Let’s start by clarifying what a “Western RPG” means to avoid any confusion. The term is generally a loose label combining development history and design traditions rooted in tabletop RPGs. While it’s often contrasted with JRPGs, there isn’t a clear geographical divide, so RPGs originating in Eastern Europe (which makes up a large part of the modern scene) can still be classified as Western.

Traits like character building, player agency, quests, and choices are common features of Western RPGs, but there’s no universally enforced design checklist. For instance, they can feature a solo protagonist or a party, with either real-time or turn-based combat. Generally speaking, CRPGs are a major part of the Western RPG segment.

Now, with that out of the way, we can get to today’s topic. Western RPGs are often among the longest story-driven games available, with sprawling, epic stories unfolding across vast, multi-region worlds. Some of the longest Western RPGs take over 100 hours to beat, essentially granting you months of active play.

Our main criterion is a classic narrative campaign you can actually complete, excluding sandbox or freeform RPGs without a defined story to finish. I’ll include only base games with no DLC, ranking them by average playtime from HowLongToBeat. Naturally, your own time with each game can vary drastically depending on your playstyle.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 was a major leap for Larian, cementing the studio as one of the most notable modern CRPG makers even before its magnum opus, Baldur’s Gate 3 .

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