Roses On Paper

The Best Side Quests In Recent RPGs Worth Playing

A great role-playing game can keep you busy for dozens of hours, but its side quests often determine whether that time feels meaningful. The main storyline may deliver the dramatic turning points, yet optional missions introduce odd characters, local legends, moral complications and small discoveries that make a fictional world feel lived in. The best side quests in recent RPGs are rarely simple errands; they are compact stories with consequences.

This matters for players with limited free time. Someone fitting a game around work in Melbourne, university in Brisbane or a long commute in Sydney may want optional content that respects their schedule. A well-designed quest can provide a satisfying half-hour session, while a poorly designed one sends you across a map for repetitive combat and a small pile of coins.

The recommendations below cover narrative adventures, open-world role-playing games, party-based campaigns and character-driven journeys. Some are memorable because of branching outcomes, while others excel through humour, atmosphere, exploration or the way they deepen a companion. They also include games available on PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo platforms, although performance and pricing can vary in the Australian market.

Digital editions often cost more in Australian dollars than their US equivalents, and new releases can be particularly expensive at local retailers. Services such as Game Pass, PlayStation Plus and PC storefront sales can make experimentation easier, while Australia’s R18+ classification gives adult RPGs a clearer place on shelves than they once had. Checking platform availability before buying is worthwhile, especially when a quest is locked behind an expansion.

What Makes A Side Quest Memorable

The strongest optional missions have a clear identity. They might revolve around a missing person, a political dispute, an absurd competition or a companion’s personal crisis, but the player should be able to describe what made the quest distinctive. Good writing, expressive animation and a setting with its own mood are more valuable than a large reward chest.

Choice is another major ingredient. A quest becomes more memorable when the player must judge unreliable testimony, decide who deserves help or accept that every available outcome carries a cost. The result does not need to reshape the whole game. Even a changed relationship, altered dialogue or a different final scene can make the player feel that their decisions mattered.

Pacing also separates excellent side content from filler. A worthwhile mission introduces a problem, develops it through investigation or action and ends with a payoff. It may take ten minutes or several hours, but it should avoid repeating the same objective without adding new context. This is especially important in enormous games, where map icons can easily turn entertainment into a checklist.

The Witcher 3 Turns Local Problems Into Powerful Stories

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains a benchmark because its side quests treat ordinary people and regional conflicts with the same seriousness as the central plot. “The Bloody Baron” is technically tied to the main story, but its family drama demonstrates the game’s method: characters are flawed, information is incomplete and an apparently helpful decision can lead to a painful outcome.

Several optional contracts and investigations are equally effective. “The Last Wish” explores Geralt and Yennefer’s difficult relationship, while “A Towerful of Mice” turns a remote island into a grim story about guilt, superstition and exploitation. These missions use folklore and detective work to create variety, rather than simply sending Geralt to defeat a stronger monster.

The game’s age is visible in its combat and movement, yet its quest writing still feels unusually modern. Players who enjoy Australian historical fiction or local ghost stories may appreciate the way rural communities, isolated settlements and oral legends shape each mission. The Complete Edition is frequently discounted, making it a strong choice for anyone seeking substantial role-playing content without paying launch price.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Makes Companions Part Of The Adventure

Baldur’s Gate 3 offers side quests that feel inseparable from its companions. Astarion’s search for power, Shadowheart’s religious crisis, Lae’zel’s relationship with her people and Karlach’s struggle with her engine all develop through optional encounters and personal decisions. These stories are effective because the party members react to the player’s methods rather than waiting passively for the next cutscene.

The game’s flexible systems make ordinary missions unusually unpredictable. A locked door can be opened with tools, magic or brute force. An enemy might be persuaded, deceived, pickpocketed or pushed from a high ledge. A quest can sometimes be resolved before it officially begins, particularly when the player explores a hidden route or speaks to an animal with the right spell.

That freedom rewards curiosity, although it can also produce unfinished-feeling outcomes if a player skips a location. Save management is useful before major conversations and battles, especially on console. For Australian players using a limited evening window, the turn-based combat is also convenient: it can be paused indefinitely, unlike a real-time action game that demands uninterrupted attention.

Cyberpunk 2077 Finds Human Stories Beneath The Neon

Cyberpunk 2077’s finest side content often focuses on people trying to survive a city designed to consume them. “The Hunt” combines investigation, disturbing imagery and a tense rescue mission, while “Dream On” asks how much truth a powerful family is willing to sacrifice for comfort. “Happy Together” is smaller but quietly affecting, showing how a neighbour’s grief can disappear amid Night City’s noise.

The game’s companion arcs are particularly strong after its major updates and Phantom Liberty expansion. Panam’s missions involve loyalty and risk, Judy’s storyline examines exploitation and community, and River’s quest becomes an uncomfortable search for a missing child. These stories benefit from first-person presentation, where overheard conversations, environmental clues and awkward silences make the player feel physically present.

Phantom Liberty adds a more concentrated spy thriller, with choices that can produce substantially different later missions. It is best approached after becoming familiar with Night City, though players do not need to complete every gig first. The game is rated R18+ in Australia, so its violence, sexual content and drug references are clearly signposted for adult buyers under the national classification system.

Final Fantasy And Metaphor Reward Patient Exploration

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth takes a different approach by filling its regions with optional activities, character episodes and local stories. Not every task reaches the standard of the main narrative, but several companion-focused episodes add emotional texture to the journey. Quests involving Aerith, Red XIII, Yuffie and other party members work best when they reveal insecurity, friendship or a new side of a familiar character.

The game’s regional design encourages players to leave the main road. Treasure hunts, world intel and protorelic storylines create a sense of touring a strange continent, although the quantity of activities can become tiring. Players who prefer a curated experience should select character quests and distinctive story chains rather than trying to clear every icon.

Metaphor: ReFantazio offers a more structured form of optional storytelling through followers and social bonds. Improving these relationships unlocks abilities, reveals personal histories and strengthens the player’s understanding of the game’s political world. The deadlines create pressure, but they also give each in-game day a purpose: choosing a conversation may mean postponing another activity.

Both games suit players who enjoy planning around a calendar. Metaphor’s time system is especially appealing for people who like management elements alongside turn-based combat. It also supports shorter sessions, since a single day’s activity often has a clear beginning and end—useful when gaming after a shift or during a busy week.

Dragon’s Dogma And Kingdom Come Make Exploration Matter

Dragon’s Dogma 2 contains side quests that thrive on uncertainty. “The Nameless Village” asks the player to investigate a suspicious settlement where appearances are misleading, while “The Phantom Oxcart” combines stealth, political tension and unusual consequences. Many quests are discovered through overheard dialogue or by reaching a location at the right time, so wandering can be more productive than following every marker.

Its pawn system adds another layer to exploration. Companions remember locations, comment on landmarks and occasionally recognise a route from a previous adventure. A rescue mission may become complicated because a pawn suggests a shortcut, a monster interrupts the journey or a vulnerable NPC cannot survive the return trip. The friction can be frustrating, but it gives travel a sense of physical risk that many open worlds lack.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II builds its optional stories around social status, investigation and regional life rather than supernatural spectacle. Side activities involving drinking, duelling, crafting and village disputes often reveal how ordinary people navigate a rigid medieval society. The game asks players to pay attention to reputation and preparation, making dialogue skills and clothing almost as important as swordplay.

For Australian players with slower or inconsistent NBN connections, both games are better suited to downloading ahead of time rather than relying on a last-minute purchase before a weekend session. Physical copies from retailers such as JB Hi-Fi can also be useful when a large install or patch makes a digital launch inconvenient, though updates may still be required.

A Practical Playlist For Different Players

Choosing among these games depends on the kind of optional content that feels rewarding. Players who want tightly written moral dilemmas should begin with The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077. Those who prefer improvisation and surprising solutions will find Baldur’s Gate 3 more flexible, while players who enjoy schedules, relationships and turn-based battles may prefer Metaphor: ReFantazio.

A sensible approach is to avoid treating every map marker as mandatory. Read the quest description, follow characters who interest you and leave repetitive activities for later. During major Australian sale periods or end-of-financial-year promotions, expansions and complete editions often provide better value than buying several unfinished new releases.

The most satisfying optional quests are the ones players remember after the credits. They may involve a tragic decision, a ridiculous conversation, a companion’s confession or a remote location that would have been missed by following the main road. Their value comes from giving the world texture and giving the player a reason to care about people who are not essential to victory.

Start with the game whose storytelling style matches your available time and preferred combat system, then let curiosity guide the route. Pick a companion to support, investigate one suspicious location or follow a side story before returning to the main campaign. That small detour may become the part of the RPG you remember longest.