The Witcher franchise was dormant for almost a decade within the video game world, nevertheless it has lastly reawakened. CD Projekt Pink’s fantasy masterpiece, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, will get a free remaster this September that can introduce many quality-of-life enhancements, together with an overhauled fight system. Moreover, an upcoming DLC titled Songs of the Past can be launched in 2027 and can mark Geralt of Rivia’s final journey earlier than he passes the torch to Ciri. However maybe essentially the most anticipated launch on this mesmerizing world is The Witcher 4.
CD Projekt Pink hasn’t proven a lot about its upcoming online game, which is ready to start a brand new trilogy with Ciri as the primary protagonist, however the little glimpses we have seen look completely gorgeous. Sadly, The Witcher 4 is ready to return our means in 2028, and that is assuming it will not be delayed, not like most different AAA titles. Evidently, there is a lengthy wait forward of us. However there are loads extra fantasy video games coming within the meantime which are sure to maintain us distracted; listed below are 5 of them you must control.
1. The Blood of Dawnwalker
Launch date: September 3, 2026.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is, maybe, the right sport to play whereas we await Ciri’s upcoming journey. In spite of everything, its sport director, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, was additionally the sport director on The Witcher 3. Equally, many builders who used to work at CD Projekt Pink—the masterminds behind The Witcher sport saga—moved to Pink Wolves Studios to craft this extremely formidable vampire RPG with fascinating and modern gameplay mechanics.
I have not put many hours into The Blood of Dawnwalker simply but, however regardless of my restricted time with the sport, my story is totally totally different from others who’ve additionally performed the title’s opening hours. With out diving into spoiler territory, I watched a video the place one other participant purposefully made each unsuitable resolution attainable and, a lot to my shock, characters who’re utterly pivotal to my journey merely died within the different participant’s save file, proving that selections do matter right here. Higher but, this astounding degree of freedom additionally applies to the gameplay.
The Blood of Dawnwalker provides you precisely 30 days to rescue your loved ones, or else they are going to die (or at the very least, that is what the sport claims). Each single story mission you play will advance time for a sure variety of hours, ultimately altering the day into night time and getting you nearer to that terrifying deadline. Consider it just like the time mechanic in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Masks, besides there is no approach to rewind time. To make issues much more fascinating, studying new talents and doing aspect quests also can advance time by verying quantities.
Gamers might want to suppose strategically about the perfect path to perform their objectives. You could be like me and completely waste 5 whole days merely exploring the world and leveling up your character as a lot as attainable. In any other case, you may stick with the primary story and attempt to rescue your loved ones from the get-go. There’s additionally one other element that tremendously impacts the way you expertise the sport: Throughout the day, you are a standard human who’s skillful with swords, however through the night time, you may flip right into a terrifying Vampire who wants to feed on blood with a purpose to keep away from dropping management.
This unprecedented degree of freedom is coupled with an fascinating, directional fight that truly has some enamel to it. As well as, there’s an ever-changing story that’s continually formed by your choices. All of those components mix to create an extremely participating RPG that can have you ever craving extra, simply as a lot as its titular character, Coen, craves blood.
2. God of Battle Laufey
Launch date: February 16, 2027
The Witcher and God of Battle are two very totally different sagas. The previous is an motion RPG, whereas the latter is a full-blown motion franchise that merely adopted some mild RPG components throughout its final two entries. Moreover, The Witcher is not essentially recognized for tight and responsive fight, whereas that is the one side the place God of Battle shines most. On the flip aspect, Kratos has by no means had an enormous open world to discover, not like Geralt of Rivia. However in relation to iconic online game franchises set in unbelievable worlds the place magic runs rampant and gamers must battle unimaginable horrors, these two are among the many greatest.
God of War Laufey will mark a primary within the franchise by shining the highlight on Faye as an alternative of Kratos. Moreover, gamers can even discover the afterlife of the Gods, known as the Everywhen, the place deities from all mythologies dwell, utterly breaking the boundaries the saga fastidiously established. Nevertheless, the upcoming sport can be formed by its fast-paced and violent fights, very like its predecessors. The one distinction is that Faye’s fight mechanics embrace lots of verticality, because the fierce warrior is ready to ship enemies flying into the air, leap in direction of them, and maintain the combo of hits flowing.
There’s nonetheless quite a bit we do not find out about God of Battle Laufey, its story, or its characters. Nevertheless, the sport’s opening minutes are greater than sufficient to sign that an unbelievable journey is on the horizon, which might very properly make the await The Witcher 4 really feel shorter.
3. Fable
Launch date: February 23, 2027
Fable and The Witcher are full opposites tonally, however they each happen in unbelievable open worlds crammed with RPG mechanics and horrifying monsters for gamers to face. Moreover, the 2 are about to share much more similarities between them with the discharge of the most recent Fable sport coming in 2027.
The Witcher 3‘s gameplay designer Paweł Kapała left CD Projekt Pink in 2021 and labored because the Principal Gameplay Designer at Playground Video games, shaping the fight mechanics of Fable (2027). Now, I do know what you are most likely pondering: If there’s one aspect of The Witcher saga that different studios should not attempt to copy, it is most likely its fight. On the brilliant aspect, the gameplay deep-dive movies showcased by Playground Video games up to now have proven very intricate fights that merely have the DNA of CD Projekt Pink’s final fantasy title however appear to be rather more polished.
Maybe the one place the place Fable (2027) will get the higher hand is its RPG mechanics. Gamers will be capable of purchase all the homes in a metropolis, work together with each single one of many “1,000+ NPCs who carry Albion to life,” and face extraordinarily dire penalties as a result of sport’s morality system. This immersive world begs for gamers to lose themselves in it. In consequence, you possibly can pour as many hours as you need into this upcoming journey… or just beat the primary marketing campaign, which ought to take you about 20 hours. That is the perfect half: It is as much as gamers to resolve find out how to method the world of Fable (2027).
4. Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons
Launch window: 2027
Out of all of the video games we have talked about up to now, the one we all know the least about is Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons. On the floor, it encompasses a protagonist who is ready to wield magical talents, hunt monsters, and discover an ever-expansive open world crammed with numerous secrets and techniques and iconic landmarks. If it sounds acquainted, it’s as a result of all of those components are additionally a pivotal a part of The Witcher‘s DNA. Nevertheless, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons appears to dive even deeper into the usage of magic.
Gamers will take management of Kaatri, “an skilled veteran turned warlock” who could make issues levitate, use her magic to traverse sure surfaces, and forged spells to drag objects from the setting, which is a helpful ability each for traversal and fight. The reveal trailer for Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons additionally appeared to trace that gamers will be capable of loot totally different supplies and use them to create all types of incantations, together with one that can be capable of change the climate.
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons additionally appears to have a heavy emphasis on hand-to-hand fight sprinkled with enormous doses of magic in between. Kaatri will be capable of confuse sure enemies and make them battle alongside her, even when only for a second. Moreover, she will quickly take away some evil NPCs from the image by making them levitate and leaving them hanging within the air.
After the unbelievable success of Baldur’s Gate 3, online game gamers had been keen to find what the subsequent Dungeons & Dragons sport could be like, and Warlock definitely didn’t disappoint.
5. Kena: Scars of Kosmora
Launch window: 2026
Ember Lab Studio, which had largely labored in animation and TV, determined to embark on an enormous journey by creating its first-ever online game, Kena: Bridge of Spirits. The 2021 title took the world by storm because of its charming, Pixar-like visible model. Nevertheless, do not let the graphics idiot you: The sport’s fight could be extremely difficult, testing even essentially the most skilled avid gamers on its highest problem.
However even supposing Kena: Bridge of Spirits was a particularly polished AA sport, there was room for enchancment, significantly in its story and the variety of secrets and techniques and actions you may discover on the earth. Thankfully, a sequel was revealed this yr, and it’s already trying rather more formidable and larger in scope than its predecessor.
Whereas Kena: Scars of Kosmora has a 2026 launch window, there have been rising issues that the title can be delayed. In spite of everything, not solely has it been absent from the latest editions of PlayStation’s State of Play displays, however there isn’t any respiratory room for brand new video games within the ultimate months of 2026. That is not helped by the truth that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and Grand Theft Auto VI have mainly taken over November as a complete.
Confidently, we’ll quickly get extra updates on Kena: Scars of Kosmora, and even when we have to wait a bit of longer than initially anticipated to play it, likelihood is that the sport will certainly be value it.
Bonus: Undertaking Shadowglass
Launch date: TBD
To date, we have talked about third-person action-adventure titles with various levels of RPG mechanics and real looking graphics (aside from Kena: Scars of Kosmora, that’s). So, to shake issues up a bit, let’s discuss Undertaking Shadowglass—an indie title with a really distinctive 3D pixelated visible model that is not like something finished earlier than.
This primary-person journey appears harking back to the Thief saga, during which you needed to stealth your means by means of a number of ranges in quest of hidden treasures. The primary goal is not to kill everybody in sight, however to search out artistic methods to infiltrate and escape harmful locations with out being seen.
Undertaking Shadowglass has very fascinating mechanics, together with 3D spatial audio, physics interactions between the participant and the world, mild and shadow detection, and extra. This upcoming RPG appears pulled straight from a darkish fantasy story, and whereas there’s nonetheless no launch date in sight, a demo can be launched later this yr. Quickly sufficient, we’ll uncover whether or not Undertaking Shadowglass could make a reputation for itself within the very crowded house of fantasy video video games.
Add us as a most popular supply on Google