Upcoming RPGs All About Choices

The ability to make meaningful choices is essential to any great role-playing game. While games with branching storylines aren’t as common now, players clearly still want them, as demonstrated by the huge popularity of titles like Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s incredibly rewarding to replay these games, explore different paths, and uncover surprising new outcomes.

Good news for fans of role-playing games where your choices matter! The next year and beyond look promising, with several large-scale, high-quality games planned that really embrace what makes this genre great. Here’s a look at some upcoming RPGs focused on player choice, all promising that your decisions will have a real impact on the story and lead to different outcomes and endings.

Gothic 1 Remake

Reviving the Iconic Old-School RPG

The remake of Gothic 1 is currently on track to launch in early 2026, and we likely will have a firm release date by the end of this year. A recent demo was well-received by both longtime RPG players and those new to the genre. The game seems to be in good hands, as the developers are clearly dedicated to staying true to the spirit of the original Gothic, created by Piranha Bytes – the studio known for immersive, choice-based RPGs that influenced games like The Witcher.

The world of Gothic is impressively detailed and gives players a lot of freedom to forge their own path, especially through the choices they make in the Valley of Mines. While the game doesn’t have a huge number of characters, each one feels unique and lives a life that continues even when you’re not interacting with them. This makes the world feel truly alive and responsive to your actions. Fans hope the remake will maintain these beloved qualities while updating the game for a new audience.

GreedFall 2: The Dying World

A Major Step into the Upper League for a French RPG Studio

GreedFall 2: The Dying World is currently available in early access and is expected to launch fully in 2026. The development team intends to use feedback from players during this early period, as well as what they learned from the first GreedFall, to create a richer, more story-driven role-playing experience. Though it might not have the same high-end graphics as some newer games, The Dying World aims to provide a deep and engaging RPG for players who prioritize story and choices.

In GreedFall 2: The Dying World, it pays to be talkative – many quests have hidden layers and unexpected turns. You can achieve your goals through conversation, deception, stealth, or fighting, and your decisions truly matter. They’ll impact the story, how different groups feel about you, who you can team up with, and even your relationships with your companions. The game is still a work in progress and a bit limited in content right now, but the developers have time to polish it and add more surprises before the final launch.

Fable

Will Hopefully Grant as Much Freedom as the Series Is Known For

Despite only getting a glimpse of Fable since it was first announced in 2020, it’s still one of the most anticipated RPGs. The game has a uniquely British feel, blending fairy-tale magic with plenty of humor. Fable has always stood out for combining clever writing and a lighthearted atmosphere with a deep story, giving players real choices that matter.

It’s still unknown exactly what the new game will offer, but it’s safe to say that player choice will remain a key feature. The Fable series has always let players freely interact with characters, make moral decisions, and truly live in its world. It will be exciting to see if the next installment continues this tradition and stands alongside other top RPGs known for their freedom and player-driven stories.

The Blood of Dawnwalker

Already Set Up for Great Replay Value

Okay, so I’ve been checking out The Blood of Dawnwalker, and it’s a really cool RPG. Think The Witcher but with a unique twist. You play as Coen, who’s basically a human during the day and a vampire at night – pretty awesome, right? The game drops you into a dark, fictional version of 14th-century Europe, and what’s really neat is that everything you do – or don’t do – actually changes the story and the world around you. It’s all about choices, and they really matter.

A key feature of this game is its realistic time system, which might not appeal to everyone. As you complete quests, time moves forward, bringing you closer to the game’s end and restricting what you can achieve in one playthrough. If done right, this will make players carefully consider which quests to take and who to help, since completing everything won’t be possible. This design aims to create a more immersive and lively world, and also encourages players to replay the game to explore different options.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn

A Big Swing by the Pathfinder Creators

Owlcat Games, known for its Pathfinder role-playing games, is stepping into new territory with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. This game represents a significant evolution for the studio, similar to how BioWare expanded with the first Mass Effect. While Osiris Reborn, set in the popular Expanse universe, might not be entirely groundbreaking, it promises a compelling sci-fi narrative with meaningful player choices.

What makes The Expanse: Osiris Reborn particularly exciting is seeing how Owlcat Games will bring the qualities of their previous games to a broader audience, with fast-paced action and a much larger scale. The studio has indicated they aim to deliver on the promises of their past RPGs, hinting at deep relationships with companions, a huge, dramatic story filled with increasing danger and political intrigue, and alliances forged through difficult, meaningful decisions. It’s a world where you have to earn people’s trust – it’s not given easily.

Clockwork Revolution

Explore the Butterfly Effect in an RPG With a Unique Setting

Clockwork Revolution offers a fresh take on RPGs with its stunning steampunk city, Avalon. Created by inXile Entertainment, the developers of the popular Wasteland series, this highly anticipated game is set to release in 2026. What makes it special is a unique ability to manipulate time, giving players meaningful choices that truly impact the story.

Clockwork Revolution lets players journey to the past and change important moments, essentially rewriting history. This idea is ideal for a role-playing game focused on player choices, offering a real sense of how even small actions can have big consequences. Given inXile Entertainment’s reputation for compelling stories, the game could be something truly remarkable. The developers assure players that their actions in the past will drastically change the present, impacting the world of Avalon and everyone in it. This makes Clockwork Revolution a potentially essential game for anyone who enjoys intricate, story-focused RPGs.

Exodus

It’s a Good Time to Be a Sci-Fi RPG Fan

Fans of games like Mass Effect have a lot to look forward to! 2026 is expected to bring not one, but two big science fiction role-playing games. While The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is already confirmed, Exodus, a new game from Archetype, is also on the horizon. Although there’s no firm release date yet, recent news suggests Exodus could be released later this year, possibly with a detailed gameplay reveal and a confirmed launch date soon.

For years, the team behind Exodus has been promising a massive, story-driven sci-fi RPG, and now fans are finally getting a good look at it. The game will center around player choices and the significant impact those choices have on the story. A unique feature is how time passes in the game world – returning to places years later will show you how much things have changed across the galaxy. Players will also be able to pilot a spaceship, gather a crew, discover new planets, fight in exciting battles, and make difficult decisions that can impact entire planets and species. Exodus is clearly aiming high, but it remains to be seen if it can live up to the legacy of the original Mass Effect trilogy.

The Witcher 4

Potential to Become the New King of Open-World RPGs

A fourth installment in The Witcher series is highly anticipated, but it won’t be released until after 2026. Though it’s still some time away, the game is expected to be excellent. Players will control Ciri, which presents a challenge, but CD Projekt Red is likely to create another exceptional RPG that lives up to the quality of previous Witcher games.

All of the Witcher games have been known for their complex stories that change based on the player’s decisions, and important choices can even affect later games in the series. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings stands out for how much the story can change – a single choice could alter about a third of the game. While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has a more straightforward main story, it’s full of side quests where your decisions have a real impact on the world. Now, the upcoming Witcher 4 needs to continue this tradition, hopefully offering fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s world challenging moral choices and well-developed characters.

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2025-11-01 01:37