The biggest turn-based RPG news from August 17–23, 2026.
Here is a new column I’d like to stick to for the next days, weeks, and months. A recap of all the major news from the last week, so you can have everything relevant in one place. I swear, I’ll try my best to be consistent.
I thought this might be a relatively quiet week before Gamescom. It wasn’t.
We got the final trailer for one of the biggest tactical games of the year, a surprisingly interesting discussion surrounding Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the reputation of turn-based RPGs, new Dragon Quest Monsters details, a substantial demo for Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, and even fresh content for the original Darkest Dungeon. Here are the stories I think mattered most.
Star Wars Zero Company Gets Its Final Trailer Ahead of Launch
We’re only a few days away from Star Wars Zero Company, and Bit Reactor used the final stretch before release to show the game one last time.
The final trailer arrived on August 17 and focuses heavily on the threat facing Zero Company, including Kundri Fathom, leader of the Separatist-aligned Infinite Coil. The squad is attempting to stop Fathom from spreading a deadly plague across the galaxy, with the campaign unfolding during the final stages of the Clone Wars.
More importantly for us, this remains one of the rare occasions where a major entertainment property is being handed to developers with serious experience in tactical strategy. Zero Company is a single-player, squad-based tactics game centered on positioning, character abilities, customization, relationships between operatives, and decisions made both during missions and back at the team’s base.
I’ve already spent some time with the game, and I’m actually playing the final build, so naturally this is the release I’m watching most closely right now. Star Wars Zero Company launches August 27 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Darkest Dungeon Receives Its First New DLC Since 2020
Ten years after the original game’s debut, Red Hook Studios apparently wasn’t quite finished with the Estate.
Darkest Dungeon: The Fire’s Edge launched on August 18, marking the first new DLC for the original game since 2020. Its biggest additions are two heroes originally introduced in Darkest Dungeon II: the Runaway and the Duelist.
Both have been reworked for the first game’s systems. The Runaway brings Burn damage into the original Darkest Dungeon, while the Duelist revolves around changing combat stances, moving between ranks, and maintaining Riposte.
The expansion also adds new Trinkets, mechanics attached to some of those items, and three additional Hamlet Districts.
Going back and adding meaningful content to a decade-old RPG is unusual enough on its own. Doing it after a full sequel has already been released makes The Fire’s Edge one of the more unexpected additions of the year.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Now Has a Free Demo
Anyone planning to continue Estelle’s journey can already get started. Falcom and GungHo released a free demo for Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter on August 19. It covers the beginning of the RPG through Chapter 1, and save data can carry over into the complete game.
The sequel picks up immediately after Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, with Estelle setting out across Liberl after Joshua disappears. Alongside the continuing story, the remake expands combat with new Crafts and S-Crafts, Brave Rush attacks, Orbment customization, and a larger selection of side activities.
The demo is currently available on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The complete game arrives September 17 on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Shuhei Yoshida Once Told Clair Obscur’s Developers Not to Call It a Turn-Based RPG
This might actually be my favorite story of the week. Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida revealed during the Busan Indie Connect Festival that he once advised Sandfall Interactive against describing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 simply as a “turn-based RPG.”
Yoshida had played an early version of the game and apparently liked what he saw, but at the time he worried that the label itself could cause some people to ignore it. Sandfall eventually emphasized the term “reactive turn-based battles,” highlighting the dodges, parries, and other timing-based actions layered over the traditional command system.
The funny part is what happened afterward.
Expedition 33 became one of the biggest RPG success stories of recent years, and Yoshida now says publishers are seeing considerably more developers pitching turn-based JRPG-style projects. I don’t know why, but I can only be happy about this…
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World Shows More of Its World
Square Enix also provided another substantial look at Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World, the upcoming monster-collecting RPG starring Bianca and Nera from Dragon Quest V.
The latest details introduce Thespidor, a recurring antagonist responsible for creating Meteocite crystals that drain life from the Kingdom of Witherwood. We also got a closer look at several regions, including Taiboku’s bamboo groves and rice paddies and the oversized vegetation covering Lushland.
One mechanic that stood out is the Waterwing Can. It can restore withered Roots of Creation, which then become fast-travel points where the party can heal monsters or perform synthesis. Other dried-out plants scattered across the world can also be revived for rewards and progression bonuses.
It looks as though exploration will play a much more substantial role than simply walking between monster encounters. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World is scheduled for December 3 on PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC.
Shroom and Gloom Enters Early Access on September 10
One of the stranger deckbuilders I’ve been following finally has an Early Access date. Team Lazerbeam and Devolver Digital confirmed that Shroom and Gloom will arrive on Steam Early Access on September 10.
Its central idea is still wonderfully odd: this is a first-person dungeon crawler where you maintain two different decks. One is used to fight the bizarre fungal creatures wandering through its hand-drawn underground world, while the other revolves around exploration, cooking, and the things you do between battles.
The result looks much closer to physically moving through a strange card-based dungeon than selecting encounters from a traditional roguelite map.
There’s already a free Steam demo available, so this is an easy one to investigate before September arrives.
LumenTale Is Heading to PlayStation and Xbox
LumenTale: Memories of Trey is expanding beyond its original PC and Nintendo audience. Team17 and Beehive Studios announced PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the monster-collecting RPG, both currently expected later in 2026.
The game originally launched in May on PC and Nintendo Switch and revolves around collecting more than 140 creatures called Animon.
Battles range from one-on-one fights to 4v4 encounters, with PvE and PvP support alongside crafting, cooking, trading, and a dedicated Anispace where relationships with individual creatures can be developed. No exact date has been announced for the new console versions yet.
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked Is Getting Its Third Campaign
Another substantial update is coming to Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked.
Resolution Games confirmed that Campaign III: Twilight’s End will launch on September 22. The campaign continues the storyline running through the previous adventures and takes the party across the Silver Marches, Neverwinter Wood, and Icewind Dale as reality itself begins to unravel.
September 22 will also mark the game’s arrival on Xbox Series and the Microsoft Store on PC with Xbox Play Anywhere support. The third campaign is planned for the other supported platforms as well, although the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the DLC will arrive later.
A Few More Stories Worth Mentioning
MENACE received its Alien Update. Version 0.7.14 adds three stronger wild alien units intended to remain dangerous later into a campaign, along with balancing changes, audiovisual improvements, and bug fixes.
Deck & Conn now has a release date. MicroProse’s retro-futuristic space tactics game launches September 1, putting players in command of a nuclear-powered corvette where reactors, sensors, weapons, fuel, crew, and incomplete information all need to be managed from a wonderfully old-fashioned collection of CRT displays.
Slay the Spire 2 and Dispatch somehow ended up in the same Steam bundle. The newly released package gives a 10% discount when purchasing the two games together. There’s no crossover content involved, but the promotional artwork bringing the two casts together is a nice touch.
Entropy entered Steam Early Access on August 18. The new RPG from Dread Delusion developer Lovely Hellplace trades its previous game’s real-time first-person combat for tactical turn-based encounters, including a six-character party and the ability to target individual enemy limbs.
Next Week Could Be Much Busier
And now things get interesting.
Gamescom week begins in a few days, with Opening Night Live scheduled for August 25 before the main event runs from August 26 through August 30. That means announcements, trailers, release dates, and probably several RPGs we’ll need to keep an eye on.
Then, on August 27, Star Wars Zero Company finally launches. So yes, I have a feeling next week’s recap may be considerably longer.
Until then, these were the turn-based stories that caught my attention over the past several days. If I missed something important, you know where to find me. Ciao
