We spend a lot of time talking about upcoming Turn-Based games, so I wanted to take a look back and see what games actually made a splash in September. The following list is the top 10 games based on estimated revenue1 that were released in September 2024.
1. Ara: History Untold
Every now and then, a major developer decides to take a shot at the Civilization throne, and Ara: History Untold is 2024’s big 4X offering. Unsurprisingly, this takes the top spot given it’s a full price Xbox game studios title. Reviewers seem rather divided on the game overall, noting that despite the marketing, it’s not actually a true Civilization style game.
Although it has taken the top spot on this list, I imagine it did not make nearly the impact Microsoft was hoping for, especially compared to the Age of Mythology remaster last month, having almost ten times the review numbers. Of course, this is only half the story, as the game did release day 1 on Xbox Games Pass and is likely trying to drive people there. Still it’s always encouraging to see big new IP’s trying to innovate and step into the 4X market.
2. DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: The Dark Prince
Every person reading this likely falls into one of two buckets. You are actively following this game and have either wishlisted or purchased it, or have taken one look and decided you arent interested. The classic JRPG series seems to follow in the path of many other titles in having as many, if not more, spin offs than actual main games.
Despite us waiting on Dragon Quest XII this seems to be the 14th insert into the Dragon Quest Monster series. This title was originally released in December for the Nintendo Switch, however got its Steam debut last month, a first for the Monster’s spin off series. This title shoots up the list for being an established franchise with a premium price, although with the increasing number of creature collectors coming out on Steam, I wonder how long it will fare in the long run.
3. Cat God Ranch
Some might disagree Cat God Ranch is turn-based, but I am keeping it in for its round based decision-making! This game was actually recommended to me by a friend of mine and imagine my surprise to see it sitting so far up on this list. In fact, by a number of metrics this game should actually be top of the list. It has a higher reviewer score than every other game on this list as well as higher peak, average AND current player count then Ara: History Untold at the time of writing this article.
Some estimates even place it selling more copies. The only reason it’s at the number 3 spot is the lower price. You might look at the screenshot above and wonder what the hell the game actually is? Similar to Luck be a Landlord, Cat God Ranch is a roguelite slot machine deckbuilder where after each turn you load up your farm with different animals which provide various conditional bonuses and try to break the game with absurd combos.
The game initially picked up a lot of Steam within the Chinese audience and has since had some western coverage and gained popularity.
4. Bloomtown: A Different Story
Is it just me or are we having a resurgence of high quality JRPG style games? Bloomtown is a continuation of this trend with Lazy Bear Game’s beautiful pixel art style.
Throw in a mix of Atlus style social elements as well as monster taming and I’m honestly surprised I hadn’t heard more about this game prior to release. There also appears to be fantastic creature designs including some sort of mecha T-Rex in the game and honestly that feels like all I need to know.
5. Rune Coliseum – Early Access
Another surprise entry and once again showing the power of a game that manages to catch the attention of the Chinese market. Looking over the Steam page though it’s not hard to see the appeal, Rune Coliseum is a gladiator combat roguelite with a dark gritty theme which boasts some remarkably fluid and anime-esque looking fights. With a big roadmap set in place this could be one to watch in the future if the developer manages to deliver.
6. Breachway – Early Access
This one is certainly not a surprise. If you were to look back at this list a year on, my money would be on Breachway being a lot higher up. Maybe that’s just the Hooded Horse fanboy in me, as the publisher has built a real reputation around signing high quality tactical games. If you want more information on this title I highly suggest you pop over to Dinenae’s excellent overview.
The immediate comparison would be FTL: Faster Than Light although Breachway is joining the deckbuilders instead with card based gameplay. Momentum seems to have slowed a bit on the launch with many people advising the title needed to cook for a little longer before selling it to the public and dropping it in to Steam’s dreaded “Mostly Positive” rating.
7. Rogue Waters
Sliding into 7th place despite releasing on the last day of the month is Rogue Waters. When this one popped up it got an immediate wishlist from me. Not sure what it is about the theme that gets me but I just love a solid pirate title and Tripwire as a publisher (Red Orchestra 3 please!).
Blending tactical turn-based pirate battles with Slay the Spire-esque progression, Rogue Waters makes a strong impression. The only slight warning light is that out of all the games on this list, people play this one for the least on average and it’s not close. Suggesting the longevity we are used to from the genre may not be as present in this title.
8. The Nameless: Slay Dragon
Again there is an overview up for this one on the website so go and check that out if you want more info. This goes with the Rune Coliseum in the “Dark Fantasy that seems to have hit well with an eastern audience” bucket, with this one also having a notable Japanese fanbase.
A gritty tone with aesthetically interesting characters and strategic combat seems to be a real mainstay since Darkest Dungeon… and I fall for it every time. The Nameless: Slay Dragon is a turn-based RPG with 20 classes and plenty of skill customisation alongside a focus on narrative choices. If that sounds up your alley it might be worth a look.
9. Pyrene
I love seeing games pop up with interesting backgrounds and mythologies and the Basque mythology is certainly not one I can recall other games being set in. Pyrene is a card based dungeon crawler that will have you experimenting with different characters and fighting against various distorted creatures, just look at that unicorn.
Arcsurvivor already covered this game with a review and highlighted a large number of positive features alongside many other reviewers seeming to indicate this an interesting conceptual spin on your standard card based Roguelite.
10. Dice Player One
It was inevitable that after Balatro came out and went mega viral we would get a slew of games trying to capture that same magic. Dice Player One released earlier in September with a “six sided spin” for players still chasing that next Balatro high.
Featuring over 300 dice with varying skills and gifs showing scores firing off left and right alongside large multipliers. Dice Player One clearly knows its audience and might be another sleeper title from the east starting to find a bit of purchase with a western audience.
That’s the September round up, let us know in the discord how many from this list you have played and what your favourites were from the last month!
- Data used was from Gamalytic and then sense checked against VGInsights and peak player numbers from SteamDB. All revenue values used are estimates based on an unknown algorithm that uses review counts among other metrics to estimate sold copies. ↩︎
