The annualGame Awardsceremony is nearly here, as 2024 gradually comes to a close. There are dozens of titles up for big awards — like Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, and Best Score and Music — but the Best RPG category has some of thehighest-rated games of 2024as nominees in this year’s Game Awards.
2024 has been a great year for RPGs, and the Best RPGGame Awardsnominees are clear evidence of that. While there are five nominees for Best RPG, only one can claim the award in the end, and it may very well be a tough fight, as some of the best games of 2024 go head-to-head in a battle as epic as the gameplay and stories they have to offer.
2024 Best RPG Nominees
Dragon’s Dogma 2
The 2024 release of Capcom’sDragon’s Dogma 2was over a decade in the making, with its predecessor now long behind it in 2012. Nevertheless,Dragon’s Dogma 2captivated modern audiences, despite still being a bit more niche than most games, and it is more than deserving of a nomination for 2024’s Best RPG award. Apart from its uniqueness, the other thing that might holdDragon’s Dogma 2back from winning Best RPG is the poor technical state of its launch, which featured noticeably low frame rates, stutters, and dozens of bugs and glitches. It is also one of the lowest-rated games up for Best RPG (with a Metascore of 86), but it arguably still belongs on the list.
WHERE TO PLAY
Set forth on your grand adventure, Arisen!Dragon’s Dogma is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG series that challenges the players to choose their own experience – from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more. Now, in this long-awaited sequel, the deep, explorable fantasy world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 awaits.On your journey, you’ll be joined by Pawns, mysterious otherworldly beings, in an adventure so unique you will feel as if accompanied by other players while on your own adventure.All of these elements are elevated further through physics technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and the latest in graphics, to create a truly immersive fantasy world in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a major outlier in the 2024 Game Awards, due to it being a DLC and not a game. It’s unclear why Shadow of the Erdtree was an exception to the Game Awards this year, but its success can’t be denied. In fact,Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLCis the best-rated video game DLC of all time, offering one of the most fulfilling and rewarding open worlds ever designed, satisfying and brutally challenging combat, and plenty of player power for the role-playing enthusiast. Shadow of the Erdtree currently holds a Metascore of 94, making it one of the best gaming experiences of 2024.
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthis the second game in theFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy, and another major piece of evidence to suggest the developer knows what it’s doing when it comes to remakes.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthdidn’t just continue the pattern set by its predecessor in terms of visuals and gameplay, but it also improved upon those aspects to produce a truly nostalgic and memorable experience. It even managed to make a name for itself with itsQueen’s Blood mini-game, which has been universally praised, right up there withThe Witcher 3’s Gwent.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis also one of 2024’s highest-rated games, with a Metascore of 92.
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’sLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis more than deserving of a spot on the list for 2024’s Best RPG nominees, sitting comfortably at a Metascore of 89. Ultimately, whereLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthdiffers from several of the other nominees is in the range of activities it offers, from randomly generated dungeons to bucket list challenges to a plethora of mini-games. It isn’t just thesheer amount of contentLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthhasthat makes it stand out, but the variety of that content. Of course, this is all in addition to a fun and engaging narrative, plenty of character development, and the game’s ability to deal with heavy subjects.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
EPIC EMOTIONAL DRAMATwo larger-than-life heroes brought together by the hand of fate, or perhaps something more sinister…Ichiban Kasuga, an unstoppable underdog who’s no stranger to crawling up from rock bottom, and Kazuma Kiryu, a broken man facing down his last days.BEST-IN-CLASS RPG ACTIONExperience one-of-a-kind combat with dynamic, fast-paced RPG battles where the battlefield becomes your weapon, and anything goes. Adapt your party’s skills to the situation with outlandish jobs and customizations to strategically subdue enemies with over-the-top moves.INFINITE ADVENTURELive it up in Japan and explore all that Hawaii has to offer in an adventure so big it spans the Pacific. Unforgettable moments await at every step of the journey with a unique mix of quests and activities to enjoy at your leisure.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
It’s almost safe to say that thesuccess of Studio Zero and Atlus’Metaphor: ReFantazioisn’t really a surprise, as those familiar with Atlus’Personaseries would expect nothing short of excellence from the developer and publisher. With a Metascore of 94,Metaphor: ReFantaziohas more than proven the validity of its nomination as one of 2024’s Best RPGs.
Additionally, as Atlus has shown in the past with itsPersonaseries,Metaphor: ReFantaziois truly an authentic RPG experience, placing an immense amount of power into players' hands as they play a significant role in determining the outcome of the story. Apart fromElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC,Metaphor: ReFantaziois the highest-rated nomineefor Best RPG, giving it a significant advantage against the others.
From the creative minds behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 comes Metaphor: ReFantazio, a unique fantasy world, where your protagonist will journey alongside his fairy companion, Gallica, to lift the curse from the kingdom’s lost prince.Control your destiny, face your fears, and awaken magical Archetype powers that lie dormant in your heart. By awakening to an Archetype, you will unlock the power to channel and combine the abilities of unique job classes. Strengthen your bonds and build your party to take down powerful foes and discover the kingdom’s true nature.
Final Prediction
While every nominee for Best RPG in 2024 has its merits,Metaphor: ReFantazioseems the most likely to go home with the award. Not only is it an excellent RPG, but it’s also one of2024’s best gamesoverall, with a Metacritic score of 94. Ultimately, this has earned it a spot in the list of nominees for 2024’s Game of the Year award, and this is a large part of what could contribute to it winning Best RPG as well. Arguably,Astro Botis the only other Game of the Year nominee that could keepMetaphor: ReFantaziofrom winning, thereby all but ensuring its acquisition of the Best RPG award.
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree winning Best RPG would also be a controversial win due to it being a DLC, so the Game Awards may choose to avoid that.
On the other hand,Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthcould very well put up a tough fight withMetaphor: ReFantaziofor Best RPG, as well asFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. However, sinceFF7 RebirthandLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthare notGame of the Year nominees for 2024, this automatically givesMetaphor: ReFantazioan advantage when it comes to Best RPG in 2024. In any case, there is plenty of reason to believeMetaphor: ReFantaziowill leave the 2024 Game Awards with the Best RPG award, even if it doesn’t toppleAstro Botfor Game of the Year.
