Top Turn-Based RPGs Releases of January 2024

With the setting of arguably the biggest year for gaming, it is finally time to look forward to the next best things that 2024 has to offer. As we ease ourselves into the first month of the year, game developers have been hard at work to release their beloved games finally.

And despite being in January, we are already seeing some promising games from both big and small developers to start the year. So here are the Top Turn-Based Game Releases of January 2024.

Archaelund

Starting off is a rather ambitious game from a small indie game studio. The developer of the small yet rich ARPG, Exiled Kingdoms, 4 Dimension Games is dabbling in the CRPG space with their latest upcoming game, Archaelund. Despite the rather small studio, available screenshots for the game already suggest a rich world akin to that of the Elder Scrolls games.

But what makes this game unique is the immersive way of exploration. In Archaelund, you’ll be exploring the world from a first-person perspective, and then combat transitions into a top-down tactical view. Kind of a mix of CRPGs and classic dungeon crawlers. Releasing on the 8th of January, the game may look very rough around the edges, but this is definitely an RPG that may be worth looking into.

Kingsvein

Developer Rad Codex has been consistent in improving their formula for their party-based RPGs. Considering their trend of releasing bigger, far better games than their previous ones, their fourth big game, Kingsvein, may just be their biggest one yet. Kingsvein is a retro-styled party-based RPG rich with nine years worth of content and game design experience.

In Kingsvein, you’ll be customizing your party by mixing and mashing 15 different classes, using abilities to explore by freezing rivers or blasting through cave walls, and engaging in intense turn-based tactical combat that lets you use your environment to your advantage. Despite looking like a simple indie RPG, the game is already starting to look like a solid turn-based tactical experience.

All Quiet In The Trenches

Game dev studio Totally Not Aliens‘ debut title, All Quiet In The Trenches, showcases a down-to-earth take on the theatre of war. As opposed to the romanticized version that we’ve gotten used to, All Quiet In The Trenches presents the grittier side of armed conflict. Set in World War I from the perspective of a German Unteroffizier, the lives of your soldiers are in your hands.

Balancing your superior’s ambitious orders and your moral decisions, you ultimately get to decide the fate of your men. Will you choose to strive for glory in the theatre of war, or will you bring back every man alive? The choice is entirely up to you.

Lonestar

With the considerable drought of strategic spaceship management games, fans of FTL: Faster Than Light welcome anything that even remotely resembles the hit spaceship management roguelite. Developer Math Tide’s upcoming spaceship deckbuilding roguelite, LONESTAR, is a welcome addition to the genre. As opposed to playing like a heavy management game, the game instead opts into the more traditional deckbuilder approach, with a big twist.

LONESTAR showcases a unique shockwave combat system wherein both ships fire at the same time, and a reverse tug of war will take place. The stronger beam will be the one that deals damage. Aside from that, everything players love about spaceship management and roguelite games is present from obtaining different parts for the ship to experimenting with different playstyles with different pilots to ultimately finding the best overpowered build for each run.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

As Kiryu’s story wraps up in Yakuza 6, SEGA decided to rebrand the series for Western audiences to be more in line with its Japanese title. Now known as Like A Dragon, the franchise steps into the world of the new protagonist, Kasuga Ichiban, and fans are welcomed to 2024 with the second Kasuga Ichi game. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth takes players out of Japan and throws them all the way to Honolulu, Hawaii.

The game sports yet another high-octane, over-the-top, turn-based combat, a far cry from the original action brawler we’ve known and loved. But if Infinite Wealth will be anything even remotely similar to Yakuza: Like A Dragon, then fans are in for a massive treat. Oh, and did I mention that Kiryu will be playing a big part here as well?

Buriedbornes 2

Developer Nussygame (also known as ohNussy) has gained quite the following over the years with their free-to-play mobile RPGs. From the first Buriedbornes to their auto dungeon RPG B100X, they have absolutely served the free-to-play mobile community and are slowly encroaching in the PC space as well.

Buriedbornes 2 is essentially a free-to-play mobile dungeon crawler, but don’t let those tags fool you. The first game goes deep in terms of builds and playstyles while its world is rich and immersive. This sequel self-describes as being similar to the first game but with better systems and mechanics.

For fans of the game and the developer, as of writing, you’ll be able to get the game on January 9th, but you’ll probably be able to play it after reading this.

Atlas Wept

Leave it to indie developers to try new things and innovate. This may look like a run-of-the-mill RPGMaker game, but Atlas Wept showcases some interesting twists to its gameplay, particularly its combat. As opposed to simply adapting the usual turn-based battle system, the game mixes it up with some bullet-hell gameplay.

Atlas Wept also features a humanist story about sincerity and empathy, along with friendly robot dogs and evil smiley faces. Despite the rough look and art style, the game’s world is definitely unique in its own little ways. If you’re a supporter of indie projects, then Atlas Wept may just be your next RPG.

Unforetold: Witchstone

With the rise of massive games such as Baldur’s Gate III and Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader, smaller indie studios were bound to take a slice out of the ongoing CRPG craze. Despite the massive competition against other high-budget CRPGs, Unforetold: Witchstone, is already starting to look like a promising indie alternative.

Featuring comprehensive character customization, the ability to recruit just about anyone to your party, and free-form choices that let you deck it out against enemies in classic CRPG turn-based combat or embrace the art of subterfuge to achieve your objectives undetected. Furthermore, promising a rich world with consequential choices, players will be able to shape the world and story of Unforetold: Witchstone.