As a Western gaming company, Microsoft naturally coordinates itself, its consoles, and services to other Western gaming companies first. This means that when it comes to services like Game Pass, the representation of the games and genres created on this side of the pond will be a little more expressed.
Of course, even Microsoft is not completely isolated, and there are many games in the game pass created by some big names in Japan, but unfortunately it’s not as many JRPGs as you’ll find on other services.
Still, GamePath would not be that serviceable unless you make at least some effort to fit all the major game genres. So, unless you’re worried about sifting through the catalog a bit, you can find some great JRPGs to protect that classic craving.
To diversify, consider JRPGS with game passes from Japanese companies and elsewhere. After all, the game doesn’t have to technically become a JRPG from Japan. That being said, here are our recommendations.
Note: This list was written in May 2025 and is subject to change.
8
Person 3 reload
Modern classic with a coat of fresh paint
When it comes to famous modern JRPGs, few names are bigger than Persona and its many sequels and spinoffs.
Playing Persona 5 Royal was previously one of the biggest draws on the Game Pass, but unfortunately it’s been removed, but there’s another great Persona game you can enjoy with the service: Persona 3 Reload.
Persona 3 Reload, a complete remake of the 2006 PS2 Classic, tells the story of a team of high school students in a Japanese city. Here, with the power of spiritual parents called Persona, they fight the mysterious shadows each night to solve the mystery of the giant tower that emerges from their school buildings.
Persona 3 Reload reloads the original game’s story and settings, offering healthy doses of modern quality of life improvements, new gameplay mechanics, and fairly fresh new set dressings like updated character models and music.
It has achieved the same perfect style as other modern persona games.
7
clear clear nabure: expedition 33
Actively French, actively wonderful
JRPGs do not need to come from Japan to become JRPGs. It’s all about taking the right attitude, both in settings and gameplay style.
If appropriate, the French origins of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are almost removed from Japan as far as you can get, but there’s no doubt that they’re hitting the chest of JRPGs.
Clair Obscur is set in the area of Lumiere. There, a huge sedative in the distance draws numbers on the same gigantic monolith. Every number she draws, everyone of that age disappears. For decades, the nation has sent expeditions after sedation to end this tragedy.
Claire of Thru is a breathtaking, breathtaking, stylistic experience, with the realm of sedative being rendered with artistic proficiency that is difficult to put words into. From vast fields of flower to the bottom of the huge arid lake, everything is clear.
The battle is turn-based, but not slow-paced. To keep the party alive, you need to completely avoid or parry time on enemy turns, then retaliate with your own carefully selected skills and abilities.
6
Sea of Stars
A little bit of everything
A small number of indie game developers are taking inspiration from JRPGs they grew up in.
This leads to creating interesting hybrid games that incorporate gameplay elements and design sensibilities from several different titles, making it a Sea of Stars-like gameplay.
Sea of Stars follows the Magic Knight duo in their quest to fight an ancient alchemist and a fickle army of monsters from another world. Along the way, they are joined by mutual childhood friends and a cast of other party members and kind people. This is a very old school story, and if you’ve ever played Chrono Trigger, it’s a familiar story.
Speaking of which, Sea of Stars utilizes a semi-real-time system of character and monster placement and takes many clues from Chrono Triggers in its battles.
It also integrates a timing-based moving system to tap or mash buttons to enhance attacks and dodge enemies.
5
Mana’s Trial
Explosions from the past
Originally started as a Final Fantasy spinoff, JRPGS’s Mana series has been a humble degree of success over the years against the backdrop of the gaming history.
While the classic SNES era games are still some of the most famous, the third game in the series, Mana, trials, were released in Japan only. That changed a lot when the game got an international release on Game Pass, in addition to the complete 3D remake.
The 2020 Mana Trial remake follows six different protagonists in the fantasy realm, gradually joining forces to protect the Mana Tree from the horrifying beasts of ancient times. Not only do you choose the main character you want to start with, but two companions will join in and gradually come into contact with the rest as they travel around the world.
The most obvious difference between this remake and the original is the detailed 3D graphics, which renders all the classic character sprites in a much more expressive model.
Combat uses a real-time system based on light or heavy attacks, and class customization makes it relatively easy to build the desired party setup.
4
Octopath Traveler 2
Eight stories, all bangers
One of the greatest claims to Square Enix’s fame in recent years is the “HD-2D” game, in which traditional 2D character sprites are used in the detailed 3D world, creating an aesthetic of equal parts of retro and modern.
Perhaps the game that uses this aesthetic for its greatest effect is Octopath Traveller Duology, which consists of Octopath Traveller and Octopath Traveller 2.
Octopath Traveler 2 has eight different protagonists, each with different special abilities and lives in different parts of the world.
You choose what you have as your main hero and gradually pick up the rest of the party on your trip. Every hero has something their quest should take you through the world and through different cities and environments and follow their own stories.
The game’s turn-based combat system involves spending time using special abilities to earn points. This can be used to increase the effectiveness of your next attack or spell. Characters can freely exchange between different classes and carry over skills between them. So, a little shattering will quickly give you the perfect party.
3
Available Driver 2: Revenant Kingdom
I was a teenage president
One of the fun things about JRPGs as a genre is that they can tell some of the most patently absurd stories and still make them into serious fantasy adventures.
For example, Ni No Kuni 2 is opened by killing the US president in a missile attack before he finds himself in a fantasy world as a teenager. This is First What happens.
Ni No Kuni 2 follows two main characters, Roland, the aforementioned reincarnated president, and Evan, a young prince, with Roland, who escapes an attempted coup d’etat. Together, the two must work to regain control of the kingdom and unite the nations of the world in harmony.
The battle takes place in isolated arenas. There, party members can either fight themselves or summon small helper creatures to fight on their behalf.
In addition to combat and exploration, you will need to manage Evan’s burgeoning kingdom, provide it to people, create transport routes, and more.
2
Cassette Beast
Basically Pokemon Fusion
It’s easy to forget how ubiquitous the franchise is, and that the original Pokemon game is a JRPG, or at least a JRPG subgenre.
Obviously, we haven’t gotten Pokemon games in Game Pass in this lifetime, but once again, the indie scene offers a unique spin to classic creature collectors like Cassette Beasts.
In Cassette Beast, your hero is suddenly abandoned by a mysterious island, and finds himself evenly inhabited by mystical creatures and other castaways from time and space. You can use a reliable tape deck to copy the essence of these creatures and transform yourself as you pursue the secrets of the island.
Like Pokemon, Cassette Beasts utilize a typing system to determine their pros and cons, and each beast learns different movements as they level up and evolve.
In combat, if you are in sync with your partner, you can merge creatures to create more powerful, hybrid combatants, creating a total of both stats and skill sets.
1
Eiyuden Chronicle: 100 Heroes
It’s so many heroes
There have been many major JRPG series and franchises over the years, but unfortunately not all of them have been able to continue into the present day. One such series is Suikoden, who has not had a new mainline game since 2006.
However, the development staff has moved to new projects and the spirit of those franchises lives on as they live in Aiden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.
This crowdfunded game takes place in the realm of fantasy where all kinds of races and creatures live in a tenuous harmony.
As the evil empire attempts to accumulate power, the protagonist Nova must travel around the world to gather an army of large combatants. If you think there are plenty of games with 6-8 heroes, try out more than 100 unique playable characters.
Finding your many recruits is a major part of the exploration gameplay, but combat is about who among you chose to bring it to the fight alongside you.
Different characters work with each other in different ways, some have access to powerful team-up abilities that can quickly shave off enemies.
