There is an abundance of new RPGs, strategy games, hybrids, etc. that use turn-based mechanics. As we can see from the last week or so, there’s definitely a lot to look at, and I think there are a few titles worth keeping an eye on.
Personally, I’m particularly intrigued by a game that puts the player into the role of a sort of prophet who leads his own cult. It was initially available in early access for a while before the developer released the full 1.0 version of the game this week. But obviously, there’s a lot more inside this Saturday recap.
Heroes of Science and Fiction
- Developers: Oxymoron Games
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: March 17, 2026
- Steam Page
Heroes of Science and Fiction is a turn-based science fiction strategy game formerly known as Silence of the Siren.
It is an extension of the classic heroes-and-armies formula from Earth to a distant star system where the different civilizations are fighting for territory, resources, and control over fragmented planets. As such, exploration, city-building, recruiting armies, and engaging in battles are interrelated and connected; heroes can move across the planet’s map, take control of resource nodes, grow their base, provide equipment to their commanders, and engage in combat against enemy forces in hexagonal battlefields.
Compared to its Early Access version, the full release will feature five playable factions, four campaigns (with four maps per campaign) and more than thirty skirmish maps, offering a wider range of factions to play as and a more defined single-player experience than the previous version.
What sets Heroes of Science and Fiction apart from its peers is the way it has adopted the style and structure of the Heroes of Might and Magic series but placed that structure within a science fiction setting by including alien species, futuristic armies, and faction-specific abilities, as opposed to simply providing a new layer of skin or cosmetic to a traditional fantasy series.
Elemental: Reforged
- Developers: Stardock Entertainment
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: March 17, 2026
- Steam Page
Now let’s talk about Elemental: Reforged, a 4X fantasy RPG strategy where the player becomes a ruler, establishes a new kingdom, expands across a procedurally created world, and engages in battles to control shards of magic that can alter the very landscape.
The game’s structure combines the typical empire building with more typical RPG elements, such as having each unit be a unique named character with its own equipment and abilities, and allowing the ruler to establish a dynasty and pass traits down through the generations of rulers.
The battle map is used to fight battles; however, the larger layer has other elements, including research, spellcasting, crafting, questing, diplomacy, and specific play styles for each of the ten different kingdoms and empires.
In addition, the game provides the user with three complete campaigns taking place during different time periods of Anthys. As such, the game will have much more lore and long-term progressions than most other 4x’s. Overall, it appears the developer made a conscious effort to combine the large scale of an empire builder with the character development of a fantasy RPG.
Valor of Man
- Developers: Legacy Forge
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: March 19, 2026
- Steam Page
Valor of Man is a rogue-lite RPG that uses small party tactics, class synergy, and repeat play to take a long fantasy campaign and compress the experience into shorter, more replayable sessions.
There are 12 classes to choose from for a player to create their 4-member party. Once created, players will be tasked to navigate through a broken-down dark fantasy world. In this world, all battles will be centered on how enemies react, how layered ability combinations can be used, and how over 700 different skills, items, and artifacts interact.
Valor of Man is structured to allow players to progress by mastering skills, items, etc. as opposed to advancing through the story. There are 10 different levels of Valor Difficulty that players can ascend through to unlock new class variations, gear, and more.
This game is very much structured around building party compositions, finding ways to exploit party synergies, and surviving increasing difficult battles.
DEORUM (Demo)
- Developers: Joyhop Games
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: Q3 2026
- Steam Page
First and foremost, I am recommending this demo to myself as it truly appears to fit all of my “sweet spots”, and, of course, I am sharing it with all of you as well. I had never heard of this game before, and the demo available is perfect for the weekend.
DEORUM is a horror dungeon crawler that blends dark fantasy with cosmic horror, sending the player into a forsaken labyrinth beneath the so-called Divine Festival to gather grotesque materials, craft strange coins, and repay a debt to eldritch powers.
Its structure revolves around repeated descents into a 12-layer dungeon split across three zones, with exploration focused on scavenging resources, dodging traps, opening chests, and uncovering forbidden knowledge, while combat uses a turn-based, UI-driven system built around flipping arcane coins to trigger symbols that deal damage, apply status effects, or tilt luck in your favor.
Progression also seems tied to a steady upgrade loop, since materials can be merged into stronger ingredients and earnings can be spent on new symbols, stat improvements, and arcana-style perk cards.
That gives the game a clear run-based cadence, but what stands out most is the oppressive ritualistic framing, where crafting, survival, and character growth all feed into a world built around debt, sacrifice, and occult obligation. DEORUM is developed and published by Joyhop Games, has a demo already available on Steam, and is currently planned for Q3 2026.
Whispers of the Eyeless (Out of E.A.)
- Developers: Venris, Evil Gingerbread Studio
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: March 17, 2026
- Steam Page
The game is one that I had chosen for myself as a title I wanted to fully appreciate when it was released in its full version. I did try it once before, just to see how things would work, which I will say did appeal to me, but now that we are at version 1.0 of the game, I can actually enjoy it as intended.
The dark fantasy strategy RPG, Whispers of the Eyeless, has the player in the role of the First Prophet, who is a cult leader in the ruined city of Aranthor.
In this game, the player is tasked with building a cult, and the dead gods are tied to the elements of Wrath, Desire, and Madness. The gameplay includes exploration of various districts, managing followers, making choices for progressing through the game and using a tactical system for combat.
This game differentiates itself from other strategy games by having the player not be a traveling hero or savior but rather, a growing force in the city of Aranthor that shapes the city in the shadows.
Whispers of the Eyeless exited Early Access on March 17, 2026, and will have all of the full story campaign, two new districts, achievements, and the full ascension mechanic available upon release. With the inclusion of these additional features, the game now has a much longer and more developed campaign arc as well as providing players with more replay value than in its previous form.
Whispers of the Eyeless sets itself apart from standard tactical fantasy RPGs because of the blending of party-based dark RPG systems and cult building with a villain-led progression system which gives the game’s bleak setting a more oppressive sense of politics and religion.
SOG: Vietnam
- Developers: PigeonMakesGames, Games By Loki
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: March 18, 2026
- Steam Page
SOG: Vietnam is based on a roguelike structure, i move, the whole world around me moves after me and it places you in the shoes of a MACV-SOG operative during the Second Indochina War.
Each mission will be based on survival, gathering intel, sabotaging enemy operations and extracting your operatives from procedurally generated jungle environments. It has a high risk, high reward design model for each mission (raid) as each one begins with rebuilding your soldier using gear, perks, and abilities.
Each mission also means wiping the raid’s progress if you die. Where it becomes more unique than a standard military tactic game is the variety of ways you can complete each mission.
Some people may like to play the mission using stealth and careful recon to get in and gather what they need and then get out. Others may prefer to use a large amount of firepower (artillery, napalm, C4, grenades, etc.) and tripwires to create a “kill zone” and clear out the area. Both are viable options. The way it is presented is also very old school in the best way possible.
Your successful missions will give you the opportunity to continue growing and advancing through the game by earning medals and unlocking additional perks.
Descent Of Lunaris (Demo)
- Developers: Unison Games
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: 2026
- Steam Page
Another demo I can suggest to try is for sure The Descent of Lunaris, which has introduced a first-person, grid-based dungeon crawler that combines an older school party building experience with a science fiction horror twist.
An elite security team is sent to a lunar research facility when a strange signal causes a top-secret research facility to become a nest of distorted anomalies and damaged minds. After a short prologue which deals with the evacuation of the moon base, the player will take control of their party in the first fully fleshed-out dungeon level, allowing them to build a custom party for Level 1 by making ability and skill selections prior to leaving the moon base to explore, combat, and regroup between sessions.
Player combat involves both traditional formation-based battles and tactical grid mechanics. Player progress is linked to unlocking subclasses, modifying equipment, experimenting with new combinations of party members, and to a degree a sanity system. Longer trips are also less stable and more dangerous.
The combination of these features appears to resemble a direct nod to Wizardry and Shin Megami Tensei, but with a much stronger cosmic horror theme and a lunar environment, giving the dungeon-crawling element of the game an increased sense of oppression and mystery.
Twisted Fate
- Developers: Game Dynasty
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: March 17, 2026
- Steam Page
The game’s mechanics revolve around creating your own “party” and crafting an attack style. The game is turn-based and you play a roguelike, which means each time you die you have to start over again.
However, this time your experience will carry into the next run because you will make decisions that will affect future runs. Each run will consist of branching paths, random events, regional bosses and a constant stream of combat upgrades.
The most compelling aspect of the game are its ability modification features. Since each of your three characters has four abilities that can be modified using the many modifier options, you will be able to create powerful synergy and modify how your attacks work. Additionally, you can use items such as artifacts and consumables to add additional passive effects and risk/reward scenarios to your build and encounter strategy.
There are over eighty different ability modifiers, fifty artifacts and thirty-five consumable items. When you factor in over thirty unique battles, there appears to be a robust yet compact systems-based roguelite designed for players who prefer to fine-tune their builds before they enter the fray.
Scarred Steel
- Developers: Ethan Clarke
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: March 15, 2026
- Steam Page
Let’s wrap up with Scarred Steel, a solo medieval RPG, focused on survival, lasting injuries, and the type of decisions that continue to shape your run long after a duel has ended.
A betrayed Commander is the player’s character who seeks to gain vengeance from the Council of Seven. As the player moves through a fractured kingdom, they manage their routes to avoid danger and choose when to face higher-level threats that are both politically and militarily based.
Each duel is designed to be punishing. Stamina costs, balance, reach of weapons, weight of armor, and targeted strikes all affect how each duel will play. Persistent wounds and scars will have consequences long after a battle. Another interesting aspect of the game is the run set up.
Each time you begin an attempt, you get a draft of three randomized characters. Each character has their own unique gear, traits, stats, and limitations.
