Top Upcoming Turn-based JRPGs of 2023 and beyond

Written by Marcello TBL

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Top Upcoming JRPGs of 2023 and beyond

2022 was a great year, but now is the time to look forward! JRPG fans are rarely lacking for new games to try, and that won’t change in 2023. There are dozens of epic quests to embark upon in both the near and distant future.

Ring in the new year with some early JRPG releases, and make a note of the later launches so you don’t miss out on some of these exciting new games. Which games are you most excited for?

I’ll try to keep this list updated with new entries and release date updates. So be sure to come back from time to time.

— JANUARY 2023 JRPG RELEASES —

One Piece Odyssey

Release date: 12 January 2023
Platforms: PC – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox Series X/S

One Piece Odyssey

Bandai Namco’s upcoming One Piece adventure should be a fantastic experience for fans, and a good entry point for people new to the series as well. With production values worthy of one of the world’s biggest anime franchises, One Piece Odyssey will be the best way to live the adventures of the Straw Hats.

Players can expect plenty of adventure mixed with One Piece‘s signature weirdness. Preorder customers get bonus items and a free costume set for the team; there’s still time before the launch on 12 January!

Persona 3 Portable & Persona 4 Golden

Release date: 19 January 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox Series X/S

PErsona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden

The Persona series consistently gives players top-quality JRPGs with deep stories, memorable characters, and satisfying combat. It’s one of the few franchises where each game is always better than the last.

Of course, just because Persona 5 is the best of the bunch doesn’t mean that Persona 3 and 4 aren’t worth playing anymore! They’re still amazing games, and the upcoming remasters are a perfect way to experience them – either for the first time or as a returning player.

Persona 3 Portable is expected to release on 19 January. Persona 4 Golden is already available on Steam, and releases for consoles on 18 January.

Fire Emblem Engage

Release date: 20 January 2023
Platforms: Switch

Fire Emblem Engage

The Fire Emblem series is deep into its second Renaissance. After the formula shakeup introduced in Fire Emblem: Three Houses that included some life sim elements, fans are eager to see what surprises Engage holds.

At the end of the day, you can still expect Fire Emblem Engage to have the franchise’s best-in-class tactical combat, where every decision can mean life or death for your teammates. Add in a semi-freeform class system and charmingly-written characters, and you’ll see why the series is so beloved when Engage lands on 20 January.

8-Bit Adventures 2

Release date: 31 January 2023
Platforms: PC

8-bit Adventures 2

The original 8-Bit Adventures was a loving ode to a decade of JRPGs, encompassing the NES, SNES, and PS1 eras. 8-Bit Adventures 2 will continue that tradition, with an unforgettable world and enormous boss battles that ’90s developers could only dream of creating.

If you’ve ever played old-school Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Shining Force, or any of the other classics, 8-Bit Adventures 2 will take you back to the good old days without any of the grinding slog or other things that were best left behind. Try the demo, or play the original game, before it launches at the end of January!

— FEBRUARY 2023 JRPG RELEASES —

Atelier Ryza 3

Release date: 24 February 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4

Atelier Ryza RPG

The first two Atelier Ryza games blended the series’ alchemy and crafting gameplay with a charming story of young friends having summertime adventures. Their tale concludes with Atelier Ryza 3, the final summer before the group become adults.

The final chapter in Ryza’s story includes new and returning characters and the same gorgeous presentation as the previous titles. There’s still time to play through the first two games before starting one last adventure on 23 February.

Octopath Traveler II

Release date: 24 February, 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch

Octopath Traveler 2

JRPG fans were treated to an exciting new franchise from Square Enix when the original Octopath Traveler released in 2019. Its retro-inspired 2.5D presentation and exciting turn-based battles were an instant hit.

Octopath Traveler II brings players to an age of steam and industry that’s sure to resonate with fans of Final Fantasy VI. As before, there are eight playable characters, each with their own quest and branching paths. Octopath Traveler II is expected to launch on 24 February.

— MARCH 2023 JRPG RELEASES —

Mato Anomalies

Release date: 10 March 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S

Mato Anomalies

Fans of Shin Megami Tensei should certainly keep an eye on Mato Anomalies, a stylish JRPG that blends cyberpunk aesthetic with occult mysteries. Following the unlikely pairing of the detective Doe and exorcist Gram, players will unravel the truth of Mato City.

Mato Anomalies isn’t your average JRPG. From a shared health pool between party members in combat to its deep investigation and conversation system, it’s sure to be one of the most intriguing releases of 2023.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure

Release date: 14 March, 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4

Trails to Azure

If you enjoyed Trails From Zero, you can follow the continuing adventures of Lloyd and the Special Support Section in Trails To Azure! Returning to Crossbell a few months after the events of Zero, player can continue to explore the famously-detailed world of The Legend Of Heroes!

Originally released in Japan in 2011, Trails To Azure is getting a remake this spring. Be sure to play through Trails From Zero and be ready for more adventure on 14 March!

Record of Agarest War

Release date: March 2023
Platforms: Switch

Record of Agarest War

Record Of Agarest War isn’t technically a new title, but its cult status means this could be the first you’ve heard of it. In this tactical RPG, you’ll follow several generations of heroes through the ages. Marriages between characters result in different children being born, making each playthrough a new history with a new lineage!

Originally released in 2007, Record Of Agarest War is coming to Switch in 2023, though it’s not yet listed on the eShop. If you don’t want to wait, you can always pick it up on Steam – it’s not supported for Steam Deck, though, so the Switch is the way to go if you want portability.

Beloved Rapture

Release date: Early 2023
Platforms: PC

Beloved Rapture

Beloved Rapture is a classic-style JRPG with modern storytelling and sensibilities. While it hits many of the usual beats, such as a rural youth answering the call to adventure, it has mature themes and a focus on personal journeys alongside saving the world.

Beloved Rapture promises a streamlined experience free of random encounters and unnecessary grinding. The full game is expected to launch in the next few months, but in the meantime a free demo is available to play.

— 2023 UPCOMING JRPGS —

Meg’s Monster

Release date: Q1 2023
Platforms: PC

Meg's Monster JRPG

Players who are tired of a saving the world with a band of unlikely heroes should try Meg’s Monster for something different. Playing as Roy, a powerful, max-level monster, you have to protect Meg, a little girl. Keeping her safe isn’t enough, though – if Meg starts crying, the world ends!

Meg’s Monster is short, but each battle holds unique challenges as the game finds new ways to risk Meg’s tears. It’s currently set to release in Q1 of 2023.

Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord

Release date: Spring 2023
Platforms
: Switch – PS4 – PS5

Fairy Fencer Refrain Chord

Continuing the tale of Fang and his companions from Fairy Fencer F, Refrain Chord takes the series away from traditional JRPG battles and brings out the tactical maps! The original was far deeper than it appeared on the surface, both in terms of story and gameplay, so we expect just as much – if not more – depth from Refrain Chord.

Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord is expected to launch for PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch in the spring. In the meantime, you can try the original, Advent Dark Force, on those platforms plus Steam.

WitchSpring R

Release date: Spring 2023
Platforms:
PC

WitchSpring R

The game developed by indie dev KIWIWALKS is a JRPG mixing together exploration, battles, and collecting elements to grow up as a witch. Through a dev log, devs give some details about the progress done in the development and indicate a release window for the game expected in Spring 2023 on PC via Steam.

Loop8: Summer of Gods

Release date: Spring 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – Xbox One

Loop8 Summer of Gods

This innovative RPG sets players in a quiet seaside town beset by otherwordly demons. The protagonist must forge relationships with the people of the town, living the same month over and over until they find the correct sequence of events to prevent the demons from consuming the world.

Time loops allow for some exciting surprises, so it’s always worth seeing what stories emerge when a game is centered around one. Loop8 is coming to all major platforms in 2023.

WrestleQuest

Release date: May 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S

WrestleQuest

If you played the Live A Live remake in 2022, you may be wondering why more JRPGs haven’t incorporated pro wrestling. In that case, WrestleQuest will satisfy your need for high-flying action and RPG adventure all in one go!

Following the rise of an up-and-coming wrestler, WrestleQuest pits players against fictional (and real!) legends of the ring. If you’ve ever been a wrestling fan, even for a little while, this game is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Sea of Stars

Release date: Summer 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – PS5

Sea of Stars

The JRPG market is often dominated by juggernauts. With some of the biggest names in gaming like Final Fantasy, it can be easy for indie games to fly under the radar. Sea Of Stars is one such game that you absolutely won’t want to miss when it launches in 2023.

Gorgeously presented and wonderfully detailed, this ode to the classics allows freeform exploration and a unique story. Fans of Chrono Trigger will be especially happy to know that the soundtrack comes courtesy of Yasunori Mitsuda!

Guns Undarkness

Release date: December 2023
Platforms: PC

Guns Undarkness

Stealth is usually relegated to a minigame in JRPGs, but Guns Undarkness makes it a central part of the game. Consider a sci-fi Valkyria Chronicles with the tactical approach of Rainbow Six, created by the director and composer of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei; what could be more of a winning combination?

There hasn’t yet been a release date listed for Guns Undarkness, but this sounds like a title worth waiting for!

Alterium Shift

Release date: Q4 2023
Platforms: PC

Alterium Shift

This impressive tribute to SNES JRPGs was created by just two people. With pixel graphics and world-building to rival the best games of that era, their love for the genre shines through on every screen.

Follow the tale of three aspiring heroes on the trail to greatness. Each hero has unique powers, including exploration abilities, so you’ll need all three to work together to succeed when the game launches at the end of 2023.

Suikoden I & II Remaster

Release date: 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One

Suikoden is a legendary franchise from the golden age of JRPGs, making the upcoming HD remaster of the first two games a must-play for genre fans. Not only does it have the kind of story and gameplay that defined the era, but with 108 playable characters in each game, you’ll never lack for choices when it comes to party composition!

Suikoden I & II Remaster is expected to launch in 2023 for all major platforms.

Eiyuden Chronicle

Release date: 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S

If the idea of over a hundred unique playable characters appeals to you, or if you’re a longtime Suikoden fan, then Eiyuden Chronicle is the obvious next step. Created by the team behind the original Suikoden, this 2.5D epic shattered its Kickstarter goals and is easily one of the most-anticipated JRPGs of 2023.

A release date hasn’t yet been announced, but Eiyuden Chronicle is coming to all major platforms in 2023. In the meantime, the prologue, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is available to play right now!

Front Mission 2 Remake

Release date: 2023
Platforms: Switch

Front-Mission-1st-2nd-Remake

Front Mission is a classic series of mecha battles and worldwide conflicts. With deep, serious stories and tense tactical gameplay, it’s proven to be prime for a return. Front Mission 1st Remake is already out, so fans can give it a try while they’re waiting for the next remake to launch in 2023.

Currently, Front Mission 2 Remake is to be a Switch exclusive like the previous title.

Demonschool

Release date: 2023
Platforms: PC

Demonschool

Ysbryd Games has a knack for finding indie developers with a penchant for the charmingly weird, so Necrosoft Games’ Demonschool is a perfect fit. Its colorful visuals give it the feel of a Western-style Shin Megami Tensei, with a unique lore all its own.

Demonschool blends tactical battles with visual-novel storylines and school scheduling, so it should appeal to fans of Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Persona as well. Give it a try when it launches in 2023!

SOULVARS

Release date: 2023
Platforms: PC

Soulvars

JRPGs have had card mechanics for decades, but have been comparatively slow to embrace deckbuilding mechanics since Slay The Spire popularized the subgenre. SOULVARS looks to change that, blending deckbuilding with classic JRPG battles and quality pixel art.

Originally a successful mobile game in Japan, SOULVARS is coming to a new audience with its upcoming Steam release. It’s got all the high-powered action of the best JRPGs and a great combat system – don’t miss it!

Cassette Beasts

Release date: 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch – Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S

Cassette Beasts

Nostalgia is big business, but it has to be done right. Cassette Beasts absolutely nails it conceptually, merging monster-catching and battling with modern gameplay and quality presentation. Monsters are captured by recording their essence to old-school cassette tapes, playing the tape back to transform into the recorded critter!

As one of the most creative takes on monster battlers we’ve seen, Cassette Beasts is sure to be a must-play for fans of Pokemon and similar games. A firm release date hasn’t been announced, but expect to see it in 2023!

Whalefall

Release date: 2023
Platforms: PC – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S

Whalefall

Perhaps inspired by a real-world phenomenon in marine biology, Whalefall envisions a world where flying whales soar gracefully through the skies. When they die, these whales fall to earth, where their remains are highly sought-after by warring kingdoms.

When an evil empire seeks to weaponize the whales, other nations must unite against this new threat. It’s a creative premise, and the game is presented with incredible hand-drawn animation. Whalefall will be one to watch in 2023!

Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery

Release date: 2023
Platforms: PC – Switch

Reverse Collapse JRPG

Code Name Bakery features a near-future world at war, and challenges players to survive with their elite squad. Combat features a tactical grid with modern weaponry, ensuring devastating lasers and artillery are just as much a part of the fight as the exchange of small-arms fire.

The game looks a bit more serious than some of MICAteam’s other games, with which it shares a universe. We’ll get to see more of its anime-style battlefields when it launches sometime in the coming year.

— UNDEFINED AND BEYOND RELEASES —

Penny Blood

Release date: 2025
Platforms: PC – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S

Penny Blood

Created by much of the original team, this spiritual successor to Shadow Hearts was part of a wildly successful dual Kickstarter with Armed Fantasia. There’s no shortage of well-loved JRPGs that aren’t getting any more sequels, so these new-entries-in-all-but-name are important for dedicated fans eager for more of their favorites.

Penny Blood features the kind of Gothic horror that made Shadow Hearts a success. It’s not expected to launch until 2025, but will certainly be worth the wait!

Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness

Release date: 2025
Platforms: PC – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S

Where Penny Blood is the new Shadow Hearts, Armed Fantasia is the new Wild Arms. Also created by original developers, Armed Fantasia lets players explore a steampunk frontier. The game aims to bring back giant world maps to JRPGs, and its quality anime visuals are sure to bring in new fans as well!

Like Penny Blood, Armed Fantasia recently ended its Kickstarter campaign. It should be a few years before the game is finished – think of it as something to look forward to down the line!

A Frog’s Tale

Release date: TBA
Platforms: PC

A Frog's Tale

This delightful all-ages adventure takes place in a charming world of sword-wielding frogs. Part fairy tale, part Paper Mario, A Frog’s Tale follows Norman, a hero in the making on his quest.

A Frog’s Tale blends exploration with rhythm-focused turn-based battles. It’s certainly one of the cutest games on this list, potentially a nice change of pace from doom and gloom!

Glitched

Release date: TBA
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – Xbox One

Glitched RPG

The influence of Earthbound is immediately apparent in Glitched, in all the right ways. Taking place in the world of a fictional video game, the titular Glitch causes an NPC to become self-aware. Working together with you, the player, Gus needs to fix the world.

Whether or not you’re a fan of Earthbound, the lighthearted presentation and unique story of Glitched should be well worth your time. Try the demo while the game’s development is still in progress!

SacriFire

Release date: TBA
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One – Xbox Series X/S

Sacrifire

SacriFire has some of the best pixel graphics you’ll see in 2023, and that’s just the first of many reasons to be excited for it. Its blend of real-time and turn-based combat lets players develop their own combat style based on their chosen weapons, creating combos and targeting enemy body parts.

Pixelated Milk is the kind of studio that puts in the effort to make their games just right, so SacriFire is in good hands. If that weren’t enough, the soundtrack is composed by Motoi Sakuraba, known for the Tales and Star Ocean series as well as Dark Souls!

Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2

Release date: TBA
Platforms: PC – Switch – PS4 – PS5 – Xbox One – Xbox series X/S

Fuga Melodies of Steel 2

The original Fuga is a tale of wartime struggle, centered around a group of children who have made a giant tank their home. Players of the first game will find extra-high stakes in the sequel, as their mechanized base is now the enemy – the tank has gone berserk and needs to be hunted down and subdued!

A new event system allows more impactful choices throughout the campaign. If you haven’t played the first game, there is still plenty of time to give it a try before Fuga 2‘s launch!

Small Saga

Release date: TBA
Platforms: PC

Small Saga header

Fans of The Secret of NIMH or The Borrowers should be thrilled with Small Saga, an isometric RPG that takes place in a hidden kingdom of mice squirrels, and other rodents underneath modern London. Replace golems and dragons with robotic toys and ferocious cats, and you’ve got a miniature adventure for the ages!

Small Saga is all the more impressive for being the product of a solo developer, Jeremy Noghani. There’s no release date listed yet, but the free demo shows plenty of promise for the full game!

Kingdoms of the Dump

Release date: TBA
Platforms: PC

Kingdoms of the Dump

There are lots of RPGs that feature post-apocalyptic worlds covered in the trash of modern society. Kingdoms Of The Dump takes the concept a step further by building a fantasy world entirely out of refuse! If you’re in the mood for something different, this could be a sleeper pick.

Kingdoms Of The Dump is inspired by the classics, with airship flight straight from the SNES and combat that looks like a blend of Paper Mario and Live A Live. All told, it’s a combination of proven elements that haven’t been assembled in this particular way before, so it should be a new and refreshing take on old-school JRPGs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo of author

Marcello TBL

Italian Dad in love with Turn-Based RPGs and Indie Games. In 2018 he started Turn Based Lovers and now he can't live without it.