Keeping up with the best RPGs of 2023 is no easy task. 2022 was the year of the big RPGs, like Elden Ring, Pokemon, and Xenoblade 3, but outside a few smaller there wasn’t much in between. 2023 couldn’t be more different.
The year is packed with releases, with major AAA games such as Starfield and Final Fantasy 16 launching alongside a range of promising niche games, remasters, and ports. We’ve put together a list of more than a dozen RPGs worth keeping up with as 2023 rolls on, including their release date if one is available.
Octopath Traveler 2 - Feb. 24, 2023
Square Enix and Team Asano are back with the sequel to Octopath Traveler, a bigger, more polished take on the original that’s releasing on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC. Like the original, Octopath 2 tells eight distinct stories that gradually intertwine as you travel across two continents and the vast ocean that separates them. It may not be the most innovative sequel, but it promises to be better in nearly every way.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - March 3, 2023
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is Koei Tecmo’s new, Elden Ring-adjacent take on the classic Three Kingdoms tale. It follows a lone warrior as he journeys across a corrupt world, facing demons both literal and metaphorical in brutal combat. Like Wild Hearts before it, Wo Long leans heavily on Koei Tecmo’s Nioh franchise and its fast-paced, challenging combat. If you’re keen to try it for yourself, a demo is live now on all platforms through March 26, 2023.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure - March 14, 2023
Nihon Falcom’s Trails series has gradually been gaining steam outside Japan, and there’s little better indication of that than the fact that Trails to Azure is releasing in March. It and its prequel, Trails from Zero, follow a small group of detectives as they navigate the political complexities of a corrupt government and a neighboring superpower that’s all too eager to invade in the name of restoring order. This is the first time Azure will launch outside of Japan, and it’s thanks in no small part to an intrepid group of fans who originally translated the game.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key - March 24, 2023
Don’t let Gust’s unorthodox naming conventions fool you. The Atelier Ryza trilogy has been some of the studio’s best work in the longrunning Atelier series, with a revamped approach to storytelling, a challenging and intuitive battle system, and streamlined, yet deep crafting that’s easy to pick up. Ryza 3 wraps up the heroine’s tale and, in a twist that’s unusual for JRPGs, it follows Ryza and her friends when they return home as actual adults.
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection - April 14, 2023
Over two decades after the original Mega Man Battle Network launched for Game Boy Advance, Capcom is finally bringing the Blue Bomber’s trip into tactics back for modern audiences. The Legacy Collection’s two volumes include all 12 Battle Network games, which followed the Pokemon pattern of splitting its new entries into two versions. Battle Network seamlessly worked the series’ classic features, including themed bosses and elemental forms, into a grid-based tactical RPG that built on the Mega Man universe from the comics and anime, but it’s been locked on the GBA until now.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12, 2023
Is Zelda an RPG? For the purpose of this list, yes it is, or Tears of the Kingdom is at least. The long-awaited Breath of the Wild sequel finally launches on Nintendo Switch in May 2023, though Nintendo is doing its best to keep details about the open-world game a secret. Zelda may or may not be playable. Hyrule is in tatters. There’s a mummy that could be Ganondorf, and Link’s arm is doing some weird things that give him a range of new powers. And the Master Sword is dead. Again.
Diablo 4 - June 2, 2023
At long last, Blizzard is ready to release Diablo 4, which is shaping up to be more like Diablo 2 in its style and structure. Dive back into the darkest depths of the world decades after the end of Diablo 3, when humanity is in tatters after a devastating war. Lilith, daughter of Mephisto, moves to consolidate her grip on the world by encouraging the worst impulses in people. That’s where you step in to try and restore some light and order in the world.
There’s an open beta running in March too.
Final Fantasy 16 - June 22, 2023
Square Enix’s flagship franchise has been in a strange place over the last 10 years. Final Fantasy 15 was certainly an innovation in narrative structure, but a botched attempt at transmedia storytelling and plenty of delays meant it felt rough and unfinished. Final Fantasy 16 seems like the complete opposite, at least from its early trailers. It continues the series’ trend away from turn-based battles and aims to tell a darker, more mature story of war, love, death, and heartbreak, with Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida taking the lead.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie - July 7, 2023
It’s a one-two punch from NIS America, with Trails Into Reverie launching just months after Azure and doubling down on what makes the series unique among other RPGs: the story. Reverie serves as an epilogue for the two previous narrative arcs and pivots the series’ broader story to a new, darker direction. It also fine-tunes the battle system and brings back the fan-favorite Reverie Corridor, where you can build the team of your dream and take on a series of increasingly difficult challenges.
Baldur's Gate 3 - Aug. 31, 2023
It feels like Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 has been in early access for ages, and at last, that time is coming to an end. Despite having “3” in the name, Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t really a direct sequel to 2000’s Baldur’s Gate 2, which BioWare developed. It has more in line with Divinity: Original Sin – another Larian property – than Baldur’s Gate, with similarities in combat and its detailed, multifaceted approach to storytelling. Just don’t expect it on Xbox this year, if ever.
Starfield - TBC
Starfield, or Fallout in space, as some fans call it, is finally releasing in 2023, or at least we think it is. Bethesda is still being coy about a proper release date after delaying it out of 2022. Either way, Starfield aims to take the studio’s signature open-world, choice-driven RPG style to new worlds complete with space factions, space bandits, and space versions of other Skyrim and Fallout staples as well. More importantly, though, it lets you build and customize your own rocket ship.
Granblue Fantasy Relink - TBC
Cygames has promised Granblue Fantasy Relink for so long that it almost feels like a dream, but the anime RPG is reportedly releasing this year – assuming it doesn’t get delayed again. Relink is shaping up to be a unique blend of classic and modern, with its civilization in the sky, magical mysteries, and a combat system that looks like a blend of Bandai’s Tales of and Granblue’s fighting games.
Honkai Star Rail - TBC
What if Genshin Impact, but turn-based? That’s the question Honkai Star Rail from Genshin developer HoYoverse seems to be answering. You and a band of intrepid explorers navigate the stars in your intergalactic train, helping those in need and taking down agents of darkness with fantastic anime flair. Star Rail combines elements of other notable RPGs including Persona and Tales with HoYoverse’s take on character progression and worldbuilding. The final open beta ran in February, so a release date is likely not far off.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
