15 NEW RPGs of 2022

Check out this list if you’re after some video games to really sink some time into. We’re going to highlight the absolute best upcoming RPGs that we can’t wait to dive into. Some of these games were unfortunately delayed out of 2021. However, that means 2022 should be filled with quite a few exciting releases. Likewise, some games will be available on PC, last-generation consoles, and the latest-generation platforms.

Disclaimer Update: Diablo 4 removed due to being pushed to 2023.

#15 Elex II

• Developer: Piranha Bytes
• Publisher: THQ Nordic
• Platforms: PC, X/S, PS4, PS5, XBO
• Release: March 1, 2022

If you enjoyed Elex, a 2017 action RPG release, then you might find some interest in a sequel. The original installment had some mixed reviews, but the sequel takes place after the first game’s events. Jax once again has to fight for peace across the land when a new alien threat has invaded. However, the only way Jax will be able to defeat this new power is by uniting the different factions. Again, this is another action RPG experience focusing on several choices and consequences. Depending on your choices, NPCs can decide to leave your party, get killed, or recall what you have done in the past when new aid is requested.

#14 Palworld

• Developer: Pocket Pair, Inc.
• Publisher: Pocket Pair, Inc.
• Platforms: PC
• Release: 2022

Palworld is a bit like Pokemon mixed with being a simulation game. Players will be tossed in an open-world multiplayer game where you have to battle against certain wildlife to different enemy factions. It’s a bit more of a darker tone Pokemon as well. Players can build structures, farm, scavenge for resources, and trade with players. However, you can also partake in illegal trading with certain exotic creatures in the world will fetch some good money. Here you’ll have to find these critters, poach them, and get them to a buyer without being caught.

#13 Babylon’s Fall

• Developer: PlatinumGames, Square Enix
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC
• Release: March 3, 2022

Babylon’s Fall might have gone a bit under the radar for some, but the game is gearing up for its release. This is a fast-paced action hack and slash game. If you’re familiar with PlatinumGames, then you know this is where they shine. These are the folks behind games like Nier: Automata and Bayonetta. Overall, the game is centered around a massive tower called the Ziggurat, where characters strive to reach the top. It’s a brutal battle as players will have to scale the countless floors to reach the summit. Fortunately, you’ll get some freedom in weapons and gear you choose to take with, although weapons can eventually be depleted, so players will have to be mindful of their gear and ensure that it can hold up long enough to get through certain battles.

#12 Triangle Strategy

• Developer: Square Enix, Artdink
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: NS
• Release: March 4, 2022

Triangle Strategy might be of interest if you enjoy classic turn-based tactical RPGs. This is an upcoming game from Square Enix. Overall, this is a period fantasy game that follows a fictional continent under war. Three countries have taken up arms with each other over the scarce resources found within the area. Players will be following Serenoa Wolffot as they manage to get through the ongoing battles. So far, the game looks to play around with the different environments you’ll venture through. Each will apparently alter the characters’ attributes and abilities, which may limit attack power or movement range.

#11 Pokemon Legends: Arceus

• Developer: Game Freak
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Platforms: NS
• Release: January 28, 2022

There is a brand new Pokemon game coming out next year from Game Freak’s development team. This new upcoming installment is Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and so far, fans have been expecting an extensive new experience. This game is set long ago within the Hisui region before it was known as the Sinnoh region. Players are dealing with a slightly new take with the game, putting our protagonist in a period before there were Pokemon Leagues. In this game, you’re venturing out into the world, looking to study the different wildlife. This time around, you can also attempt to catch a Pokemon freely in the open by throwing a Pokeball before entering into a battle phase.

#10 Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

• Developer: Team Ninja
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
• Release: March 18, 2022

Ninja Theory has been around since the 1990s, and they have delivered Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, Nioh, and in 2022 we’re getting a Final Fantasy game from them. It looks like this will be a fast-paced action RPG where we’re getting a new interpretation of the first Final Fantasy game released. So far, what little information is known, we’re following a group of characters that have popped up in this fantasy world.

With a legend telling of warriors coming in to stop Chaos and its legion, our group of protagonists begins their uphill battle to cleanse the world. While this game is throwing players back into the first installment setting, this is not to be confused with a remake. Instead, this is a new storyline that will showcase some of the developer’s inspirations from the first installment. As a result, there might be familiar themes, but overall it’s a darker take than what the original developers initially brought out.

#9 Final Fantasy XVI

• Developer: Square Enix 
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: PS5
• Release: TBA

While we don’t have a release date at the time of writing this description, there’s a chance we might see Final Fantasy XVI in the marketplace in 2022. Details are scarce right now on what this game will entail. However, it looks like the game campaign mashes up nations against each other, with political battles and Dominants having a center stage to the narrative. We’re certainly keeping tabs on this game being the next major installment to a beloved long-running franchise. However, while it’s marked that the game is coming to PlayStation 5, we know that other platform releases are planned after a timed exclusive deal. So it might be a waiting game, but it will eventually make its way onto PC and likely Xbox Series X/S.

#8 Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

• Developer: Gearbox Software
• Publisher: 2K Games
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
• Release: March 25, 2022

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a new spin-off installment from the Borderlands franchise. However, even though this is a spin-off to the Borderlands franchise, you don’t have to play these Borderlands titles. Instead, players can still freely enjoy this game without any issues, and it will be a bit different. We’re following the chaotic young girl from Borderlands 2, Tiny Tina, through a fantasy adventure with this game. Players will still have some firearms to use, but there are also more melee and magical spells to use against your enemy. Like with Borderlands, players can also expect a ton of loot to acquire and seek out. Currently, the game is slated to launch in March of this year, so more information about the game narrative and features should soon make its way out. Although, if you would like a small taste of what this game will be like, there is Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure. This is the standalone DLC from Borderlands 2 that featured Tiny Tina, to begin with.

#7 Hogwarts Legacy

• Developer: Avalanche Software
• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
• Release: 2022

Harry Potter fans have been waiting on the next thrilling video game experience. Fortunately, we will have a new title to enjoy this year. Hogwarts Legacy is an upcoming RPG that takes place well before the Harry Potter novels and movies. Instead, this game is set during the late 1800s, where we take the role of a late acceptance student to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We have been waiting to hear more about this game, but it seems like players can freely explore the game map. That alone might entice some IP fans who want a better look at some of the in-game locations. Of course, it would mean that players can explore different areas of the school and surrounding school grounds as well. Likewise, there’s also a moral system that might mean players can dabble more into the dark arts. 2021 was a bit scarce with information on Hogwarts Legacy, but we’re hopeful 2022 brings in plenty of new updates as we gear towards its release.

#6 Forspoken

• Developer: Luminous Productions
• Publisher: Square Enix
• Platforms: PC, PS5
• Release: May 24, 2022

Forspoken is a new action RPG IP, and it looks visually stunning. The game puts players into the role of Frey Holland, a young woman from New York City. Magically, Frey is teleported to a new world called Athia, where she and her sentient bracelet will have to find a way back home. Unfortunately, while the world of Athia looks incredible, it’s a dangerous place full of hostile enemies. So far, we know that this is an open-world game that has a narrative-driven campaign for players to complete. Meanwhile, the mechanics give Frey some rather fluid movements, so this should be a fast-paced action RPG, but for now, it looks like we’ll get a chance to play the game in May of 2022.

#5 Starfield

• Developer: Bethesda
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Platforms: PC, X/S
• Release: November 11, 2022

There are quite a few of us excited to get our hands on Starfield. The video game was a big reveal from Bethesda a few years ago at this point. However, details are still relatively scarce. It’s a game set in the future where humanity has colonized space and different planets. You’ll be a customized character who is a space explorer. We’re bound to have plenty of quests to take on, different skills to unlock, and gear to acquire. If you played Bethesda’s previous games like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, you’d better understand how the gameplay will be. Unfortunately, this is a game slated for November of 2022, so if there are no delays, we’ll get our hands on the game before 2022 wraps. However, there’s a good chance that we might not see Starfield until 2023.

#4 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

• Developer: Nintendo
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Platforms: NS
• Release: 2022

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a big hit initially. The video game took Link and tossed him into an open-world action-adventure game. Here players had to battle against Ganon and different hostile enemies scattered across the lands. There are different puzzles to solve, gear to uncover, and a princess to save like other past installments. Thanks to the fandom of this game, Nintendo is bringing out a sequel. We don’t have any real details about the sequel, but it was unveiled during an E3 2019 teaser that fans will find Link has another journey to take on. What this entails and how much of the world has changed remains to be seen. However, we should hopefully hear plenty more about this upcoming title next year.

#3 Dying Light 2: Stay Human

• Developer: Techland
• Publisher: Techland
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX/S
• Release: February 4, 2022

Dying Light was a big zombie game hit when it launched back in 2015. It had a parkour-style element to it which players could quickly traverse around structures as they battle against undead hordes. However, its sequel has been in development for quite a while at this point. We’re still waiting on the game and, hopefully, we’re going to receive it this year. From what we know so far, this title takes place over a decade after the first game’s events, with the zombie plague proving to be disastrous around the world.

Players are essentially one of the least safe cities, which is not only in a threat of the undead beyond the walls but the fact that there are conflicting factions within the city limits itself. Gameplay will mainly be the same as the last installment. Still, the developers have expressed that this game will feature quite a few choices throughout the campaign, which will have significant consequences, so we’re interested in seeing how extensive the consequences go in this game when it releases. Likewise, parkour and combat have been enhanced so you could likely string together a series of attacks while vaulting around the open-world map.

#2 Horizon Forbidden West

• Developer: Guerrilla Games 
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Platforms: PS4, PS5
• Release: February 18, 2022

One of the more popular exclusives for the PlayStation 4 was Guerrilla Games Horizon Zero Dawn, an open-world action RPG that follows a young woman named Aloy. In this series, the game is set in the distant future where humanity has fallen, with large mechanical beasts taking the role of apex predators. What’s left of mankind has turned into small tribes that live in fear of these mechanical monsters. Aloy was born as an outcast, and uncovering the truth behind where she came from and why she was outcasted is her main journey in the first installment. Meanwhile, fans can prepare for the sequel, which will be released in 2022.

In this game, it looks like Aloy has set her eyes upon exploring the western outskirts that expand onto the Pacific Coast. It’s here that she learns a new plague is killing humans and the vegetation. Players will need to find a way to save humanity once again, but in this journey, there will be new mechanical foes and hostile human factions that have found a way to take control of these beasts. This game is said to release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, but you might recall that Horizon Zero Dawn was released on PC a few years after its launch on the PlayStation 4. No statements indicate that will happen for this sequel, but it’s something you may want to look out for.

#1 Elden Ring

• Developer: FromSoftware
• Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO
• Release: February 25, 2021

FromSoftware is a big game development studio that brought out the infamous Souls franchise. The game series is not only challenging but incredibly popular, and there’s a ton of hype over the studio’s next big video game release, Elden Ring. This is another brand new action RPG being developed under game director Hidetaka Miyazaki. Likewise, another credible name has given fans some interest in this game, and that’s author George R.R. Martin, who is stepping in to expand the game’s lore. If you’re not familiar with the name, George R.R. Martin is responsible for A Song of Ice and Fire, adapted to the hit premium HBO series, Game of Thrones.

Now the duo is working on a new fantasy world where players will be going through an open world Souls-like video game. Being developed by the creator behind the Souls series, you can expect some tough battles, but it does look like there are some areas that FromSoftware is hoping to feature in this game that wasn’t present in past titles, such as using mounts to traverse the world. Fortunately, the gameplay footage released and from what some players have experienced has shaped up to be quite the big release. We’re getting an open world, more freedom to complete objectives and some challenging gameplay.

Bonus Games

Bonus: Dragon Age 4

• Developer: BioWare
• Publisher: EA
• Platforms: PC, PS5, X/S
• Release: TBA

Fans have been waiting on a new entry to Dragon Age, and we know that BioWare is currently developing a new game. We first saw Dragon Age 4 announced back in 2018, and so far, we’re not entirely sure if we’ll get the game in 2022 or not. While initially, there were some multiplayer components said to be included in this game, the developers opted to remove them and strictly focus on a single-player experience. So hopefully, if we don’t get this game in 2022, we’ll at least get some new information about what exactly we can expect for this next thrilling installment.

Bonus: Fable

• Developer: Playground Games
• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Platforms: PC, XSX
• Release: TBA

Fable is an enormous RPG franchise, and we’ve received three mainline installments to the IP. However, it’s been a franchise that has since become dormant. With Microsoft owning the IP, there have been rumors and speculation that we were not completely done with this franchise. It finally became a reality in July of 2020 when Microsoft offered a teaser for Fable, a reboot to the franchise. Before you get too excited, we don’t know anything about this reboot. What the story will hold for gamers, the mechanics, and if we will see certain areas or characters return is entirely up in the air at the moment. Still, we know that Playground Games is responsible for this open-world RPG which is a big change-up for the studio. These are the folks responsible for the Forza Horizon series, so going from racing titles to an open-world RPG may be a challenge but a refreshing new project for the studio to take on.

Bonus: Lost Souls Aside

• Developer: UltizeroGames
• Publisher: UltizeroGames, Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Platforms: PS4, PS5
• Release: NA

Lost Souls Aside has had a bit of a lengthy history. The game was first unveiled back in 2016, but now we know the game is still in the works. Details are still a bit limited, although we know that this is a fantasy open-world game with inspirations for Final Fantasy. The gameplay footage showcased so far looks like it will be a rather fast-paced hack and slash game that’s reminiscent of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. Unfortunately, we’re still waiting for a release date to come out for this title.

Bonus: Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2

• Developer: NA
• Publisher: Paradox Interactive
• Platforms: PC, X/S, XBO, PS5, PS4
• Release: NA

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 follows a harsh time in the Vampire politics world. A big war is going on between factions in Seattle, and you end up in the middle of it all. This is a game that developers are trying to make incredibly immersive. In Bloodlines 2, a series of choices will be presented to the player as they progress through the story to find out what’s causing the war and the faction they align with. Each choice and action will adapt the narrative for players.

We don’t know how drastic the story will change quite yet. Still, according to the official game description, everything that goes into maintaining your humanity while being a vampire will affect the playthrough experience. As for how the game will handle, this is a first-person perspective title with gamers having a variety of choices when it comes to combat, such as using melee weapons, firearms, or vampire abilities. Development has been troublesome so far. In fact, the IP had been moved from Hardsuit Labs to an unannounced development team. But we’re hopeful that we might finally see this game come out this year.