref name="GoingKnogue">{{cite web |last1=Brewer |first1=Nathan |date=7 July 2016 |title=Going Rogue: A Brief History of the Computerized Dungeon Crawl |url=https://insight.ieeeusa.org/articles/going-rogue-a-brief-history-of-the-computerized-dungeon-crawl/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110211406/https://insight.ieeeusa.org/articles/going-rogue-a-brief-history-of-the-computerized-dungeon-crawl/ |archive-date=10 January 2020 |access-date=10 January 2020 |website=IEEE-USA InSight}}</ref>

==== First-person dungeon crawl ==== thumb|right|''Damnation of Gods'', a first-person dungeon crawl and a ''Dungeon Master'' clone In late 1987, FTL Games released ''Dungeon Master'', a dungeon crawler that had a real-time game world and some real-time combat elements (akin to Active Time Battle), required players to quickly issue orders to the characters, and set the standard for first-person computer RPGs for several years.<ref name="Barton"/>{{rp|234–236}} It inspired many other developers to make real-time dungeon crawlers, such as ''Eye of the Beholder'' and ''Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos''. ''Dungeons of Daggorath'' meanwhile for the TRS-80 Color Computer had first employed real-time combat in 1982.

''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'', released in 1992, has been cited as the first RPG to feature first-person action in a 3D environment.<ref name="gama2">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629172105/http://gamasutra.com/features/20060425/shahrani_01.shtml |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2674/educational_feature_a_history_and_.php?page=1 |title=Educational Feature: A History and Analysis of Level Design in 3D Computer Games (Part 1) |date=April 25, 2006 |archive-date=June 29, 2006 |publisher=Gamasutra |author=Shahrani, Sam |access-date=February 10, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Ultima Underworld'' is considered the first example of an immersive sim, a genre that combines elements from other genres to create a game with strong player agency and emergent gameplay, and has influenced many games since its release.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.glixel.com/news/the-makers-of-ultima-underworld-return-to-their-roots-w456304 | title = How the Makers of 'System Shock' and 'Ultima Underworld' Rediscovered Their Roots | first = Alex | last = Wiltshire | date = December 15, 2016 | access-date = April 17, 2017 | work = Glixel | archive-date = May 18, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170518102320/http://www.glixel.com/news/the-makers-of-ultima-underworld-return-to-their-roots-w456304 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The engine was re-used and enhanced for ''Ultima Underworld''{{'}}s 1993 sequel, ''Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds''.<ref name=gamebytes>{{cite web | url=http://www.ttlg.com/articles/UW2int2.asp | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419201423/http://www.ttlg.com/articles/UW2int2.asp | title=An Interview With Looking Glass Technologies | publisher=Game Bytes | archive-date=April 19, 2013 | year=1992 | access-date=February 15, 2009 }}</ref> Looking Glass Studios planned to create a third ''Ultima Underworld'', but Origin rejected their pitches.<ref name="cvg">{{cite web | url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=28003 | title=Feature: Games that changed the world: ''Ultima Underworld'' | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212192612/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=28003 | date=April 16, 2002 | archive-date=December 12, 2007 | work=Computer and Video Games | last=Mallinson | first=Paul | access-date=February 10, 2009 }}</ref> After Electronic Arts (EA) rejected Arkane Studios' pitch for ''Ultima Underworld III'', the studio instead created a spiritual successor: ''Arx Fatalis''.<ref name=gamespot5>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/arxfatalis/news.html?sid=2856384&mode=previews |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240525015944/https://www.webcitation.org/5tw8kwxgf?url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/arxfatalis/news.html%3Fsid=2856384&mode=previews&print=1 |title=Arx Fatalis Preview |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |date=March 20, 2002 |publisher=GameSpot |author=Todd, Brett |access-date=February 9, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Toby Gard stated that, when he designed ''Tomb Raider'', he "was a big fan of ... ''Ultima Underworld'' and I wanted to mix that type of game with the sort of polygon characters that were just showcased in ''Virtua Fighter''".<ref name=bbc>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1410480.stm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040717173949/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1410480.stm | title=Q&A: The man who made Lara | date=June 28, 2001 | archive-date=July 17, 2004 | last=Gibbon | first=Dave | publisher=BBC | access-date=March 6, 2009 }}</ref> ''Ultima Underworld'' was also the basis for Looking Glass Technologies' later ''System Shock''.<ref name=gamedesigntheory>{{cite book | last=Rouse III | first=Richard | title=Game Design: Theory & Practice Second Edition | publisher=Wordware Publishing | at=500–531 | year=2005 | isbn=1-55622-912-7 }}</ref>

==== Isometric dungeon crawler ==== {{see also|Diablo (series)}}

The 1988 Origin Systems title ''Times of Lore'' was an action RPG with an icon-based point-and-click interface. ''Bad Blood'', another Origin Systems game from 1990, would use the same interface.<ref name="ultima83">{{cite web|date=July 21, 2010|title=The Official Book Of Ultima|url=https://archive.org/stream/TheOfficialBookOfUltima/The-Official-Book-of-Ultima#page/n95/mode/2up|access-date=February 20, 2017}}</ref> The designers were inspired by console titles, particularly ''The Legend of Zelda'', to make their interface more accessible.<ref name="cgw">''Computer Gaming World'', issue 68 (February 1990), pages 34 & 38</ref> The 1994 title ''Ultima VIII'' used mouse controls and attempted to add precision jump sequences reminiscent of a ''Mario'' platform game, though reactions to the game's mouse-based combat were mixed. In 1997 Blizzard's ''Diablo'' was released and became massively successful. It was an action RPG that used a mouse-oriented point-and-click interface and offered gamers a free online service to play with others that maintained the same rules and gameplay.<ref name="Loguidice" />{{rp|43}} Commonly, these games used a fixed-camera isometric view of the game world, a necessity of the limitations of 2D graphics of early computers; even with 3D graphic engines, such point-and-click games are still presented from a similar isometric view, though provided options to rotate, pan, and zoom the camera to some degree. As such, these are often grouped with other "isometric RPGs".<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last1=Adams|first1=Ernest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qc19ChiOUI4C|title=Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on game design|last2=Rollings|first2=Andrew|publisher=New Riders Publishing|year=2003|isbn=978-1-59273-001-8|pages=364–367}}</ref>

The popularity of the ''Diablo'' series spawned such franchises like ''Divinity'', ''Torchlight'', ''Dungeon Siege'' and ''Sacred''.<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-09-02|title=QA Testing Games Like Dance Central Is Apparently Gruelling And Smelly|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/09/qa-testing-games-like-dance-central-is-apparently-gruelling-and-smelly/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902000504/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/09/qa-testing-games-like-dance-central-is-apparently-gruelling-and-smelly/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 2, 2021|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Kotaku Australia|language=en-AU}}</ref> Commonly, these games used a fixed-camera isometric view of the game world, a necessity of the limitations of 2D graphics of early computers; The Diablo series spawned many terms like reference as "dungeon crawler" "slasher RPG" "hack and slasher", the series was also heavily criticized by players and media as not a proper RPG due to focus more on enemy fights and character builds than a proper narrative and dialogue-heavy journey.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}} After its success many other games tried to mix its influences with different structures and narratives, there are multiple games like ''Divine Divinity'' that were an attempt to have a more dialogue-heavy experience akin to the ''Baldurs Gate'' games and even older series like Falcom's ''Dragon Slayer/Xanadu'' series had ''Xanadu Next'' with similar Diablo influences.<ref>{{cite web|date=2016-11-20|title=Review: Xanadu Next|url=https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-xanadu-next/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Destructoid|language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Xanadu Next (for PC) Review|url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/xanadu-next-for-pc|access-date=2021-09-02|website=PCMAG|date=January 24, 2017 }}</ref> The influences also come full circle as the first ''Diablo'' game was inspired by rogue-likes ''Umoria'' and ''Angband'' <ref>{{cite web|title=How One Gameplay Decision Changed Diablo Forever|url=https://arstechnica.com:444/video/watch/war-stories-how-one-gameplay-decision-changed-diablo-forever|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Ars Technica Videos}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Game Archaeologist: A brief history of roguelikes|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014-01-18-the-game-archaeologist-a-brief-history-of-roguelikes.html|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Engadget|date=January 18, 2014 |language=en-US}}</ref> and in more recent years many games in the rogue-like genre like ''Hades'' series are inspired by more classic dungeon crawler ARPGs that ''Diablo'' helped spawn.<ref>{{cite web|last=Livingston|first=Christopher|date=2021-06-10|title=Dungeon crawler Loot River is like 'Diablo and Tetris had a baby'|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/dungeon-crawler-loot-river-is-like-diablo-and-tetris-had-a-baby/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=PC Gamer|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2017-07-22|title=Indie studio Ignited Artists aims for 'Triple-I' quality with Barbaric|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/07/22/indie-studio-ignited-artists-aims-for-triple-i-quality-with-barbaric/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Chalk|first=Andy|date=2020-01-29|title=Stoneshard launch trailer shows off the Diablo-meets-Darkest Dungeon roguelike|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/stoneshard-launch-trailer-shows-diablo-meets-darkest-dungeon-roguelike/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=PC Gamer|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2019-10-15|title=Diablo-like 'Children of Morta' launches on Xbox One|url=https://www.windowscentral.com/diablo-children-morta-launches-xbox-one|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Windows Central}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2019-10-11|title=Children of Morta Review|url=https://www.gamespace.com/all-articles/news/children-of-morta-review/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=GameSpace.com|language=en-US}}</ref>thumb|Video showing basic point-and-click interface in an action RPG

In this sub genre there are many recent titles like ''Path of Exile'' (2013), ''Grim Dawn'' (2016), ''Zenonia S: Rifts In Time'' (2015), ''Book of Demons'' (2018), ''Shadows: Awakening'' (2018), ''Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl Gold'' (2017), ''Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition'' (2016) and its expansions ''Titan Quest: Ragnarök'' (2017) and ''Titan Quest: Atlantis'' (2019), ''Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem'' (2020) and ''Minecraft Dungeons'' (2020).<ref>{{cite web|date=2020-10-25|title=The 14 Best Action-RPGs To Play If You Love Diablo|url=https://gamerant.com/best-action-rpgs-like-diablo/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Game Rant|language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Point-and-click target combat ==== {{see also|Massively multiplayer online role-playing game}}

The prominence of ''Diablo 2'' in the video game market and its influence on the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) genre<ref>{{Citation|last=Bartle|first=Richard A.|title=From MUDs to MMORPGs: The History of Virtual Worlds|date=2010|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9789-8_2|work=International Handbook of Internet Research|pages=23–39|editor-last=Hunsinger|editor-first=Jeremy|place=Dordrecht|publisher=Springer Netherlands|doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-9789-8_2|bibcode=2010ihoi.book...23B |isbn=978-1-4020-9789-8|access-date=2021-09-02|editor2-last=Klastrup|editor2-first=Lisbeth|editor3-last=Allen|editor3-first=Matthew|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Marvel Heroes Review|url=http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/marvel-heroes-review/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Capsule Computers|date=June 19, 2013 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2020-06-25|title=Former Diablo Devs Talk About Creating A Whole Genre|url=https://www.thegamer.com/former-diablo-devs-create-arpg-genre/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=TheGamer|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Olivetti|first=Justin|title=The Game Archaeologist: The online world of Diablo II {{!}} Massively Overpowered|date=March 20, 2021 |url=https://massivelyop.com/2021/03/20/the-game-archaeologist-the-online-world-of-diablo-ii/|access-date=2021-09-02|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Olivetti|first=Justin|title=The Game Archaeologist: Flagship's Mythos {{!}} Massively Overpowered|date=August 22, 2020 |url=https://massivelyop.com/2020/08/22/the-game-archaeologist-flagships-mythos/|access-date=2021-09-02|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-06-10|title=Amazon are bringing Diablo-like Korean MMO Lost Ark to the west|work=Rock Paper Shotgun|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/amazon-are-bringing-diablo-like-korean-mmo-lost-ark-to-the-west|access-date=2021-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2012-07-06|title=Looking For A True Successor To Diablo 2? Check Out Lineage Eternal|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/games/Looking-True-Successor-Diablo-2-Check-Out-Lineage-Eternal-44341.html|access-date=2021-09-02|website=CINEMABLEND}}</ref> later popularized the strongly used mouse-oriented point-and-click combat. While in the ''Diablo'' series this type of combat does not have a lock-on key, ''World of Warcraft'' and most MMO games use some kind of key to target an enemy, usually TAB, to lock into it, usually referred to as "tab-target".<ref>{{cite web|title=Tab Target MMORPG & MMO Games|url=https://mmopulse.com/game/tab-target-mmorpg-mmo-games|access-date=2021-09-02|website=MMOPulse|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Royce|first=Bree|title=Massively Overthinking: Tab-target vs. action combat in MMORPGs {{!}} Massively Overpowered|date=January 12, 2017 |url=https://massivelyop.com/2017/01/12/massively-overthinking-tab-target-vs-action-combat-in-mmorpgs/|access-date=2021-09-02|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Roklos|first=Pat|date=2017-02-17|title=Best Tab Targeting MMORPGs|url=https://mmos.com/editorials/tab-targeting-mmorpgs|access-date=2021-09-02|website=MMOs.com|language=en-US}}</ref> In tab-target combat, the player's character automatically performs attack animations with some kind of regular attack, while the player can focus on activating other skills and items by pressing other keys. Usually this type of combat is not heavily based on aim or hit boxes, and thus the player can hit enemies from different distances and even from afar. Some tab-target MMOs have other target options such as an "Action mode".

===Role-playing shooter=== {{seealso|Looter shooter}}

Shooter-based action RPGs include ''Star Cruiser'' (1988),<ref>{{cite web |title=Star Cruiser |url=https://kotaku.com/games/star-cruiser--1 |website=Kotaku |access-date=9 April 2025 |date=21 November 2024}}</ref> ''Strife'' (1996), ''System Shock 2'' (1999), the ''Deus Ex'' series (2000 onwards) by Ion Storm, Bungie's ''Destiny'' (2014), Irem's ''Steambot Chronicles'' (2005),<ref>{{cite web|author=Spencer |url=http://www.siliconera.com/2006/05/23/steambot-chronicles/ |title=Steambot Chronicles |publisher=Siliconera |date=May 23, 2006 |access-date=July 23, 2016}}</ref> Square Enix's third-person shooter RPG ''Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII'' (2006), which introduced an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to ''Resident Evil 4'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII|date=January 30, 2006 |publisher=Siliconera|url=http://www.siliconera.com/dirge-of-cerberus-final-fantasy-vii/|access-date=March 29, 2011}}</ref> and the MMO vehicular combat game ''Auto Assault'' (2006) by NetDevil and NCsoft.<ref name="Keiser">{{cite web | author=Kaiser, Joe | date=July 8, 2005 | title=Unsung Inventors | url=http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336&Itemid=2 | work=Next-Gen.biz | access-date=April 2, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051028224610/http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336&Itemid=2 |archive-date = October 28, 2005}}</ref> Other action RPGs featured both hack and slash and shooting elements, with the use of both guns (or in some cases, bow and arrow or aerial combat) and melee weapons, includes Cavia's flight-based ''Drakengard'' series (2003 to 2005),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/previews/drakengard_3 |title=Drakengard Preview for PS2 from |publisher=1UP.com |access-date=July 23, 2016 |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816052255/http://www.1up.com/previews/drakengard_3 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Level-5's ''Rogue Galaxy'' (2005).<ref>{{cite web|last=Yang |first=Louise |url=http://www.siliconera.com/2007/01/26/rogue-galaxy-charming-and-cel-shaded/ |title=Rogue Galaxy: charming and cel shaded |publisher=Siliconera |date=January 26, 2007 |access-date=July 23, 2016}}</ref>

Other RPS games include the ''Mass Effect'' series (2007 onwards), ''Fallout 3'' and subsequent ''Fallout'' titles (2008 onwards), ''White Gold: War in Paradise'' (2008), and ''Borderlands'' (2009).<ref name=Kotaku>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5546807/a-visual-guide-to-the-role+playing-game |title=A Visual Guide To The Role-Playing Game |publisher=Kotaku.com |date=May 25, 2010 |access-date=October 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619204055/http://kotaku.com/5546807/a-visual-guide-to-the-role%20playing-game |archive-date=June 19, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Borderlands'' developer Gearbox Software has dubbed it as a "role-playing shooter" due to the heavy RPG elements within the game, such as quest-based gameplay and also its character traits and leveling system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=1119 |title=Inside Mac Games Review: Borderlands: Game Of The Year Edition |publisher=Insidemacgames.com |date=January 31, 2011 |access-date=July 23, 2016 |archive-date=August 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808055842/http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=1119 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Half-Minute Hero'' (2009) is an RPG shooter that features self-referential humour and a 30-second time limit for each level and boss encounter.<ref>{{cite web|title=2D Forever: the fall and rise of hardcore Japanese game design|work=The Guardian|author=Keith Stuart|date=March 4, 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2011/mar/04/2d-forever-japanese-game-design|access-date=March 23, 2011}}</ref> Other action role-playing games with shooter elements include the 2010 titles ''Alpha Protocol'' by Obsidian Entertainment and ''The 3rd Birthday'', the third game in the ''Parasite Eve'' series, features a unique blend of action RPG, real-time tactical RPG, survival horror and third-person tactical shooter elements.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 3rd Birthday Review: Manhattan just can't catch a break these days|date=March 25, 2011|publisher=IGN|author=Patrick Kolan|url=http://uk.psp.ign.com/articles/115/1157383p1.html|access-date=April 1, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The 3rd Birthday review: New year's Eve|author=David Wolinsky|date=April 7, 2011|publisher=Joystiq|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/07/the-3rd-birthday-review/|access-date=April 9, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110504024913/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/07/the-3rd-birthday-review/| archive-date= May 4, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> Shooter-based RPGs include Imageepoch's post-apocalyptic ''Black Rock Shooter'' (2011)'','' which employs both first-person and third-person shooter elements,<ref>{{cite web|author=Tom Goldman|date=November 24, 2010|title=Imageepoch Unveils New Wave of JRPGs|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105615-Imageepoch-Unveils-New-Wave-of-JRPGs|access-date=July 23, 2016|publisher=The Escapist|archive-date=June 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605080504/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105615-Imageepoch-Unveils-New-Wave-of-JRPGs|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Spencer|date=November 23, 2010|title=Black Rock Shooter: The Game In Development For PSP [Update: Trailer|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2010/11/23/black-rock-shooter-the-game-in-development-for-psp/|access-date=July 23, 2016|publisher=Siliconera}}</ref> and Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy XV'' (2016)'','' which features both hack and slash and third-person shooter elements.<ref>{{cite web|date=January 18, 2011|title=Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer leaks out – GamerTell|url=http://www.gamertell.com/technologytell/article/final-fantasy-versus-xiii-trailer-leaks-out/|access-date=July 23, 2016|publisher=GamerTell|archive-date=October 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002152839/http://www.gamertell.com/technologytell/article/final-fantasy-versus-xiii-trailer-leaks-out/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The online live service version gained a lot of popularity on the 2010s with titles such as ''Warframe'' (2013), ''Destiny'' (2014) and ''Destiny 2'' (2017), ''The Division'' (2016) and ''The Division 2'' (2019).

===Soulslike=== {{Main|Soulslike}}

A Soulslike is a subgenre of action role-playing games known for high difficulty level and emphasis on environmental storytelling, typically in a dark fantasy setting. It has its origin in ''Demon's Souls'' and the ''Dark Souls'' trilogy by FromSoftware, the themes and mechanics of which directly inspired various other games. Soulslike games usually have ways to permanently improve the player character's abilities to progress further, often using a type of currency that can be earned and spent but may be lost or abandoned between deaths if not properly managed, similar to the souls in the ''Dark Souls'' series.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Prescott|first1=Shaun|date=April 11, 2019|title=The best Souls-like games on PC|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-souls-like-games-on-pc/|url-status=live|magazine=PC Gamer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714180852/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-souls-like-games-on-pc/|archive-date=July 14, 2019|access-date=July 14, 2019}}</ref><ref name="ign soulslike def 20212">{{cite web |author=|first=|date=11 February 2021|title=The Best Soulslike Games|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-soulslike-games|accessdate=February 11, 2021|work=IGN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Stuart|first=Keith|date=October 11, 2021|title=Dungeon crawler or looter shooter? Nine video game genres explained|url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/oct/11/modern-video-game-genres-explained-metroidvania-dungeon-crawler|work=The Guardian|accessdate=October 12, 2021}}</ref>

=== Musou === ''Dynasty Warriors'' is a hack and slash series developed by Omega Force and published by Koei.<ref name="manual_items">{{cite book |title=Dynasty Warriors 4 Game Manual |publisher=Koei |pages=38–39 |chapter=Equippable Items}}</ref><ref name="manual_results">{{cite book |title=Dynasty Warriors 4 Game Manual |publisher=Koei |pages=24–25 |chapter=Results}}</ref> It requires quick moves and devastating attacks to take out massive hoards of enemies relatively quickly. Swords or other melee weapons are typically used, but projectile based weapons may be present. Combat and violence is usually emphasized above all other game or plot mechanics. A dodge mechanic may not always be present, as the player is expected to repeatedly "hack away" at their opponents. Other video games with similar gameplay like ''Samurai Warriors'' and ''Drakengard'' have created a "Musou style" subgenre of hack and slash action role playing games. The name comes from Musou gauge, used in ''Samurai Warriors'' and Musou mode, used in ''Dynasty Warriors''. ''Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment'' is one of the latest examples of this subgenre.

=== Monster-taming game === {{Main|Monster-taming game}}

A ''monster-taming game'' (also known as a ''monster-catcher'' or ''creature collector game'', and share core mechanics such as ability to capture creatures, train them, and use them in battle against similar creatures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Werner |first=Jillian |date=2013-01-09 |title=5 Genres that have Reached Their Limit |url=https://www.gamezebo.com/news/5-genres-that-have-reached-their-limit/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=Gamezebo |language=en-GB}}</ref> Many of them like ''Pokémon Legends: Arceus,'' ''Palworld'' and ''Pokémon Legends: Z-A'' have real time combat.

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Action role-playing video games Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Video game genres