Best Tactical RPGs With Deep Character Customization, Ranked

Everyone knows that the RPG genre came out of the tabletop world and old-school war games, meaning that strategy and cunning have always been a part of the genre’s DNA since day one. The RPG genre has evolved since then, but even today, there’s a strain of hardcore tactical RPGs that retain the old-school desire for intense and difficult combat decisions.

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Ready for a challenge? These tactical RPGs demand strategy, precision, and a bit of luck to survive their punishing gameplay and tough battles.

Yet, modern TRPGs take the best from both worlds. They iterate on the brilliance of its wargaming heritage and infuse it with the role-playing customization that has become beloved in the genre, making some of the very best RPGs ever made.

7

Shadowrun: Dragonfall

The Cyberpunk Fantastical

Released

September 18, 2014

Developer(s)

Harebrained Schemes

ESRB

M For Mature // Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

With the boom in D&D in the past decade and the immense popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3, it seems only a matter of time until the Shadowrun games get their fair shake and moment in the spotlight, particularly considering the enduring popularity of the cyberpunk franchise. Essentially fusing cyberpunk and sci-fi, Shadowrun is a fantastic world to live in, that doesn’t skimp on the TRPG goods.

With one of the best RPG stories in recent memory and deeply strategic combat mechanics that test the player’s customization and build choices, Shadowrun Dragonfall is the best of both worlds It tests the player on every front and is a great entry point for beginners into the Shadowrun world.

6

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Study For The Academy

Systems

Released

July 26, 2019

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

The Fire Emblem games have reached such popularity and dominance that it’s fair to characterize them as the most popular TRPGs currently on the market, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses only solidified that solid reputation. Delivering on Fire Emblem’s trademark tactical combat and permadeath (though this can be turned off if desired), the latest in the franchise doesn’t coddle its players.

The customization runs deep in Fire Emblem: Three Houses not only due to the way characters and builds can be specced, but also because of the highly divergent pathways through the game world that tailor-makes a story for each player, delivering a unique experience each time. Add in some romance sim, brilliantly written characters, and visual novel elements, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses really does present itself as the full package.

5

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Critical Hit

Released

September 2, 2021

Developer(s)

Owlcat Games

Publisher(s)

META Publishing

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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It would be difficult to find anyone in the modern world who didn’t at least have a vague idea about D&D, and maybe even that inspired the game systems of games like Baldur’s Gate 3, but less known of the brilliant Pathfinder game system that’s based off D&D’s 3rd edition that has directly led to brilliant video games, such as the much overlooked Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.

Players take control of the Commander of the Fifth Crusade against hordes of demons in an adventure that is practically bursting with nerdy RPG goodness with massive amounts of customization for each character in the party as well as genuinely challenging combat encounters that will give a TRPG fan an absolute thrill. Anyone who enjoyed Baldur’s Gate 3 needs to play this.

Insurrection At Home Base

Released

February 5, 2016

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

As one of the oldest digital TRPGs in video games, the XCOM franchise has taken its alien invasion premise and ran with it, forging one of the most venerated entries into the TRPG genre, regardless of a few bumps along the road. Best of all, it’s a fantastic place for inexperienced gamers to get their first taste of the TRPG goodness and feel the peculiar sting of characters permanently dying.

That trademark permadeath system makes every combat encounter with the aliens tense, thrilling, and a digital chess match requiring symbiotic build customization, class combinations, and sound tactical thinking. It delivers on every front, and XCOM 2‘s DLC is a fantastic expansion to an already fearsome game.

3

Disgaea 5

Tactical RPGs Action Forever

Disgaea 5 Complete

Systems

Developer(s)

Nippon Ichi Software

ESRB

e

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

In a very general sense, TRPGs tend to be more popular by Western developers, perhaps due to its legacy in TTRPG games, but Japan has released some of the best TRPGs ever made, and for gamers looking for a visceral punch-in-the-face TRPG goodness with no frills, it’s hard to get any better than the fearsome Disgaea 5.

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Boasting near infinite dungeons, an absurdly deep class and leveling system, mind-boggling amounts of party-builds, and best-in-class tactical gameplay, Disgaea 5 is for the hardcore players that want their TRPGs challenging and straight to the point.

2

Triangle Strategy

The Old-Guard Reborn

Systems

Released

March 4, 2022

ESRB

t

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Among TRPG fans, the great white whale is a true modern sequel to the brilliant Final Fantasy: Tactics which has never seen the light of day. However, in 2022, Square Enix surprised the world by releasing Triangle Strategy, a spiritual sequel to Final Fantasy: Tactics in all but name that finally gave those old-school fans the fix they were looking for.

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Square Enix’s Triangle Strategy is a fantastic tactical RPG, even if it does not get everything right.

With a powerful narrative, deep grid-based combat with upgradable and customizable characters, as well as an increasingly complex set of game systems tailor-made for tactical role-play goodness, Triangle Strategy may not be the sequel to Final Fantasy: Tactics that many wanted, but it was what the gaming world certainly needed.

1

Final Fantasy Tactics

The OG Still Has It

Systems

Released

June 20, 1997

Developer(s)

Square

ESRB

t

As good as some modern TRPGs might be, respect must be paid to the original greats, and in the TRPG world, no game casts as large a shadow as Final Fantasy Tactics, the game that introduced an entire generation into the TRPG space, and delivered one of the TRPG genre’s most complete and customizable experiences.

Set on an isometric field, battles in Final Fantasy Tactics are always a tense and satisfying push and pull between terrain manipulation, ability usage, and party composition, where one mistake can cost big, but effective planning and tactical decision-making can result in incredibly satisfying victories. No game has ever done it quite as well, and it’s hard to imagine any other TRPG ever will.

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