Player choice is at the core of every great RPG. Even though truly choice-driven RPGs with non-linear narratives have become less common, the demand for them remains high, as shown by the massive success of games like Baldur’s Gate 3. Replaying such games and uncovering new possibilities is a joy in itself, sometimes leading to genuinely mind-blowing discoveries.
Fortunately, the future looks bright for fans of choice-based RPGs. The next year and beyond already appear stacked with ambitious AAA titles that honor the genre’s defining pillars. Below are upcoming RPGs centered on player choice, each promising meaningful decisions that lead to long-lasting consequences and multiple endings.
Gothic 1 Remake
Reviving the Iconic Old-School RPG
The closest to launch in 2026, Gothic 1 Remake is slated for release in the first quarter, meaning its final release date has a good chance of being revealed by the end of this year. Its demo received positive feedback from both old-school RPG fans and newcomers. The remake appears to be in capable hands, honoring the original creation by Piranha Bytes, a studio long associated with choice-driven RPGs that went on to inspire other legendary games, including The Witcher.
Gothic’s compact world is known for its depth and the freedom it offers players, who can shape their destiny by choosing who to side with in the Valley of Mines. There aren’t too many NPCs in Gothic, but each one has a distinct personality and a realistic daily routine independent of the player. This approach helps create a believable, reactive world that responds to every player’s choice and decision. Hopefully, the remake will preserve these iconic strengths in its modern reincarnation.
GreedFall 2: The Dying World
A Major Step into the Upper League for a French RPG Studio
Currently available in early access, GreedFall 2: The Dying World is slated for full release sometime in 2026. The developers plan to incorporate player feedback from the early access phase and build on lessons learned from the first game to deliver a more fleshed-out, choice-driven RPG. While it may not have the flair of recent big-budget releases, The Dying World could still offer plenty of depth for fans who value role-playing over flashy visuals.
GreedFall 2: The Dying World encourages players to take their time talking to every NPC, as many quests hold more depth than they initially appear to. Diplomacy, manipulation, infiltration, and combat all serve as viable ways to reach quest goals. Choices lead to a wide range of consequences that can influence the story, factions, alliances, and companion relationships. While the current version remains somewhat rough and light on content, there’s still time for the team to refine it and surprise fans with the final release.
Fable
Will Hopefully Grant as Much Freedom as the Series Is Known For
Even with how little we’ve seen of Fable so far (the game was announced back in 2020), it remains one of the most promising upcoming RPGs. Distinctly British in tone, with its fairy-tale charm and constant humor, Fable has always combined wit and whimsy with meaningful depth, player agency, and impactful choices.
It remains to be seen how the upcoming entry will play its cards, but there’s little doubt that player choice will be as central as ever. Fable has long granted players remarkable freedom, allowing them to interact with nearly any NPC, choose between virtue and vice, and simply live within its world. It will be interesting to see how the next chapter upholds that legacy and how it measures up to other great RPGs in terms of freedom and choice-driven storytelling.
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Already Set Up for Great Replay Value
The Blood of Dawnwalker is described as a choice-driven RPG in the vein of The Witcher series, featuring an equally intriguing protagonist. Playing as Coen, who is a human by day and vampire by night, players explore a dark, fictionalized version of 14th-century Europe. Every action and inaction shapes the world and the story.
One of the game’s most distinctive features, though potentially divisive, is its realistic time mechanic. Time will progress with each completed quest, bringing players closer to the end and limiting how much can be accomplished in a single playthrough. If executed well, this system could force players to make meaningful choices about whom to help and what to prioritize, as they won’t be able to complete every side quest. This design could make the world feel more dynamic and alive, while also enhancing replay value.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
A Big Swing by the Pathfinder Creators
The long-awaited breakout from its CRPG niche for Owlcat Games (the creators of the Pathfinder series), The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is shaping up to be a major new chapter for the studio, echoing the leap BioWare once made with the original Mass Effect. Set in the beloved Expanse universe, Osiris Reborn may not be as original as Mass Effect, but it aims to equally honor player choice while delivering a spectacular sci-fi story.
What’s most intriguing about The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is how the strengths of Owlcat’s past work will translate into a more mainstream format, complete with dynamic action and a much grander scope. So far, the studio has promised to meet the expectations set by its previous RPGs. It has teased complex companion relationships, a sprawling high-stakes narrative driven by escalating threats and political tension, and alliances defined by tough, lasting choices. This is a world where trust is earned, not freely given.
Clockwork Revolution
Explore the Butterfly Effect in an RPG With a Unique Setting
Clockwork Revolution stands out from the usual crowd of fantasy and sci-fi RPGs with its captivating steampunk metropolis of Avalon to explore. Developed by inXile Entertainment (best known for the Wasteland series), it ranks among the most promising upcoming titles, aiming for a 2026 release and featuring a distinctive time-bending mechanic that puts player choice at the forefront.
In Clockwork Revolution, players can travel into the past and influence key events, reshaping history itself. This premise sounds like the perfect foundation for a choice-driven RPG, allowing players to explore a true butterfly effect firsthand. Combined with inXile’s strong storytelling pedigree, it has the potential to become something truly special. The developers promise that interactions in the past will significantly affect the present, altering Avalon’s world and its inhabitants in dramatic ways. This could make Clockwork Revolution a must-play for fans of complex narrative-driven RPGs.
Exodus
It’s a Good Time to Be a Sci-Fi RPG Fan
Mass Effect fans are eating well, as 2026 is shaping up to deliver not just one (the first being The Expanse: Osiris Reborn), but two major sci-fi RPGs. Exodus, an upcoming game from Archetype, doesn’t yet have a confirmed release window yet. However, recent updates suggest it might resurface by the end of the year, likely with an in-depth gameplay showcase and a final release date announcement.
The team has been teasing Exodus as an ambitious, lore-rich sci-fi RPG for years, and it’s about time fans see something substantial. From what they’ve shared so far, player choices and their far-reaching consequences will define the journey. There’s a particular focus on time perception on a galactic scale, where revisiting certain locations after years will reveal how much the world has changed. Beyond that, players can expect to captain a spaceship, recruit companions, explore new worlds, engage in dynamic combat, and make tough decisions that affect entire planets or species. There’s no doubt Exodus has grand ambitions, but whether it can capture the same magic as the original Mass Effect trilogy remains to be seen.
The Witcher 4
Potential to Become the New King of Open-World RPGs
The Witcher 4 needs little introduction, though fans shouldn’t expect it to arrive in 2026. While the next chapter in the acclaimed universe is still a long way off, it’s almost certain to be worth the wait. Stepping into Geralt’s shoes as Ciri won’t be an easy task, but there’s little doubt that CD Projekt Red will deliver another standout RPG worthy of its legendary predecessors.
Every Witcher game so far has offered a sprawling narrative shaped by player choices, with key decisions even carrying over between entries. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings remains especially notable for its branching structure, where a single decision can drastically alter nearly a third of the game. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, while more linear in its main storyline, is packed with quests rich in meaningful choices that ripple through the world. Now, it’s up to The Witcher 4 to carry the torch. Hopefully, it can surprise fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s universe once again with tough moral dilemmas and deeply layered characters.
