The most exciting role-playing games to be released in 2023

The new gaming year beckons role-playing fans with exciting titles: Starfield, Diablo 4, Baldur”s Gate 3 and many more. We collect what you can look forward to in 2023!

2022 was marked by game postponements. Especially role-players had to put up with quite a lot of bad news – big hopefuls such as Starfield were delayed, others were even put on hold indefinitely (at this point, all Bloodlines fans can please feel tightly squeezed). But do not despair, my brave friends! For in 2023, new hope is dawning.

In the new year, really big names will be released. Diablo 4 sends us into hell, Starfield lures us into space, Baldur”s Gate 3 reunites us with the bravest hamster in the known universe. And then there are the role-playing games that are more in the second tier, but no less exciting! Rogue Trader, Broken Roads, Dark Envoy and so on.

In this article we collect the most exciting RPGs that you will finally play in 2023 (hopefully!). Have fun browsing!

Hogwarts Legacy

(Subgenre: Open-world role-playing game – Release: Feb 10, 2023 – Developer: Avalanche Software)

Meanwhile, Hogwarts Legacy has thrown the gates to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry wide open and shown us many gameplay details from the upcoming role-playing game. For example, how the secret dueling club works and where we raise magical creatures. We also already know that we won”t be collecting house points and attending classes in real time.

Nevertheless, we”ll probably have more than enough to do when we open our Hogwarts letter in February and enter the middle of fifth year!

Octopath Traveler 2

The name gives a lot away: Octopath Traveler 2 is the sequel to 2018”s popular JRPG and it”s once again about eight completely different characters whose stories are interwoven. The pretty pixel look again mixes realism with, well, pixels. In the video above you can already get a good impression of this apparent contradiction.

But not everything remains the same. This time, for example, we can expect a day-night rhythm, two continents (and the sea in between) for free exploration, new battle tactics and so on. The predecessor was easily 80 to 100 hours long, so the second part will probably keep us busy for many afternoons again.

Darkest Dungeon 2

So a bit there Darkest Dungeon 2 is already, available exclusively from Epic as Early Access since October 2021. But it won”t be until early 2023 that the dark tactics chunk will appear in its finished form. As in the predecessor, we create our own group of heroes and travel with them through a dying world. In the process, our fighters may not only lose their minds, but also their lives – but we have to juggle such risks in this game.

Our carriage, our hub so to speak, can be upgraded just like the characters themselves, whom we give better weapons or teach new skills. Teamwork is also the order of the day! We know this from our daily editorial work: only if everyone trusts each other enough will we succeed in averting the apocalypse.

Diablo 4

2023 it”s getting serious for Diablo fans. Almost exactly in the middle of the year, the hotly anticipated Diablo 4 will be released, this time with an open world, mounts and the demon ruler Lillith as the antagonist. However, many things are also very familiar: the iso-perspective, the unholy hordes that would like to be crushed by us. There are also a few class reunions, such as the necromancer and the barbarian.

Baldur”s Gate 3

Baldur”s Gate 3 has already gathered an enthusiastic fan community around it. Not only because of its two legendary predecessors, but also because it has been playable as an Early Access version on Steam for a very long time. In the last few months, tons of new features have been added, such as the bard and druid classes, dozens of new spells and the possibility to fail spectacularly while playing music (no joke). The rest of the story will follow at the release, so far only chapter 1 has been revealed.

Since the last trailers, many loyal followers of the old Bioware games are also pricking up their ears. Because a few familiar faces and hamster cheeks can be seen in it! 

Final Fantasy 16

Yes, the PC release for Final Fantasy 16 isn”t on the calendar yet, but we already know it”s coming. First, the picture-perfect JRPG will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 5, on 22 June 2023. This time, the series returns to High Fantasy, so expect swords, magic and noble intrigue.

We are Clive, a noble scion who has devoted himself entirely to the art of blades and wants to save six realms from a plague. Once again, we fight the battles in real time (most likely with a slow-motion function again) and call upon powerful creatures to help us.

Starfield

(Subgenre: Open-world role-playing game – Release: 2023 – Developer: Bethesda Softworks)

Thousands of planets, powerful factions and us in the middle of it all: Starfield paints us an eerily exciting space vision that it aims to fulfil in 2023. Bethesda”s new single-player role-playing game ventures into a whole new setting far removed from Elder Scrolls and Fallout – and we”re already dying to explore the new galaxy with our spaceship.

The Bethesda formula should also be recognisable in the new game: Focus on exploration, an open world full of side stories, multiple groups we are allowed to join, switching between first and third person perspective and so on. With construction features like in Fallout 4, we build our own base, and we also customise our spaceship and character to our liking. Speaking of characters: An apparently small innovation makes editor Steffi sit up and take notice.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Okay, yes, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is not a standalone role-playing game, but a big story expansion. But let”s not be stricter than Militech. If the add-on can match the scope and quality of the Witcher expansions, then we can expect a glorious return to Night City, this time probably in the previously closed areas of the Pacifica District.

Involved is actor Idris Elba as V”s new ally Solomon Reed. Keanu Reeves aka Johnny Silverhand also joins us once again. CD Projekt Red is still holding back on plot details, but we”ve pulled some hidden info out of the new trailer:

Earth from Another Sun

(Subgenre: Action Role-Playing Game – Release: 2023 – Developer: Multiverse)

Earth From Another Sun serves us an unusual genre mix. The ingredients: an open galaxy as a sci-fi sandbox, exploration, army management and mass battles, spiced up with romance and space piracy. In plain language, we can let off steam pretty freely, either alone or with 60 players in multiplayer. The developers also promise exciting features that will be added after the release, such as a quest editor.

If you”re tired of the Middle Ages, but the gameplay of Mount & Blade appeals to you, then definitely keep an eye on Earth From Another Sun!

Path of Exile 2

It was only in December 2022 that the release date of the long-awaited online role-playing game Path of Exile 2 was announced. The beta is scheduled to start in 2023, and visitors will be able to play the game themselves at gamescom 2023. Of course, the competition with Diablo 4, which will be released in the same year – and dares to make some changes to its core formula (more on this above in this list) – will be particularly exciting.

Which will be released in the same year – and dares to make some changes to its core formula (more on this above in this list).

Who will win the race of the hack&slay giants? Does anyone happen to have a freshly polished crystal ball handy? If so, please just drop us a line in the comments.

The Iron Oath

(Subgenre: Tactical role-playing game – Release: 2023 – Developer: Curious Panda Games)

The Iron Oath also joins the merry band of role-playing games already available in Early Access and then unfolding in their final glory in 2023. Here, we lead a mercenary group across the world map, engage in risky tactical battles and thus gain an ever better reputation. Especially cool: We accompany our mercenaries throughout their lives as they age and eventually die.

Each playthrough is supposed to play differently, as storylines and challenges are randomly generated. We found The Iron Oath quite exciting in the preview, but are hoping for even more in the finished release!

Broken Roads

Disco Elysium meets the old Fallouts: Broken Roads instantly makes story fans mouth water. On top of that, it comes with a really rare setting, the Australian post-apocalypse. Kangaroos, the outback and the end of the world go surprisingly well together – just look at the trailer! The most important thing here becomes the story, which confronts us with painful moral questions.

Such questions we already answer in the character editor to compose our character”s inner compass. This affects unique dialogue options later on, but much more important becomes what we do in the world, who we help and who we leave behind.

Dark Envoy

Dark Envoy has several elements in common with the great Divinity: Original Sin 2: role-playing from the iso-perspective, a multitude of skills and dungeons plus an extensive story campaign, which we are also allowed to play completely in pairs in co-op. In the battles, however, there is an important difference: Dark Envoy relies on tactical real-time instead of rounds.

You paint your spells on the battlefield with virtual brushes, so to speak, use walls and crates as cover, adjust your strategy to nimble elves and armoured sci-fi mechs. Elves and mechs? Makes sense when we look at the setting. You”re caught in the conflict between humans with futuristic technology and ancient peoples who rely on magic.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

A CRPG in the 40k universe! A game like Rogue Trader is what many fans have been waiting for for a very long time. We are an independent and determined trader (evil tongues would call us smugglers) travelling with a motley crew aboard a Void ship. Our crew brings not only completely different skills, but also really exciting backstories.

The developers behind Rogue Trader are Pathfinder, who have already proven that they are really good at story and classic role-playing games.

Fallout: London

Latest Enderal has proven that fan-made total conversions can be at least as great as role-playing games from established studios. Fallout is also getting a makeover from industrious modders, taking us into a whole new realm in 2023. The open world of Fallout: London is even bigger than that of Fallout 4!

Naturally, there are also nasty new enemies waiting for us, which we face without Pip-Boy and Vault-Armor. This isn”t the USA, after all. We”re already dying to explore post-nuclear Europe and famous places like Big Ben.

Monomyth

It”s time for a bit of optimism in our list: Monomyth hasn”t announced its release date yet. But hey, the Steam page says “Coming soon”, the regular dev updates give reason for hope and there”s already a playable demo. This shows where the journey is going – into the past of classic RPGs.

We fight our way through underground dungeons full of enemies in search of a divine artefact and our missing brother. Whether we prefer to rely on magic or weapons is up to us. Our character can be freely skilled, for example into a deadly sneak assassin or a fire-slinging battle wizard.

Sengoku Dynasty

Medieval Dynasty has shown the way: construction and role-playing go together as well as peanut butter and chocolate (try this if you haven”t yet!). And Sengoku Dynasty puts the whole thing in a setting that the GlobalESportNews community traditionally finds super: feudal Japan. As in the predecessor, we take care of our settlement, plant fields, construct new buildings and try to escape the oppression of the samurai.

Our character never becomes a glorious hero, but leads a fairly normal life – as is usual in the Dynasty series. What”s new is the multiplayer, which this time has been thought of from the beginning.

Which role-playing game are you most looking forward to in 2023? Are any of the big names on your personal top list or are you pinning your hopes more on the insider tips that others might overlook? Let”s hear it in the comments!