Some of the Best New Tactical Turn-Based RPGs Expected During The Next Months
I recently published an article where we looked at 20 of the best tactical RPGs released in 2024 so far. Naturally, today’s follow-up article focuses on those still to come later this year and some for the first months of 2025.
Keep in mind that while many of these games have tentative 2024 release dates, delays are always possible. As we say in Italy, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” These are all RPGs developed by indie studios, though publishers have already backed some of them.
MENACE
For those who, like me, loved Battle Brothers, the anticipation for MENACE is palpable. This new tactical RPG from Overhype Studio shifts away from the desolate, snow-covered lands filled with orcs, goblins, and fantasy creatures, transporting players to a futuristic setting where they’ll hop from world to world to resolve various crises.
With a mobile base for managing unit upgrades and unlocking new features, players will need to navigate relationships with local factions, whose reactions will depend on every action and decision made. While no concrete gameplay has been shown, MENACE is slated for a 2024 release.
Zodiac Legion
Another intriguing title is Zodiac Legion, a tactical RPG featuring charming pixel art. Players lead an order of knights in tactical battles on hex-grid maps, where they’ll have the ability to knock down walls for strategic advantages and utilize their units’ weapons and magic.
Beyond the combat, players will manage a headquarters, researching to unlock better armaments and new spells and skills. It’s set to release in Q4 2024, but you can try the demo on Steam in the meantime.
Plague Lords
A unique blend of strategy and exploration, Plague Lords immerses players in a world ravaged by the Black Death—the infamous plague that killed millions in 14th-century Europe. Players will manage a settlement, assign roles to its inhabitants, build improvements, recruit militia, and explore a decaying world.
The graphics are delightful, and having tested the demo some time ago (though it’s no longer available), I can say it’s definitely a game to watch. It’s expected to release in Q4 2024, with a prologue titled Witch Hunt tagged as “coming soon” on Steam.
Dark Deity 2
The series’ first installment was released in 2021 and achieved moderate success by offering a Fire Emblem-like strategy RPG experience. The second chapter follows the same path, aiming to expand and improve both the game world and its characters.
Players can expect to form bonds between different characters, develop numerous classes, and access a wide array of weapons, all wrapped in excellent pixel art. The game is slated for release on PC in 2025.
DemonSchool
I’ve often mentioned Demonschool in my lists just because it’s one of the titles I’m most excited about. With a Persona-like structure, players balance school life and relationship-building while facing horrors from other worlds.
The tactical combat takes place on small grid maps, and in some instances, it almost feels like a puzzle game due to the need to anticipate enemy moves. The great news is that Demonschool is set to release soon, on September 13, 2024, for PC and consoles.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II
This strategy and tactical combat game marks the next chapter in the Mechanicus series set in the Warhammer 40k universe. Fans of the first game will be thrilled to step into the shoes of the Necron Legions or the techno-religious acolytes of the Omnissiah once again.
Expect XCOM-style battles and a strategic layer where players will conquer and defend territories while upgrading their units. The release date remains unconfirmed.
Silence of The Siren
You can never have too many games inspired by Heroes of Might and Magic, and Silence of the Siren is further proof of that. This strategic RPG takes the setting to a sci-fi world, putting players in control of various alien races. Players will develop their city, explore for resources, and engage in tactical combat in true HOMM style.
Silence of the Siren is set to enter Early Access on September 30, 2024, and you can already try the demo.
Toads of the Bayou
Video games often place players in the roles of all sorts of beings and creatures, and in Toads of the Bayou, as the title suggests, it’s the frogs’ turn. These frogs must face off against the wicked Baron Samedi in grid-based battles, using a deck of cards filled with various skills.
These skills and allies can be unlocked by upgrading the headquarters. The game features charming graphics, and a prologue is available on Steam, giving you a taste of what to expect from this tactical RPG, which is set for release in October 2024.
Mars Tactics
Mars Tactics is a mini-XCOM set on Mars, where workers and corporations battle for control of the red planet. It’s honestly one of the strategy games that has impressed me the most during past playtests. The game offers an engaging combat system and a deeply strategic layer, including zones to control, research to unlock, and soldier management—yes, you can rename your soldiers and form close bonds, and if they’re permanently killed, you’ll truly feel the loss.
Mars Tactics is slated for a 2024 release and is often available for play during various gaming festivals.
Project Haven
I’ve found that Project Haven features some of the most complex maps seen in recent tactical games. It offers multiple levels, the ability to access areas through windows, the destruction of walls, and the strategic use of height, among other elements.
Additionally, the free-aim system allows players to target different parts of the body for varied effects. The game also has a stealth component, letting it position mercenaries optimally before unleashing chaos. Project Haven is also expected to be released in 2024, but unfortunately, we still don’t have any concrete news on its exact launch date.
Dead Season
Let’s bring in some zombies, in case you strangely find yourself missing them, with Dead Season. This tactical RPG puts players in control of a group of survivors who must complete various missions (16, according to the Steam page).
The key is to avoid making loud noises to prevent attracting hordes and to carefully manage remaining action points—the trailer even shows the possibility of using a tractor to mow down everything in your path.
Although I’m not usually a fan of linear games, the settings, art style, and promising complexity of the scenarios draw me in like a zombie to noise. Dead Season is expected to be released sometime in 2024.
Spear Song
Now, let’s switch to a completely different setting that blends fantasy with Slavic folklore. In this tactical Role Playing Game, players battle on grid-based maps, utilizing their characters’ unique abilities. The game features a procedurally generated system, ensuring that each run is different, with permadeath adding to the challenge.
The combat system allows players to use abilities that can help push enemies into obstacles on the map, while exploration involves nodes that correspond to various events and encounters. There’s also a demo available, and the full game is set to release on October 10, 2024.
Those Who Rule
Those Who Rule is another title I’m closely following. It’s a strategic RPG that carries the spirit of Fire Emblem, with the key difference being the hex-grid map.
The game features a story rich in intrigue and unexpected twists, a solid level-up system, and a minimized RNG, placing more emphasis on tactical choices. Those Who Rule is expected in Q4 2024, and you can check out the demo in the meantime.
Every Day We Fight
I admit this is one of those titles that, for one reason or another, I haven’t had the chance to try when the opportunity arose. Every Day We Fight inevitably brings to mind XCOM, not only because of the alien threat but also due to its combat system.
While it seems to lack a strategic layer, it makes up for it with real-time exploration, allowing players to scan the environment, identify potential items and weapons, and then dive into turn-based combat, complete with cover mechanics and all the rest. It will be expected sometime in 2024.
Flint: Treasure of Oblivion
And we’ll wrap up this list of 15 promising tactical RPGs with Flint: Treasure of Oblivion. The game boasts the allure of pirates and a tactical isometric combat system, making it a title to eagerly anticipate. The combat system incorporates dice and cards, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the game world promises to be complex and richly detailed, brought to life through charming comic-style graphics.
It’s also worth noting that the game’s story and characters are rooted in available historical documentation, aiming to recreate the context as accurately as possible. Flint: Treasure of Oblivion is likely to be released sometime in 2024.
