Role-playing games tend to leave players while they immerse themselves in the created worlds around them. From focusing on the main story to getting lost in the countless side quests, many titles easily create a world that best suits the player's need to explore.
However, many of these titles that allow fans of RPGs to adventure across open-worlds tend to miss one key feature that may benefit those that are looking for a more realistic experience. A survival mode in role-playing games encourages players to eat, drink, and sleep if they hope to survive the usually dangerous landscapes they find themselves in. Some games do this already such as Skyrim and The Outer Worlds where there are modes that can be selected, but some titles could really use this treatment.
8 Fable
Food can be consumed in Fable though all this does is increase health and isn't desperately needed. The same could be said for sleeping in the game which simply changes the time of day and therefore many players have no reason to return home after their adventures.
By including a survival mode, many players would need to find water sources, purchase food and make sure they are close enough to a town, so they have a place to stay to avoid becoming sleep-deprived. Surviving could go as far as making sure to have a balanced diet, but that might become too tedious for some players.
7 Yakuza
Plenty of titles like Yakuza: Like a Dragon take place in bustling cities such as how it's set in the Yokohama district of Isezaki Ijincho. Even in Yakuza players are able to take part in different activities such as taking teammates to Karaoke or spending hours on vending machines.
Therefore, by needing to visit the countless restaurants or street food stalls around the district would only add to the immersion of experiencing Yakuza as if they were living there themselves. Other features could also reinforce this role-play experience for players while opening up other scenarios around the district.
6 Monster Hunter
Eating in Monster Hunter already gives players certain buffs and advantages depending on what has been cooked. However, this could be taken a step further in future games to make Monster Hunter into a game that could partly rely on surviving in the habitats these creatures are found.
Monster Hunter already has players crafting certain armor and weapons they may wish to use against the monsters they face, but they always have the main base of operation to fall back to if the opponent becomes too fierce. If the players were forced to stay in the wild with nothing but the things they craft and collect, this could make Monster Hunter even more intense for some players.
5 Elden Ring
Arguably Elden Ring is already quite a challenge for those that have tried the souls-like title. This newest edition already has many of the features that make up a perfect survival mode for an RPG. This can be especially seen with the recent edition of a crafting menu to create items that are sure to give players the upper hand against the bosses they may face.
Giving Elden Ring or a future game like it a survival mode could increase the difficulty even further for players as they would have to balance their character's needs alongside taking on some of the most difficult opponents available.
4 Cyberpunk 2077
Similar to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, players are left to freely explore the futuristic landscape of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077. Although a lot has been added to the title since it was first released in a state many wished was better, there are still RPG elements many players wished were added to the game.
Although the city is large and players have had fun exploring it, there isn't much that V can interact with. By having a survival mode players would be encouraged to visits the large stalls across the city as well as other locations to fulfill their needs. Not to mention actually returning to V's apartment which many players are sure to have avoided since the beginning of the game.
3 Horizon
Playing as Aloy and working towards having both the weaponry and armor needed to take on the most dangerous of machines is only one element that makes up the franchises' role-playing elements. By having an actual survival mode players would be encouraged to forage for food as well as scope out nearby camps in order to avoid exhausting the ginger protagonist.
There is already so much to explore and collect in games such as Horizon: Forbidden West, that these elements would only add to the experience for players while also enhancing the immersion of the game as players get to live among the now dangerous machines.
2 The Witcher
Playing as Geralt and exploring across the different areas of The Continent leaves many players surprisingly desiring that they could live there themselves. Even with the drama that goes on in some places as well as the horrid monsters that Witchers must face.
A survival mode in a future Witcher title may be exactly what some players are looking for even if that means that they don't end up as the infamously popular Geralt of Rivia. This survival mode could include visiting inns to stay the night as a monster hunter travels to their next target as well as similarly foraging for ingredients to cook up their next meal while on the road.
1 Diablo
Another brilliant role-playing title that could benefit from a survival mode is the action RPG, Diablo. Although this is not seen in Diablo 4 any future titles may wish to dig even deeper into its RPG roots through demanding players eat, drink, and sleep while taking on the countless deadly forces they face.
Setting up camp in between possible hoard encounters to get their bearings back may lead players to cook a hearty meal that not only replenishes their health but also their character's hunger. Even having a short rest may energize their character before going out again to face the dangers.