The very best roleplaying-games manage to grab and hold our attention for tens, if not hundreds, of hours and they stick with us for years after their credits roll.
What, though, is it about them that gives them this incredible ability to court us and keep us for so long?

Final Fantasy VII 1997 exceeds 15.5 million units sold worldwide as of February 2026, reinforcing its legacy as the series best selling title.
Modern day publisher be like: "Failed to meet sales expectations. Pivoting to live service."
It's an absolute legend of a game. And I honestly really love how the remake trilogy is shaping up so far.

Final Fantasy 7 is one of the most iconic video games of all time, with it helping to changed the RPG landscape when it was released in 1997.
If you already own it... There, I saved you the click on a deliberately misleading article.
I bought the game yesterday on steam for $4 because Square Enix is trying to replace it with a version that has no mod support.
Prior to yesterday, I had no idea the game had so many great mods until people started making a fuss out of it.
u get the switch 1 version of the og ff7 for free if you own 7 remake for the switch 2.
lol.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 now has current gen versions available for Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
People may not understand this but you get so much gameplay value out of a Larian game! It is basically 100s of possible hours with all the classes, decisions etc.
Great replay value, would suggest it to anyone who likes CRPGs.
I started bg3 again a month ago, to remember why I hated it. 100 hours later not only is it one of my favorites but i downloaded divinity 2 not even realizing it was just dropped for ps5.
A great story, relatable likeable characters, music is a key thing for me you need music to also help convey the story or change the atmosphere of the game.
1. Immersive world and progression (regardless of linearity/openness).
2. Engaging equipment/crafting material found in numerous ways (chests, enemy drops/ quest rewards).
3. Cast, music, and WORLD BUILDING.
Replace Breath of the Wild with the Xenoblade games.