In this list, we present you with 10 new RPG games from 2015.
Some of these games are huge titles, others are lovingly crafted indie games. But all of them deserve your attention.
10. Avernum II: Crystal Souls
If your sword is not enough, strike them down with lightning.
The eternal Empire has been ruling over the world with an iron fist, throwing any rebels into the caves of Avernum. But the exiles survived, and decided to strike back, killing the emperor. Now, the Empire wants revenge, and it’s up to you to stop them. You control a party of four adventurers, each fully customizable with spells and gear.
The game is published by Spiderweb Software, a company famous for its indie RPGs. Avernum II: Crystal Souls features deep, tactical combat, over a hundred dungeons and towns, and multiple endings to its story. Indie RPGs don’t get much better than this one.
You are fighting for survival. And you are losing.
9. Blackguards 2
You will have to use the map to your advantage.
In Blackguards 2, you play as Cassia, a political prisoner in the dungeons of king Marwan. During years of solitude, she goes insane, and has only goal – to claim Marwan’s throne, no matter the price. Just like the original, Blackguards is a turn-based tactical RPG. You will be able to recruit multiple allies to help you on your way to the throne.
Blackguards 2 improves the original in almost every way.
The battles take place on huge, interactive maps: you can set traps for your enemies, or even collapse parts of the map to win the battle. There are no predefined classes, you are free to customize your character any way you want.
The throne is yours.
8. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III
A sword for each enemy.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III is the newest (and final) entry to the Van Helsing trilogy. You have stopped General Harker from destroying Borgova, but one of your allies, the mysterious Prisoner Seven has betrayed you and stole the most powerful artifact of in the land. It is time to hunt him down, take your revenge and save the city of Borgova once and for all.
The Protector and Elementalist classes.
As the previous two games, Van Helsing III is also an action RPG, similar to Diablo. It features six classes, and a wide variety of abilities and equipment to choose from. It may have gone under the radar when it came out because of other, bigger titles, but this game is the best the studio has ever produced. It would be a shame to miss it.
Pick a class, and face your greatest challenge yet!
7. State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition
This might be a good time to run.
You have been away on a two-week fishing trip, and come back to find that almost every human being has turned into a zombie. You have to figure out what happened, and how to get everything back to normal – or at least, how to survive. You have to manage your base by building defenses and bringing in resources.
If all else fails, you can run over zombies with a car.
You have access to a lot of characters during your adventures, each with different skills such as melee, ranged, crafting, stamina and the like. The Year One Survival Edition fixed many bugs, and it contains both expansions for the game.
Year One Survival Edition – How long will you last?
6. Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Tech meets magic.
Shadowrun: Hong Kong is the third stand-alone game from Harebrained Schemes. In it, players can return to the dark futuristic world of Shadowrun, this time, in Hong Kong. Not much is known about the story as of yet, but based on the studio’s previous two games, you will probably play a runner caught up in a gripping adventure full of twists and conspiracies.
The developer promised a new, improved UI and inventory screen, as well as revamped skill trees and over 200 combat items to use.
Shadowrun is back, and it's looking better than ever.
5. Torment: Tides of Numenera
Have you ever wanted to live in a house which looked like it wants to eat you?
The Changing God can transfer his spirit from one being to another. This change, however, comes at a price: the bodies he leaves behind are cursed and cause pain and suffering to anyone near them. That is why another ancient being, called the Sorrow, is hunting them. You play as the Last Castoff, the most recent body left behind by the Changing God.
Build your legacy.
A spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, Torment: Tides of Numenera is an upcoming RPG set to release this year.
The game promises the turn-based combat and flexible character development seen in Planescape: Torment – in short, it promises bring back on the best storytelling RPGs.
A world unlike any other.
4. Fallout 4
Even the apocalypse is better with a dog.
The announcement for Fallout 4 surprised everyone. But now, barely a month after the announcement, we are hyped as hell to get our hands on this game.
You play as the sole survivor of Vault 111, waking up 200 years after the apocalypse. You will be wandering the ruins of Boston, in a world that is supposedly bigger than any Fallout game to date.
The official trailer for Fallout 4.
The game promises at least 50 weapons and more than 700 weapon mods for them. Also, for the first time ever in the series, players will have the ability to build whole settlements from the debris they find in the world, making themselves a new home in Wasteland. And the best thing? It’s coming out in November.
Bethesda's E3 press conference.
3. Darkest Dungeon
Most of the enemies will damage more than one mercenary.
After an ancient portal was opened in your family manor, an evil force came through it and corrupted the house and the surrounding area.
You, as the sole heir to the castle, must hire mercenaries to clean out the place. These mercenaries, however, are no match for the evil inside because eventually, one by one, they all succumb to madness. You have to try and reduce their stress levels in any way you can, and hope that maybe, maybe the evil inside will be vanquished on the next run.
You will fight. You will die.
The game has deep, turn-based tactical combat, with different classes and abilities. You have to pay attention not only to the class, but also the positioning of the characters – most of your abilities only work if you are in the right place.
The dungeon awaits.
2. Pillars of Eternity
Tactics over numbers.
On your way to Dyrwood, a small country in the East, you and your caravan are attacked. You escape, only to find yourself in a world torn apart by civil war and gods. People call you a Watcher, a person capable of seeing into other people’s soul. It is up to you to try and mend this broken world together.
The gameplay will feel familiar to anyone who played old RPGs.
Pillars of Eternity is a tactical RPG, similar to classics such as Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale. The game features an epic story, interesting and deep companion characters, and a skill system similar to D&D. Definitely one of the best new RPG games out there, and a must for fans of the old Infinity Engine games.
Welcome to Dyrwood.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A witcher does not work for free.
The Wild Hunt, a horde of unstoppable undead warriors are hunting Geralt’s daughter, Ciri, whose powerful magical abilities are the only thing that can save the world from the Hunt. It is up to you, as you embark on the third adventure in the Witcher trilogy, to find her before the undead do and try to save her. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features a vast open world with tons of quests and activities for a professional monster slayer.
The world is vast, and full of dangers.
You will be slaying mythical beasts, demons, hunting down mages and bandits. You can craft your weapons and armor, brew your own potions and mutagens (substances that give you powerful passive bonuses). The game has been one of the most anticipated games 2015, and it has lived up to its hype in every way. It truly deserves to be at the top of any list about best new RPG games.
The Withcer 3 launch trailer.
