9 Upcoming CRPGs That Show The Genre is Back

The CRPG is in its revolution phase these days, and following the mega success of Baldur's Gate 3, the genre has a new generation of fans and has reignited the love for the genre in an entirely new way. We're seeing all kinds of games in the genre, from big-budget titles to indie titles looking to emulate the past.

These titles are heavily inspired by the past age of CRPGs, and some look to take already known properties onto a whole other level in terms of the genre.

We're going to check out a bunch of upcoming CRPGs that will continue the revival of the genre.

9 Vampire the Masquerade: Eternal Whispers

The Vampire's Embrace

After the pretty underwhelming Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2, you'd think this franchise might've just gone back to its eternal slumber, but developer Flyos is saying not so fast. Because Vampire the Masquerade: Eternal Whispers is giving people what they've been asking to have for about 20 years now. A real RPG in the world of Vampire the Masquerade. Now, this is more of a narrative-driven experience where combat looks to be in the background, but that's fine because the original hit in the series didn't have any combat to write home about anyway.

This looks like a take on Disco Elysium, full of skill checks, trippy visuals and all kinds of strange moral situations to find yourself in. You play as Gabe, a vampire awakened for an unknown reason who gets wrapped up in a conspiracy, and it's going to be a deep and complex investigative game. Expect something much deeper than what the previous mainline entry in the series did and something that dives deep into the amazing world of Vampire the Masquerade in the process. This could be the one we've been waiting for.

8 Hope Town

Disco Fever

Hopetown is a CRPG by name, but really, it occupies the space that the incredible Disco Elysium has created in the CRPG world, which is really its own kind of thing. Set in a world that has been reset by a global catastrophe, Hopetown takes place in a small town where you're playing a journalist who is investigating a mystery. It's not going to be heavy on combat, but rather your choices in dialogue will be considered your weapons here.

It's going to have some great options for building what kind of person you want to become during this investigation and will have that same kind of visual style that has made Disco Elysium such an iconic experience. This looks to be taking all the good vibes that Disco Elysium had and repurposing them for a brand-new story, and I think the more games we get like that one, the better.

7 Entropy

A Mix of Influence

Entropy is a wild-looking CRPG that feels like something incredibly unique and original. It says that it's inspired by JRPGs, but then you look at it, and it almost looks like Pablo Picasso presents Dragon Age. The combat looks really cool, with classic turn-based combat mixed with visuals that really need to be seen to be fully understood. It's beautifully ugly-looking from where I'm standing, and it has a look that really doesn't exist in any other game.

It promises to have tactical combat, colorful characters, and a fascinating world to explore, and it's just one of the most visually creative games I've seen in a while. It might be a bit rough around the edges, but I think it's something to appreciate when a game goes for something that no other game really has done.

6 New Arc Line

A New World

I am really pulling for this one to make it big. New Arc Line has a fascinating steampunk kind of world to get lost in that promises tons of moral quandaries and multiple paths for the story to take throughout the game as well. The characters look to be the highlight here, with an eclectic-looking group of mutants and humans alike, along with a unique-feeling magic system that goes beyond your typical fantasy-style magic.

The demo for this one isn't the most flattering first impression of the game. I can't lie there, but it was an early build, and all signs point to there being a ton of work done to make this game the next big thing when it comes to the CRPG community. It's got a big ambition, releasing on all the high-powered consoles and PCs, and whenever we get a release date, we will start fueling the hype train for something that can really make its mark.

5 Solasta 2

Ethereal Beauty

Solasta 2 is incredible looking. The first time I fired it up in early access, it just burst off the screen with some amazing-looking bloom effects that make this look like a fairytale come to life. However, it's not the tone of your typical fairy tale. This is pretty mature from the feel of it, and it leans closer to something like Lord of the Rings rather than, say, Fable.

The combat is classic DnD, so if you played Baldur's Gate 3, it's going to feel very familiar. There are some different visual effects, but for the most part, it's familiar territory, and it's done well. You can also create your entire party from scratch, which is a really cool feature we don't see in games like this all that often. It's also got the voice talents of Ben Starr, so if the past is anything to go by, this will be fantastic when it hits the 1.0 release.

4 Warhammer 40k: Dark Heresy

The Dark Throne

Warhammer 40k: Dark Heresy is going to be a deadly serious CRPG experience. I say this because it's a direct sequel to Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, which nailed the dark tone of the Warhammer world and had some really tough moral choices to make, and you never felt all that good no matter how benevolent you thought you were being. This world is dreary, but it's fascinating, and this game looks to take you closer to the normal people of the world than the powerful ruler in the first game.

The combat is going to be a highlight once again, with a really cool fusion of CRPG combat and XCom style mechanics. There will be a ton of build options for your characters, and the investigative nature of this sequel should produce something that feels very different from the first game while maintaining the vibe that the series has already established.

3 Divinity

Return of the King

Divinity is the game that brought the CRPG name back into the public consciousness back in 2017, and then it went dormant as Larian started working on their magnum opus, Baldur's Gate 3. But those that played Divinity: Original Sin 2 know that it was an absolute masterpiece of a CRPG in every way. From the unique world to the fascinating lore behind it all, this is a game world that can be mined for countless stories and games in the future.

While we don't have any real gameplay on this one yet, we can see that the tone will be incredibly dark compared to the last game in the series and that they will be pulling no punches when it comes to violence and atrocities being committed throughout the story. We know Larian only makes bangers, so this one should be no different whenever we eventually get our hands on it.

2 Star Wars: Zero Company

Universal Appeal

Star Wars: Zero Company is going to rewrite the rules for what makes a great Star Wars game. This setup is something of a "what if Star Wars had a Suicide Squad." Now, don't let that name scare you away, but it's kind of what the game is going for. You play as a squad specially chosen to take on an emerging threat during the end of the Clone Wars. There will be everything you love from Star Wars here, from blasters, weird aliens, and political shenanigans to Jedi, the Sith, and the Force.

Instead of real-time action, though, this is a turn-based CRPG that will emphasize cover and all kinds of different classes to do battle with. From the gameplay we've seen, it reminds me a lot of Marvel's Midnight Suns. That underrated gem had many of the movement mechanics we see here, and I say that as a compliment. The game looks heavily story-based, which I love, and hopefully, this will be a great new addition to the Star Wars universe and maybe the start of a new series in the process.

1 The Way of Wrath

The Burden of Leading

The Way of Wrath is a really interesting-looking game that takes the idea of the CRPG to a place I don't really think it's gone to before. What we have here is a tribal CRPG, where you rule a tribe and decide everything from how the tribe should operate to who lives and dies and what other people to make allies or enemies with. It's a really ambitious approach to a genre that has seen countless different settings, and this is one that just stands out.

It's also just beautiful looking graphically, with slick cutscenes to show dialogue rather than the typical back-and-forth you've seen in most CRPGs not made by Larian. There is a sense of style here that elevates the game, and it promises to have deep and tactical combat to boot. We still don't have a release date here, but it's expected sometime in 2026, so we'll see if it can fit into the crowded gameplay landscape of this year.