I’ve been asked several times to provide an overview of what I consider to be the most interesting turn-based RPG releases for 2025, so here we are. I’ve chosen 20 titles that stand out as the most noteworthy as of today.
While some of these titles lean into strategy elements, the focus here is primarily on role-playing games. If you’re looking for a full list of all 2025 releases, you can check out the linked resource—a living document I’ll update as often as possible. With that said, it’s time to dive into the most promising RPGs coming this year!
Mercenaries Lament: Requiem of the Silver Wolf
- Platform: PC (Already Available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation)
- Release Date: January 22, 2025
Starting things off, we have a game that’s sure to appeal to fans of classics like Final Fantasy Tactics. Mercenaries Lament is an isometric tactical RPG with a heavier-than-normal focus on positioning. The usual side and rear attacks are just as important as you’d expect, but you can get additional bonuses by sandwiching enemies between allied characters for Advent Attacks.
Mercenaries Lament tells the story of Johann, a mercenary in a plague-ravaged world, who is prophesied to meet his ultimate fate -whatever that might mean – in just 100 days. It’s coming to Steam on January 22, but if you can’t wait it’s already available on consoles.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox
- Release Date: Spring/Summer 2025
Perhaps the game I’m most eagerly anticipating is undoubtedly Clair Obscur Expedition 33. This JRPG promises one of the most dynamic combat systems ever seen, featuring counterattacks and dodges and a strange but beautiful worldbuilding that we should expect from a big-budget JRPG and a soundtrack to match.
As Expedition 33 sets out to stop an unending cycle that’s erasing humanity year by year, you’ll get to know each member of the team – both personally and on the battlefield. Clair Obscur is one to watch, and we’re hoping to see it land sometime between Spring and Summer 2025.
New Arc Line
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox
- Release Date: Out of Early Access During 2025
Magic versus technology is a classic theme in RPGs, and New Arc Line is poised to put us right in the middle of the age-old struggle. In this tactical CRPG, you’ll explore the massive city of New Arc, mastering either magic or steampunk crafting on your rise to power.
New Arc Line is currently in early access, so there’s already a bit of exploration and experimentation to be done if you’re feeling ambitious. If you’d prefer to wait for the finished version, it’s expected towards the end of 2025.
Bonaparte – A Mechanized Revolution
- Platform: PC
- Release Date: Q1 2025
If not for the title, you might think on a quick glance that Bonaparte was a strictly historical game; all the big names of the French Revolution are there, from Robespierre to Lafayette. However, in this version of events you have access to clockwork colossi on the battlefield.
Bonaparte offers hex-grid battles and character-driven politics that let you decide the course of France’s history. Even if you aren’t a big history buff, you can surely appreciate the appeal of giant robots in snappy uniforms. There’s a free demo available to try, and the game is expected to launch in Q2 of 2025.
MENACE
- Platform: PC
- Release Date: Q3 2025
We talk a lot about XCOM here at Turn Based Lovers. There are few things more satisfying than winning a desperate tactical battle against an overwhelming alien threat. MENACE looks like it will offer that with plenty of gritty realism, Furthermore, judging by the developers’ various devlogs, which introduced elements of the game—from the strategy layer to how the weapons function—everything looks truly intriguing and promising.
Now we just have to wait for some concrete gameplay footage and look forward to Q3 2025, when we’ll finally get to experience what could be a solid alternative to XCOM 3.
Civilization VII
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: February 11, 2025
The longest gap between mainline Civilization games comes to an end on February 11 with Civilization VII. The community seems divided on the changes to towns and cities, eras, and just about everything else, but if you look at the series’ history, Sid and his team have usually been proven right in the end.
Civilization VII introduces a massive array of new leaders and playable nations, and dynamic gameplay that’s intended to break up mid-game doldrums to keep things fresh and interesting from start to finish. I’ve never been an avid player of the series, but I understand that for many, Civilization is more than just a game—it’s practically a religion, one to be practiced and consumed endlessly if there’s ever truly an end.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: February 14, 2025
I admit I’m lacking here as well—I’ve never played a single title in the series and might not even know where to start. However, given all the hype and the massive fanbase the franchise carries, the newest installment simply had to make it onto my list. The Legend Of Heroes is one of the deepest and most expansive settings in JRPGs – or, for that matter, in gaming as a whole. Trails Through Daybreak II continues the current storyline in the Calvard Republic, with a tale of murder, mystery, and intrigue.
The game’s battle system introduces new combo mechanics that reward both planning and timing, and as always exploration, story, and battles are presented in the series’ signature anime style. It will be a Valentine’s Day treat for fans when it launches on February 14.
Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: March 6, 2025
Suikoden 1 and 2 were classics of the PS1 era, so the upcoming HD remaster of the duology is an exciting chance for fans to revisit them. Of course, if you never played the originals, what better way to try them for the first time?
If building the perfect team is your favorite part of RPGs, then Suikoden has plenty of mixing and matching for you to do. Each game famously has 108 playable characters – the Stars of Destiny – to seek out and recruit as you uncover the story bit by bit. Both games are part of a single collection, which launches on March 6.
Solasta II
- Platform: PC
- Release Date: 2025
Sure, everyone’s played Baldur’s Gate 3 at this point, but if you want the real experience of D&D as a CRPG, Solasta is the way to go. The original game was lovingly built around the 5th Edition rules, and the recently-announced sequel follows in that tradition.
With improved visuals and a new storyline, Solasta II is likely to be the closest thing to an actual tabletop RPG that it’s possible to get in a video game. We’ll find out for sure when it enters early access at a yet-to-be-determined date later this year.
The Starbites
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: 2025
The Starbites is an exciting indie RPG from IKINAGAMES that follows the adventures of Lukida, a junk scavenger on a desert planet. With her friends Gwendol and Badger, you’ll mount up in customized mechs to wander the dunes in search of secrets and salvage.
The Starbites‘ deceptively simple battle system is built around finding ways to let your party members skip to the front of the turn order, even if they’ve already gone. Not only that, but you can customize your mechs with parts that you find to create your perfect build. The Starbites is expected to launch sometime this year.
Demonschool
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: Q1 2025
Demonschool seems to have been getting more and more attention in the leadup to launch, and is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2025. A tactical RPG with notes of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, Demonschool manages to carve out its own space that sets it apart from its inspirations.
Lead Faye and her friends to battle demons in between classes and social obligations; you can plan and rewind your moves in combat, and your school schedule between fights helps level up characters in different ways. Give the demo a try while you wait for the full launch!
Lost Hellden
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: 2025
Pay close attention to Lost Hellden, the new title developed by Artisan Studios, the same team behind Astria Ascending and Super Neptunia RPG. This might be one of the most visually captivating games for me, thanks to its hand-painted environments brought to life in 3D to create some very pretty backdrops for its original world. It almost feels like an evolution of the pre-rendered backgrounds of classics like Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9.
The story of Lost Hellden is of a world where each person is born bound to one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and must spend their life battling its urges. As long as the story and gameplay measure up to the visuals and soundtrack (courtesy of Hitoshi Sakimoto), Lost Hellden could be a hidden classic in the making. It’s expected to launch sometime in 2025.
Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (E.A.)
- Platform: PC
- Release Date: Q2 2025
The classic Heroes Of Might & Magic games are legendary among strategy gamers, though even the best of them have serious balance issues. Olden Era, currently in development by Unfrozen Studios (the creators of villainous Darkest Dungeon-like Iratus), could be the redemption of the series.
Unfrozen has a long road ahead of them, but if they’re able to deliver an experience akin to HOMM3 without brokenly over- or under-powered factions, it would be one of the greatest comebacks in PC gaming history. We’ll get our first glimpse when Olden Era enters early access in Q2 of 2025.
Dark Deity 2
- Platform: PC
- Release Date: 2025
Dark Deity took up the torch of the classic Fire Emblem games with gusto, and the arrival of the sequel means that the franchise is here to stay. If you miss the GBA style of hardcore tactical RPG combat, you won’t want to miss this indie series on the rise.
Dark Deity 2 takes place 25 years after the original, paving the way for a new cast of heroes to leave their mark on history. Descendants of the original heroes are mixed in with complete newcomers, and there’s tons of customization to be had among the game’s roster of 20 soldiers. A release date is still to be announced, so there’s time to play the first game if you haven’t already!
DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: 2025
I see what you did there, Square Enix. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake launched last year, giving the beloved classic a gorgeous graphical overhaul. As fans of the series know, DQ3 is revealed to be a prequel to the first game, so releasing it before the combo pack containing the first two games puts the trilogy in chronological order.
Dragon Quest was the very first JRPG, so it may seem simple and short, but combined with the sequel where you take on the role of the original Hero’s descendants, it makes a lovely saga. There are few better RPG franchises for a chill, relaxing time, so if you’re looking to get into Dragon Quest keep an eye out for this remake when it launches later this year.
The Way of Wrath
- Platform: PC – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: 2025
Survival and tactics meet in this Ice Age RPG. After suffering a devastating raid from a rival tribe, your people have ten days to prepare for another attack. Their survival depends on your choices, both in battle and around the fire, during that time.
Every member of the tribe is a unique character, so your decisions will impact everyone differently. With multiple character origins and paths to success, The Way Of Wrath looks like it could have lots of replay value when it launches later this year.
Liegecraft (Early Access)
- Platform: PC
- Release Date: 2025
Based on everything we’ve seen, Liegecraft is shaping up to be Crusader Kings meets Heroes Of Might & Magic, which has the potential to be an incredibly compelling combination. Riding forth from your castle, you’ll engage in diplomacy with other lieges that you meet, attend feasts and hunts to scheme and plot, fight duels and battles, and, of course, carry out the occasional murder.
Liegecraft is expected to hit early access in 2025, so the full version is still probably some time away, but if it accomplishes what it sets out to do, it will probably lead to a lot of sleepless nights.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox
- Release Date: 2025
The original Mechanicus was a fantastic dive into the lore of the Warhammer 40K universe, putting players in the titanium boots of a Magos in search of lost technology on a Necron Tomb World. Mechanicus II promises more thrilling tactical battles and – perhaps more exciting – two separate campaigns.
Playing as the fan-favorite Adeptus Mechanicus faction is always a fun time, but who doesn’t love taking on the villain role? No doubt the Necron campaign in Mechanicus II will have plenty of twists, turns, and disintegrations to keep players coming back for more.
The White Raven
- Platform: PC – Consoles
- Release Date: Hopefully in 2025
I want to add the last two titles to this list mostly hope for a 2025 release, as we currently have no concrete information.
We’ve had our eyes on GatherRound Studios’ impressive and ambitious pixelated RPG for a while now, and if 2025 is the year it launches, it’s going to be a very good year indeed. With plenty of options both in and out of combat, a tribe to build, and even romance and rivalry options, The White Raven will be a great pick for Fire Emblem fans.
The game has also shown some very impressive pixel animation so far, so we can’t help but wonder what else there is in store once it launches. Only time will tell. In the meantime check out our interview with the devs we had a while ago.
SacriFire
- Platform: PC – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: 2025
Rounding out the list is Pixelated Milk’s SacriFire, another title that doesn’t have an official release date but we really hope we get to play in 2025. Its blend of real-time and turn-based gameplay, presented with high-quality pixel animation, has already gotten plenty of praise, and the developer’s previous titles have been solid.
If you enjoyed last year’s Eiyuden Chronicle, then Sacrifire should certainly be on your wishlist as the new year begins. Here you can find our preview.
Obviously, there are so many that it wasn’t easy to narrow them down. However, let me know in the comments which ones you’re looking forward to and if I’ve missed anything important!
