If Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Age, or Mass Effect has ever made you look at the clock and realize you’ve somehow been playing for six hours, you know the feeling.
You finish the game, swear you’re going to take a break, and then immediately start wondering:
What am I supposed to play now?
The good news? You may not have to wait long.
2026 and 2027 are shaping up to be an unusually exciting couple of years for RPG fans. We have sprawling fantasy adventures, ambitious new sci-fi universes, time-bending steampunk worlds, tactical RPGs, and a few wonderfully strange wild cards on the way.
But we’re not interested in every upcoming RPG.
For this list, we’re looking beyond flashy trailers, enormous maps, and games simply carrying the RPG label. We’re looking for the things that make the genre so difficult to leave behind:
Characters we care about. Choices that matter. Worlds we want to get lost in. Relationships that feel meaningful. Stories that make “just one more quest” a dangerous promise.
So whether you’re still recovering from your latest Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough or simply looking for your next great RPG obsession, these are the upcoming games we’re watching most closely.
At a Glance
| Game | Release | Platforms | Why We’re Excited |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXODUS | April 7, 2027 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Choice-driven sci-fi RPG |
| Fable | February 23, 2027 | PC, Xbox Series X/S | Fantasy, choices & relationships |
| The Expanse: Osiris Reborn | Spring 2027 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Companions, choices & sci-fi |
| The Blood of Dawnwalker | September 3, 2026 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Dark fantasy & consequences |
| Clockwork Revolution | 2027 | PC, Xbox Series X/S | Time travel & reactive choices |
| Judas | TBA | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | BioShock-style narrative FPS |
| Solasta II | Early Access | PC | D&D rules & party-based RPG |
| Outward 2 | Early Access | PC | Freedom & exploration |
| Lost Hellden | 2026 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch | Hand-painted JRPG |
| Alkahest | TBA | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Immersive-sim freedom |
| Aniimo | September 16, 2026 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Cozy creature collecting & exploration |
🏆 The “I Need This” RPGs
These are the games that immediately caught our attention—and the ones we’re expecting to dominate RPG conversations when they finally arrive.
#1 EXODUS
Genre: Sci-Fi Action RPG
Developer: Archetype Entertainment
Release: April 7, 2027
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
EXODUS might be the upcoming RPG we’re most curious about.
Set in a far-future universe 40,000 years from now, EXODUS puts you in the role of Jun Aslan, a salvager who becomes a Traveler and ventures into the ruins of an ancient civilization. But the game’s most interesting idea isn’t simply its setting.
It’s time.
Interstellar travel causes enormous amounts of time to pass for those left behind. A journey that feels relatively short to Jun can mean decades have passed for the people he cares about.
That gives the game’s choices some potentially huge consequences.
You’ll assemble a crew of companions—including humans and Awakened animals—and their relationships, personalities, and abilities will influence your journey.
If Mass Effect is the sci-fi RPG you keep wishing someone would make again, EXODUS is one of the games you should have firmly on your radar.
If you loved: Mass Effect
Keep an eye on: EXODUS
#2 Fable
Genre: Open-World Action RPG
Developer: Playground Games
Release: February 23, 2027
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
Fable is difficult to compare directly to almost anything else on this list—and honestly, that’s part of the appeal.
This isn’t traditional high fantasy. It’s fairytale fantasy, complete with British humor, absurd characters, questionable moral decisions, and a world that seems determined to make you laugh one minute and question your life choices the next.
More importantly, the new Fable appears to be embracing the series’ longstanding obsession with choice and consequence.
You’ll be able to customize your Hero, build a reputation, pursue different careers, form relationships, romance villagers, and even start a family. Your actions can affect how the people of Albion perceive you and how the world responds to you.
It’s not Skyrim, and that’s important to understand.
But if what you loved about Skyrim was the freedom to wander into a strange town, decide what kind of person you wanted to be, and get distracted for six hours by something completely unrelated to the main quest, Fable could scratch a similar itch.
If you loved: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Keep an eye on: Fable
Lorebound take: This is one of the hardest games on our list to compare directly to another RPG. Fable has its own identity—and we’re very glad it does.
#3 The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
Genre: Third-Person Action RPG / Shooter
Developer: Owlcat Games
Release: Spring 2027
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
Owlcat Games has already proven it knows how to build RPGs around complicated choices and memorable companions. Now it’s taking those strengths into The Expanse universe.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn follows a customizable protagonist and their crew as they become caught up in a dangerous conflict across the solar system.
And yes, the part we’re most interested in is the crew.
Owlcat is emphasizing companions, relationships, factions, branching decisions, and consequences. The game is being designed around the idea that the people traveling with you aren’t simply combat abilities with dialogue attached—they’re a major part of the story.
If you’ve spent an unreasonable amount of time arguing with your Mass Effect squad about who gets to come on the next mission, this one deserves your attention.
If you loved: Mass Effect
Keep an eye on: The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
#4 The Blood of Dawnwalker
Genre: Dark Fantasy Action RPG
Developer: Rebel Wolves
Release: September 3, 2026
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
If you told us someone was making a dark fantasy RPG about vampires, a doomed medieval family, and a protagonist caught between humanity and monstrosity, we’d probably already be interested.
Then you tell us the developers include veterans who previously worked on The Witcher 3?
Now we’re paying attention.
The Blood of Dawnwalker takes place in 14th-century Europe during the Black Death. You play as Coen, a young man transformed into a Dawnwalker who exists between the worlds of humans and vampires. The story is shaped by your actions and the secrets you uncover.
But one of the game’s most intriguing ideas is its time pressure.
You won’t necessarily be able to see everything or save everyone in a single playthrough. Instead of waiting for you to finish every side quest before the story moves forward, the world continues without you.
That could make choices feel considerably more meaningful.
If you loved: Dragon Age: Origins or The Witcher 3
Keep an eye on: The Blood of Dawnwalker
⚔️ The RPGs We’re Watching Closely
These games may not be as obvious a fit for every RPG fan, but each one has something we’re particularly excited to see.
#5 Clockwork Revolution
Genre: Steampunk First-Person RPG
Developer: inXile Entertainment
Release: 2027
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
Imagine discovering you could travel into the past, change a major event, return to the present, and see your decision physically reshape the world around you.
That’s essentially the elevator pitch for Clockwork Revolution.
Set in the steampunk metropolis of Avalon, the game gives you control over a customizable protagonist who can manipulate time and rewrite pivotal moments in history.
The important part is that these aren’t supposed to be meaningless dialogue choices.
Your decisions can create butterfly effects that change characters, locations, and the future you’ve returned to.
That makes Clockwork Revolution one of the most interesting games on this list for players who love seeing their choices actually reflected in the world.
If you loved: Dishonored
Keep an eye on: Clockwork Revolution
#6 Judas
Genre: Narrative First-Person Shooter
Developer: Ghost Story Games
Release: TBA
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
If you see Judas and immediately think “That’s basically BioShock in space,” you’re not entirely wrong.
But that comparison sells it short.
Developed by Ghost Story Games and led by Ken Levine, Judas takes place aboard a disintegrating starship where survival depends on the alliances you form—or destroy. You play as the mysterious Judas, who must find a way to escape while dealing with the people responsible for the ship’s collapse.
The game’s biggest selling point for us is its approach to relationships.
Rather than simply choosing the “nice” dialogue option and watching a relationship bar increase, your actions can turn characters against you. The developers have described a system where relationships can shift dramatically depending on how you behave.
And unlike most games on this list, Judas still doesn’t have a confirmed release date.
Which is starting to feel very on-brand for a game about a collapsing spaceship.
If you loved: BioShock
Keep an eye on: Judas
#7 Solasta II
Genre: Turn-Based Tactical RPG
Developer: Tactical Adventures
Release: Early Access
Platforms: PC
Why we’re excited
If Baldur’s Gate 3 made you want to roll actual dice every time you make an important decision, Solasta II deserves your attention.
The game is built around the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition ruleset, with a party of four customizable characters, tactical combat, spellcasting, exploration, and the kind of rule-heavy systems that tabletop RPG fans will immediately recognize.
Solasta II entered Early Access on March 12, 2026, giving players an early look at the adventure while Tactical Adventures continues development toward its eventual 1.0 release.
What makes Solasta II particularly appealing to us is that it doesn’t simply imitate Baldur’s Gate 3.
It takes the tabletop rules seriously.
Concentration, action economy, long rests, resource management, class abilities, and positioning all matter. If you enjoy the mechanical side of D&D as much as the storytelling, this could become your next RPG obsession.
If you loved: Baldur’s Gate 3
Keep an eye on: Solasta II
👀 The Wild Cards
Not every game on this list is trying to be the next Dragon Age.
Some are here because they’re doing something weird, ambitious, or just different enough that we can’t stop thinking about them.
#8 Outward 2
Genre: Open-World Action RPG / Survival
Developer: Nine Dots Studio
Release: Early Access
Platforms: PC
Why we’re excited
Outward 2 is probably the oddest fit on this list—and that’s exactly why we’re including it.
This isn’t a cinematic RPG where a companion tells you how important you are every five minutes.
It’s about freedom.
The world doesn’t revolve around your character. You have to prepare for expeditions, manage resources, figure out where you’re going, and deal with the consequences when things inevitably go wrong.
If you want an RPG that gives you a world to inhabit rather than a story to follow, Outward 2 is worth watching.
If you loved: Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Keep an eye on: Outward 2
#9 Lost Hellden
Genre: Action JRPG
Developer: Artisan Studios
Release: 2026
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
Lost Hellden immediately stands out because of its visual style.
The game combines a hand-painted 3D aesthetic with a large fantasy world, a party of playable characters, and a hybrid combat system that blends real-time and turn-based elements.
It also has the kind of sprawling lore and progression systems that should appeal to fans of classic JRPGs.
The game isn’t built around the same choice-heavy structure as Baldur’s Gate 3 or Dragon Age, but that’s not why it’s here.
We’re watching Lost Hellden because it looks like the kind of ambitious, old-school fantasy RPG that can quietly become someone’s new favorite.
If you loved: Final Fantasy XII
Keep an eye on: Lost Hellden
#10 Alkahest
Genre: Medieval Action-Adventure RPG
Developer: Dark Crystal Games / Alkahest development team
Release: TBA
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
Alkahest might be the biggest wildcard on the entire list.
The game is built around first-person melee combat, immersive-sim mechanics, environmental interactions, and the freedom to approach situations in different ways.
Want to fight someone?
Sure.
Want to kick them into a trap?
Absolutely.
Want to set the environment on fire and turn the entire encounter into a disaster?
Apparently, that’s an option too.
The appeal here isn’t necessarily a huge cinematic story. It’s the possibility of being dropped into a world and being told:
“Here’s the problem. Figure it out.”
That kind of player freedom is becoming increasingly rare—and we’re very interested to see whether Alkahest can pull it off.
If you loved: Dark Messiah of Might & Magic
Keep an eye on: Alkahest
#11 Aniimo
Genre: Action-Adventure / Creature Collection
Developer: Pawprint Studio
Release: September 16, 2026 on PC and consoles
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Why we’re excited
Okay, hear us out.
Aniimo isn’t the obvious choice for a list of story-driven RPGs.
It’s much more whimsical.
The game features a colorful open world filled with adorable creatures that you can collect, interact with, and even play as. You also have a customizable human character and plenty of freedom to explore the world at your own pace.
And honestly?
Sometimes you don’t want another grim medieval kingdom collapsing around you.
Sometimes you want to run around a beautiful fantasy world collecting adorable creatures.
Aniimo launches globally on PC and consoles on September 16, 2026, with the mobile version following on September 23.
We’re not expecting it to replace Dragon Age or Baldur’s Gate 3.
But if you’re looking for something lighter between massive RPGs, it could be exactly what you need.
If you loved: Hogwarts Legacy
Keep an eye on: Aniimo
Which Upcoming RPG Should You Be Most Excited About?
There isn’t one correct answer here.
It depends on what kind of RPG you’re craving.
🐉 Most likely to scratch the Dragon Age itch
The Blood of Dawnwalker
A dark fantasy world, meaningful decisions, an evolving story, and a protagonist caught between two worlds make this one of our strongest candidates for Dragon Age fans.
🚀 Most intriguing sci-fi RPG
EXODUS
A completely new universe, a customizable crew, consequential choices, and a story built around the strange effects of time dilation make EXODUS one of the most ambitious games on this list.
🎲 Best bet for Baldur’s Gate 3 fans
Solasta II
If what you loved most about Baldur’s Gate 3 was the D&D rules, party building, tactical combat, and freedom to create your own characters, Solasta II may be the obvious next stop.
🕰️ Most interesting choice system
Clockwork Revolution
Changing the past and then living with the consequences in the present is one of the most promising ideas we’ve seen in an upcoming RPG.
🧛 Most intriguing new fantasy world
The Blood of Dawnwalker
We’ve seen plenty of fantasy RPGs.
A vampire protagonist trying to save his family during the Black Death?
That’s considerably harder to ignore.
🃏 Biggest wildcard
Alkahest
We don’t know exactly how everything will come together yet—but the combination of immersive-sim mechanics, first-person combat, environmental interactions, and player freedom has our attention.
The Next RPG Obsession Is Out There
The best thing about being an RPG fan is that your next favorite game isn’t always the one you expect.
Maybe The Blood of Dawnwalker becomes the next fantasy RPG you lose 100 hours to.
Maybe EXODUS finally gives sci-fi RPG fans the next great space epic.
Maybe Fable reminds everyone why Albion was so special in the first place.
Maybe Clockwork Revolution turns out to be the choice-and-consequence RPG we’ve been waiting for.
Or maybe it’s something completely unexpected.
That’s the fun of looking ahead.
Because somewhere among these upcoming worlds is a game that will eventually make you glance at the clock at 2 a.m., realize you’ve been playing for six hours, and think:
“Okay. One more quest.”