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Reviewed on: PC Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Fictions Developer: Game Freak Release: August 4, 2026 Rating: Teen
The protagonist of Beast of Reincarnation is a synthetic human being named Emma. She does not have a soul, but she thinks she wants one. It’s lamentably fitting, then, that Beast of Reincarnation feels soulless. Emma, perhaps appropriately, is stiff and lifeless, but so are her companions and just about every other character in this post-post-apocalyptic Japan. Even the world around them – a network of wide corridors made up of concrete reminders of what was, blanketed in familiar vines, shrubs, and greenery – is stiff. The explorable setting is unchanging and placed within gameplay uninterested in the mystery the setting otherwise evokes. Everything funnels you forward to the next fight, rushing you to advance in an effort to obscure the literal and metaphorical cracks in each zone. Fortunately, that next fight is the best part of Beast of Reincarnation, courtesy of a satisfying combat system filled with experimentation and tense fun. If only the rest of Game Freak’s venture into the action space matched it.
Emma, a mysterious old man named Brad, a young girl named Kagura, and your trusty wolf companion Koo travel throughout Japanese colonies in a Cleanse Walker mech. Emma, a purifier, is tasked with, well, purifying beasts overtaken by a blight en route to the Capitol, where she must defeat the Beast of Reincarnation to save mankind.
These characters talk directly to Beast of Reincarnation’s transparent themes, taking a blunt approach and leaving little for the player to dissect or work through. The importance of friendship, family, having a soul, fighting to save people, and more are discussed ad nauseum in overly long cutscenes void of life. These characters are paper-thin, and the story, which features predictable arcs, lackluster villains, and plot beats about Koo you’ve seen in dozens of other dog-related stories, does little to inspire me as the controller of Emma. But her blade picks up the slack.
Game Freak blends Emma’s Sekiro- and Stellar Blade-style swordplay, which relies on parrying, dodging, and stagger bars, with Koo’s QTE elemental abilities that are reminiscent of last year’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to create an excellent combat system. So excellent, in fact, that sitting through 10-plus-minute cutscenes after each milestone of progression is doubly excruciating. For a game that demonstrates such confidence in its combat, Game Freak is determined to pull you away from it with yet another exposition dump.
While clearly pulling from the aforementioned inspirations, Beast of Reincarnation’s combat is easier. Bosses and more elite enemies still pose a great challenge, but generous HP recovery, powerful attacks that are easy to pull off, and large parry and dodge windows will help the less experienced feel capable and seasoned players feel untouchable.
Initially, boss fights are tense arenas for learning and mastering the combat. However, they, too, become repetitive, with recurring bosses appearing far too much, especially for what are meant to be Beast of Reincarnation’s end-of-stage setpiece moments. Pay attention too closely, and you’ll find that enemies share many animations, removing the enigma of duels and bouts. It doesn’t help that Beast of Reincarnation takes a formulaic approach to each stage, either: The big boss of the area appears for a quick fight at the start, runs off when you’ve hurt it enough, and then waits in its lair while you fight through the stage until you reach it for a proper fight. But still, fighting a boss, whether a repeat or not, means engaging in the game’s combat, and doing so is congenial throughout.
Challenge aside, which comes in three difficulty settings, the combat is rewarding and highly reflexive to one’s strengths. I stuck to an elemental build where I’d begin each fight with Koo’s lightning Javelin equipped with a 2x status build-up mod, allowing my lightning-imbued katana to inflict the “Shock” effect in just seconds. That creates a window of paralysis that lets Emma’s various combo moves and finishers inflict heavy damage and stagger, if not outright kill.
And that’s just one of the many builds I experimented with in Beast of Reincarnation. There’s room for ranged, stealth, fire, poison builds, and more. Through an expansive skill tree that continues to grow, even after the game’s final (and anticlimactic) fight, there’s no world where two players’ Emmas work the same. Generous attribute points used for raising attack, defense, and the usual standard RPG stats make the act of doing so feel inconsequential, and I rarely paid attention to my progression here. But the subsequent skill points I’d unlock, which let me power up specific abilities and moves in Emma and Koo’s kit, came in the dozens, and working through the associated skill tree was a gluttonous climb of power.
There’s a unique double jump in the form of a vine that Emma can use to push herself higher, and she can use those vines to whip to high-up perches and locations, but Game Freak is uninterested in how this might affect locomotion outside of battle. Utilizing these vines to get some air and slam down into enemies below with my Helm-Splitter ability is a treat – whipping up to a boring hallway littered with boring enemies to open a boring chest with boring rewards inside is not.
You will open the same type of chest to receive the same types of resources countless times, and the “take all” button is your best friend because what these items do matters little. There are crops to grow from seedlings collected for Kagura to cook up stat-boosting meals, but these bonuses are negligible. There are skulls to collect to power up your Cleanse Walker, but I had maxed out this mech before the game’s halfway point. There are books (you can’t read) to collect, rations for a hunger system that matters little, and currency you will never struggle to accumulate. Seeking out these resources is as rote as the resources themselves.
The final act of Beast of Reincarnation, with its telegraphed revelations and color-by-numbers moments, left me feeling… nothing. But the ensuing New Game+ notification stopped me from uninstalling the game after the credits rolled. I don’t know if I’ll return to play more, but if I do, it won’t be because of Emma, but rather, what Emma’s sword can do.
Score: 6
Production of Amazon Prime's live-action God of War TV series halted last month after Kratos actor Ryan Hurst suffered a bicep tear while filming. Since Hurst will require months of rehab following his surgery, Amazon is recasting his role. Variety reports that Dave Bautista may be filling those shoes.
According to Variety’s sources, Bautista is in talks with Amazon to portray Kratos in the upcoming series. Bautista, a former WWE star, is best known for portraying Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, but has notable roles in the Dune series, Blade Runner 2049, Glass Onion, Knock at the Cabin, Army of the Dead, The Killer’s Game, and is set to appear in Road House 2 and Highlander. Bautista is no stranger to the world of video games, as he appeared in Gears 5 as a model swap for Marcus Fenix (after the actor campaigned to portray the character in a movie).
Ryan Hurst as Kratos in a God of War on-set photo
Deadline had previously reported that four episodes of God of War had been filmed at the time of Hurst’s injury; it’s unknown if those episodes will ever see the light of day.
The rest of God of War’s cast so far remains the same, which includes Callum Vinson as Atreus, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Danny Woodburn as Brok, and Jeff Gulka as Sindri. The series will adapt the 2018 God of War and has received a two-season order.
For more on God of War, the next entry in the series, God of War Laufey, recently got a February release date.
[Source: Variety]
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is Capcom’s return to its samurai action series after a 20-year hiatus, and it’s also the latest game to grace the cover of Game Informer. I traveled to Capcom’s Osaka HQ to play the game for hours, interview its various developer leads, and explore neighboring Kyoto to learn how it inspired the game. I was also able to speak to Motohide Eshiro, the director of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny and its recent remaster.
Though he’s not directly involved with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Eshiro tells me he serves as a producer these days. But rather than being a head producer on a project himself, he supports up-and-coming producers on a variety of projects. Before directing Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, which launched in 2002, he worked as a planner on Onimusha: Warlords, which Capcom released in 2001.
Game Informer
Capcom producer Motohide Eshiro
Eshiro tells me he’s been “very surprised and impressed” with the way video game graphics, particularly across the Onimusha series, have evolved alongside the action genre over the past two decades since Onimusha’s start.
Having just finished the remasters of Onimusha: Warlords and its sequel prior to this June trip, I was curious to discuss the series' “Sengoku Biohazard” origins because Warlords, especially, is so clearly a Resident Evil game with a samurai skin (and it still rules today).
“One of the producers at the time behind the Resident Evil series was looking at what they were able to achieve with the pre-rendered graphics for Resident Evil, which has a focus on gunplay and long-distance combat, but felt that it would be quite interesting to see what they could do in the vein of a close-range action-based game, and that’s where that idea was born from,” Eshiro tells me. “Setting it during the Sengoku period, the Warring States period, would provide them a good setting to essentially have this close-range combat system with swords, so that’s where that [setting] and code name originated from.”
Eshiro says he joined the development of Onimusha: Warlords after it had already begun, so much of the game was set in stone already. But he was promoted from planner to director for the sequel, Onimusha 2, and says his main goal was to expand the scale.
“The first game was a very complete package, but it was also quite simple,” Eshiro tells me. “So, in approaching the next project, the sequel, we wanted to expand on the scale and really make players feel that the world was more alive and more liveable. [That’s why we] introduced elements such as the friendship system and having allies, so you get a bit of human drama there to get closer to the characters and understand them better. But we also wanted to improve the visuals as well.”
I still adore pre-rendered backgrounds, and though the indie space in 2026 is still using them, triple-A has abandoned the practice. Eshiro tells me it was a case of limitations back in the day, but says full camera control gives players additional layers of immersion. The tradeoff, however, is “with pre-rendered, you can have these really curated and crafted settings and scenes, so there’s definitely space for both beliefs.” Onimusha: Way of the Sword director Satoru Nihei adds, “the camera does allow for more freedom but there’s the downside that you can have these perfectly crafted scenes where you have this historic building, like Kiyomizu-dera Temple, that you want people to focus on, but because people can control the camera, they’re not really going to necessarily do that.
“There are definitely some downsides to having cameras, but in terms of pre-rendered, yeah, there’s the same kind of strengths.”
At the end of Onimusha: Warlords, Samanosuke takes on an Oni Form in a cutscene. But in Onimusha 2, Jubei can transform into his Oni Form at will. Eshiro says the team knew players thought the Oni Form was “cool,” and really wanted to double down on the cool factor in the sequel. Capcom reached out to Japanese film director, screenwriter, and character designer Keita Amemiya to create Jubei’s form. His rendition of Jubei’s Oni Form was cool, and that was that.
At this point in the interview, it was time to ask Eshiro the most important question of this entire cover story trip: Did the Resident Evil 4 team steal the jetski idea from the Onimusha 2 team?
“I really doubt it,” Eshiro says, probably practicing some professionalism instead of saying, “Of course they did,” like he probably wants to.
Similarly, I then ask Eshiro about robots and TVs appearing in Onimusha 2. He says the designs came from Amemiya and were put in the game to further push the dark fantasy aspect of the game and push for modernism or realism – I guess TVs and robots were all the hotness in 2002. Of note, Nihei tells me we won’t see TVs, robots, “or anything like that” in Way of the Sword.
I close out my interview with Eshiro by asking him why he thinks Onimusha was a success back in the early 2000s. He points to the use of real-world stars in the games.
“There are quite a few elements, but one of them is that at the time, in particular, it was quite rare to use real-life movie stars and actors as main characters in a game, and that was one of the big selling points for [Onimusha: Warlords] at the time,” Eshiro says. “But as well as that, the gameplay was also quite unique at the time. There weren’t really many other games out there doing the same things, necessarily. So, for instance, the soul absorption mechanics, or the Issen with Onimusha 2 – we introduced the Chain Issen and Charge Issen to kind of really flesh out that system. And even with pre-rendered background, which you know were features in Resident Evil, a lot of people maybe saw those pre-rendered backgrounds in Onimusha and thought, 'Oh, it’s just like Resident Evil,' but then saw our unique spin with the swordplay and the setting. So, all of those elements combined contributed to the success of the original games.”
You can read about how Capcom landed on using the late Toshirō Mifune’s likeness for Musashi’s appearance in Way of the Sword here.
Since the release of Onimusha: Warlords in 2001, the series has gone on to sell more than 9 million copies, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword is set to push that number further when it launches this September.
I’ll be diving deeper into Capcom’s return to Onimusha as part of Game Informer’s month of Way of the Sword coverage. We’ll be publishing exclusive gameplay and behind-the-scenes videos (including a Rapid-Fire Interview) on the Game Informer YouTube channel as well. Keep an eye on the Onimusha: Way of the Sword coverage hub so you don’t miss any of it.
In the meantime, here’s some additional Onimusha: Way of the Sword reading for you:
Here’s How The Late Japanese Actor Toshirō Mifune Became The Face Of Musashi In Onimusha: Way Of The SwordCapcom Says Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Success Being The 'Pinnacle Of Swordplay Action Games' Is What Success Looks Like After A 20-Year GapThere Are No Minigames In Onimusha: Way Of The Sword, But It Sounds Like The Phantom Realm Is BackPuzzle Boxes Are Gone In Onimusha: Way Of The Sword, But Bigger Environmental Puzzles Have Taken Their PlaceOnimusha: Way Of The Sword Isn’t Connected To Previous Games, But There Are HomagesHow Capcom Decided On Miyamoto Musashi For Its Onimusha: Way Of The Sword ProtagonistWhy 2026 Was The Year To Bring Onimusha Back After A 20-Year GapWhy Kyoto Was The Perfect Setting For Onimusha: Way Of The SwordHave you played Onimusha 1 and 2? Let us know which one you think is better in the comments below!
Reviewed on: PC Platform: PlayStation 5, PC, Mac Publisher: Panic Inc. Developer: House House Release: August 4, 2026
Seeing a game lean as heavily into its core ideas as Big Walk does is rare. Untitled Goose Game studio House House built an experience filled with activities: puzzles, physics, basketball and music, lights and sounds, as well as secrets and foreboding premonitions of future discoveries. But the larger experience is mostly a lot of walking with your friends. And it's a pretty good walk, too.
Big Walk requires co-op; puzzles adjust to lobby size, from two to three, to four-plus. You can have up to 12 players in a lobby – puzzles will still be sized for four players – but you cannot play alone. And while there's no real way to enforce this approach, House House strongly encourages you to use proximity voice chat in-game, rather than hopping on a Discord call or playing local split-screen. These requirements can seem stringent compared to other co-op adventure games, and it makes coordinating a Big Walk session feel akin to setting up a board game night. But what you get in exchange for following those rules for play, though, is entirely worth it.
Each player gets their own orbish, bird-like in-game avatar. Tools littered in the tutorial area let you customize your character, learn the controls, and gradually understand the verbiage. You can gesture with your arms, such as lifting them up in the sky, pointing, or raising them out to the side. Sitting plops you down in place, or sends you sliding down a hill. There's jumping, crouching, and even picking up items and kicking them like a field goal. Movement and interaction is delightfully tactile and involved, as you can talk with your hands and express thoughts with your in-game avatar body, literally pointing at things, waving, and doing the Rocky pose when you conquer a puzzle.
Distance reduces your voice volume, so walkie-talkies, radios, and even whiteboards became methods for long-distance communication for our group. A flashlight might be useless during the day, but at night you need one to navigate the darkness. Since you can initially only hold one thing in your hands at a time, equipment comes at a premium, so you make interesting decisions about what to take and leave behind. The limitations do prevent, however, carrying and using some of the more interesting and fun tools; the whiteboard is a really clever nonverbal tool to mess around with, for instance, but not as "effective" as a walkie-talkie or radio, which are abundant on the island. But that doesn't mean I didn't love writing "Kick Me" on a whiteboard and sticking it in my friend's backpack as we explored.
Going anywhere takes time; not a gameplay resource or number on a meter, but just real-life time. This naturally leads to downtime which facilitates some of Big Walk's best moments. Stumbling across a new puzzle room or gadget leads to hijinks. We argued over who got to hold the megaphone we'd just found, or go fumbling in the dark trying to find where we dropped a key item. If cartoon birds could ever re-enact Stand By Me in the Australian wilderness, it'd look a lot like Big Walk.
A north-star objective underpins all of this: small red objects, which look a little like those rubber Kong toys you fill with peanut butter for dogs, which we took to calling "gourds." Usually, to solve these, we'd need to figure out the solution to an ambient puzzle, which had a delightful range including blindfolded obstacle courses, pitching machines, egg timers, mazes, lights and pictures, and many, many wooden blocks with symbols to hold up and nod or shake our heads at.
Big Walk loves to play with means of communication in these rooms too, and its best puzzles take full advantage of your buy-in to its requirements. Soundproof rooms forced our team to figure out how to communicate nonverbally. Shorthands evolved around specific puzzle pieces. Shouting "turn 10 degrees to your left and scooch forward" to my pal, as they're wearing a giant helmet that muffles their voice and blocks their vision, was genuinely fun. These gourd puzzles feel like summer camp activities in the best ways.
Gourds can be placed in specific locations and, once enough have been placed, they open a secondary puzzle, which then unlocks a new feature on the island. I'm being intentionally vague because, after the initial tutorial, they become Big Walk's big reveals. Each one introduces a new feature that recontextualizes a piece of the island, which is impactful and exciting.
If anything, that's where Big Walk starts to slow its pace a bit. As we focused on unlocking more of the island, completing more puzzles, and figuring out what lay at the end of it all, the "walk" of it fell to the background. Walking itself is sometimes a bit too finicky; jumping up terrain and ledges, in particular, can be frustrating to manage. The expanse of the island closed in a bit, even as we uncovered more and more secrets, and found a larger post-credits puzzle chase meant for those who want more. I wanted more silly opportunities to play and find goofy levity in this large experience.
In the nine hours it took my crew of three to see the end of Big Walk, though, it felt like we had made a real journey together. We laughed a lot and came up with many absurd puzzle solutions that still somehow worked. Big Walk's excellent finale effectively brought the message home: more than anything, this was our shared walk.
Sharing that journey is the point of Big Walk. It asks you to isolate, to put yourself in a siloed-off game station on proximity chat, so you can experience what it feels like to journey together in its virtual world. It provides tools for you to venture apart, to go vast distances, and still reconnect to gather your gourds and unlock more of the island. House House lays out all the ways your group could go, and lets you loose. Look for an ending, seek out puzzles, search for mysteries or climb for adventure; no matter what, you're all going on a memorable walk together, and that's a pretty good way to spend a few evenings together with friends.
Score:
9
Attack on Titan 3, the latest video game adaptation of the popular manga/anime, is coming on December 10. The game was first revealed during this year’s Summer Game Fest.
This new action game boasts improvements to its omnidirectional mobility, letting players soar through the air with greater precision. Titans are said to be more unpredictable in their movements, engendering more challenging encounters against the massive threats. Attack on Titan 3 also features new Special Exterior Missions that let players take on challenging quests beyond the city’s walls.
Attack on Titan 3 is billed as the culmination of the Attack on Titan saga, depicting the entire story up to its big finale. As such, those who are currently reading or watching Attack on Titan may want to steer clear of this game, but if you’re caught up and looking to relive the story’s climactic events, check out the new trailer below.
Attack on Titan 3 will launch on December 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC.
A Nintendo Direct focused on Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is airing tomorrow, August 4. The event will share 20 minutes of new details about the game.
The Direct begins at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is scheduled to launch on September 17 for Switch 2, and centers on four playable protagonists competing in a combat tournament called the Heroic Games. The four characters, Cai, Theodora, Leda, and Dietrich, all have personal reasons for wanting to win the tournament and have their wish granted by the world’s ruler.
The Heroic Games are approaching! Tune in on Aug 4 at 7am PT for the Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Direct, featuring roughly 20 minutes of new information about the game. #NintendoDirect Watch here: ninten.do/6013a8Sxz[image or embed]
— Nintendo of America [Twitter/X Mirror] (@nintendousa.bsky.social) August 3, 2026 at 10:02 AMLike previous Fire Emblem games, Fortune’s Weave is a turn-based strategy game and features the now-staple free time structure that allows you to recruit, train, and bond with units. To see the game ahead of tomorrow's Direct, check out the latest trailer announcing the game's release date.
Welcome to the weekend! It's a good one for going to the theatres with a new Spider-Man movie that I liked (see my full spoiler-free review here) and a new Christopher Nolan movie that I liked even more and am ready to probably go see it again before I am never able to watch it on a gigantic screen ever again. I'm talking about The Odyssey if that wasn't clear.
But this is a video game website! We have some weekend video game recommendin' below, but before then here, here are some big stories from the week.
Here’s How The Late Japanese Actor Toshirō Mifune Became The Face Of Musashi In Onimusha: Way Of The SwordEverything D&D Announced At Gen Con, Including A Huge World of Warcraft Collab, Star Wars Crossover, And The New Psion ClassTop 10 RPGs To Play Right NowSuper Mario Sunshine Joins Nintendo Switch Online GameCube Library Next MonthThere Are No Minigames In Onimusha: Way Of The Sword, But It Sounds Like The Phantom Realm Is BackMarvel’s Spider-Man 2 Update Add Brand New Day And Marvel Tōkon Suits Today
Truck-kun Is Supporting Me From Another World?!
Kyle Hilliard
If you are even casually familiar with anime broadly, then you know about isekai, which is a genre where a typically contemporary person gets transported to an alternate, typically magical world. The actual getting transported part doesn't matter as the bulk of the story is about coming to terms with being in a fantasy setting and all that entails technically and emotionally. The recurring, noncommittal hand-wave explanation for why a person ends up in a new world, for some inexplicable reason, is usually related to getting hit by a delivery truck. There are probably research papers about why this is a recurring story trope that can explain the exact moment its repetition became a parody, but I am not familiar with why, and similar to the plot reason for why someone gets isekai-ed (to use it as a verb), it really doesn't matter.
What does matter is the well-titled video game, Truck-kun is Supporting me From Another World?!, is out this week, and in it you play as the rarely, if ever, characterized truck driver who isekais a young woman into another world right before she is set to get a big raise. She can still communicate with you, though (and is mad) and tasks you with isekai-ing as many people as possible with your truck to help her in the alternate world and eventually get her home.
It's a great premise ripe for jokes, and the gameplay's closest comparison is Crazy Taxi. You have a short period of time to drive around a small city, deliver packages, and hit as many people with your truck as possible. It's arcade-y, bombastic, and funny. I wish it ran a little better (I am playing it on Steam Machine, so maybe it just needs a few performance updates to sync with Valve's new platform), but I am finding the whole experience pretty dang charming.
The game is also available on Xbox.
Scarlet Deer Inn
Marcus Stewart
This surprising adventure game caught my eye for the same reason it likely will yours: its embroidered art direction. As in, each frame of the game’s characters was literally stitched into fabric and animated, lending Scarlet Deer Inn a unique (and painstakingly created) aesthetic. As Elise, you’re the widowed owner of a medi village inn, but your two young children go missing. Her search uncovers a shocking secret I won’t spoil, but it tips the game’s surprisingly dark hand. While exploring the town can be confusing and tedious, and the platforming and combat are simple at best, getting to the bottom of what terror befell Elise’s children has me hooked. Here’s hoping the story can stick – or, better yet, stitch – the landing.
Town To City
Matt Miller
I'm sad to say I missed out on the 1.0 launch of Town to City a few weeks back, but it's an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a cozy town-development simulation. Players take on the role of the mayor of a small burgeoning town in the countryside, helping to gradually build it from hamlet to teeming (but still beautiful) metropolis. More than many simulation games within the genre, Town to City focuses on crafting beautiful spaces filled with flowers and trees, keeping your citizens happy by responding to their requests, and more broadly, a low-stress experience of gradual and satisfying growth. The game features a particularly attractive voxel art style, and a winsome, welcoming original game soundtrack that feels like it might be at home in a gentle romantic comedy set in the French countryside. It's a lovely, relaxing gaming experience that you can take at your own pace – the perfect panacea if you're coming off some frantic or tense action or shooter game.
Tabletop Pick – Junk Art Revolution
Matt Miller
This revision and update of one of my favorite dexterity games is a wonderful way to bring the family together, with simple rules but tons of replayability. Junk Art Revolution challenges players to stack and arrange wooden pieces that come in a variety of unusual shapes, creating artistic displays that target specific objectives for that session.
You might build for height, or in a different game mode, work on a shared sculpture with the other players. The variety of play and the tactile nature of the colorful pieces is the winning element here – not some incredible strategic depth (of which there is little). Junk Art Revolution is a triumph of delivering tabletop fun to virtually any player who sits down to give it a try, and it's always nice to have a few titles like that in your board game collection.
If you’re playing an RPG, you’re in it for the long haul and want an experience that’s going to immerse you and keep you entertained the whole way through. A genre that is both familiar and constantly evolving, RPGs are often tasked with having the total package. The best ones contain all the key ingredients, masterfully combining exciting combat, memorable characters, larger-than-life bosses, and a gripping storyline.
If you’re looking for RPGs that excel in those aspects, look no further than this list. The following games all share common elements but carve out their own unique path in the genre and promise a narrative-focused adventure full of thrilling encounters around every bend. Listed in alphabetical order, here are 10 stellar modern RPGs worth the time and effort. This is an evolving list that we'll periodically update with exceptional titles as they release.
Baldur's Gate 3
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Every RPG in video games owes a debt to Dungeons & Dragons, and Baldur's Gate 3 captures the spirit, mechanics, and thrilling unpredictability of the tabletop game more faithfully than any title before it. Player agency has never felt more meaningful or impactful. Multiple routes to success – or failure – exist, from the daring to the ridiculous, and the game seemingly accounts for nearly every possibility. This staggering sense of freedom and possibility makes guiding the memorable band of (maybe) heroes feel like a truly personalized adventure. This also makes replaying new campaigns a fresh and exciting proposition. Tack on the stellar writing and characterizations along with great co-op, and Baldur's Gate 3 is a shining new benchmark for the role-playing genre. | Our Review
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Game Informer’s 2025 Game of the Year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 somehow managed to strip the frustrations we often hold against turn-based RPGs out of the experience and leave behind wholly satisfying combat and exploration with an emotional and genuinely unique story about the nature of reality and how family can be really difficult sometimes. In Clair Obscur’s world, the enigmatic Paintress decides at what age everyone dies, and the number is getting smaller and smaller. Expeditions are sent to confront her, and you happen to follow one of those journeys. Its additional themes of sacrifice and appreciating the world around you are relevant and fulfilling; its characters are easy to fall in love with; and its soundtrack is fantastic. The combat is also flashy and rewarding and is totally okay with you exploiting its systems to create a broken build. You know what’s fun? Feeling like you’re smarter than the game you’re playing. | Our Review
Cyberpunk 2077
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Cyberpunk 2077 didn't crack this list when we first conceived it due to its famously poor launch state, but the improvements CD Projekt Red has implemented in the years since have paid off. From the literal game-changing 2.0 update to a fantastic expansion in Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally where it should have been in 2020. Now that players can enjoy V's journey with fewer caveats, the entertaining dystopian adventure that always existed can shine much brighter. Night City is home to plenty of great world-building, customization, characters, action, and style. If you've been holding out, it's finally the time to explore this seedy metropolis. | Our Reviews (Phantom Liberty/Current-Gen/Last-Gen)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Coming off the transformative Final Fantasy VII Remake (which used to occupy this very spot on the list), Square Enix’s team continued to renovate one of the most iconic role-playing games of all time with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Whereas Remake tells an extended tale of Cloud and the party within the walls of Midgar, Rebirth brings fans up to the famous Aerith scene, reimagining one of the most well-known moments from ‘90s gaming. In addition to continuing the story and expanding the universe, Rebirth also shifts to a much more open-world format, with various biomes full of exploration, side quests, and, of course, minigames. While admittedly a drastically divergent experience from the original Final Fantasy VII, Remake and Rebirth have given us a new appreciation of the characters, world, story, and gameplay that many of us grew up with. Now, we can’t wait to see how Square Enix pulls it all together with Final Fantasy VII: Revelation in 2027. | Our Review
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Not only does Kingdom Come: Deliverance II improve on its predecessor in impressive ways, it’s also one of the most immersive RPGs ever made. On its surface, and thanks to its cinematic setpieces, you might assume this is a more traditional Western RPG adventure, but KCDII is more of an immersive sim than anything else. Breaching into LARP territory with its devotion to 15th-century Bohemia, developer Warhorse Studios wields its prowess confidently throughout the game’s 65-hour runtime.
Though you don’t get to create your own protagonist, a trademark of many RPGs, your Henry will differ vastly from anyone else’s, and how so is completely based on your actions. Use swords if you want to be a better swordsman; brew potions if you want to be a better alchemist; if you want to be the best blacksmith across the lands, get comfortable at the anvil. This role-playing extends beyond mechanics, too, letting you shape your Henry into the knight you want to be, whether that’s a ruthless killer, a charismatic charmer, or the kingdom’s most unlucky soldier – it’s all up to you. An excellent story, endless systems and mechanics to engage with, and a land brought to life with painterly visuals and unforgettable characters create one of the best role-playing experiences this generation. | Our Review
Metaphor: ReFantazio
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer Studio Zero makes Persona games, which will be abundantly clear to anyone who spends a little time with the excellent Metaphor: ReFantazio. You’re not a student in contemporary Japan trying to navigate school and friendships, but you are building a party of memorable characters while carefully managing your daily schedule to achieve as much as possible while the narrative counts down to an intimidating conclusion. Metaphor’s combat is deep and challenging, and despite taking place in a medi world with missing kings and monstrous threats (often inspired by 1500s Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch), its story is shockingly relevant to today’s political climate. The music is also fantastic. | Our Review
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Switch 2, Switch
When Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launched on Switch in 2022, they were not ready. Game Freak clearly had a compelling vision for where the franchise was heading with its newly implemented open world, but technical and performance issues held back an otherwise strong mainline Pokémon entry. In 2025, the developer released a free Nintendo Switch 2 update that made it the game Pokémon fans hoped it would be. While many Pokémon fans are hoping the series will further evolve with Pokémon Winds and Waves, if you have a Switch 2, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are now well worth a look. | Our Review
Sea of Stars
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch PC
This loving homage to Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG puts its own entertaining spin on the tag-team moves and timed-button press attacks of its inspirations, creating some of the most strategically satisfying and dynamic battle systems in recent memory. Exploring Sea of Stars' beautiful, retro-inspired series of islands is engaging thanks to fun traversal mechanics such as a grappling hook which lets you fling yourself to distant platforms. Where the combat and exploration got us in the door, a compelling and charming narrative filled with surprising twists made us stay. Well, that and Garl. He's just the best.
And in 2025, developer Sabotage added a free expansion to the game, Throes of the Watchmaker, which adds a substantial side story that is designed with lapsed players in mind. It makes it very easy to jump back into the game even if you haven't played Sea of Stars in some time. | Our Review
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Switch
Monolith Soft's Xenoblade series quickly became one of Nintendo's premier RPG series, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 might be one of its best jumping-on points. In it, the world of Aionios is torn between two warring factions, Agnes and Keves. Soldiers are born to fight for the entirety of their 10-year lifespans, engaging in massive conflicts to feed their respective Flame Clocks.
Two bands of fighters find themselves entwined by fate on a dangerous mission, and are forced to band together as they're hunted by both their respective authorities and the mysterious Consuls. Drama, death, despair, and heartache abound, as do heartwarming moments around campfires and hope for a brighter future beyond their woefully finite existences. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a grand journey with tons to explore, a combat system to sink your teeth into, and a memorable crew that you won't want to leave behind anytime soon. It's hard to think of many better RPG options on either the Switch or Switch 2. | Our Review
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
PC
Life is not easy for Hershel Wilk, codename CASCADE. After a big job gone bad scattered the spy's crew and put her on ice, she's back in the field for one last shot to prove she's not the screw-up her agency believes her to be. Except, well, her counterpart is catatonic and she has no idea what the mission is. This is the chaos you're dropped into with Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, the Disco Elysium-esque RPG from the studio named ZA/UM.
Though it carries the baggage of Disco Elysium's post-launch fallout and tensions between those involved, the team that remained at ZA/UM built something remarkable with Zero Parades: a dark thriller about redemption and rediscovery, in the midst of cultural cold wars and dead drops, where every alley could hold either a fresh clue or a knife in your back. It's tense, moody, witty, and full of vibrant characters and expressive moments of spying, where every success of Hershel's feels like your own. Some may have issues with the way it came about, or even with how the team has been treated in the wake of its launch, all of which are valid; it still remains that this crew built something worth the time, attention, and discussion for those who adore a dialogue-laden role-playing thriller.
What games on this list do you enjoy? What games would you add that aren’t listed? Let us know in the comments! If you enjoyed this list, be sure to check out our other recent genre lists by clicking on our list hub below.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day hitting theaters this week, we're revisiting a well-liked but oft-forgotten entry in Spidey's video game catalog: 2005's Ultimate Spider-Man.
Developed by Treyarch and released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube (as well as handheld devices), Ultimate Spider-Man served as the first video game adaptation of the critically acclaimed comic series of the same name. First launched in 2000, Marvel's Ultimate comic universe was a then-modern reboot of its characters, with Spider-Man, penned by writer Brian Michael Bendis, considered arguably the best of the bunch. The game boasts Bendis himself as a director, a cel-shaded presentation that accurately captured the comic art style, and the revolutionary web-swinging introduced a year prior in Spider-Man 2. Story-wise, Ultimate Spider-Man takes place months after the comic's Venom saga, and players switch between controlling Spider-Man and Venom, who each possess unique abilities and gameplay sections.
Join editors Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard as they revisit Ultimate Spider-Man live on Twitch and YouTube starting at 12 p.m. ET/3 p.m. ET.
An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Updated Taxi Cabbed war paintFixed mip settings on the stickersFixed using the incorrect wear textureUpdated/Added some tournament medalsUpdated koth_dryfieldFixed the teleporter prison exploitFixed the broken geometry of the RED hut near the pointAttempt to fix a flying RED roof spotted from afarFixed the watercooler facing the wallImproved access to the balcony section to make jumping easierAdded many missing player clip
An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Fixed missing sound for Taunt: Circuit BreakerRenamed "Northern Nights" Summer 2026 Unusual effect to "Polar Prism"Updated the Floral Growth Unusual effect to fix orientation/position problemsUpdated the Bald SpotterAdjusted vertex normals and diffuse on headAdjusted normals and specular on head mirrorReduced mesh size slightly toward the front and back of the headFixed some facial flexesReduced texture size of lensUpdated the Surgical ShroudFixed vertex normal issue on coatAdjusted Phongfresnelranges on mirror to improve envmap effectReduced texture size of mirrorUpdated/Added some tournament medalsUpdated koth_dusker to globally improve lighting in outdoor areas for better team recognitionUpdated cp_premudaFixed conflicting files leading to crashesFixed several spawn room errorsAdjusted respawn-times to make capping easierAdjusted sound timings and volumeBrightened up dark spaces and tunnelsSmaller changes all around the map to improve game flowMiscellaneous visual and clipping bugs fixed
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An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Updated the Beachcomber's Brim to fix an incorrect materialUpdated Taunt: The Circuit BreakerFixed incorrect team color on propFixed orphaned particlesUpdated the Inglorious PatriotAdjusted the normal map and refined the colorsImproved the weighting on the bottom pocketsUpdated the backpack iconUpdated pl_redwoodFixed various lighting issues Zipline dismount jump speed now ramps up from 1.1x base class speed to 1.8x Decreased delay before a player can dismount a zipline by jumping from 0.6s to 0.25sDecreased delay before a player can dismount a zipline by crouching from 0.3s to 0.1sFixed players who dismount a zipline in mid-air not receiving mini-crits from the Direct Hit and Reserve ShooterFixed the B.A.S.E. Jumper's parachute deploying while using a ziplineUpdated koth_camp_saxtonVastly improved optimization. Further investigation is ongoing.Tweaked log-and-netting walls along the central shore for clearer definitionFixed several instances of minor prop clippingFixed players getting stuck on the wood-carved SaxtonsImproved clipping throughout
An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Updated the Beachcomber's Brim to add a second style that was originally missedUpdated the Northern Nights, Umbral Lights, and Solar Singed Unusual effects to fix a naming conflictUpdated the Blissful Butterflies and Wispful Wings Unusual effects to fix visibility issuesUpdated the Hard Hearing to fix truncated style namesUpdated backpack image for the Pyro's Overalls to fix the alpha channelUpdated the Sandwich Diner and Sideshow war paints to fix the alpha channelsUpdated the Team Union war paint to remove a few rogue pixels
An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Summer 2026!Featuring 6 new community maps: Dryfield, Camp Saxton, Shorelight, Redwood, Premuda, and MojaveAdded the Summer 2026 Cosmetic CaseContains 24 new community-contributed itemsHas a chance to give a taunt Unusualifier as a bonus itemAdded 4 new community-contributed taunts to the Mann Co. StoreTaunt: The Circuit BreakerTaunt: Buffoon's BivouacTaunt: Faux-calizationTaunt: Friendly FireAdded 12 new community-created Unusual effects7 new effects for Unusual hats5 new effects for Unusual tauntsAdded the Summer 2026 War Paint CaseContains 10 new community-created War Paints that make-up the Summer 2026 CollectionHas a chance to give a taunt Unusualifier as a bonus itemAll cosmetic and taunt cases will grant Summer 2026 Unusual effects instead of their normal Unusual effects during the Summer event. This does not include crates.The Summer event runs through September 15th, 2026GeneralSecurity and stability improvementsFixed bad alpha channel for The Creature's Grin, Rocket Operator, The Bountiful Bow, The Alternative Medicine Mann, and The Candyman's Cap (community fix from Chickenman456)Fixed the "Neo Tokyo" warpaint on the BLU team not matching the RED team because the alpha channel was incorrect (community fix from Whurrhurr)Fixed bad alpha channel for the Pile of End of the Line Key Gifts' backpack icon (community fix from Grampa Swood)Fixed Stat Clock model attaching incorrectly on dropped weapons (community fix from rabscootle)Fixed Stat Clock values always displaying '0' on world models (community fix from rabscootle)Fixed intel carrier glow disappearing when Spy cloaks (community fix from shockpast)Fixed bad alpha channel for Voodoo Juju's backpack icon (community fix from DiskIntegrity)Fixed Silver Botkiller Mk.I having cubemapping in the wrong area due to a VMT error (community fix from Whurrhurr)Fixed misspelling on cp_well's BLU rocket clamp texture (community fix from DiskIntegrity)Fixed wrong paths in soundscript events for some taunts (community fix from robbilookatme)Fixed Spy control point response rules lines playing when disguised/invisible (community fix from Churkinator)Fixed weapon Unusual effects (community fix from Cipherlock and rune)Fixed particles being orphaned after deathFixed the Energy Orb Unusual effect desyncing from the weapon when the player moves too sharplyFixed effects flooding the screen when spectating a dead teammate in first person with an unusual weapon (community fix from RGBACatlord)Fixed missing coin effect for HOUWAR's second style (community fix from DiskIntegrity)Fixed outdated description for the Splendid Screen (community fix from Grampa Swood)Trimmed delay at the start of the sound file for the Panic Attack's shooting soundFixed the Engineer not being able to move for a few seconds after using Taunt: Cheers!Updated cp_powerhouse to fix collision problem with crates on final control pointsUpdated cp_fortezzaReworked interior of shack building next to Point ARebalanced ammo packs around Point AImproved visuals across the mapMade rotation for shortcut path shorterUpdated koth_blowoutPrevent sentry guns from being built inside a prop under the stairs in the maintenance roomVisual changes to improve clarity and consistency
An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Fixed crash related to wearables leaking when weapons are dropped (community fix from Sean McGeehan)
An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Fixed crash related to KeyValuesFixed Mk.II Botkiller eyes not glowing in the dark (community fix from Whurrhurr)Fixed Halloween spell attribute text being grayed out during full moons (community fix from FrozenDragon)Fixed attachments on dropped weapons having broken textures for certain war paints and skins (community fix from Piogre)Fixed automatic "Control Point Lost" lines not playing (community fix from robbilookatme)Fixed spacing issues for item descriptions (community fix from DiskIntegrity)Fixed many cases where Spy disguises were broken (community fix from Sean McGeehan)Fixed The Fancy Spellbook's large backpack icon not matching the small versionUpdated VScript to allow set damage for force calc (community fix from doclic)Updated the Snow Merc to count as an assister in the death noticeUpdated the prop for Taunt: Dead Mann's Drink to fix a problem with LODsUpdated the Die Regime-Panzerung to add a 'No Bullets' styleUpdated/Added some tournament medalsUpdated the Mann of the HourRestored missing rim maskMade shapekeys for a few problematic face flexesReplaced incorrect normal mapAltered hair mesh to ensure compatibility with Voodoo-Cursed Scout SoulUpdated backpack icon to represent above changesUpdated koth_demolitionFixed some lighting issues with the pipes next to the control pointReplaced some textures in the radio roomsAdded a clipbrush on the radio rooms to avoid players getting stuck when going in the air (thanks Big Wiggy)Reworked the nobuild on the crane platform to allow Engineers to build on the concrete area (thanks Uncle Dane)Fixed a leftover prop being inside a wallFixed a texture in the jumppad using the wrong cubemapMade the catwalk behind the office building a bit biggerAdded a clipbrush to the pipes on the furnace rooms so players can climb up to the barrelsUpdated plr_hacksaw and plr_hacksaw_eventRemoved attic balconies overlooking the capture zoneMoved a small pickup location into the atticFixed clipping errorsUpdated cp_process_finalFixed various collision issues across the mapMost of these involved changing existing collision from player_clip to bullet_block to prevent splash damage from getting caught on small pieces of level geometry Some of these involved closing off open areas where explosions could vanishSome of these involved making collision areas more clear by including new geometry to better indicate what would collide and what wouldn'tIncreased skybox height across the map to be consistent with other 5CP mapsChanged the small prop pipes at last to be nonsolid, but still block stickiesPlayers should be able to cleanly walk and jump along these pipes without getting stuckAdditionally, rockets and other explosions should collide cleanly through the pipes so they don't block splash damageStickies will adhere to the pipes as expected, rather than clipping through and being hidden by the pipe modelChanged the level geometry around the large pipes on the ground near the last control point. They are now enclosed in glass and have a layer of bullet block so that collision is correct.Increased the height of numerous doors across the entire map. Players should be able to jump normally through the door without hitting their heads. Removed some rocks near the angled ramp at 2nd and replaced them with cratesAdded angled player clipping underneath some of the large awnings at middle to prevent players from getting stuck under the awnings Made exterior fences more consistent with the bounding of the levelChanged some metal textures to better match the mirrored symmetry of the levelAdded some additional detail behind the starting spawn roomCleaned up the displacements in the middle and second to better handle splash damage, and reduced the amount of grass poking through concreteReplaced some small pipes at the 2nd spire to make a more consistent platformMade many existing light props nonsolid to prevent movement issuesMost were already nonsolid, but this should make most props consistentUpdated cp_metalworksFixed various collision issues across the mapMost of these involved changing existing collision from player_clip to bullet_block to prevent splash damage from getting caught on small pieces of level geometryChanged the level geometry at last to have more consistent collisionWhile there are small gaps and holes in the windows/doors of the new bunker and the stack of wood/chickenwire, they are covered with bullet block to prevent collision issuesChanged the way shadows work on certain walls throughout the map to prevent shadows leaking throughRedesigned the second forward spawn for both teams. The spawn has now moved back and into a larger hut structure in the yard before the second control point. Increased the door size of the first forward spawnThe various small door brushes throughout the map have been turned into func_brushes and have had collision turned off so they don't catch splashMade adjustments to the truck ramp at middle. The ramp is now a displacement, which should catch splash damage correctly and allow player to walk up to the wall cleanly. Changed the collision around the very tall light poles throughout the map. Players should no longer get caught on them while in midair (but they still can't land on top of them). Fixed a section of displacement where players could get stuck in the groundSlight visual tweaks throughout the level
An update has been released for Left 4 Dead:- Fixed several exploits that could be used to crash servers or remote players.
An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Fixed client crash related to material proxiesFixed Scout.NegativeVocalization04 sounds in Mann vs. Machine not playing because of a typo in the volume (community fix from That Hat Guy)Fixed The Spy-cicle not using its icicle lightwarp (community fix from BreavyTF2)Updated material for cp_coldfront to fix compression issueUpdated the prop for Taunt: Heartbreaker to fix a missing materialUpdated koth_demolitionFixed a player clip on the helipad allowing players to stand outside the playable area (thanks Midnite)Fixed some player clip pixel walks on some doorsFixed a blockbullets floating above BLU spawn (thanks True_Boredom)
