The RPG scene in 2024 is looking fantastic, especially considering we’re getting a second installment of one of the biggest cult classics ever with Bloodlines 2. Let’s peruse some intriguing projects that show promise based simply on teasers, descriptions, and developers. Here are the Top 10 upcoming RPGs of 2024.
Top 10 Upcoming RPGs to Pay Attention to in 2024
10. Dragons Dogma 2
Dragons Dogma 2’s trailers showcase some of the cleanest fighting animations in RPGs ever. There are many neat details,, like climbing monster parts, them kicking you off, and then getting brutally stomping on you while you’re down. The 3D models look so polished that you could dodge a monster claw attack just by moving and tilting slightly to the right or dodging in between their legs.
And this isn’t even going into the improved class system with flashy and exciting weapon skills and magic spell options. Dragons Dogma 2 really makes you feel like a methodical monster hunter in a pseudo-realistic way, more so than the actual Monster Hunter games. We can expect the game around March 2024.
9. Path of Exile 2
We’re incredibly excited for PoE 2 coming out in Summer 2024. Just from the Alpha, it’s showing incredible mechanical depth. There are so many neat ability interactions, like shooting down ice walls to block and freeze enemies and then barraging them with burst shots. There’s another one where you drop down an oil grenade that does little damage but slows enemies and can be ignited with other fire-based skills for an AoE burn.
It’s so refreshing to see tons of playtesting by developers, where they create an incredibly in-depth ability system by which almost each skill interacts with another in some way. While I generally like Diablo 4 despite many of its faults, it’s missing some of that detail when it comes to class abilities and interactions. PoE 2’s ability interaction ideas could definitely usurp Blizzard’s ARPG.
8. Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2
Oh, man have I waited long enough for a new Bloodlines game (and you have, too). It feels unreal that it’s actually releasing in 2024 (maybe?), almost like Half-Life 3 is finally coming out. It’s still a ways away coming out in late 2024, but it looks incredible, taking an FPS perspective and that same sandboxy semi-open world grim dark atmosphere with tons of character-building options for your vampire.
While this will be a game to remember from a nostalgic perspective, The Chinese Room has been slacking a bit in terms of gameplay reveal trailers. Furthermore, some of the recent clan reveals, like those for Ventrue, haven’t shown us much. That said, I’m still hopeful that we’ll get a 10- to 20-minute gameplay reveal on Tremere showcasing all the cool new blood powers we’ll get in Bloodlines 2. Call me optimistic and perhaps foolish, but I have to believe it to be true.
7. Black Myth: Wukong
Another Summer 2024 release is Black Myth Wukong, which looks like a promising Chinese Mythology-inspired game about none other than the Monkey King. Unlike Bloodlines 2, we’ve already seen plenty of gameplay showcases where Sun Wukong is fighting numerous bosses. The spectacle-fighting nature of the gameplay seems to mix a little with Soulslike elements as well in boss fights.
What I’m most excited to see is the dynamic between the stance-switching system for basic attack combos and the magic Wukong can use. You can shapeshift, make clones of yourself, and infuse your staff with elemental attacks among other things. The boss fights in this game look absolutely fantastic and comparable to Eikon bosses from Final Fantasy XVI. We’re truly getting some next-gen RPGs next year.
6. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Ok, this is technically an expansion DLC, but knowing From Software, Shadow of the Erdtree is going to have an amount of content equivalent to a small standalone game. Sure, the forefront excitement is for the new weapons, spells, bosses, areas, quests, and so on. However, what I’m most looking forward to here is the new lore and story expansion as we dive into the narrative of Miquella. There are tons of fan theories out there speculating about the DLC and all of them sound exciting.
If From Software delivers on even a fraction of that — and knowing them, they’ll surpass it — then we’re looking at an Elden Ring resurgence. I’m just hoping there will be some more online co-op updates like with the Arena. We could also use more supportive abilities in the game to make boss fights with friends feel more like Remnant 2.
5. Hyper Light Breaker
Fans of Hyper Light Drifter rejoice: 2024 is our year. Hyper Light Breaker is reviving the mystical neon world of the original swapping out pixel art for stylized graphics. Furthermore, what Heart Machine is doing with the new third-person perspective reminds me a lot of the transition between Risk of Rain to Risk of Rain 2.
We don’t know much about the gameplay yet, but it looks like the game is taking a more co-op-focused approach. Of course, the single-player experience is still there for fans who want to immerse themselves in the world of Overgrowth alone. What we have seen is a thrilling movement system where you can dash from one platform to another or jump into the air and glide toward a different location. Movement is the core aspect of HLD, so we hope it feels mechanically similar despite the perspective change. You can try out HLB in early access in 2024 Q1.
4. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
The second installment of the Final Fantasy VII remake, titled Rebirth, is confirmed by Square Enix. It’s set to release on February 29, 2024. We’ll get to delve more into Sephirot’s story and even meet some, so to speak, new old characters from the original.
That said, keep in mind that this game’s story is an alternative timeline, where the narrative is a bit different. As for the action, we’ve seen some exciting new combo attacks between characters and, of course, new summons. I’m just dreading what’s coming in the second part with Aerith.
3. Granblue Fantasy: Relink
Granblue’s mystical setting is coming in next-gen RPG form with Granblue Fantasy: Relink. Releasing out in February 2024, this game mixes third-person spectacle fighting combat with JPRG elements. The combat interface looks a lot like FFXVI, but in a more team-based setting. Furthermore, while I’m not a huge fan of 3D anime art styles (trauma from Berserk 2016), Relink’s visuals are actually pretty decent. Much better than Tales of Arise, in my opinion. After a lengthy development process, I’m quite excited to see what Relink has in store.
2. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
DON’T NOD is bringing us a grounded fantasy tale of Banishers, supernatural hunters who chase after the spirits of the dead and put them to rest. Taking inspiration from the recent God of War games, Ghosts of New Eden seems to be a narrative-focused game set in a low fantasy rendition of North American wilds.
We’ll experience this story through two characters who are both companions in arms and lovers. The combat system seems to mix melee weapons like dual-wielded axes, flintlock guns, and spells. There are tons of crowd control and AoE abilities combined with dashes and movement, too. The main aspects of the game seems to be the dual character system and exploring their relationship through a linear story. DON’T NOD has also stated that the game will feature interactive storytelling with your ambiguous moral choices affecting the game world around you. Expect the game in February 2024.
1. GreedFall 2: The Dying World
I quite liked GreedFall’s RPG idea of exploring a new world filled with secrets, magic, and fantastical creatures through the lens of imperial colonization. So hearing Spiders were coming back for a sequel was an intriguing thought. From what I’ve seen, they’re going hard on the open-world element and retaining their original combat system with RPG progression but boosting it to new heights.
That said, GreedFall’s pull was always the worldbuilding, and I’m excited to see how they expand on the first game. As for the premise, the story seems to be set a few years before the first game. It will focus on the old world from the first game being beset by plagues and political intrigue. The game is coming out in 2024 Q2 to Q3.
And that’s my list of Top 10 upcoming RPGs in 2024. There’s plenty to get excited about, especially around February and March. We just hope some of the promises we got on games like Bloodlines 2 turn out to be true. Delaying games is fine as most of us would rather wait and play a finished product. That’s why transparency between the developers and their communities is so important.
