Other ARPGs Worth Checking Out After Path of Exile 2

Grinding Gear Games’ Path of Exile II continues to be one of the most content-rich and rewarding ARPGs on the market. Its strength and longevity come as no surprise with the original Path of Exile still going strong more than 10 years later. But for anyone who’s looking for a change of pace after maxing out multiple builds using Path of Exile II‘s skill trees, or for anyone who just wants a simpler ARPG they can turn their brain off to, there are some great games in the genre worth checking out. For this list, we’re sticking with the “ARPG” framework rather than general “action RPGs”, meaning these games can all trace their lineage back to the isometric, third-person hack-and-slash action of Blizzard’s 1997 classic, Diablo.

• Release Date — December 5, 2019
• Developer — Airship Syndicate
• Publisher — THQ Nordic
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Each of the games in the Darksiders series tends to switch up its gameplay from the titles that came before, and Darksiders Genesis is one of the franchise’s greatest departures. While the original Darksiders is pure God of War, Darksiders II is akin to The Legend of Zelda, and Darksiders III is an honest-to-goodness Soulslike (and a good one, too), Darksiders Genesis is an isometric ARPG that’s great either in solo or co-op. It’s not nearly as complex or varied as a game like Path of Exile in terms of its build variety and progression, but its action and atmosphere are the kind of stuff on which the ARPG genre was built.

• Release Date — July 29, 2021
• Developer — Neon Giant
• Publisher — Curve Games
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Part ARPG and part twin-stick shooter, The Ascent is one of the better cyberpunk RPGs that’s not Cyberpunk 2077. There’s not much in the way of character builds and skill trees, but there is a fairly strong gear system that players can game to build out their characters and transform them into unstoppable death-dealing machines. Plus, The Ascent‘s visuals and environmental design have to be seen to be believed — this is hands-down one of the best-looking ARPGs to have been released in the last few years.

• Release Date — April 18, 2024
• Developer — Moon Studios
• Publisher — Moon Studios
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A (Early Access)
• Platforms — PC

After working on both of the excellent Ori games, one of the last things players expected Moon Studios to do was make an isometric ARPG. But it did, and it’s a great one. No Rest for the Wicked dips its toe into Soulslike territory with its methodical, stamina-managed combat, but it’s ultimately an old-school ARPG at its core, and the streamlined approach it takes to character builds and progression over other games in the genre helps it feel a bit more rewarding when it comes to making incremental progress. It’s still in Early Access and has a bit of a way to go before it hits 1.0, but after recent updates, now is one of the best times to get into No Rest for the Wicked.

• Release Date — February 25, 2016
• Developer — Crate Entertainment
• Publisher — Crate Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, Xbox One

While it would eventually improve to become a great entry in the series, Diablo III was initially a huge disappointment for longtime series fans, and Grim Dawn was there to pick up the slack. An old-school ARPG that uses Diablo II as a starting point but then branches out on its own in terms of setting and mechanics, Grim Dawn is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in the genre. It sits nicely between the more accessible progression and character development curve of a game like Diablo and the complex skill trees and min/maxing of Path of Exile, and the sheer amount of content on offer gives it some of the best replay value of any ARPG.

• Release Date — September 20, 2012
• Developer — Runic Games, Panic Button
• Publisher — Runic Games, Perfect World Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Runic Games is a studio founded by several of the key members from the original Diablo team, and its first game, Torchlight, is Diablo in all but name. For the sequel, Torchlight II, Runic opted not to mess with the formula too much, instead just turning the dial up to “11” on the things about the first game that players loved, resulting in one of the most endlessly replayable and continually rewarding games in the ARPG genre. For an incredibly fun ARPG with some unique classes, plenty of great loot, and a satisfyingly long campaign, you could hardly do better than Torchlight II (which, coincidentally, is also where the franchise peaked).

• Release Date — September 23, 2021
• Developer — Blizzard Entertainment, Vicarious Visions
• Publisher — Blizzard Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

All these years later, Diablo II is still one of (if not the) best ARPGs ever made, and its Resurrected remake from 2021 is surprisingly one of the best ways to play it. Diablo II: Resurrected keeps the core gameplay from the original intact while significantly updating the visuals and adding in some minor quality-of-life touches. But make no mistake — it’s still Diablo II, through and through, for better or for worse. The campaign is arguably the best in the franchise, and Diablo II: Resurrected keeps the incredible endgame from the original intact and fun as it always was.

• Release Date — October 23, 2013
• Developer — Grinding Gear Games
• Publisher — Grinding Gear Games
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC

This may seem like a bit of a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people who have played and enjoyed Path of Exile II for dozens or hundreds of hours have never played the original. If you’re feeling burnt out on Path of Exile II or like you’ve seen everything the game has to offer, the original Path of Exile is still a great and viable option for a killer ARPG that offers up to thousands of hours of content. Best of all, Grinding Gear Games is still updating and delivering new content to Path of Exile even after releasing Path of Exile II, and there’s every chance it’ll continue to do so for years to come.

• Release Date — February 21, 2024
• Developer — Eleventh Hour Games
• Publisher — Eleventh Hour Games
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC

For anyone who finds Diablo IV‘s endgame and character progression too limiting and Path of Exile II‘s too complex, Last Epoch is perhaps the perfect middle ground. It also helps that, in terms of its character classes and the many different specializations and masteries they branch out to, Last Epoch has some of the most unique and varied build craft of any ARPG, complete with a very cool and atypical setting and atmosphere for the genre.

• Release Date — August 1, 2025
• Developer — Grimlore Games
• Publisher — THQ Nordic
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A (Early Access)
• Platforms — PC

Despite being the newest ARPG on the block, Titan Quest II is off to a strong start owing to its predecessor’s place as one of the greatest games in the genre. Grimlore Games spent years working on and improving the original Titan Quest while continually adding fun new content, and it has a similar plan for Titan Quest II, using the Early Access model to help realize the game’s vision as shaped by player feedback. Plus, other than the original Titan Quest, there are far too few ARPGs that utilize mythological settings, which gives Titan Quest II some points for originality.