5 Best Open-World JRPGs, Ranked

The JRPG and open world genres don’t typically merge. This is predominantly due to budgetary constraints and the traditions established by earlier JRPGS. Of course, the overworld mechanic largely delivered the open world experience many JRPG fans were after, although these giant maps lacked the detail and interactivity available in games like Assassin’s Creed, Skyrim, and The Witcher 3. Naturally, ever since sprawling, detailed, living and breathing worlds have become popularized in video game form, JRPG fans have wanted to see the tropes and traditions of their favorite genre applied to such settings.

Fortunately, while they’re still fairly rare, there are a handful of games that combine the emotional, cinematic storytelling of the JRPG genre with the massive, detailed, immersive worlds of the open world one. It is the best of both worlds (pun absolutely intended) and a combination that works strikingly well when done correctly. These open-world JRPG games are worth playing for those eager to get stuck into the scene, with the very best ranked among them serving as one of the greatest games in the entire genre.

5. Crystal Project

Crystal Project is one of the few (if only) open-world indie JRPGs available, and it is staggering what developer Andrew Willman has managed to achieve. It blends the turn-based combat and traditional sprite work of earlier Final Fantasy games with a vertical voxel open-world that towers above you at all times. You can clamber up mountains, venture across fields, and scale giant trees whose branches hang above the terrain below. Fortunately, Crystal Project manages to match the visual splendour of its open world with rewarding exploration.

This is a non-linear JRPG, so the story, while certainly full of fun moments and great writing, is not as integral to the overall experience as it would be in a traditional Final Fantasy adventure. However, that is ultimately what makes it one of the best open-world JRPGs, as its sole purpose is to deliver an uncompromised, richly rewarding, and endlessly satisfying world to explore. Crystal Project is easily one of the most underrated JRPGs of all time, and well worth playing for open-world enthusiasts looking for a little Final Fantasy flair.

4. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is developed by the criminally underrated yet ultimately exceptionally talented Level-5. It has released some of the greatest JRPGs available, including the legendarily good Nintendo DS-exclusive, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, and Fantasy Life i is no exception. Building on its 3DS-exclusive predecessor in a number of key and substantial ways, The Girl Who Steals Time delivers an experience that is endlessly surprising and constantly evolving, one that will have you genuinely astonished at just how much is crammed into its lengthy runtime.

At the heart of it is the huge Breath of the Wild-style open-world, Ginormosia, which is bursting with collectable resources, enemies to fight, and quests to complete. It is a largely optional area (which frankly is baffling to me), but nevertheless an integral part to those who actively take the time to explore it. Ginormosia makes the already incredible Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time an even better game and thus, naturally, easier to recommend to those who are searching for a richly detailed JRPG worth exploring.

3. Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV is pretty much the definitive open-world JRPG experience. Its sprawling, gorgeous world matches its Western contemporaries in visual fidelity and style, and the switch to real-time combat makes emergent gameplay moments all the more exciting. It really felt like Square Enix’s response to the growing interest in the open world genre, and while it undeniably fails on many fronts, it is hard to deny that it’s both a visual spectacle and a genuine joy to cruise around.

The car at the heart of Final Fantasy XV, coupled with the road trip-style adventure and the aforementioned stunning visuals, is what ultimately makes Final Fantasy XV a legitimately incredible open-world game, despite everything it gets wrong. It makes one hope for a better attempt from Square Enix, something it somewhat attempted with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but not quite on the same scale. Should you play FFXV the way it is meant to be played and in the correct order (which is a ridiculous ask of any player), it is a legitimately worthwhile experience that delivers highs no other JRPG has come even close to replicating.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X may not be the best entry in the series, but it does have not just the biggest open world in any JRPG, but also one of the biggest open worlds full stop. The planet of Mira is unbelievably huge and entirely seamless, too (aside from one loading screen into the barracks), making it a delight to explore. Its biomes are rich in detail and diversity, the roaming enemies help make it feel completely alive, and blasting across it in the unlockable mech suits called Skells is incredibly satisfying.

Sure, Xenoblade Chronicles X’s narrative isn’t as strong as it should be, but delivering a generationally good story wasn’t really Monolith Soft’s objective with this sci-fi spin-off. Instead, it clearly wanted to capture the style of open world game popular in the West at the time. There’s an abundance of MMO-style side quests to complete, plenty of characters to meet and befriend, busywork to complete as you explore, areas to unlock, world bosses to beat, and so much more. Xenoblade Chronicles X is, much like Final Fantasy XV, the game you imagine when you think of an open-world title. Even if it doesn’t quite take the top spot as the best open-world JRPG, it is certainly the best open-world JRPG on the Nintendo Switch.

1. Yakuza: Like A Dragon

The greatest open-world JRPG is undoubtedly Yakuza: Like a Dragon (at least in my opinion, anyway). Sure, its sequel is bigger, featuring a whole new map, more minigames and characters, but it lacks both the accessibility from a narrative standpoint that its predecessor affords, and the stronger storyline. Like a Dragon more or less rebooted the series, creating a jumping-on point for newcomers. While it is still a part of the Yakuza canon, and its sequels incorporate characters and story beats from those earlier games, it is entirely playable and understandable if you’ve never played a Yakuza game before.

Its cast of characters is extremely memorable, its plot as epic as it is sad, its turn-based combat innovative and exciting, and its open world, the most important aspect, is bursting with detail and things to do. Of course, it absolutely perfects the series’ regular location, Kamarucho, while also adding the sprawling Isezaki Ijincho. This new map is truly the pinnacle of Yakuza’s city design, introducing more activities than ever before while still retaining the level of inscrutable detail the series is known for. If you want an open-world JRPG that not only delivers an exceptional exploration experience but also a truly incredible narrative, then Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the perfect game for you. Be warned, though, this is absolutely one of the best JRPGs that will make you cry. So, be sure to bring tissues.

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