Games

Longest Action JRPGs, Ranked

Published

2 weeks ago

December 9, 2024

Christoph Rediske

final fantasy 7 rebirth and kingdom hearts

Key Takeaways

Action JRPGs can be lengthy like turn-based ones, with games like Dragon’s Dogma 2 taking over 30 hours to beat.
Kingdom Hearts 2 feels longer due to revisiting worlds, while Yakuza 5 and Dragon’s Dogma provide rich narratives in 36-36.5 hours.
Final Fantasy 16 offers a unique character action experience, lasting 37.5 hours, while Star Ocean: The Last Hope delivers 44 engaging hours.

When people think of JRPGs, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds are turn-based games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. However, plenty of games under that umbrella utilize real-time combat systems. Even the aforementioned series dabble in them from time to time.

Action JRPGs tend to be shorter than their turn-based kin, but a few beefy ones surpass a lot of turn-based JRPGs in their length. The shortest game on the list below takes 30 hours to beat. The games closer to the top are impressively long and offer a lot of depth in addition to the fast-paced combat.

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All times are taken from howlongtobeat.com

9 Dragon’s Dogma 2

30.5 Hours

This is a sequel many people wanted, but never thought would happen. Thankfully, it did, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 retains the quirks and unique systems that made the first game so special.

The game comes in a few hours shorter than its predecessor, but most people will spend more than 30 hours in this game as they tackle side quests and the new game plus mode. Two console generations passed between the first and second games, and it is not necessary to need to play the first to understand the successor.

8 Kingdom Hearts 2

32 Hours

Kingdom Hearts 2

Systems

Released: March 28, 2006
Developer(s): Square Enix

The sequel to the surprise PS2 mega hit adds a lot of polish to the core gameplay and includes even more Disney worlds and characters. The game feels a lot longer than its sequel, since players end up visiting many of the worlds at least twice.

It is good that Kingdom Hearts 2 is such a meaty adventure, since the third entry in the series did not come for more than ten years. At least the spin-offs like Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance were great additions to the series and still expanded the lore in the meantime.

7 Yakuza 5

36 Hours

Released: December 8, 2015

The series, now known as Like a Dragon, is as epic of a tale as gaming can get. There is a throughline all the way from the debut entry up until the recent games. Fortunately, it is possible to jump in at almost any game and get a satisfying experience, even if some narrative nuances fly over newcomers’ heads.

Like a Dragon: Yakuza Games with the Best Side Stories

Like A Dragon: Yakuza Games With The Best Side Content

The main stories are usually great in Yakuza, but things get a bit zany off the beaten path.

After all, Yakuza 5 alone takes 36 hours to beat, and that does not include side content. Throw the other games in, and players are looking at well over 100 hours of gaming at a minimum to catch up.

These games in particular can inflate in length thanks to the varied and diverse side-quests.

6 Dragon’s Dogma

36.5 Hours

Systems

Dragon’s Dogma is almost on par with Demon’s Souls with how it perplexed gamers upon release. Players slowly discovered how to utilize the game’s systems and deal with its odd mechanics, discovering a genius RPG within.

The time spent in Dragon’s Dogma’s world will involve a lot of trial and error and experimentation, but it is all a blast. The game never felt like it belonged in the gaming landscape when it first came out, which has only helped it age gracefully in the years since.

5 Ys 8: Lacrimosa Of Dana

37 Hours

Released: September 12, 2017
Developer(s): Nihon Falcom

The eighth entry in this oddly named series stands as a particularly long and beefy one. The other games are at an average length for the genre, but Ys 8 takes its time and stretches its run time to 37 hours.

This is almost twice as long as some of the other games in the series. The game has a long runway to get going, so do not expect to get pulled in right away. It is a rewarding adventure for those who stick with it, though.

4 Final Fantasy 16

37.5 Hours

Systems

Final Fantasy 16 threw a right hook when it revealed itself to be not only an action RPG, but a character action game that eschews many gameplay conventions of its predecessors. Players are in full control of Clive and play it as they would Devil May Cry or Bayonetta.

Fortunately, it is a much longer journey than those examples and filled with jaw-dropping setpieces involving the trademark summons. Players can pad this game time with side quests, but they aren’t missing a lot if they opt to just do the main story.

3 Star Ocean: The Last Hope

44 Hours

Star Ocean: The Last Hope

Released: February 23, 2009
Developer(s): Tri-Ace

The first Star Ocean game for the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation did not skimp on the content. Still, it is not the longest game in the series. The Last Hope’s story is nothing to write home about, but its gameplay is more than engaging enough to keep players interested throughout the whole 44-hour journey.

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While Star Ocean may not share the same success as Final Fantasy, Tri-Ace’s flagship franchise has enjoyed a long history of high quality JRPGs.

In an era where this was slowly going away, the Xbox 360 version came on three discs. Regularly switching between them depending on where they are going in the game grows annoying fast, unfortunately.

2 Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time

46 Hours

Star Ocean: Till the End of time

Systems

Released: August 31, 2004
Developer(s): Tri-Ace , tri-Crescendo

Till The End of Time’s release was overshadowed by a small controversy regarding it not working on older PS2 models. In the passing years, it has been able to stand on its own as a video game and prove itself as a worthy addition to the legendary series. It also fits a lot of game for the era, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on how one feels about JRPG conventions of the early 2000s.

1 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

47.5 Hours

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Systems

Released: February 29, 2024
Developer(s): Square Enix
Publisher(s): Square Enix

It is hard to believe just how detailed the world is in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It delivers on the promise of applying the same detail to the rest of the planet as Final Fantasy 7 Remake did to Midgar. The main story alone takes almost 50 hours to beat, but this extends to well over one hundred once side quests get involved.

While some players might not like all of the side quests, they all include great character moments, making them especially worthwhile for fans of the original. The journey is also filled with enough minigames to rival the Like a Dragon series.