2023 was one of the best years for roleplaying games in living memory, thanks to the release of some absolute bangers, but 2024 has the potential to overshadow it by a mile, as the next 12 months will see the launch of some highly anticipated titles.
Whether it’s remakes, long-anticipated sequels, spiritual successors, or new IPs, 2024 truly seems to have a little bit of everything for those who always need a roleplaying game in their lives. Here are our most anticipated RPGs releasing this year.
Previously in Wccftech’s most anticipated games of 2024: Action
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (February 29th – PlayStation 5)
Remaking a game as beloved as Final Fantasy VII was a really daunting task, but the development team headed by Tetsuya Nomura and Naoki Hamaguchi proved to be up to it, releasing an amazing first entry in a trilogy that is setting out to include some of the best titles ever put out by Square Enix.
Instead of completely changing the formula introduced in Remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will expand it in every possible way, introducing a more open-ended structure that will allow players to explore an amazing rendition of the original world’s map, some combat system enhancements, such as the combination Synergy Attacks, visual improvements and some twists and turns to the original game’s events that will keep all players at the edge of their seats as they continue to pursue Sephiroth.
With the game ending at the Forgotten Capital, the events that will transpire there, as fans of the original known, are just one of the many reasons why Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is one of the most anticipated roleplaying games releasing in 2024.
Avowed (2024 -PC/Xbox Series S|X)
There’s no denying that Obsidian is one of the greatest Western roleplaying games developers. In the 20+ years since its founding, the Irvine-based studio has provided gamers with memorable RPGs like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Neverwinter Nights 2, Alpha Protocol, Fallout: New Vegas, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, and The Outer Worlds. Of course, their games have often stopped just shy of achieving massive critical and commercial success, usually because of technical shortcomings and a general lack of polish. It is the fervent hope of Obsidian fans that this might change starting with Avowed, their first production powered by Microsoft’s backing.
This first-person RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe looked a lot like the studio’s take on Skyrim when it was first announced in July 2020. Indeed, CEO Feargus Urquhart recently admitted their original pitch was Skyrim in the world of Eora, but the 2021 partial reboot reigned in the scope to focus more on what Obsidian does best: great story and characters.
Avowed will be featured in next week’s Xbox Developer_Direct. Fans will get a gameplay deep dive, according to Microsoft.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 (March 22nd – PC/PS5/XSS|X)
Many years have passed since the release of Dragon’s Dogma, but no other open-world RPG managed to replicate the feel of the game by CAPCOM. The major focus on exploration, the unique Pawn system, and a combat system that mixed elements from the Devil May Cry and Monster Hunter series made it easy to forgive the game for its clunkiness and mediocre story and characters, making it a cult classic whose following has only increased with each new re-release.
In 2024, however, the series created by Hideaki Itsuno may finally reach a wider audience with the long-anticipated Dragon’s Dogma 2. Taking on the role of an Arisen, a warrior marked by a dragon who they must defeat, players will once again explore a beautiful open world four times the size of that of the first game filled with all sorts of enemies to defeat, NPCs to help, treasures to find and more with the help of their Pawns, special AI-controlled companions that function like player-controlled characters.
With the expanded Vocation system that allows for amazing character customization and the enhanced combat system, which retains the best mechanics of the original game, getting added to the mix, Dragon’s Dogma 2 definitely has the chance to turn the roleplaying games series into the global phenomenon its predecessor was meant to be.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (January 26th – PC/PS5/PS4/XB1/XSS|X)
The Yakuza series may have gotten its name changed to the more accurate Like a Dragon, but the games themselves haven’t changed much, featuring the same explosive mix of open-world exploration, intense battles, and stories that masterfully combine dramatic and comical moments.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is set to faithfully continue the series tradition while introducing tons of new features. Featuring both Ichiban Kasuga and the series’ longtime protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as main characters, the ninth entry in the series will feature both the turn-based combat system seen in Like a Dragon and the brawler-style combat that powered the series until the seventh entry via Kiryu’s unique Dragon of Dojima job.
With the new maps set in Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama, and Honolulu filled with all sorts of new and returning minigames and the absurd characters the franchise is known for, the search for Kasuga’s mother in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is sure to be one to remember.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 (Fall 2024 – PC/PS5/XSS|X)
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodline fans have had it tougher than every other roleplaying game fan in the world. Despite the World of Darkness being ripe with stories to tell, it took 20 years to see a full-fledged sequel to the game developed by Troika Games, which failed to achieve commercial success in 2004 but has since become a cult classic.
At some point, it seemed like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines would never see the light, as any proper vampire never should, but with new developer The Chinese Room working tirelessly on the game, late 2024 will finally see players return to Seattle together with the elder vampire Phyre, interact with all sorts of creatures of the night, and attempt to fill the power vacuum in the vampire court as a historic snowstorm grips the city.
There’s still a lot that we do not know about the first-person RPG experience that will power Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, but thankfully, we will know soon enough. The Chinese Room and publisher Paradox gear up for the full gameplay reveal of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 later this month ahead of release planned for late 2024.
Honorable Mentions
2024 will see the release of many other roleplaying games alongside the five titles above. Here are some additional titles that fans should keep track of in the next 12 months.
