The nights are currently very long, it’s wet, it’s cold and the UK is currently being battered by storms with wind and ice warnings all up and down the UK. Everywhere you look people are lamenting what horrendous weather we are having and how it’s making everyone across the UK miserable.
BUT NOT I! This weather is absolutely perfect for putting on my fluffy cardigan and diving deep into a JRPG or 5. The past few years however we have been treated so well when it comes to JRPGs (and similar!) so it has taken me a bit of time to look through specifically what JRPG I have wanted to dive into in 2026 – so whilst I have been doing this research I thought I would list a handful on my list that I have put off over the past 2 or 3 (in some cases 7) years!
Is this just an excuse for me to mention the Legend Of Heroes series again? Maybe it is. (it totally is)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak
Trails through Daybreak feels like the most sensible entry point into a series that famously does not care about your time. That sounds harsher than it is meant to be. Trails games reward patience in a way few modern RPGs dare to. Conversations matter. Towns evolve. Characters remember you.
Daybreak appeals to me because it feels like a reset without losing the identity that makes Trails special. It is still slow. It is still talky. It is still deeply invested in politics, morality, and the knock-on effects of small decisions. But it also feels more contemporary in its systems and presentation, making it easier to settle into for long winter sessions without feeling like you are doing homework.
This is the game I want to commit to. Not rush. Not binge. Just steadily live in, night after night.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Metaphor is slightly different, because I’ve already played it. And yet, it still feels essential to this list.
Some games don’t stop when the credits roll. Metaphor is one of those. Atlus stepping away from Persona’s modern setting and building a full fantasy world could have felt safe or familiar, but instead it feels bold and unsettling in the best possible way. It’s a game that is deeply confident in what it wants to say, and completely unafraid of asking uncomfortable questions.
Thinking back on it, Metaphor feels like the kind of JRPG that benefits from distance. From time. From replay. I want to return to it knowing where it goes, paying closer attention to the smaller moments and the quieter conversations. Winter feels like the right time to do that. When you’re not chasing the next big release, and you can actually sit with something properly.
NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata is another game I’ve already experienced, and another one that feels inseparable from a certain kind of mood.
It’s a game built around repetition, around systems folding back in on themselves, around slowly realising that what you thought you were playing isn’t quite what’s happening. That sense of unease and quiet dread hits harder when the days are short and the nights feel endless.
Replaying NieR doesn’t feel redundant. It feels reflective. Knowing what’s coming doesn’t lessen its impact, it reframes it. The small moments land differently. The empty spaces feel heavier. It’s the sort of game that almost demands to be revisited when you have the time and headspace to really sit with it.
Winter provides both.
Dragon Quest XI S (with Dragon Quest VII on the horizon)
Part of why Dragon Quest XI S feels especially appealing right now is that it exists alongside the growing sense that Square Enix is looking backwards as much as it is forwards. With Dragon Quest VII Reimagined officially on the way, it feels like the perfect moment to reconnect with what Dragon Quest does best.
Dragon Quest VII has always been one of the slowest, strangest, and most deliberately paced entries in the series. A game built almost entirely around long term payoff, quiet discovery, and stories that take their time to unfold. The idea of it being reimagined for modern hardware only reinforces why Dragon Quest XI still feels so relevant now.
XI represents the series at its most refined and welcoming, while VII represents its most patient and uncompromising instincts. Knowing that we are getting a modern take on VII makes going back to XI feel less like revisiting old ground and more like preparing yourself for what is coming next.
If Dragon Quest VII Reimagined sticks the landing, winter evenings spent wandering through Dragon Quest XI will feel like the warm up act to something even bigger. And honestly, that is exactly the kind of long term JRPG commitment this weather was made for.
Octopath Traveler II
Octopath Traveler II is one of those games that quietly improves on everything its predecessor attempted. The HD-2D art style is still beautiful, but now it’s paired with stronger writing, better pacing, and characters that feel more grounded in their world.
What makes Octopath perfect for winter is its flexibility. You don’t have to play it in a single-minded rush. You can dip in for a chapter, follow one character’s story for a while, then switch gears depending on your mood. Some nights call for drama. Others call for something lighter. Octopath accommodates both without friction.
It’s a game that respects your time, which makes it very easy to come back to again and again.
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars understands nostalgia without being trapped by it. It looks like a classic JRPG, but it plays like a modern one, with combat systems that keep you engaged and pacing that rarely drags.
This is the sort of game that’s perfect for winter evenings when you want something focused and satisfying. Not overwhelming. Not endless. Just a well-crafted adventure that knows exactly what it wants to be.
It’s a reminder that not every JRPG needs to be a hundred-hour commitment to be memorable.
Edge of Eternity
Edge of Eternity is here because winter is the best time to engage with ambitious, slightly rougher games. This is a JRPG that wears its influences openly and occasionally stumbles because of it, but the ambition is undeniable.
This feels like a project game. Something you chip away at slowly, appreciating what it does well and forgiving its shortcomings. It’s not polished in the same way as some of the others on this list, but that makes it interesting rather than disposable.
Winter gives you the patience for games like this.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles is another game I’ve already played, but like Metaphor and NieR, it’s one that never really leaves your head.
The scale is enormous. The world feels vast and strange. The systems are layered and occasionally overwhelming. But when it clicks, it really clicks. The Definitive Edition makes it more approachable, but it still demands commitment.
This is the sort of game that feels right when you have long evenings and no pressure to rush. When you can wander, experiment, and slowly get lost in its systems again.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Ys VIII earns its place here by being the outlier. This is momentum in JRPG form. Fast combat, constant movement, and exploration that feels physical rather than menu-driven.
It’s the game I want for nights where I still have energy. Where I want something dynamic without sacrificing a strong sense of adventure. It balances speed with substance in a way that makes it a perfect counterpoint to the slower, heavier games on this list.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore
Tokyo Mirage Sessions rounds things out because winter doesn’t always need to be serious.
This is bright, strange, unapologetically upbeat, and deeply Atlus. It’s not the Persona and Fire Emblem crossover people expected, but that’s exactly why it works on its own terms. Colourful systems, catchy music, and a tone that cuts straight through the grey.
When the weather is miserable, sometimes the best response is something joyful and slightly ridiculous.