Best free RPG games for 2023

Image of Genshin Impact and Drakensang

Image of Genshin Impact and Drakensang

Looking for a new game to fully absorb yourself into that won't break the bank? Well, you're in luck because our list of the best free RPG games will give you plenty of options to find a new gaming obsession. From town builders to sprawling open worlds, there's something for everyone within our picks.

In this list, we'll run through a couple of the best RPG games on the market, which won't cost you a penny to play. If you're in need of a new RPG, be it a single-player experience or something to enjoy with friends, then the chances are we'll have you covered with a great game to try.

Here are the best free RPG games

Raid: Shadow Legends

Image of fighters in a battle arena in Raid: Shadow Legends.
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First is a hugely popular battle RPG, and one that's been in the public eye for a long time now. It's impossible not to have seen the cultural impact Raid: Shadow Legends has made, as one of the first examples of mobile gacha games striking it big in the West.

At this point there are over 300 different Champions in the game, each with unique skins and weapons to test out. Not only that but Raid: Shadow Legends is one of the most graphically intensive games on mobile, with console-level visuals to boot. If you're a fan of fantasy brawlers and RPGs with deep progression systems, Raid: Shadow Legends is the one for you.

Forge of Empires

Image of a steampunk town in development in Forge of Empires.
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One of the longest-lasting entries on our list, Forge of Empires is a town builder quite unlike any other. Set in the year 5000 BC, you play as the chieftain of a fledgling town in the Stone Age. From there, your task is to gradually build it up with new materials, resources, and technology. Excitingly, you can choose whether to be a benevolent ruler, caring for your town's inhabitants, or a warmonger tearing down your rivals.

Even better, Forge of Empires is accessible both in your browser and on mobile devices. Therefore, you'll always have the time to tweak a township, decorate your town, or take part in a Guild battle against real people.

Eternal Fury

Image of three main characters in Eternal Fury.
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Eternal Fury is another long-lasting browser RPG, with more of a focus on combat than Forge of Empires. It falls in line with a lot of similar gacha games, due to its deep summoning system that lets you randomly spin for new fighters and resources. They're especially useful though, letting you form a warrior completely attuned to your play style.

There are three main character types in the game: warriors focusing on melee combat, magic-based mages, and ranged archers. Once you've got your class ready you can dive into a side-scrolling battle, with waves of enemies to take down in one run without losing your crew. It can be brutally challenging, but the progression system within Eternal Fury is more than worth it.

Genshin Impact

Image of the Teyvat landscape and a player in Genshin Impact.
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When you think of sprawling free-to-play RPGs, the chances are Genshin Impact is the first one that comes to mind. Mihoyo's open-world RPG takes inspiration from hits like Breath of the Wild, letting players delve into the realm of Teyvat with almost no limits. Even better, you can delve into Genshin Impact with friends online as well!

It's a game that's only growing in popularity, with new updates every six weeks adding new banners to the game. It's another title that thrives off of its gacha system, but it's often very generous with in-game rewards, meaning it never veers too deeply into pay-to-win territory. Genshin Impact is one of the biggest games in the world, and even just a brief snippet of gameplay makes it clear to see why.

Drakensang

Image of a beast in a fiery arena in Drakensang.
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If you want a free-to-play game that also has the room to spend money on microtransactions, then Drakensang may be the one for you. This dungeon crawler has been affectionately compared to the Diablo series, and if you want an experience like that free of charge, there's no harm in giving it a try.

Drakensang has four main character classes: Dragonknight, Ranger, Spellweaver, and Steam Mechanicus. They range from melee-focused grunts to cunning wizards, with a combination of each required to get through some of the more gruelling dungeons. With eleven different regions to explore and squad-based gameplay so you can tackle them with friends, you'll get hundreds of hours out of Drakensang.

Hero Wars

Image of a drone carrying two women, fleeing from a goblin in Hero Wars.
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Next on our list is another mobile game, and one you may be familiar with from its online ads. Hero Wars is a more traditional gacha RPG, with a focus on grinding through PVE levels to rank up your fighters and upgrade their equipment. But again, random spins are at its core, with 30+ different characters to try and pull.

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In terms of gameplay, it's quite similar to Eternal Fury. You command your units from a side-on view, deciding who attacks, which moves they use, and the order in which they strike. Combine that with plenty of tutorials and charming chibi character designs, and Hero Wars is a great choice for mid-level RPG players ready for the next challenge.

Angel's Call Idle

Image of several angels in Angel's Call Idle.
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Next, for something much more laidback in terms of gameplay. As the name may suggest, Angel's Call Idle is hands-off when it comes to fights, with you instead setting up the best possible team and sending them out to battle. It's a very traditional mobile game in that sense, with plenty of different upgrade resources, optional purchases, and gacha boxes.

Angel's Call Idle can do as much of the heavy lifting as you like, with auto-upgrades, simulated battles, and inventory management handled by the game itself. As such, it's a good introduction to mobile gacha RPGs for players who may be new to them, as they do tend to be daunting for newcomers.

Slayers Unleashed (Roblox)

Image of an anime character in Slayers Unleashed on Roblox.
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Slayers Unleashed is very much unlike any other game on this list, and that's because it lives on the Roblox platform rather than its own dedicated application. If you've only ever heard of Roblox but never played it, you'll be astounded to learn of the incredible player counts and bounty of games on the user-generated platform.

Slayers Unleashed is one of the most popular Roblox games, based on the hit Demon Slayer anime. It combines both PVP and PVE combat with plenty of upgrades available to your race, clan, and attacking styles. Even though it's slightly light on plot, it more than makes up for it with the sheer amount of gameplay variety on offer. If you've never tried out Roblox before, Slayers Unleashed is a great place to start.

Epic Seven

Image of an anime character casting a spell in Epic Seven.
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Last on our list, for now, is another mobile RPG with a keen focus on gacha spins to bolster your inventory. Based on the anime of the same name, it's one of the newest entries on our list but already boasts an extensive character roster, with plenty of unique classes to test out.

In terms of gameplay, it's reasonably familiar gacha game fare, with more of a focus on buffs and debuffs than most combat-heavy brawlers. As such, Epic Seven can be more strategic if you choose to go down that path, picking characters who zap your enemies of their abilities to whittle them over time.

That's it for our list of the best free RPGs to try out! With these games, you'll find something for everyone, and plenty of thrills whether you're playing on console, PC, or mobile. Feel free to also check out our list of the best Android games, or the best Android horror games, for even more exciting pocket-sized titles!

Elsewhere, feel free to check out our list of the best gacha games if random spin games are up your street. We've also got a Cookie Run: Kingdom tier list for one of the biggest gacha titles out there, as well as all the game's codes.

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