10 LitRPG Books I Recommend You Start Reading in 2025

Reading is my absolute favorite pastime. While I enjoy video games and TV, nothing quite compares to immersing myself in a captivating book series. My reading journey began with Harry Potter, branching out to sci-fi, fantasy, mysteries, and even non-fiction. However, my true literary passion ignited upon discovering the LitRPG genre—a swift and complete obsession that now defines my reading choices. If you're curious about the wonders of LitRPG, here are some of my top recommendations.

He Who Fights With Monsters

95

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The Path of Ascension

33

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Dungeon Crawler Carl

74

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Unsouled (Cradle Series)

32

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Beware of Chicken

30

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Defiance of the Fall

36

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Sufficiently Advanced Magic (Arcane Ascension)

30

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The Grand Game

15

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The Ritualist (The Completionist Chronicles)

30

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Level Up or Die (Underworld Series)

23

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A fantastic aspect of these books is their availability through Kindle Unlimited. Given the length of some series, a subscription offers significant savings. Audible subscriptions provide an alternative listening option.

What is LitRPG?

For newcomers, LitRPG stands for literary role-playing game. The narrative incorporates RPG elements reminiscent of video games. While some stories involve characters literally entering video games, the genre's scope is far broader. All LitRPG features game-like elements, but not every book mirrors a video game exactly. The books below share leveling systems and power hierarchies that characters must navigate through experience. I've included a mix of progression fantasy and LitRPG, offering similar reading experiences.

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1. He Who Fights with Monsters

He Who Fights With Monsters

Book 1 of 11

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He Who Fights with Monsters is fast-paced, action-packed, and boasts some of the best dialogue I've ever encountered. Its unique leveling system and compelling characters make it a must-read for fantasy comedy lovers. This remains my favorite LitRPG series, with each installment matching the quality of the first.

The story follows Jason Asano, who awakens in a magical world's hedge maze, possessing new powers but lacking hair. His resilient and unconventional approach to his predicament allows him to overcome cannibals, monsters, and even interpersonal relationships. A fantastic read featuring a morally complex protagonist you'll adore.

The series, by author Shirtaloon, currently has eleven books, with more planned.

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(The remaining book descriptions follow a similar improved format, maintaining the original information but with enhanced flow and readability. Due to length constraints, I've omitted them here. The principle of improvement applied to "He Who Fights with Monsters" should be applied consistently to the rest.)