Top Upcoming RPG Video Games of 2018

Note: Article updated in August of 2018.

2018 is fast approaching and as such there’s a slew of new video game titles slated or expected to launch during the upcoming year. If you’re looking for what video game titles are worth checking into before they make their way onto the market then let us lend a hand. In this particular list, we’re going over our top picks for the RPG video game titles launching in the coming year. Take a look at our picks below and as always, let us know if we missed a title by dropping us a comment!

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Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom

Developer: Level-5
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release: March 23, 2018
Platforms: PS4, PC

If you enjoyed Ni no Kuni, a video game title that released for Sony’s PlayStation 3 exclusively, then you’ll likely be delighted to know that the series has continued on with a sequel, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom.

The video game takes place a hundred years after the events of the first title where players follow a young king named Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum who sets out to reclaim his kingdom.

While fans of the first title can expect the role-playing experience with the sequel, the title will feature an open world and a cast of characters that can be controlled during battles. Speaking of battles, there are a range of attacks and strategies available to use during battles with characters having melee style standard attacks along with a variety of skills.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Developer: Warhorse Studios
Publisher: Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver
Platforms: PC, PS4, XB1
Release: February 13, 2018

Developers Warhorse Studios delivers a historically accurate and realistic video game set in the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia with Kingdom Come Deliverance.

In the video game’s campaign, the old king of Bohemia had passed with his heirs lacking the ability and power to secure the throne. Using this opportunity to take advantage and claim the rights, the old king’s brother takes control of Bohemia.

Players will be taking on the role of a blacksmith’s son whose family had been murdered by an invading army. With revenge burning in his heart, the son seeks out his family’s killer while also restoring the throne to the rightful heir.

The narrative of the game is pretty deep as well so if you’re not one for lore or background history to events then this may not be the title for you. However, if you do embark on the journey then you’ll want to take note of the various skills that you can unlock throughout the game and similar to titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, players can increase their skill levels simply by using them.

Monster Hunter: World

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release: Jan 26, 2018
Platforms: PS4, XBO, PC

The Monster Hunter franchise is consistently growing and with each new installment a number of new gamers explore the monster filled worlds development studio Capcom has crafted. Monster Hunter: World is marked as the fifth main installment to the franchise and as you can expect, there will be a number of notable updates.

For instance, Capcom has placed larger maps making it a more seamless experience between zones and what’s a Monster Hunter video game without the ability to hunt with friends? Outside of the offline campaign, the game will allow a four-player online co-op.

Much like past Monster Hunter video game installments, this is an action RPG where players are tasked to hunt down a wide variety of monsters located throughout the land. As you progress, characters will need to be tweaked from the various armor they wear to the weapons taken into battle which will be your main point of interest when it comes to progressing your character.

Vampyr

Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO
Release: June 5, 2018

Dontnod Entertainment has crafted up some popular titles so far. Their debut title Remember Me sparked the highly beloved Life is Strange IP. Following up the release of Life is Strange is Vampyr, a vastly different IP then what the developers have worked.

Vampyr takes place during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic in London where players take the role of a doctor Jonathan Reid. Our protagonist is in a predicament as he is a vampire with a bloodthirsty nature, but is battling his condition with his Hippocratic Oath.

Being an action role-playing title, players can traverse parts of the world while also leveling up Jonathan in order to unlock new abilities and skills through the skill tree. It’s worth noting that the skill tree will not be linear allowing players to open up the various play styles available to enjoy during the game.

Darksiders 3

Developer: Gunfire Games
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO
Release: November 27, 2018

The Darksiders franchise continues on with developers Gunfire Games launching the third main installment sometime in 2018. This franchise is an action role-playing with a ton of hack-and-slash goodness.

So far, what we know about the video game is that the title will take place in a parallel world of events from the past video game installments. In this war-torn Earth, our protagonist, Fury, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, is in a quest to destroy the Seven Deadly Sins.

We’re still waiting to hear more information when it comes to Darksiders 3 though we are expecting RPG elements to be tossed throughout the game as they were in the past. However, at this point, we’ll just have to wait and see just what Gunfire Games and THQ Nordic reveals.

Dauntless

Developer: Phoenix Labs
Publisher: Phoenix Labs
Platforms: PC
Release: 2018

If you’re looking for a free-to-play MMORPG experience then Dauntless from developers Phoenix Labs may be well worth looking into. This is an upcoming fantasy-based video game which features players becoming Slayers, humans who are tasked in taking down Behemoths around the world, which are giant dinosaur-like animals.

With the game being a free-to-play online title, players can choose to enjoy a cooperative gameplay experience with friends or they can go through the video game narrative by themselves as a single player video game.

Overall, the game is similar to the Monster Hunter series. While the game doesn’t feature any classes or skill trees, Dauntless does offer players the ability to harvest certain parts of the creatures to use as crafting gear, ultimately progressing your gear used to kill stronger monsters.

Project Phoenix

Developer: Creative Intelligence Arts
Publisher: Creative Intelligence Arts
Platforms: PC, Mobo, PS4, PSV,
Release: 2018

Project Phoenix is an upcoming title under development studio, Creative Intelligence Arts. This is a real-time strategy RPG which takes inspiration from several Japanese role-playing video games. Unfortunately, there are not too many details regarding the video game quite yet.

What we do know is that players will unravel a mystery of an angel with amnesia. During the journey, gamers will explore the lands of Azuregard with your band of heroes searching for the missing pieces in solving this grand mystery.

With Japanese RPG design influences, gamers can expect a real-time combat with fluid and dynamic strategy options, but again, we’ll have to wait until more information on how well the combat holds up.

Shadow of the Colossus

Developer: SCE Japan Studio, Bluepoint Games, Inc.
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platforms: PS4
Release: February 6, 2018

Shadow of the Colossus is an iconic title, one of which that originally released back in 2005 for the PlayStation 2. Overall, players take on the role of a young man named Wander who has entered into a forbidden land. Your overall goal in the video game is rather straightforward, players must track down and fight these massive creatures known as Colossi in order to restore the life of a girl named Mono.

The video game as mentioned was introduced and released for the PlayStation 2, however, it was later re-released with enhanced graphics in 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and once again for the current Sony platform, the PlayStation 4.

Valkyria Chronicles 4

Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: PS4, NS, XBO
Release: September 25, 2018

The next installment of Valkyria Chronicles, Valkyria Chronicles 4 will soon give players a new tactical RPG that continues to follow the same style of strategy gameplay that the previous installments are known for.

Overall, players will have to maneuver their characters around a battlefield while taking out the hostile forces. Within the narrative, players will find that Valkyria Chronicles 4 will take place during the events of the first title, Valkyria Chronicles.

This time, however, players will be maneuvering a new cast of characters set within the continent of Europa. As part of the last chance effort to end the war and capture the imperial capital, commander Claude Wallace and his squad are set into a battle that will put them against imperial soldiers along with the Valkyria.

Ashen

Developer: Aurora44
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Platforms: PC, XBO
Release: 2018

Ashen is an upcoming action RPG title that follows players into a world that is full of hostile enemies and gloom. Little information has been released about the game so far, but what we do know is that players can opt to work together in hopes for a greater chance of survival.

Within the world, players may cross paths and can then team up in a means to increase the skill set and crafting abilities. Strength in numbers seems to be key for survival in Ashen which has a wide variety of creatures and hostile environments that lurk around the corners of this decayed world.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO, NS
Release: April 24, 2018 (NS)

The latest South Park video game, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, will be releasing on the Nintendo Switch on April 24, 2018. This is an RPG video game played in a 2.5D third-person perspective and follows the events that occurred in South Park: The Stick of Truth.

Within the game, players take on the role of the New Kid during a massive war of rival superhero factions. Even though the game has already released on other platforms, there’s still upcoming DLC set to launch for the title.

As a result, Ubisoft will offer gamers the chance to purchase the previously released DLC along with the upcoming expansion known as Bring the Crunch.

Gameplay features standard turn-based RPG combat where players can think out attacks before initiating them. Likewise, character classes will be available for players to choose and each will alter character stats such as increasing short-ranged or long-ranged combat.

Darkest Dungeon

Developer: Red Hook Studios
Publisher: Red Hook Studios, Merge Games
Platforms: PC, PS4, PSV, iPad, NS, XBO
Release: January 18, 2018 (NS), February 28, 2018 (XBO)

In the Darkest Dungeon, players find themselves inheriting an old estate from a deceased relative. It’s discovered early on that the relative has dug beneath the manor in order to find fortunes but in the process, portals from dark dimensions were unearthed leading to monsters flooding the world.

Players will be managing a group of adventurers as they head below the manor in order to cleanse the estate from evil and close off the portals. This is a turn-based combat RPG that’s also mixes in real-time movement.

Essentially the player is tasked with managing the roster of adventurers and keeping them in good health. However, between expeditions players are able to recruit and dismiss heroes along with purchasing equipment for their gang of heroes.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Versus Evil
Platforms: PC, PS4, NS, XBO
Release: May 8, 2018 (PC) TBA 2018 (NS, PS4, XBO)

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a direct sequel to Pillars of Eternity. The video game will take place within Eora where players step into the role of a Watcher. Our protagonist has the ability to look into other character’s souls along with reading their memories or past lives.

Now that the god of light and rebirth has awoken, players will find that the god has destroyed his stronghold while also leaving him near death.

This RPG is currently only available on the PC platform but the development team over at Obsidian Entertainment is gearing up to release the game on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms towards the end of this year.

Octopath Traveler

Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: NS
Release: July 13, 2018

Octopath Traveler is an RPG title by developers Square Enix and Acquire. The video game is a 2D 16-bit style RPG where players will control a part of eight different characters, all of which will have a role to play and a reason for their journey.

Currently, Octopath Traveler is available to purchase exclusively on the Nintendo Switch where it has become one of the best-selling games for the platform. If you want to check out some of the gameplay footage and hear our impressions for the game then I suggest taking a look at our Before You Buy posted up above.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: 3DS, PS4, PC, NS
Release: TBA (NS), September 4, 2018 (PC, PS4)

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age has already released on the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation 4 within the Japanese markets. However, a port of the game is expected to launch within September for PC and PlayStation 4 along with a release for the Nintendo Switch at a later date. This video game marks as the eleventh main installment to the franchise where players will take on the role of a young protagonist.

During the traditional coming of age ceremony, the world of Lotozetasia learns that our protagonist is actually the reincarnation of an ancient hero. Now with the newly found discovery of your origins, the journey of ridding monsters and saving the world becomes your destiny.

Combat is the traditional turn-based which the franchise is known for and while the development team had initially intended on making the game open world, they decided it would be best played as a linear title with a narrative focus.

Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game

Developer: Cyanide Studio
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Platforms: PS4, XBO, PC
Release: October 30, 2018

Media seems to love to tap into the Lovecraft material with Call of Cthulhu being one of the more popular stories to adapt. We’ve seen other titles in the past release featuring the storyline, but in this particular game, we’re looking at Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game from development team, Cyanide Studio.

Players will be taking the role of Edward Pierce, a former war veteran, and private investigator. Edward finds himself taking on an investigative case where he will attempt to clear up the murder of Sara Hawkins that occurred in Darkwater Island.

So far we know that the game narrative will be centered around the various choices made throughout your journey. Likewise, in this investigative RPG, players will be leading a small team of investigators outside of Edward where they’ll come across monstrosities that have been hidden in the dark.

Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! And Let’s Go, Eevee!

Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
Platforms: NS
Release: November 16, 2018

Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee! are two upcoming video game titles being developed under Game Freak. For those familiar with the Pokemon video game franchise, these are considered remakes for the 1998 release, Pokemon Yellow.

As a result, players will find most of the mechanics that the series is known for such as battling other trainers, capturing Pokemon, defeating gym leaders, purchasing items and exploring the world. Likewise, because this is a 1998 remake, only the 151 original Pokemon will be featured within the games.

Developers over at Game Freak are also putting a slight spin to that game as well thanks to the Joy-Con controllers. When tossing out a Pokeball, players will have to use the motion controls to get an accurate throw. Similar to how the touchscreen functions are made for Pokemon Go, though it seems that the mechanic system will also work for when the Joy-Con’s are docked to the Nintendo Switch.

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