2023 was a memorable year for fans of RPG titles, and the foreseeable future looks brighter than ever after the recent Summer Game Fest event. The biggest contribution comes arguably from Xbox Game Studios, thanks to Microsoft's investments in some of the most successful RPG studios and franchises. But there's a lot more coming to market - let's take a look at the next couple of years, beginning with the latter half of 2024.
In the action/soulslike (or lite) subgenre, players can look forward to Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (out next week), the one and only expansion to 2022's game of the year. We've already said so much about this one that it's not worth dwelling too much on it, but feel free to check out our recent hands-on preview in case you missed it.
Then there's Flintlock: Siege of Dawn, the new game from Ashen developer A44. Its fantasy world mixes magic and supernatural with firearms while taking visual cues from the studio's home country of New Zealand. The 'wide linear' game will be released on July 18, and Game Pass subscribers will get it as a complimentary addition to their library on day one.
Just over a month later, Chinese developer Game Science has scheduled its debut title, Black Myth: Wukong. This is a reinterpretation of the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. Players will be asked to play as the monkey-like 'Destined One' creature, who sets on a journey across beautiful landscapes to uncover the truth behind an old mystery. To defeat his many foes, designed out of Chinese mythology, the Destined One will have to master his staff's techniques while also wielding spells and abilities and acquiring powerful gear.
Another action RPG scheduled for August is Visions of Mana by Square Enix. In this game, players explore a semi-open world with a party of three characters, all of whom can be directly controlled. Each character has different combat classes, which can be unlocked by acquiring items called Spirit Vessels and can be changed at will, giving them access to new abilities and powerful attacks called Class Strikes.
Going back to the soulslite genre, Italian developer Jyamma Games has set a September 19 date for Enotria: The Last Song. Far removed from the gloomy atmospheres championed by FromSoftware, Enotria takes place in a sunny world inspired by Southern Italy, though that doesn't mean there aren't ominous enemies to conquer. You can play an updated demo right now on Steam.
Fans of Japanese-made RPGs will get their highlight in October when Atlus plans to launch the long-awaited new IP Metaphor: ReFantazio. With turn-based combat inspired by Persona and a medieval fantasy world called the United Kingdom of Euchronia that somehow mirrors the modern world, the game will also allow players to develop intimate relationships with theircharacter's companions.
Gamers who prefer Western-style roleplaying games will undoubtedly find what they're looking for between these four heavy-hitters: Obsidian's Avowed, BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Warhorse's Kingdom Come Deliverance II, and The Chinese Room's Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines II.
Unlike the previous titles mentioned in this article, these four underline the R in RPG by allowing players to shape the world around them and the storylines through choice-based gameplay, potentially leading to major differences and even multiple endings.
Despite this similarity, there are some key differences. Avowed, set in the fantasy world of Eora (previously seen in the Pillars of Eternity games), can be played in either first-person or third-person view. It features a party of three characters, although the action is focused on the main character and there is no tactical pause. However, players can quickly swap their loadout in combat as required by the situation, switching from a two-handed ax to a sword and a Grimoire, for example. While interacting with companions and befriending them is a major part of the game, there won't be any romance.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard takes place in the fantasy world of Thedas, following more or less directly from the plot of 2014's Inquisition. The game is played from a fairly close third-person camera to enhance immersion. Like in Avowed, the party size is three; however, The Veilguard lets you pause the action and issue orders to your companions to activate specific skills against the targets on the battlefield, potentially enabling devastating combos. The game also allows players to romance any of the seven companions, regardless of the main character's race or gender, and there will even be some nudity.
Kingdom Come Deliverance II, on the other hand, is set in a purely medieval world, more specifically, 15th-century Bohemia. Unlike the previous two RPGs, this one is not party-based and features a fixed protagonist (the same as the first installment), Henry from Skalitz, who's on a revenge mission against Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, responsible for the destruction of his village and the death of his parents. Kingdom Come Deliverance II is only available in first-person view. Moreover, its unique directional combat system certainly sets its apart from the other games, though the developers said it will be a bit more accessible.
The last of the Big Four Western RPGs in 2024, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines II is also the one that raised the most concerns due to its highly troubled development phase. A new studio (The Chinese Room) was brought in following the split with Hardsuit Labs, but they don't exactly have a track record in the genre. Anyway, like Kingdom Come Deliverance II the game is played in first-person view and does not rely on companions. Players will step in the shoes of an Elder vampire who was mysteriously put into slumber for over a century. They'll be able to choose gender, appearance, backstory, and clan, the latter of which will influence the kind of powers and abilities at their disposal. Clans Brujah, Tremere, Banu Haqim, and Ventrue will be playable at launch, with two more set to be added later.
Finally, cRPG fans will want to take note of New Arc Line, a steampunk/fantasy turn-based game from Ukrainian indie studio Dreamate Games. It's slated to launch later this year.
As mentioned earlier in the article, roleplaying game aficionados can look forward to many interesting projects even going into 2025 and beyond. At Summer Game Fest 2024, Playground confirmed that its Fable reboot (developed with the collaboration of Eidos Montreal) would launch at some point next year, and the in-engine trailer certainly had fans excited to return to the city of Bowerstone after a long time.
We didn't see it at this Summer Game Fest, but last year inXile's steampunk RPG Clockwork Revolution made a big impression with a gameplay trailer, and a rumor suggests it may indeed launch in 2025.
Next year is also when Spiders plans to release GreedFall: The Dying World out of early access. This game has transitioned from action to tactical gameplay; you can read more about that in the fresh preview. The Gothic Remake is also currently scheduled to launch by March 2025 at the latest, with more information likely coming this August at gamescom. Indie game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, also slated for 2025, definitely caught our attention at Summer Game Fest thanks to its unique setting and mix of turn-based and real-time combat. Lastly,
Finally, Q4 2025 is the expected launch window for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy, the new fantasy cRPG from the makers of the old Fallout-style games Atom and Atom: Trudograd. The game was crowdfunded last month on Kickstarter and will enter early access in Q4 2024.
Looking at 2026 and farther into the future, there's a few triple-A RPG titles already lined up: the remake of The Witcher, in development at Fool's Theory; the new The Witcher 4 game, in development at CD Projekt RED, just like the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel; Bethesda's Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5; BioWare's new Mass Effect; Obsidian's The Outer Worlds 2; and the Mass Effect-like sci-fi RPG Exodus, from ex BioWare developers. On the AA spectrum, Outward 2 is also worth mentioning, as well as the indie Daggerfall-inspired The Wayward Realms, which was just funded on Kickstarter. Many more games will doubtless be announced over time, but even with just those listed here, fans of roleplaying games will have thousands of hours worth spending in these increasingly lifelike virtual worlds.
