Here are the most recent indie games to make an appearance on TBL’s pages.
The indie showcase had been on standby for a while, but today I finally managed to put together 20 of the most recent and interesting RPGs and strategy games currently in development by independent, or even solo developers.
I’ve got an incredible list of titles to feature here, my inbox is basically under constant siege, but even if progress is slow, I’ll gradually manage to give coverage to all these projects that truly deserve as much support as possible.
Anyway, if you love indie games as much as I do, then you’ll definitely want to check out these upcoming turn-based RPGs. There’s something for everybody on this list, from JRPG fans to hardcore tactical devotees and roguelite aficionados.
Be sure to add all the games you’re interested in to your Wishlist and follow them, and let me know which ones you’re most excited for.
Echo Generation 2
- Developer: Cococucumber
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Developer Cococucumber has carved out a niche for itself with its very cool voxel-based RPGs, with Echo Generation leading the pack as the perfect follow-up to Stranger Things. Echo Generation 2 is set to keep both of those trends alive, with a bloody new adventure battling horrors from another dimension.
Echo Generation 2‘s cool visuals and card-driven combat make it a game to watch in 2026, even if you haven’t played the original. It does fit into the timeline, though, so for the full experience, it’s well worth checking out the first Echo Generation before the sequel launches.
Humanity Echo
- Developer: Sympathy Systems
- Release Date: Q4 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Indie gamers know that while stunning graphics are nice, what really matters is gameplay. Humanity Echo‘s simple look lets you focus on what’s important: thoughtful, grid-based firefights in a near-future cyberpunk dystopia.
Not only do Humanity Echo‘s battles include destructible environments where stray bullets can impact the field, it also has a persistent, living world where your decisions in and out of combat can have far-reaching consequences. We won’t see this game until toward the end of the year, but there’s a free demo available now on Steam that’s well worth checking out.
Handmancers
- Developer: 58BLADES
- Release Date: Coming Soon To Early Access
- Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
- Steam Page
Leave it to indie devs to take a concept as simple as rock-paper-scissors, build a deep fantasy world and combat system around it, and have the whole thing… look really good, actually! There are plenty of roguelite deckbuilders out there, but Handmancers deserves extra attention for its commitment to the bit.
With lots of card customization and archetypes based on Rock, Paper, and Scissors, Handmancers looks like it will have plenty to offer just in Early Access. You can try the demo now and see what to expect.
Happy Bastards
- Developer: Clever Plays
- Release Date: TBA
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Happy Bastards is the Battle Brothers parody we didn’t know we needed. It’s got the explorable world, the tactical combat, and of course, the revolving door of procedurally-generated mercenaries to die horribly on your behalf.
As cynical mercenary captain Kev, you’ll command these unlucky warriors from a safe distance, letting them risk life and limb while you reap the rewards.
While Happy Bastards has plenty of laughs for tactical RPG fans in general, fans of games like the aforementioned Battle Brothers or The Iron Oath will probably have lots of fun with it. The mercenary sandbox subgenre could use a bit of humor among all the grimy grimdark, after all.
Forsworn
- Developer: Resummon Studios LLC
- Release Date: Q3 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
If you’re looking for a new co-op adventure, keep an eye out for Forsworn sometime this summer. It looks a bit like an indie, roguelite take on Baldur’s Gate combat, with an added ultimate for each class that lets you build up to a climactic finisher.
Forsworn supports up to three players in co-op with simultaneous turns, so there will probably be some impressive combos to discover with your friends. The demo is available to try right now, so you can get a head start on your ideal build.
Fractal Odyssey
- Developer: Golden Thread
- Release Date: TBA
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Fractal Odyssey is the debut title from indie developer Golden Thread, and its top-down design makes it one of the most compelling TRPGs on the horizon. With a look that evokes The Banner Saga, it tells the story of a group of rebels out to slay a god.
It’s not quite a roguelike, but Fractal Odyssey does expect you to fail and start over. Ember, your main resource for both growth and healing, will eventually run out, forcing you to try again with new strategies and insights you’ve picked up along the way. This is one to watch, and its free demo is available on Steam now.
Shardpunk 2
- Developer: Clockwork Pile
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
The original Shardpunk asked, “What if Vermintide was a turn-based tactical game?” and it turned out to be a blast. Its blend of grid-based combat with extraction-shooter-style tension, where you have to keep moving or be overrun, made it a great concept, and Shardpunk 2 looks to improve on it with new tech and new options.
Whether you played the first Shardpunk game or not, Shardpunk 2 should prove to be a great time. Meanwhile, there’s always the original if you want to go back and fight the rats among the ruins.
Luenna: School of the Magi
- Developer: Evenir Studios
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
This one’s for the cozy crowd. Luenna is a chill fantasy RPG that casts you as a student at the titular school, tasked with restoring the dilapidated institution while keeping up with your studies. It’s got fishing, bug catching, cooking, and even some turn-based combat to shake things up.
Luenna‘s lovely pixel art looks like it’ll go hand-in-hand with an equally lovely story, so if you need a break from tyrannical gods and bloody wars, some time on campus could be the perfect way to kick back.
Neath
- Developer: Cellar Door Games
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Then again, if you prefer terrifying entities and death at every turn, Neath has you covered. This tactical roguelike pits your party against grotesque beings whose very presence is so unsettling that just being targeted by them will make your heroes freeze in fear. They’ll need to cover one another, intercept attacks, and distract dangerous foes to have any hope of survival.
Neath is the kind of game where you’ll come for the horror and stay for the tactical challenge. If you’re a fan of tough roguelikes, watch for it to launch sometime this year.
Wardrum
- Developer: Mopeful Games
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
If you’re looking for something a little different in your roguelikes, you should definitely take a look at Wardrum. It blends 2.5D small-grid battles with rhythm game mechanics; the better you fight in time with the pounding Wardrum, the more damage you’ll do.
Between its fun blend of gameplay styles and pixelated, Conan-esque swords-and-sorcery setting, Wardrum is different enough to catch the eye of even the most jaded roguelike fan. There’s no release date yet, so be sure to follow it on Steam for updates as they come.
Ledgerbound
- Developer: OmniMegaSuperCorp
- Release Date: TBA
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Part visual novel, part tactical RPG, Ledgerbound is a fun, lighthearted tale of a bureaucrat tasked with saving her job (and the kingdom). Between paperwork, fighting battles against regenerating monsters, and romance subplots, you’ll certainly have your hands full.
Ledgerbound has assembled a great voice cast, and from what we’ve seen so far, the writing is comedy gold. It’s like that high-concept D&D game you’ve always meant to run but haven’t gotten around to, so check it out.
Hero’s Hour 2
- Developer: Benjamin “ThingOnItsOwn” Hauer
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows, Linux
- Steam Page
Hero’s Hour 2 is shaping up to be everything you’d expect from a sequel; the best parts of the original, and more! Take the core overworld gameplay of Heroes of Might and Magic, add big, swarm-based autobattles, and it’s easy to see what made the first game a hit… and why we can’t wait for the second.
Whether you played the original or not, Hero’s Hour 2 is definitely an indie title to watch for in 2026. There’s no release date confirmed yet, but that just means more time to play through the first game!
Beastro
- Developer: Timberline Studio
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Beastro is a neat blend of cozy restaurant sim and roguelike deckbuilder. As protagonist Panko, you’ll grow, cook, and serve food to the denizens of Palo Pori through minigames.
When the time comes to serve a Caretaker, the heroes who defend the town from monsters, the dishes you prepare for them will build their deck, which you’ll then use to guide them on an adventure!
These are two types of games that you wouldn’t expect to fit together, but Beastro has found a way to do it that’s engaging and fits the narrative. We’d love to see how it turns out when the game launches later this year.
Valor of Man
- Developer: Legacy Forge
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Valor Of Man seeks to create the ultimate mix of D&D-style combat and roguelite gameplay, distilling gameplay into short adventures packed with challenge. With loads of classes, gear, and skills to unlock and a whopping ten difficulty levels, it will have enough replay value to keep you coming back for ages.
It may not be reinventing the wheel, but Valor Of Man is making a very good version of the wheel as we currently know it. Check out the demo to see what I’m talking about, and if you like what you see, be sure to Wishlist and Follow it on Steam to give the devs a boost.
Dungeons & Warbands
- Developer: Omer Erenturk
- Release Date: 11 March 2026 (Early Access)
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
This enormous solo project hearkens back to the classic CRPGs of the ’90s, with a massive open world full of caves, dungeons, and towns to explore however you like. It also has dangerous combat with realistic armor and body part damage in the vein of Battle Brothers, adding a layer of challenge.
Dungeons & Warbands is an ambitious game, but if you’re looking to immerse yourself in a fantasy world and support an indie developer at the same time, you won’t have long to wait. It enters Early Access in March, so it will be here before you know it.
Abyss Rebel
- Developer: DRock Games
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Abyss Rebel isn’t just an exciting party-based strategy RPG that’s set to come out this year; it also has some of the coolest-looking environments, characters, and monsters of anything on this list.
I don’t have a ton of details on the game, other than that you’ll lead a squad across an alien ocean world filled with mechs, pirates, and alien creatures, but between that and the visuals, we’ve seen enough; we’re interested.
Hopefully we’ll learn more about DRock Games’ debut title soon. In the meantime, check out why we think it’s a must-Wishlist.
Clever Girls
- Developer: Ossifrage Games LLC
- Release Date: TBA
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
You know the line, Muldoon’s iconic last words before being torn apart by velociraptors in Jurassic Park.
Clever Girls lets you command just such a vicious pack of carnivores as you use your tactics and heightened senses to take down poachers and guards in an overrun park.
Between hunts, you’ll get to manage the relationships of the dinosaurs, find and equip human technology, and develop each character with new upgrades. It’s a fun take on a beloved pop culture monolith, and while there’s no release date, a playable demo is available on Steam.
Parasite Mutant
- Developer: IcerSitruuna
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Parasite Eve was a beloved survival horror RPG, but the franchise is unlikely to ever see the light of day again. Indie title Parasite Mutant is very clearly meant as a spiritual successor to the PlayStation classic, and from everything I’ve seen, it’s got the feel of the gameplay down cold.
Parasite Mutant’s anime style is a bit different from Eve‘s more realistic tone, but let’s face it – the story was always as anime as it gets. If you long for the return of that abandoned series, check out what IceSitruuna has done; the demo is up on Steam now.
Rakshasa
- Developer: Odd Compass Studio
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
I love games based on folklore, but it’s odd that one of the oldest cultures on Earth, with a history and tradition stretching back ten thousand years, doesn’t get much representation in video games.
Rakshasa is a modern fantasy set in India, with Tantrik magic, mystical talismans, and creepy demons, giving the world of gaming a much-needed injection of the subcontinent’s myths.
This first-person RPG feels a bit like a turn-based Bethesda game, or perhaps an Indian Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, mixing dialogue and intrigue with magical battles. It’s definitely one to be on the lookout for if you’re in the mood for something different.
Cross Reverie
- Developer: Sinxsoft
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Cross Reverie is a dark fantasy anime JRPG, focused on a dangerous gauntlet called the Trial of Nightmare. As the eight bravest warriors from across the land of Xylera, you’ll use each character’s unique skills to survive the Trial.
Cross Reverie blends a multi-ending story with a combo-driven combat system, and looks like it’s shaping up to be a rock-solid JRPG experience. It should be a fun pick when it launches later this year.
These are the twenty titles that have crossed my desk lately. Needless to say, I have a very long list of new games lined up to be published on TBL’s pages, and little by little, depending on work commitments, I’ll manage to bring them into the spotlight.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these projects through my social pages and the Reddit channel. See you around.
