RPGWatch - Game of the Year Awards 2024 - Most Promising RPG

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What is the most promising RPG of 2025? Like every year, you had your say. Check out the details to find out what games our visitors and editors think are most promising.


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[Kordanor]

Interesting list. As mentioned I forgot to vote unfortunately.
KC1 was great, and I suspect that KC2 will be great as well. But it's a game I'd rather have one of the fancy new graphics cards for and I am not sure whether at that point the interest of the game is already to low to make a Let's Play (unfortunately these AAAish First Person RPGs are doing poorly as LP anyways on my channel)

I never played Gothic 1 (only Gothic 2) but the remaster would be a great optoion to catch up.

With Avowed...well, don't want to get political, but saw a lot of mimimi about it, also speculating that the game will due poorly due to that. Personally, I dont mind, but I'd rather have an isometric game.

My list of most promising are:
1. Mystic Land: The Search for Maphaldo (Dungeoncrawler, currently expected Early 2025)
2. Xenonauts 2: TB Tactics Game
3. Archaelund (Blobber, Full release expected second half 2025)

Other games are Project Haven, Chains of Freedom, Those Who Rule and Wayward Shadows, which could all be released in 2025 (all Turn based Tactics games). Especially Wayward Shadows could be interesting as it combines it with Ghosthunting adventure. But could also be a total miss. We'll see.

Urban Strife is also on my list and while a late 2025 release is planned, after playing the Early Access Version I am pretty sure it's going to be 2026. Game isn't bad, but there is still plenty to do, and the team is small and already working on the game for ages. So they wont hesitate to push it further.

For Non-RPGs...well, there is Civilization 7.

 

[Stingray]

3. Archaelund (Blobber, Full release expected second half 2025)

Archaelund full release is supposed to be late 2026, not 2025. One place that's stated is in the roadmap on Steam:

Archaelund :: Steam Community

steamcommunity.com

 

[Kordanor]

Archaelund full release is supposed to be late 2026, not 2025. One place that's stated is in the roadmap on Steam:

Archaelund :: Steam Community

steamcommunity.com

Oh, wow, somehow missed that. Thanks!

 

[Vaelith]

2025 seems like another weak year in principle, hopefully there will be some sleeper hit here and there.

I'm not excited in a significant way about any of the top 3 choices and I think I voted for KC:2 and Avowed myself, so it's not a matter of disagreement, just generally low expectations.

We'll see, I like to be optimistic. It's probably the lack of good cRPGs that leaves a hole there. Hopefully older games will get fun DLCs to fill the gaps.

 

[Stingray]

2025 seems like another weak year in principle, hopefully there will be some sleeper hit here and there.

Agreed that 2025 looks like another weak year, but didn't you imply in another post that there will be a so-far-unannounced Owlcat release this year? Or was that not what you meant?

 

[vanedor]

Archaelund full release is supposed to be late 2026, not 2025. One place that's stated is in the roadmap on Steam:

Archaelund :: Steam Community

steamcommunity.com

Ah, that explains why it wasn't in the list. I was looking for it.

Personally, KC:2 is the type of game I'm really excited to play and swordhaven... As is coming from the same team that produced Atom and given the great demo, how can I not be excited about it

 

[Vaelith]

Agreed that 2025 looks like another weak year, but didn't you imply in another post that there will be a so-far-unannounced Owlcat release this year? Or was that not what you meant?

Announcement yes, release not. Also, I'm not entirely sure which of their two games will be announced first, the Infinity one is hype (again, it won't be to a lot of users of this site, it is to me), but it's not a 2025 release in any case.

 

[Stingray]

Announcement yes, release not. Also, I'm not entirely sure which of their two games will be announced first, the Infinity one is hype (again, it won't be to a lot of users of this site, it is to me), but it's not a 2025 release in any case.

What do you mean by Infinity?

 

[Vaelith]

Infinity Engine.

 

[Couchpotato]

All of you need your eyes and tastes checked as 2025 looks 10x times better then 2024. I couldn't even choose just three and it will be harder to just pick three next for GOTY.

 

[Couchpotato]

Announcement yes, release not. Also, I'm not entirely sure which of their two games will be announced first, the Infinity one is hype (again, it won't be to a lot of users of this site, it is to me), but it's not a 2025 release in any case.

Good to know but as I said they have already divided the site. As tastes vary but for me as long as it's an RPG, and not something experimental I'll buy it and enjoy it.

If you can tell your contacts to fix the combat slog and repeated battles like RT if TB.

 

[Stingray]

Way better than 2024 for sure, but still weak. Part of it is that I'm not interested in Kingdom Come, and I expect the Obsidian games to end up being weak. Swordhaven is the only sure hit IMO, and I bet it doesn't even end up coming out in 2025.

 

[Vaelith]

Good to know but as I said they have already divided the site. As tastes very but for me as long as it's an RPG and not something experimental I'll buy it, and enjoy it.

If you can tell your contacts to fix the combat slog and repeated battles like RT if TB.

Everyone can see that they make plenty of surveys and take plenty of feedback, make mile-long bugfix patches constantly and so on. Owlcat is one of the most responsive and customer-supportive studios out there. I'm pretty sure they know the better and worse parts of their games and they'll kep improving on it.

And yeah, KCD2 and Avowed, I suspect I will play them and enjoy them, but they're not something I'd take a day off work to play, let's put it like that. I'll play them if I can, and if not that's fine.

I have no interest whatsoever on Gothic1 remake, I think it will be a blunder, though my hope is that I am wrong.

Hades 2 seems like the one I'm looking forward the most from that list, and it's not even a RPG. Not sure why it's listed, but I'll take it. Dragon Dogma's 2 and Rogue Trader DLC are due 2025 though, so that's a good thing.

 

[Couchpotato]

Yeah they do surveys we all know that but it's up to them to listen.

We'll see if they took any of the various opinions to account.

 

[SveNitoR]

The game I look forward to the most is Hades 2. Kingdom Come 2 is also interesting and Avowed as well.

Also looking forward to the new Vampire game. Even though they seem to have scaled down the ambition and it's had a lot of trouble with the development, I still have hope.

 

[vanedor]

Yeah they do surveys we all know that but it's up to them to listen.

We'll see if they took any of the various opinions to account.

I doubt it.

Every time they release a game, so many people complain against the length / repetitiveness and distracting management mini-games... Yet, they can't help but keep adding them in and make the new game even longer with more filler combats.

It's a rare case of less would be better.

 

[Vaelith]

Keep in mind that the majority of the feedback they get is from their Discord, where the most invested/dedicated/loyal playerbase hangs. This site's opinions are generally quite niche even within the niche, so it doesn't necessarily means that they're not listening to you, just that you're being outranked/outnumbered by other voices that matter more to them.

They may not even know about your opinions, until they started making more public surveys (precisely to try to open the range of opinions they get).

If they don't make a change, it's not because they hate your bones and want to annoy you, it's because either:

1. It's their creative choice.
2. It's feedback they're acting on that just has a different opinion than you.
3. It's something that would take massive resources to change and just can't be tackled on, with time itself being such a valuable and limited resource.

But rest assured, they're listening, and very intently.

You can always join the Discord if you want to be more involved.

 

[num4!vr34umu5t4r!]

No faith in vampires looking all the way in 9th
And ppl saying weak 2025, i wondr what you need for a good year, 3x Dragon Age and 4x Elder Scrolls

 

[henriquejr]

I kinda regret one of the choices I picked in this category. I'd change my vote FF Tactics Remaster (which I do eagerly await) to "Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era" instead.