I’m a huge fan of turn-based games, but sometimes, I want something a little more involved than just choosing attack from a list over and over again.
For me, the best games in the genre are the ones that have interactive turn-based systems that require player agency to affect the outcome of the battles.
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A lot of games started going this route in the early 2000s, but mysteriously, it went away and even with the new-age JRPG revolution we’re in currently, only a handful of games utilize it.
Today, we’re going to check out a bunch of games that have a real-time feel to their turn-based combat systems.
10Super Mario RPG
Nintendo Can Do it Too
Super Mario RPG
It always shocked me how many games didn’t take fromSuper Mario RPGwhen it came to its combat system. The interactive nature of it is simply groundbreaking and yet it’s taken years for other games to catch on to the magic it has.
The system is simple: you can use button interactions to do everything from power-up attacks to completely block your enemy attacks.
It keeps you on your guard during battles and turns what seems like it might be a kid-friendly affair into a sometimes very challenging turn-based game that demands you pay attention to your enemy moves.
Some of the toughest fights in the game simply can’t be beaten without you guarding against certain attacks, so it’s a system you need to get comfortable with fast if you want any chance against the challenges the game has to offer and can often mimic a rhythm game with how its combat plays out.
9Legend of Dragoon
A Trend Setter
Legend of Dragoon
Legend of Dragoonis one of the forgotten gems of the late 1990s. There may have been some burnout in the JRPG formula at that point, but it’s still a great game by any metric.
One of the best parts of the game is the combat system. It revolves around the addition system. This unique spin on turn-based combat has you inputting timed button presses to execute an attack.
If you miss your timing, the attack only has one or two hits. Depending on the level of addition you’re performing, you can complete a whole combo for big damage.
It gets even tougher when counter-attacks are thrown into the system, allowing your enemy to knock you out of your combo if you don’t respond with the proper button press to counter the attack.
It’s a wildly addictive system that requires you to pay attention to every battle, whether it’s against a boss or a low-level mob. The system also factors into the awesome Dragoon transformations, where you need to time button presses on a dial to get the most out of your attacks.
8Xenogears
Combo Discovery
Xenogearsis one of the best games of all time and, while some don’t love the combat, the highly interactive nature of the game is what keeps me entertained throughout the lengthy adventure.
The combat revolves around a combo system that uses three buttons to create different attacks. You can come up with your own attacks, but the key here is, over time, you will discover special attacks through that experimentation.
The first time you input the special attack combo, a meter will start in your character menu and the more you do that combo, the closer you get to learning it. These days, everything is detailed in guides so that the mystery is gone, but when Xenogears first came out, it was such a thrill figuring out what combos would result in special attacks.
The system stretches into when you pilot your gears, with that same combo system coming into play in a much bigger and bombastic way.
7Valkyrie Profile
Teaming Up For The Apocalypse
Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profileis a simply brilliant JRPG that does its own thing and succeeds greatly in the process.The dark, melancholy and mature storytakes place over a series of chapters where you have free rein to approach quests in any order you please.
A lot of these quests lead to dungeons and the combat absolutely shines here. It’s a bit tough to grasp, but each character is represented by a button. you may attack all at once, or you can time your attacks to capitalize on the state of the enemy.
For example, you can knock an enemy into the air, then wait till they’re falling back to the ground before hitting them in their vulnerable state. Building a combo this way unlocks a special attack that you can use with any of the characters that does huge damage.
There are tons of characters to find in the game and each one plays completely differently, so learning the various timings of each attack and what they excel at is an important part of the puzzle and makes each encounter feel like it’s action-based even though you’re still in a turn-based system.
6Resonance of Fate
Stylized Chaos
Resonance Of Fate
Resonance of Fatewas perhaps a bit too ambitious for the 2010’s, where the JRPG genre was in decline. It’s too bad because the combat system here is one of the best in the genre and takes turn-based gameplay to a whole other level.
It’s complex as hell, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll love what it’s got to offer. The basis is that each character takes a turn and during it, they can move within a set amount of space and attack the enemy.
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The attack animations are outrageous, with you flipping in the air, sliding, and all kinds of acrobatics while blasting your enemies with a variety of guns.
The trick is lining up your characters in a way that lets you unleash a special attack for big damage. I’m not sure what I can compare this one to, as it stands alone with this combat system and that’s forever going to be its calling card.
It’s the first shooter JRPG I can remember and although it’s ambitious, it’s a great combat system when it starts cooking.
5South Park: The Stick of Truth
Have Yourself A Time
South Park: The Stick of Truth
South Park: The Stick of Truthis one of the best turn-based systems around.I remember playing this game and being stunnedat how fun and interactive the combat system was.
There is so much interaction, from timing attacks to defending and charging up special moves, that you will rarely be bored when fighting one of the many hilarious encounters throughout the game.
The different characters you’ll fight alongside all have their own mechanics to learn, and everyone is pretty interactive for the most part. Blocking is something we rarely ever get to do in turn-based games, so it was quite refreshing to see a timed block mechanic here that surprisingly didn’t catch on more.
For fans of the series, or just turn-based games in general, the real-time nature of the combat here is a thrilling time to engage in.
4Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
The Illusion of Turn-Based Combat
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
The Like A Dragon series has some of the best combat in the turn-based genre, and it does so by creating the illusion of real time.
Your characters move throughout the battlefield, whether it’s your turn or an enemy’s, and the combat is so fast that you barely even notice you’re taking one turn at a time.
The attacks in this game go from brutal to ridiculousdepending on which character you’re using, but the variety and each character feeling unique keeps the combat feeling fresh throughout.
More turn-based games should emulate whatLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthdoes with its combat and genre would be all the better off because of it.
3Final Fantasy VIII
Move Or Your Enemy Will
Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy VIII is my favorite in the entire series and part of that is because ofthe ATB combat systemthat makes you pay attention to every fight.
What this system does is give you a meter that fills throughout the battle, and you only get to attack when it’s full. Your enemy can attack you if you’re slacking off after you get your turn ready and this can change the tide of tons of battles.
It makes the combat feel more real-time than most turn-based titles, because if you just set the controller down, you’re going to see your party wiped out after a few hits.
you may utilize spells like Haste to increase your attack rate as well as spells like Slow to make sure your enemy isn’t wailing away at you while you’re trying to choose what to attack with.
2Lost Odyssey
An Alternative Fantasy
Lost Odyssey
Lost Odysseyis an incredible game that hits many of the highs of old-school Final Fantasy while finding its own groove to settle into as well.
The combat system is the biggest part of that, focusing on a timing-based system for many attacks in the game.
How it works is, when you start your attack, a ring will start to close on a circle in the middle of the screen, and you need to time a button press when the two pass over each other to deal max damage.
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It’s a simple system, but one that keeps you engaged in the action taking place throughout the game and makes even the basic mobs you fight an engaging endeavor because of it.
While it doesn’t feel completely real time, the constant need to pay attention to what’s happening beyond just selecting attack makes it have far more urgency than your typical turn-based game.
1Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
For Those Who Come After
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Fextralife Wiki
I imagineClair Obscur: Expedition 33is going to be at the front of a lot of lists from now on, so you might as well get used to it.
The breakout smash hit of 2025 has turned the turn-based genre on its head, introducing a level of maturity, complexity and graphical awe we haven’t felt since the first time we saw Final Fantasy take to the 3D realm.
A big reason the game has become such a sensation is the excellent combat system, which is a unique spin on the turn-based system.
While attacking normally is still basic, using skills will require you to time multiple button presses at sometimes breakneck speeds are required to maximize damage and, in some cases, successfully deal damage at all.
The real-time nature of the combat doesn’t end there though, as the enemy turns require just as much interaction. Instead of letting the enemy freely hit you, you can parry, defend, dodge and jump, and it’s up to your judgment on which attacks require which evasive maneuver.
The timing is extremely difficult and learning the moves of each enemy is part of the puzzle that the combat system presents with each and every fight. It all culminates in my favorite turn-based system ever, so whether you like traditional turn-based games or real-time combat, Clair Obscure will break that boundary.
“For those who come after” isn’t just the slogan for the game, but a statement that the turn-based games of the future should hold this game as a blueprint for what to do as a whole.
