Last updated on January 25, 2026
2026 shapes up as a monster year for RPG fans, packing the calendar with everything from brutal soulslikes to sprawling open worlds that suck you in for hundreds of hours. Studios are doubling down on what works; meaty stories, tough choices, and combat that punishes mistakes but rewards mastery.
While indies sneak in fresh twists on the formula. Whether you’re chasing feudal Japan slashes or sci-fi intrigue, this top 20 rounds up the titles generating real buzz from trailers, dev updates, and early previews. Expect more polish than ever, with player agency front and center.
Why 2026 Rules for RPGs
The genre’s hitting peak form next year, blending AAA spectacle with smart indie risks. Big names like Team Ninja and Rebel Wolves promise evolutions of proven hits, while Hello Games goes planetary. Trends point to deeper customization, co-op layers, and worlds that react to your chaos. No filler here – these are the ones worth clearing your backlog for, based on solid concepts and hype that holds up.
Nioh 3
Team Ninja unleashes Nioh 3 in a vast open-world feudal Japan, where seamless switches between Samurai precision and Ninja agility define brutal yokai hunts. Three stances per style, Ki recovery bursts, and aerial dashes reward aggressive mastery, while open fields hide secrets and legendary bosses. February 6, 2026 on PS5/PC.
Blood of Dawnwalker
Rebel Wolves, stacked with Witcher vets, crafts a mature dark fantasy where your vampire curse flips day-night gameplay. Moral gray areas drive the plot, with powers that tempt you toward monstrosity. A 30 day countdown adds edge to quests in hand-built wilds. 2026 drop on PS5, Xbox, PC.
Control Resonant
Remedy dips deeper into its weird supernatural sandbox, layering RPG progression over telekinetic shootouts and mind-bending lore. Expect cryptic storytelling in expanded Remedyverse hubs. Details sparse, but 2026 timing aligns with their pattern.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Capcom revives the samurai slasher with demon-slaying flair, cinematic boss rushes, and folklore beasts. Modernized controls keep the bloody essence intact. Aiming for 2026 across major platforms.
Clockwork Revolution
Steampunk time heist RPG where your choices ripple through clockwork cities, branching dialogues and skill trees make every run unique. InXile’s deep progression shines in a reactive world. TBA 2026 on PC and Xbox.
Mortal Shell 2
Cold Symmetry ditches stamina for blistering aggression, shell swapping unlocks melee mastery plus firearms like shotguns and machine-gun crossbows. Sixty dungeons span corrupted realms against False Gods, gory finishers punctuate liberated warrior tales. 2026 PC .
Light No Fire
Hello Games scales fantasy survival to Earth sized procedural planets, endless biomes fueling guild driven adventure and co-op depth. Deeper than No Man’s Sky’s billions, one massive world begs exploration with layered ecosystems. 2026 hopeful t.
Soulframe
Digital Extremes crafts a slower, magic soaked MMORPG with pacts granting power sets inspired by folklore like Mononoke. Enclaves foster “together alone” co-op via ancestry bonds and message boards, solo friendly yet collaborative. 2026 full launch.
Phantom Blade Zero
Stylized wuxia clashes deliver lightning combos in dark Asian fantasy, cinematic flair amplifying rapid strikes. Confirmed September 9, 2026 on PC/PS5.
Gothic 1 Remake
Full rebuild honors the colony’s brutal freedom: updated graphics, smarter AI, same unforgiving loop. 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox.
Tides of Annihilation
Tides of Annihilation is a fantasy action adventure video game inspired by Arthurian legend and set in a modern version of London shattered by an invasion from another world. You play as Gwendolyn, the last human survivor, who travels between ruined London and the mystical realm of Avalon in search of the Holy Grail to save her sister, mend reality, and take revenge on the demi gods ruling Avalon.
Darksiders 4
Darksiders 4 is a third person action adventure that blends melee combat, fluid traversal, puzzle solving, and supernatural abilities. You can choose to play as one of the Four Horsemen, each with unique weapons, combat styles, and powers, from War brute force to Death scythe mastery, Fury whip based attacks, or Strife gunplay.
Atomic Heart 2
Atomic Heart 2 keeps the series’ mix of gunplay, melee and mutant or robotic enemies but deepens its role playing systems, offering more extensive skill upgrades, abilities and weapon customization. Combat again revolves around creatively combining firearms with Polymer Glove style powers, now usable in both hands for more tactical builds and high tempo encounters.
Gods, Death & Reapers
Gods, Death & Reapers is a top down ExtrAction ARPG set in a brutal afterlife where every mythology exists, the gods have vanished, and you serve as one of Death’s chosen agents, called reapers. Each run drops you into a mythological warzone to fight enemies and rival reapers, grab loot, and escape alive or lose everything you carried.
Fatekeeper
Choice driven fantasy where factions bend to your words and blade. World building via player pulls. 2026 estimate.
Code Vein 2
Anime soulslike matures: refined blood codes, richer co-op tales. Hits January 30, 2026 on PS5, Xbox, PC.
Crimson Desert
Pearl Abyss’s open-world saga: dynamic fights, epic narrative in detailed wilds. March 19, 2026 on PS5, Xbox, PC.
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement is a 2.5D side scrolling action RPG prequel set in 16th century England, where a floating Ethereal Castle controlled by the Demon Lord Elias terrorizes the land with demonic forces. You control two heroes at once, Leonard Brandon of the Church’s Black Wolves and Alexander Kyteler of the kingdom’s White Stags, as they infiltrate the castle to defeat Elias and his six powerful vampire lieutenants called Sanguinaries.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is a third person action RPG set in the gritty universe of The Expanse, where you play as a Pinkwater Security mercenary whose shore leave on Eros turns into a desperate fight for survival amid a system wide conspiracy. Starting as a customizable captain from Earther, Martian, or Belter origins, you recruit a crew, manage relationships, and command a stolen Protogen ship while navigating faction politics and high stakes combat across stations like Pinkwater, Ganymede, Ceres, Mars, and Luna.
Lord of the Fallen 2
Lord of the Fallen 2 is a dark fantasy soulslike action RPG where you play as Omeuras, one of the Dark Crusaders, battling to prevent the resurrection of demon god Adyr in a shattered kingdom split between the living realm and the nightmarish Umbral realm. Combat evolves with a brutal dismemberment system that lets you sever every enemy limb during executions, alongside new weapons like scythes and obsidian swords for tighter, more fluid fights.
