5 RPGs Worth Prioritizing in Your Backlog This Year
Stop treating your backlog as a list of obligations. These five RPGs have earned their place at the front of the queue.
March 23, 2026 · 5 min read
Been gaming since the PS1 days. I have opinions and I'm not afraid to share them. If a game respects my time, I'll respect it back.
Your backlog is not a problem. It is a curated collection of potential experiences waiting for the right moment. The real question is which one deserves your time first.
Here are five RPGs worth prioritizing in 2026. Each one justifies clearing your schedule and ignoring the new releases for a while.
Baldur's Gate III
Baldur's Gate III swept 2023's Game of the Year awards for good reason. Larian Studios built a CRPG that respects player agency like few games before it. Every choice matters. Every companion has depth. Every playthrough reveals systems and story beats you missed the first time.
The 96 OpenCritic score only tells part of the story. This is a 100-hour commitment that consistently rewards experimentation. Want to solve a problem by turning your entire party into cats? The game accommodates. Want to murder every NPC and see what happens? Consequences await. The D&D 5th Edition ruleset provides structure without feeling restrictive.
If you have been putting this off because the length intimidates you, consider starting a shorter "evil" playthrough where you ignore side content and make snap decisions. You will still get 40 hours of excellent storytelling, and you can always return for the completionist run later.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring proved open-world design and Souls-like difficulty could coexist beautifully. FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin built a fantasy world worth exploring even when it keeps killing you.
The 95 Metacritic score reflects critical consensus: this is one of the best action RPGs ever made. But the real achievement is accessibility. Stuck on a boss? Go explore somewhere else. Come back ten hours later with better gear and new skills. The open world absorbs frustration that would feel punishing in a linear Souls game.
Two years later, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC added even more content. If your backlog copy has been sitting untouched, now is the perfect time. The community has matured. Guides exist for every build. Co-op help is one summon sign away.
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 Royal asks for 120 hours. It earns every minute. The enhanced version of Atlus's social sim RPG added a new semester, new characters, and quality-of-life improvements that make the original feel incomplete.
The hook is simple: by day, you attend high school in Tokyo and build relationships with friends, mentors, and potential romantic partners. By night, you enter cognitive palaces representing corrupted hearts and fight shadows with your awakened Personas.
The 94 Metacritic score reflects immaculate presentation. The jazz-infused soundtrack. The dripping style of every menu and transition. The way each confidant story reveals human struggles that resonate beyond anime tropes. This game looks and sounds unlike anything else in the genre.
The time commitment scares people off, but Persona 5 Royal respects your schedule within its systems. You choose how to spend each day. The game does not punish efficiency. Optimal players finish around 100 hours; leisurely players stretch to 150. Both approaches work.
Hades
Hades solved roguelike repetition by making every death meaningful. Supergiant Games wove narrative progression into the escape loop, so failed runs advance character relationships and story beats instead of just resetting progress.
You play Zagreus, son of Hades, attempting to escape the Underworld. Each run takes 20 to 40 minutes. Each death sends you back to the House of Hades, where characters react to your progress, new dialogue unlocks, and the story inches forward.
The 94 OpenCritic score reflects tight combat, gorgeous art, and a voice cast that elevates every interaction. But the genius is pacing. You can play one run during lunch. You can chain five together on a lazy Sunday. The game accommodates both without making either feel wrong.
If your backlog needs something you can pick up and put down without losing momentum, Hades is the answer.
The Last of Us Remastered
The Last of Us Remastered remains one of the most emotionally devastating games ever made. Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic road trip earned its 95 Metacritic score through character work that blockbuster games rarely attempt.
Joel and Ellie's journey across a fungal-ravaged America takes about 15 hours. The pacing is deliberate. Quiet moments of exploration and environmental storytelling punctuate tense stealth encounters and brutal violence. The contrast makes both hit harder.
If you bounced off the TV adaptation or avoided it entirely, the game offers a different experience. Interactive moments carry weight that passive viewing cannot replicate. The decisions you make, even when the game forces them, feel personal in ways the show cannot match.
The Remastered version runs at 60fps with improved textures. It is the definitive way to experience the original story before tackling Part II.
How to Actually Clear Your Backlog
Stop treating your backlog as a list of obligations. Treat it as options. You do not have to finish every game. You do not have to play them in any order. The goal is enjoyment, not completion statistics.
Pick one game from this list based on your current mood and available time. Commit to giving it a genuine chance before moving on. If it does not click after a few hours, put it down without guilt and try another.
Your backlog will always grow faster than you can clear it. That is fine. The games will wait.