It’s the end of a truly massive year for games, but 2023 isn’t over until midnight on the 1st of January. Indie developers, in particular, have brought lots of holiday presents for fans of turn-based games in the form of demos, early-access, and full game launches.
Whether they’re long-anticipated titles or new and exciting surprises, be sure to try the games below, or Wishlist them for later. Since these games are all brand-new, they’re also great gift ideas for your gaming buddies! Let us know below which ones you like best.
Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader
| Release Date | December 7, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC, Xbox, PlayStation |
| Developer | Owlcat Games |
| Publisher | Owlcat Games |
| Available On | Steam, GOG, Epic, Xbox, PlayStation |
Warhammer fans, the wait is finally over – Rogue Trader has arrived, letting you experience the 41st Millennium like never before! It features galactic exploration, tough narrative decisions and excellent tactical combat.
Like most 40k media, Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader focuses on the Imperium, but plenty of other factions make an appearance in the game as well. This is one CRPG that’s not to be missed.
Galactic Civilizations IV – Tales of Centauron
| Release Date | Dec 20, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Stardock Entertainment |
| Publisher | Stardock Entertainment |
| Available On | Steam, Epic |
Galactic Civilizations has always had a heavy focus on lore, and the fourth installment in the franchise is no different. The Tales Of Centauron DLC adds new events, technologies, and more to deepen the story of GalCiv’s primary alien cultures.
Tales Of Centauron focuses on longtime power players in the galaxy, specifically the imperialistic Drengin and spiritual Altarians. Check it out if you’ve been enjoying the base game, or take the opportunity to dive in with all the DLC and experience the Galactic Civilizations universe in its deepest form yet.
Few Nights More: Genesis
| Release Date | Coming Soon |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Aeterna Ludi |
| Publisher | GrabTheGames |
| Available On | Steam |
It’s winter – the nights are cold and the moon is bright. For lots of people, that means festive holiday cheer, but there’s also a strong case to be made that December is a great time for vampires.
Few Nights More entered early access back in spring, giving players a first taste of the roguelike RPG of vampires reclaiming their lost glory. Few Nights More: Genesis, expected to land this month, is a free demo that lets you give it a try without spending a cent!
Emplacement
Emplacement offers a fun blend of tile-laying, base-building, and turn-based tactics. Players construct the map and place buildings on it, with the intent of training and deploying troops to defeat the enemy king.
This solo indie project has a very attractive price point of only $4.99 USD, and has lots of 1v1 multiplayer potential. It could make for a fun group gift so that you and your friends have something new to play!
Born of BreaD
| Release Date | December 6, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC, Xbox, PlayStation Switch |
| Developer | WildArts Studio |
| Publisher | Dear Villagers |
| Available On | Steam, GOG, Epic, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch |
Fans of Paper Mario should find lots of enjoyment with WildArts Studios’ debut title, Born Of Bread. This adventure for-all-ages features delightful character and environmental designs plus plenty of whimsical humor.
When a thousand-year-old threat arises, the only hope for the world is Loaf, a plucky hero made of dough, and the friends that he meets on his adventure. Turn-based combat with input challenges makes skill just as important as stats.
Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees
| Release Date | December 5, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Silver Lemur Games |
| Publisher | Silver Lemur Games |
| Available On | Steam, GOG |
Silver Lemur Games continues their love letter to classic RPGs with Legends Of Amberland II: The Song Of Trees. First-person, party-based RPGs are largely extinct, but fans of this classic genre or retro-curious players can experience it in full!
Like its predecessor, Legends Of Amberland features a large open world with total freedom of exploration. Best of all, it’s designed to run on virtually any PC, regardless of specs, and you don’t need to have played the original game to enjoy the sequel.
Die in the Dungeon: Origins
| Release Date | Dec 2, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | ATICO |
| Publisher | Hypetrain Digital |
| Available On | Steam |
Die In The Dungeon is part of a new trend among deck-builders that swap out cards for dice, adding an extra degree of variance to their turn-based battles. It also allows players to manipulate probabilities and try new strategies when building their deck.
Origins is the free demo for Die In The Dungeon, so you can give the game a try now and decide if you want to wishlist the full game. You can also try Die In The Dungeon Classic on itch.io.
Cosplay Club (14 December)
| Release Date | December 14, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Behold Studios |
| Publisher | Behold Studios |
| Available On | Steam |
Cosplay Club is the latest meta-RPG from Behold Studios, the creators of Knights Of Pen And Paper and Chroma Squad. This time, you’ll be fighting to protect a fan convention using magical powers granted by your cosplay!
If previous Behold titles are any indication, we can expect an exciting take on tried-and-tested gameplay formulas. The game is now available in early access, so check it out!
Stellaris Nexus
| Release Date | December 12, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Paradox Interactive |
| Publisher | Paradox Interactive |
| Available On | Steam |
Everybody loves Stellaris, but let’s be honest – it takes FOREVER, and multiplayer takes even longer. Stellaris Nexus is a turn-based spinoff currently in early access that condenses the galactic 4X experience into about an hour.
Designed specifically for multiplayer, Nexus feels like the much shorter offspring of Stellaris and Twilight Imperium. Conquering the galaxy doesn’t have to take an entire weekend anymore!
Wartales, Pirates of Belerion
| Release Date | December 14, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Shiro Games |
| Publisher | Shiro Unlimited |
| Available On | Steam, GOG |
Between Wartales, The Iron Oath, and other titles, 2023 has been a great year for sandbox RPGs. Wartales is by far the most expansive of the lot, and its enormous open world just got bigger with the Pirates Of Belerion expansion.
As you can probably guess from the title, Pirates Of Belerion lets you take your mercenary company onto the high seas, where buccaneers and other oceanborne threats will try to sink you to the deeps. With about 25 hours of new content, it could very well be its own game!
Soulash 2
| Release Date | December 5, 2023 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Artur Smiarowski |
| Publisher | Artur Smiarowski |
| Available On | Steam, itch.io |
Speaking of sandbox RPGs, Soulash’s sequel enters early access this month, giving players a new – and massive – open world to explore every time they start a new game. Soulash 2 even generates a history for each new world, which affects trade, wars, and prosperity before you even start playing!
Imagine a simulated world as complex as Dwarf Fortress, then get ready to explore that world as a single hero. That’s the kind of game Soulash 2 is, and it’s all the more impressive because it was made by one person.
