10 Best Short Non-RPGs That Have RPG Vibes

Growing up as someone who enjoys video games, you must have heard it too – people saying that “there is no real value in gaming”, which is, frankly, a garbage take. For many of us, gaming is not just a way to pass time; it’s an escape, a break from the noise of daily life, and home to some of the most memorable stories in entertainment.

But let’s be real, that doesn’t mean every game needs to chain you to the couch for 80 hours just to roll credits.

It might be a hot take, but I don’t think sitting 80+ hours for a game like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was worth it. By the time I completed the story, I lost most of my interest in the game, and I couldn’t tell if I was happy for ending the story or just relieved it was finally over.

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Complex stories need more time to unfold, and I totally understand that, but if you’re someone juggling real-world responsibilities, and maybe an actual sleep schedule, sometimes what you need is a tight, satisfying action RPG that respects your time and your thumbs, tells a great story, and gets out without burning you out.

10 Batman: Arkham Origins

Caped Crusader

Unlike other Batman games that show him at his peak, Arkham Origins took me back to a younger, angrier Batman; someone who makes plenty of mistakes, but never fails to instill fear into the enemy. In just 12 hours, the game takes you through the night Bruce Wayne becomes the Bat, and it’s the most aggressive and brutal take on Batman I’ve ever seen.

The combat is super-satisfying, packed with slick gadgets, skill upgrades, and progression that gives it a little action RPG touch. It has a darker tone than any of the Batman games. This is how I wanted to see Batman; not someone who is just rich, but a human who took countless falls before earning the respect of Gotham.

9 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

For The Emperor

Perhaps I am a simple man, but for me, purging a planet of an army as an unstoppable warmachine is the most entertaining thing ever – which is why I was so drawn to Space Marine 2.

I got to play as Titus, a walking tank of a man, sworn to purge Xenos scum in the Emperor’s name. The game did it in the most badass way possible, by throwing me into the heart of the battle where I got to slash and shoot hordes of enemies, a power fantasy that made every second of the combat insanely fun.

With a runtime of 12 hours, RPG-lite customization, and effective squad-based combat, Space Marine 2 is one of the best action RPGs I finished in a day; a chainsword in a pile of plastic swords.

8 Assassin’s Creed Rogue

Truth Over Brotherhood

Assassin’s Creed Rogue flipped the script and made me rethink everything I knew about the series. For years, I’ve played as an Assassin, but it took just 10 hours for this action RPG to make me realize the brotherhood isn’t as pious and noble as I thought.

As Shay, you put on the colors of the Templar and hunt your former brothers after realizing the brotherhood has strayed from its righteous way, finally playing on the opposite end of the blade. It felt kinda wrong at first, but seeing the flawed and selfish side of the assassins eased me into hitting those executions.

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With the addition of better exploration, new weapons, and an upgraded skill tree that adds a lite RPG flair to the gameplay, it’s a bad joke how this one went under the radar for the most part, while the messy new Ubisoft games get more attention.

7 The Last Of Us

“You Keep Finding Something To Fight For”

With so many seasons, remakes, and remasters, I’m pretty sure that you must have come across The Last of Us at least a few times on your Steam page, and I’m here to tell you that it’s without a doubt one of the best pseudo-RPGs that you will ever play.

You play as Joel, escorting Ellie across a post-apocalyptic America in search of a cure for the zombie infection. The game locks you in with not just the brutal gunplay and level design, but also with the emotional weight the story carries. Seeing Joel slowly lose his grip on life, and Ellie growing from a teen to a hardened warrior in 15 hours, felt like the peak of cinematic storytelling.

While mostly featuring action and adventure, weapon upgrades, skill trees, and crafting add a fun layer of RPG survival to the gameplay, making it one of Sony’s best. Though instead of another remaster, I’d love to see a new chapter being added to the series.

6 Tunic

Zelda Meets Souls

Tunic caught me completely off-guard with its vibrant colors and playful art style. I thought it might just be another cozy couch game, but what I got was a Zelda-meets-Souls experience.

The player has to solve the story piece by piece, which felt like a sacred puzzle on its own. Though the combat is a bit difficult, it adds to the charm of the game by mixing a cozy vibe with Soulslike combat.

As you control this adorable fox for 12 hours, you’ll feel the lite-RPG vibe the game has with its stat upgrades, gear-based progression, and a cryptic in-game manual that helps players progress through the story. A dialogue-less journey that stuck with me the most.

5 Mafia: Definitive Edition

Loyalty And Betrayal

Since Mafia: The Old Country is right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to see where the empire began by playing Mafia: Definitive Edition, a remake of the original game that follows Thomas Angelo, a taxi driver pulled into the world of crime after helping two mafia members escape.

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Though light on RPG elements, like exploration and customization, Mafia delivers with intense chases and tight gunfights. But what truly stands out is how deeply it pulls you into the “role”.

During the quiet moments with Sarah, I felt the weight of being corrupt, which made me want to leave the life of crime long before the story even hints at it. That emotional depth and storytelling are rare in games today, making Mafia one of the best short action RPG-lites that I’ve played.

4 Marvel’s Spider-Man

Getting Into The Swing

Spider-Man 2018 puts you in control of a seasoned Peter Parker, juggling life and relationships while also fighting a new villain known as Mr. Negative. A simple setup, but the 17-hour story is the best I’ve seen in a Spider-Man game, largely because it gives Peter Parker a more vital role than just keeping his identity hidden.

Thanks to moments around Peter’s relationship with Aunt May and Doctor Octopus, it had me more emotional than any of the games I have played in the past two years, making Spider-Man 2018 an action game that even a DC fan would love.

Combat is just what you expect, webbing thugs to the wall, launching them mid-air, and swinging across the city, along with RPG flair such as skill trees, leveling up, and exploration, that make the 17-hour runtime the best weekend you will have.

3 Darksiders 2

Death Rides Again

Darksiders is one of the most underrated franchises in the industry, and makes me wonder why more people won’t talk about it. Buried beneath big-budget giants, Darksiders 2 delivered some of the best Hack n Slash combat that I’ve ever experienced, as we follow Death, one of the four horsemen, on a journey to clear the name of his brother, who has been accused of starting the Apocalypse.

It’s a classic kill, loot, level up, and kill again kind of game with a runtime of 11 hours, but believe me, fighting the protagonist of the first game, defeating waves of enemies in the Crucible, and a boss fight against an ancient giant were just the tip-of-the-iceberg of cool experiences I had while playing the game.

These are just some of many adrenaline-fueled things the game does to make it stand out and become addictive. It’s a hidden gem that has been lost in time, but one that should be played at least once.

2 God Of War (2018)

“Don’t Be Sorry. Be Better.”

I never thought that straying so far from the old way could create something as divine as God of War 2018. You play as Kratos, the Greek god of war, living in the Norse Realm with his son Atreus, on a mission to scatter the ashes of his wife.

It’s about a man trying to raise his son without passing down the monster he once was, something I didn’t expect from the typically gruff Kratos. It makes the story more emotional than any of the previous God of War games I’ve played.

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What elevates it further is the third-person combat, deep skill trees, gear management, and upgrades that give it an RPG foundation. Although the game is 25 hours, it never gets repetitive or drops in quality, and every experience it offers feels unique.

1 Tomb Raider (2013)

Lara’s Back And Better Than Ever

With a reboot of Lara Croft’s story in Tomb Raider 2013, her role is more iconic than ever. While the game focuses more on growth, it still keeps light RPG elements like gear upgrades, skill trees, and crafting to support her journey.

While the older titles were more about exploration, the 2013 title centers on trauma and resilience. Lara Croft embarks on her first expedition to find the lost Kingdom of Yamatai, but disaster strikes, leaving her stranded on an island filled with cultists, wild animals, and supernatural threats.

You will see her doubt herself, and even be shaken when she kills a human for the first time, a grounded and raw take on Lara Croft that I hadn’t felt before. In a runtime of 11 hours, she transforms from a naive explorer to the iconic dual pistol-wielding Lara Croft we all love.

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