Games to Watch 2025 - RPG
It is that time of year when we look ahead to see what is coming. With that in mind, Matt has taken a look at the upcoming slate to see which games from each genre deserve to be watched closely. The reasons to watch these games may be varied and these lists are by no means comprehensive, but all games mentioned at least deserve to be kept in your mind as they head towards release.
Let’s see what awaits us in 2025’s selection of RPGs, shall we?
Avowed
I’ve been lucky enough to have played a good chunk of Avowed and I am more than happy to confirm that it is shaping up to be a cracking game. If you are unsure as to how it is going to play, the best way to describe it is as a more focused, story-heavy Skyrim that features top-notch writing and some very cool mechanics.
Obsidian speaks my language so it is no real surprise that I am super excited for Avowed but I do worry about it. It is landing in a super-stacked February and it has to compete against some pretty big hitters. I really hope it isn’t lost in the noise because from what I have played it is an absolute banger. Avowed lands on the 19th of Feb on Xbox and PC.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Fable
Fable has always held a special place in my heart. There is nothing quite like it out there, the mix of RPG, British humour and emergent systems hasn’t been matched since Fable 2, with nothing else out there that can scratch that particular itch. Thankfully we are finally getting a new game in the franchise and it is shaping up quite nicely.
The two trailers we have seen are a little light on gameplay (expect more in the traditional Xbox show that airs around the end of January) but what they do show is that Playground have absolutely nailed the tone of what a Fable game should be. The humour, the feel, the chicken kickin’, it is all there and that makes this longtime fan very happy. Expect this to be Microsoft’s big end of year release, probably around October/November.
Kingdom Come Deliverance II
The first Kingdom Come Deliverance was a bit of proof-of-concept. Built off the back of a successful Kickstarter, it attempted to create a deep RPG that was set in a historically accurate Europe, so no magic, no monsters, just classic medieval weaponry and settings. It was mostly successful and despite having more than a few problems (and courting a fair bit of controversy) so now it is back with round 2 and looking to take the concept to the next level.
Our very own Jess Zammit recently got to go hands-on with it so if you are keen to know more make sure you read her preview, but the long and short of it is that this is a bigger, bolder and more polished Kingdom Come Deliverance experience which is all a sequel needs to be sometimes. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is landing on the 5th of Feb.
The Outer Worlds 2
I cannot think of a single instance of one developer releasing two AAA RPGs in one year, yet that is exactly what Obsidian is planning to do in 2025. Along with Avowed, they are planning on continuing our battle with the corporations of the future in The Outer Worlds 2 and I am more than ready to take up the fight.
The first Outer Worlds was a great little RPG that despite being clearly constrained by a small budget won my heart with its dark humour and top-notch writing. Now that Obsidian has a bigger piggy bank to play with, I expect The Outer Worlds 2 to take that solid foundation and really deliver something special. This will be an end of year game for sure and of all the games on this list it is probably the one that has the most chance of slipping into 2026.
