Top 10 PlayStation Plus Premium RPGs

PlayStation Plus Premium is finally upon North America, and with that comes a plentiful batch of PS4 and PS5 games to play. For those who love JRPGs, you're in for a treat. While it lacks recent titles like Tales of Arise and Final Fantasy VII Remake, there are some stellar favorites like Demon's Souls and Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster. Below is a list of the Top 10 PlayStation Plus Premium RPGs. Let's begin, kupo. 

Looking for the best RPGs on Xbox Game Pass instead?

Pillars of Eternity Is an Old-School PlayStation Plus Premium RPG Turned New

Obsidian Entertainment, the studio that brought us Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, is behind Pillars of Eternity, a classic RPG in the style of Baldur's Gate or Planescape: Torment. It was highly praised on PC with a high 89 Metacritic score, and the console port has been received well too. It has a more console-forward UI, and Obsidian Entertainment shifted the controls to fit a controller.

The storyline has been praised by many, and the character creation is highly customizable. This version of the game, that's available on PlayStation Plus Premium, is the Complete Edition, which comes with The White March: Parts I & II alongside it.

"Fans of the isometric-era of RPG's will enjoy the game immensely, but for others who hate number crunching and excessive mechanics, this will not be their cup of tea," said Robert Grosso in our review for the original release.

Indivisible Is a Hidden Gem of PlayStation Plus Premium RPG

The developer of the beloved fighting game Skullgirls brought a charming RPG on the PS4 called Indivisible. Set up like a 2D platformer, you'll learn new skills and gain new allies for fights against evil forces and monsters that stand in your way. It's almost like a fighting game as you create a long combo between all four members of your team.

The platforming is also fun as you gain new gadgets along your adventure to help you traverse to new areas. What helps Indivisible stand out, other than its battle system, is the hand-drawn art style. It's pretty, colorful, and overall adds so much personality to Indivisible. While it's not as polished as other games on this list, it is one of the best PlayStation Plus Premium RPGs. 

Nioh Is a Great Soulslike RPG on PlayStation Plus Premium

Team Ninja, the developer behind the beloved 3D Ninja Gaiden series, followed the trilogy up with Nioh, a samurai game in the Soulslike genre. It brings plenty of stunning environments set within Japan during an alt-history take on Warring States period with a dark fantasy element. The old architecture and magical elements of Nioh make it stand out among the many Soulslike games out there in today's market.

What also makes it stand out is the four different sword stances you can take on; they each provide a different speed and technique to master against the many difficult foes that stand in your path to victory, and there is a greater speed in the combat, which is refreshing. The graphics also look stunning and compete against other Soulslike games in a major way.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Is a blissful PlayStation Plus Premium RPG

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is one of many from the classic JRPG series that deserves a spot on this list. Fully remastered for modern consoles, this game presents a thrilling story and glorious world to explore. The writing is spot on and the voice acting is top-notch, as you'd expect from a game from this series.

This particular Final Fantasy, however, takes on an almost MMO-style battle system. It's still turn-based but you can move around the battlefield as you prepare your next attack. There are exciting special moves on the table, and the Gambit system lets you strengthen your heroes however you'd like to the point it might be a bit too expansive for its own good.

In addition, the soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto is intense, exciting, and immersive, making battles and sightseeing even grander. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is certainly worth checking out if you're a fan of the series or the JRPG genre. 

Fallout 4 Is a Great Post-Apocalyptic PlayStation Plus Premium RPG

While not as impactful as its past two entries, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 was able to present an outstanding world to explore with its interpretation of Boston and intriguing characters to find along the way.

The Steam listing states that there are " hundreds of locations, characters, and quests" for you to discover in Fallout 4. There are also multiple factions that you'll encounter and can join if you think it's necessary for your quest.

In addition, Fallout 4 lets you build your own community in the open world. You can craft thousands of items to help your settlement grow and gather resources to make weapons and armor to make yourself stronger. We gave Fallout 4 an 8.0 in our review.

Final Fantasy XV Is an Expansive PlayStation Plus Premium JRPG

Final Fantasy XV is one of those JRPGs where you love it or hate it. It was the first in the series to completely shift to an action RPG system, and with this change, the animation has upped to the ante. The main protagonist Noctis can shift from place to place with his stunning warp strike, while his bigger friend Gladiolus can slam down his massive sword against his foes.

Battling feels simple when compared to other titles in the series, but it does captivate the eyes of the player as they strike to and fro. Final Fantasy XV has some mesmerizing moments in the narrative as well, like facing against the mighty summons of the series like the Leviathan and Titan, who stand at the size of skyscrapers as you fight them.

The storyline can be hit or miss as gaps of the narrative are present and Noctis isn't the most likable protagonist. However, it does expand on some character storylines in the DLC, which is included with the Royal Edition; it's included with PlayStation Plus Premium. We also can't forget the wonderful and epic soundtrack by Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura, who wrote incredible songs like "Somnus," "Omnis Lacrima," and "Valse di Fantastica" for Final Fantasy XV.

Final Fantasy VII Is a Classic PlayStation Plus Premium RPG

It is a shame that Final Fantasy VII Remake is not available on PlayStation Plus Premium, at the time of writing, but the next best thing is the original from the PS1. The remastered version is available on PlayStation Plus Premium, and it's a classic JRPG for a reason.

Featuring a thrilling turn-based system, a riveting story, and incredible music by Nobuo Uematsu, it is simply one of the best JRPGs of all time. Sephiroth also stands as one of the most villainous antagonists in gaming history as Final Fantasy VII takes the player through unexpected twists and turns.

The graphics, however, haven't aged the best, but for some, the polygonal art style is charming. The models have been slightly touched up as well to create clearer faces. You can also turn on a character booster that helps you increase your HP, MP, and Gil to make your journey throughout Midgar and beyond easier.

Demon's Souls (PS5) Is the Most Stunning PlayStation Premium Plus RPG

One of the prettiest and most groundbreaking games on the PS5 is Demon's Souls, a classic JRPG on the PS3 revived for the new generation. With the power of the PS5, levels load instantly as you try and try again to defeat difficult bosses along the way. The environments are beautifully remade for the PS5 with particle effects and elemental aspects of the game looking absolutely stunning.

The combat is just as difficult as the original game, and while that might be a turnoff for some, others appreciate the challenge that is presented. Bluepoint Games could have altered the game and made it easier, but as they've done best with Shadow of the Colossus previously, they respected the original designers' intentions.

Something that makes Demon's Souls truly special is the atmosphere it builds and the tension you get as you turn around every corner. While the original developer FromSoftware may have improved upon the overall game design, Demon's Souls is a must-play RPG on PlayStation Premium Plus. 

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster Could Be the Best PlayStation Plus Premium JRPG

The last Final Fantasy game on this list is arguably the best in the series: Final Fantasy X. It includes everything you want from a transformative JRPG. It has spectacular visuals inspired by the sea and the islands that inhabit the world of Spira; an exciting turn-based combat system that keeps you on your toes with interactive sections during key boss battles; a coming-of-age story that follows Tidus and Yuna falling in love as they try to save the world from a chaotic being called Sin. Final Fantasy X has everything you'd like in a JRPG like this, and while the visuals have aged, the remaster does a good job of touching it up for a new era of fans.

Nobuo Uematsu's soundtrack for Final Fantasy X is also one of the best scores ever created for a video game. "To Zanarkand" strikes an emotional core as the somber playing of the piano touches your heart with every key stroke. The main battle theme is exhilarating with its bombastic melody. And finally, "Silence Before The Storm" calms your weary heart as you make your way through a forest or other biome in Final Fantasy X.

The voice acting, except for Tidus' laughing, is also stellar among the cast as you get to know the delightful characters. Final Fantasy X needs to be played by fans of the JRPG genre who are subscribed to PlayStation Plus Premium. 

Bloodborne Is Arguably the Best PlayStation Plus Premium RPG

Last up is Bloodborne, a game that many of its fans have been clamoring for a sequel. Despite releasing in 2015, its graphics still hold up thanks to the art style. The dark gothic architecture gawks over the players as Bloodborne's grim atmosphere looms. Each creature is a fascinating insight into the world that the game studio FromSoftware has created.

Each boss challenges you immensely and once defeated gives you a great source of excitement every time you succeed. The storytelling is brief, but the majesty of Bloodborne comes from its environmental storytelling. It's truly a grand world that you're experiencing as you maneuver your way through the difficult levels that FromSoftware has developed.

The music by Ryan Amon, Tsukasa Saitoh, Yuka Kitamura, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Cris Velasco, and Michael Wandmacher also immerses you into the sinister world with atmospheric pieces like "Hunter's Dream" and intense action songs like "Cleric Beast."

That concludes our list of the best RPGs on PlayStation Plus Premium as of June 2022. Are there any that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.

PlayStation Plus Premium access was provided to the writer by PlayStation Canada.