I've never been into rpg's,but even i've noticed the lack of rpg's this gen. The only big ones I can think of are final fantasy and the fallout and skyrim type games. Sure there's the japan type rpg's,but I think they've become a very niche thing. The western rpg's seem to be somewhat more popular. I love fps and open world games,but it seems that's what the vast majority of games are these days. The only rpg type games I've gotten into were the kingdom heart games. Do you think there will be more rpg centric games next gen? are rpg games becoming a thing of the past? I'm not an expert when it comes to rpg's,but it just seems like there not nearly as popular as they used to be? I've been thinking about this for along time.Please,help me understand the decline of the rpg's.

there expensive to make one of the most expensive type of games to make, thats why we dont see alot of JRPGs on home consoles as much as we used too. It just went down in popularity its a cycle all genres go throught it, 2d plats, 3dplats, fighting games, now its FPSs turn

The Japanese RPG kind of tumbled, I think because other things took off in popularity. Lots and lots of third-person action games, which led directly into hunter games. Social gaming also became big by integrating into different genres. Really, Japan kind of went wild for third-person stuff for awhile. Everything went more toward real time action, which meant single-player control as opposed to full-party control.

Meanwhile, games with RPG elements took off in the west, interestingly enough. It seemed to become quite a popular style of game.

Western RPGs are doing fine; JRPGs, on the other hand, have become very much a niche product (outside of their home country of Japan, of course).

As if. This generation may not have been the best for the RPG, but it was far from terrible.

*Western: Elder Scrolls 4/5, Fable 2/3, Fallout 3/NV, Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age
*Japanese Console games: Final Fantasy 13/13-2, Dark/Demon Souls, Valkyria Chronicles, Monster Hunter 3
*Handheld RPG's: Pokemon G4/G5 and G2 remakes, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2, Dragon Quest 9/Monsters Joker 1/2, Bowser's Inside Story, Kingdom Hearts, various ports and remakes

Everything I mentioned was a million-seller

Handhelds still have a great market for RPGs. There's a ton for the DS, and several on 3DS

IMO now a days many games are picking up all the characteristics of RPG. We are getting used to it. Its spreading in all games.

But weakening in the actual games that are meant to be RPGs.

Not dead, but certainly a whole lot more niche, sadly. JRPG's, that is.
WRPG's seem to be doing fine.

Yep, RPG mechanics are everywhere these days. At least leveling and character building mechanics. Divergent storytelling is much more work and harder to do, so it's far less common, but most "RPGs" never implemented that mechanic, either.

As for"pure" RPGs of the kind the OP is probably thinking about, they're all on [3]DS, dude. And some indy PC stuff. Check out Spiderweb Software.