There are still a few more days left in this year’s Steam Summer Sale, where a huge catalog of great games is heavily discounted.
If you’re going into this sale trying to get the most playtime for your money, then you can’t go wrong with RPGs. Most of these great games span at least 20 hours, with a variety of gameplay styles and sub-genres – all telling powerful stories for you to get lost in.
We’ll run down the best RPGs in the Steam Summer Sale so you can discover a brand new world.
If you want to see what else is on offer, you can check out our rundown of the best Steam Summer Sale deals, as well as the best roguelikes, and best Metroidvanias on offer.
Disco Elysium
If you want to solve a mystery and learn a little bit about yourself in the process, then Disco Elysium is an unforgettable experience. Mixing visual novels with an RPG system and even some tabletop mechanics, you’ll slowly unravel this murder mystery that lets you come at things from many different angles. It’s a story like no other that is equal parts hilarious and tragic.
Disco Elysium is currently $9.99.
Lost Dimension
This turn-based tactical RPG may not appear to be anything special at first glance, but it plays around with some unique ideas. This game isn’t just about bonding with your party as you all save the world – instead, there are randomly assigned traitors in your midst that you must uncover and deal with.
Lost Dimension is currently $6.24.
Undertale
Even if you’ve not played Undertale by now, you’ve probably heard about it, as it’s captured may hearts and minds for the way it responds to how you play. You can play it like a normal RPG and eradicate any monster in your path, or you can choose the peaceful option, connecting with your foes and ending battles without violence. It goes a lot deeper than that, with colorful characters and clever mechanics, but it’s best if you discover those yourself.
Undertale is currently $2.99.
Omori
If narratives are what draw you to RPGs, then Omori is a must-play. It mixes traditional RPG combat with hard-hitting decision-making that will have long-lasting effects on your story. These mechanics all serve as a powerful examination of human emotion that hits all sorts of highs and lows that are better experienced than described.
Omori is currently $14.99.
Persona 4 Golden
If you’re looking purely to maximize the playtime you get out of this sale, then you can’t go wrong with a Persona game.
The more recent and equally brilliant Persona 5 is also on sale, but if you’ve already played that or are looking for a cheaper entry point into the Persona series, then you’d be wise to jump back to its predecessor.
A mixture of a life-sim game and a dungeon-crawling RPG, you’ll be faced with a social system with lovable characters that react to your decision, and a turn-based combat system with a lot of tactical depth.
Persona 4 Golden is currently $14.99.
Octopath Traveler
While the recently released sequel is great too, the 2018 original Octopath Traveler is still one of the best traditional JRPGs ever made. Take eight protagonists through their own stories, as they come together to form a party that mixes up a variety of jobs – bringing the best out of the complex turn-based combat.
Octopath Traveler is currently $29.99.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
The Mass Effect series is beloved for its tough choices and character-focused storytelling, and Legendary Edition lets you play the entire original trilogy on the cheap. You’re a heroic protector of humanity as you face off against various alien threats, forming alliances and making enemies. Whether your tackle this as a paragon of virtue or as a sly renegade is up to you.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is currently $14.99.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
If you’ve never seen the Yakuza series before, you might expect it to be a serious story of Japanese gangsters, and you’ll soon see just how wrong it’s possible to be.
Switching out the series’ normal action combat for turn-based battles, Like a Dragon take down your enemies with ridiculous over-the-top attacks that make use of all the weirdest parts of this world. It has to be seen to be believed – just maybe steer clear of the adult babies.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is currently $14.99.
Monster Hunter Rise
Another game that will keep you going for upwards of 100 hours if you let it, Monster Hunter Rise is the pinnacle of the series. You’ll be taking on quests to track down and take out a huge variety of monsters. To find them you need to study their environments and discover where they live before you can start taking them down in action-packed long-form battles. It’s the kind of game best played with a party of friends, and now’s the best time for you all to pick it up.
Monster Hunter Rise is currently $15.99.
Nier: Automata
Considered by many to be one of the greatest games ever made and one of the greatest gaming stories ever told, Nier: Automata is both mentally and physically challenging.
Its hack-and-slash combat is easy to pick up but difficult to master, with waves of enemies and grueling boss fights to put your reactions and skills to the test. Meanwhile, you’ll be put through the emotional ringer with a story that examines what it means to be alive and challenges our preconceived notions of what a living being even is. It can be a lot, but it’s well worth it.
Nier: Automata is currently $19.99.
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
