Stories are great, combat is cool, but sometimes, there’s this quiet, special kind of magic in watching the numbers go up; in a game where players feel their steady, hard-won progress finally, beautifully pay off.
10 RPGs Worth Playing Just For Their Progression Systems
These RPGs have great stories and combat systems, but it's the feeling of progression they can provide that makes them iconic entries in the genre.
Whether it’s the endless, glorious grind for that one perfect piece of loot, painstakingly perfecting a character build, or just slowly, finally mastering a system that has been elusive for hours, these are games that reward every single step forward with a genuine rush of pure satisfaction. The exceptional progression systems in these games aren't just progress checklists; they're a progression journey, a climb that actively shapes how players approach a game and how they feel about the world that they're gradually clawing through.
Diablo 4
Loot Rain That Never Gets Old
Diablo 4
- Released
- June 5, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
Diablo 4 gets it. It understands the primal, lizard-brain joy that comes from seeing a legendary item drop. The constant, gushing flow of new gear ensures that every single dungeon run feels like it matters, even if most of the junk players pick up is usually scrapped for parts. What makes the progression here so ridiculously compelling isn't just the numbers going up, but the way new skills and weird gear affixes can completely redefine an entire playstyle.
Experimentation is the name of the game. Players can completely respec into a new build, and it feels like they're playing a different class entirely. The endgame, with its Paragon boards and nightmare dungeons, just keeps dangling shiny new goals to pursue. It's a masterpiece of making progression feel both immediate and impossibly long-term.
Hades
Death Is Just A Stepping Stone
Hades
- Released
- December 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Supergiant Games
In Hades, failure is progress, and it is a work of genius in that respect. Every single failed escape attempt from the underworld brings with it something new: new boons from the gods to play with, new conversations with wonderfully written characters, and new permanent upgrades for the next run. The absolute beauty of its progression system is that the narrative and mechanics evolve together in perfect harmony, ensuring that repeated defeats never, ever feel like wasted time.
As Zagreus claws his way out of Hades, each weapon that players unlock opens up a whole new set of strategies. The randomized boons they get from the gods start to weave together into these unexpected, game-breaking synergies. By the time players finally, finally defeat Hades himself, the victory feels like it's been earned through a thousand tiny, satisfying steps forward.
Monster Hunter: World
A Grind That Feels Like Glory
Monster Hunter World
- Released
- January 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Hunt. Carve. Craft. Repeat. Monster Hunter: World's core loop is deceptively simple, yet it is one of the most endlessly rewarding grinds in all of gaming. Slaying a massive, fire-breathing beast is only half the thrill. It's the aftermatt—carving up its parts, taking them back to the smithy, and forging incredible new weapons and armor from its hide—that makes the progression here shine so bright. Gear becomes a walking, talking trophy cabinet of every player's greatest victories.
Roguelite Games With The Best Progression Systems
A good progression system is part of a roguelite's core. Here are some of the best games in the roguelite genre that know how to reward players.
Each new monster doesn't just demand better stats; it demands better knowledge. Players have to learn its attack patterns, its tells, its weaknesses. Learning the fight is just as much a part of the progression as forging a new sword. It’s a steep, punishing climb, but the reward is immense.
Borderlands 2
The Art Of The Perfect Gun Roll
Borderlands 2
- Released
- September 18, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
Borderlands 2 is basically a slot machine that spits out guns, but with a personality. The satisfaction here is primal. It's that moment when players open a rusty old chest and out pops a one-in-a-million shotgun that ricochets bullets and also sets enemies on fire. The weapons in Borderlands 2 are not just stat sticks; they are gloriously stupid toys that completely reshape the battlefield in the most hilarious ways imaginable.
Character skill trees just deepen that wonderful sense of growth, offering these dramatic shifts in playstyle that keep everything feeling fresh. Combined with the endless, ridiculous gun drops, progression becomes a wonderful cocktail of pure, chaotic surprise and deep, meaningful customization.
Slay The Spire
Building A Deck, One Misstep At A Time
Slay the Spire
- Released
- January 23, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference
- Developer(s)
- Mega Crit
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Deckbuilding
Pure, elegant, and impossibly addictive, Slay the Spire is a game about incremental progress, a thousand tiny decisions hidden in plain sight. Every single card that players add to their deck is a gamble, a choice that shapes not just their current fight, but their chances of survival ten floors from now. The real beauty is in how those small, seemingly insignificant decisions can snowball into unstoppable, game-breaking synergies.
9 Open-World Games With The Best Progression Systems
Most video games have a progression system of some kind, but these open-world titles knock the concept out of the park.
Mastering progression in Slay the Spire isn’t about just grabbing the biggest, flashiest cards; it's about learning restraint, about trimming down a deck until every single card is a finely-honed weapon with a distinct purpose. When it all finally clicks, when a combo players have been building for half an hour just completely breaks the game in their favor? That payoff feels like pure, uncut magic.
Persona 5 Royal
The Stylish Road to Strength
Persona 5 Royal
- Released
- October 31, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
Progression in Persona 5 Royal isn't just about winning fights; it's about living a life. This is a game about balance, juggling Joker's time between crawling through mind-bending dungeons and just... Hanging out with friends. It’s that unique rhythm that makes the resulting growth feel so incredibly personal.
Every friendship that players forge, every social bond they deepen, directly translates into more powerful Personas to be used in combat, beautifully blurring the line between narrative choices and raw power. Time management itself becomes a progression system. By the end of Persona 5 Royal's 100-plus-hour runtime, the Phantom Thieves aren't just stronger fighters; they are more fully realized characters.
Hollow Knight
Power In Patience
Hollow Knight
- Released
- February 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Genre(s)
- Metroidvania
Hollow Knight is sneaky. It’s subtle with its progression, hiding it behind exploration and pure, hard-won mastery rather than flashy level-up screens. Every new charm, every new spell, every new movement upgrade that players find doesn't just make them stronger; it quietly reshapes the way the entire world of Hallownest unfolds around them, revealing secret paths and entire new areas that once seemed impossibly out of reach.
The genius of it is how the game’s progression perfectly mirrors their own skill as a player. Bosses that felt utterly impossible just a few hours earlier become manageable, not because some numbers went up, but because the player themselves got better. They learned. Progression here isn't about stats; it’s about the sheer, unrivalled joy of unlocking the world itself, one secret at a time.
7 Best Multiplayer Games with Expansive Progression Systems, Ranked
Players have a lot to sink their teeth into when it comes to these multiplayer games, thanks to their detailed and robust progression systems.