RPGs Coming This Week, July 26–August 1, 2026

Article / Highlight &middot News RPGs Coming This Week, July 26–August 1, 2026 – Everyone is Here! by,, and on July 26, 2026 Sometimes you wonder how so many releases happen on the same day. In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, our special day is Thursday, July 30th, wherein most of our 11 (or 14, technically) games launch. Is it just the end of the quarter for a lot of publishers? Maybe even some end of fiscal year pressure. Or it could be that July 30th inherently has some sort of cosmic significance. Almost as if it were the junction point for the entire space-time continuum. On the other hand, it could just be an amazing coincidence. In any case, there is A Lot coming this week, so we are here to help inform you of your many options, and who knows*, maybe we will have reviews coming soon for some of these titles as well! Intro by Mike Salbato Prelude Dark Pain – July 27th (Early Access; Windows) Prelude Dark Pain is the debut title from Spanish indie developer Quickfire Games that combines a dark, stylized aesthetic (similar to Darkest Dungeon ) with turn-based tactical RPG gameplay. The narrative follows the blacksmith Soren who seeks to protect his family from the violent religious zealots of The Order of the Ashen Crusade. I played the game’s demo during Steam Next Fest last month, and came away very impressed. The map designs are creative and challenging, evoking some of the best moments from classic tactical RPGs (like Vandal Hearts ) while simultaneously putting their own spin on the genre. Each character has a unique kit of abilities that mesh well with the rest of the party, promising a wide array of strategic options and a well-tuned difficulty that forces you to make the most of your units every turn. The game is releasing in Early Access, but promises a significant amount of content. The entirety of Act 1 will be available, which includes nine playable characters, the world map unlocked, and enough story content and missions for an estimated 15 hours of playtime. The level of polish on display with the Next Fest demo was equivalent to a full release, so no need to worry about a buggy or compromised experience here if you’d like to jump in early. by Ben Love Lunarium – July 29th (Windows) Lunarium is a single-player action RPG focusing on parries and dodges. You take on the role of the knight Ave as she explores the mystery behind a corruption plaguing the land. With the help of a mysterious Starfarer named Lune, she embarks on a journey that may uncover harsh truths. Will Lune and Ave’s partnership keep the darkness at bay and save the land? Lune and Ave work in tandem during fights: Ave’s the frontline fighter and Lune provides archery and healing support. Customization plays a crucial role in how you approach combat; there is a robust skill tree, Ave can don unique cloaks that provide her with combat bonuses, and Lune can embroider special charms into the cloaks for even more boons. Think of the dresssphere and materia mechanics of the Final Fantasy series and you’re golden! Lunarium features gorgeous hand-drawn 2D graphics, breathing life into its fantastical realm and characters. With an interesting premise, beautiful visuals, and seemingly polished ARPG mechanics, Ave and Lune’s journey is one to keep an eye out for when Lunarium releases later this week! by Audra Bowling Blue Reflection Quartet – July 30th (PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Windows) Blue Reflection Quartet is a compilation release for Gust’s magical girl anime-inspired RPG series, Blue Reflection. The titular quartet includes: the original RPG Blue Reflection, an adaptation of the 2021 anime series Blue Reflection Ray remade in the game series’ engine, a port/rework of the PC/Mobile RPG Blue Reflection Sun, and the full-fledged RPG sequel Blue Reflection: Second Light. This style of expanded compilation release is common for developer Gust; they’ve released expanded DX collections for their previous Atelier trilogies many times. However, I think this marks the first time they’ve adapted an entire anime series into a video game compilation, and combined with the rework of the mobile title, Blue Reflection Quartet is certainly the most unique and interesting RPG compilation releasing this year. If you’ve never played a game in the series before, this is definitely the best place to jump in. Our own Des Miller waxed poetically about the soundtrack for Blue Reflection back in 2021, and absolutely loved the sequel, so stay tuned for his upcoming review on the compilation! by Ben Love Culdcept the First – July 30th (Windows) Culdcept the First is a momentous release amongst the niche community of board game RPG fans. The Culdcept series is one of the foundational titles in the subgenre, combining the property development gameplay of Monopoly with the collectible card game mechanics of Magic the Gathering in a delightfully weird and addicting marriage of strategy and chance. Unfortunately, the initial Culdcept title premiered on the Sega Saturn in 1997, long after the platform’s viability in the West had passed. While it did see an expanded PlayStation release in 1999, no publisher was brave enough to pick up such a niche title for a Western release (western fans wouldn’t get their first taste of the series until Culdcept Second on the PlayStation 2). Thankfully, publisher City Connection is rectifying that, digging into their back catalog, porting forgotten classics to Steam and consoles, and giving these games the localization they deserve. First with WiZman’s World Re;try earlier this year, and now with Culdcept the First, City Connection is righting some historic wrongs, and I’m all for it! Culdcept the First features over 300 cards and a wide variety of boards to duel against AI-controlled Cepters across the lengthy campaign, with an excellent Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack to enjoy as you play. A host of quality-of-life features common to modern rereleases and remasters are included, such as rewind, quick saving and reloading at any time, and the ability to increase battle rewards. Culdcept the First releases on July 30th on Steam, but will come to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 later in the year on September 8th, complete with a physical release. by Ben Love EXSTETRA – July 30th (Windows) EXSTETRA is an HD remastered port of a 2013 Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita game with a story that might sound familiar to anime and manga fans: high schooler Ryoma is stuck in a fantasy world version of Tokyo where he becomes the realm’s fabled savior. To do so, he has to form bonds with other so-called “Prisma Knights.” These world-saving bonds involve not only relationship-building, but potentially sharing a kiss or two. Because the game’s fantasy world is somehow merged with Tokyo, the world design artwork by tokyogenso is especially vivid and eye-catching. At its core, the kissing premise seems to hide genuine affection raising mechanics and offers combative strategy as you can utilize it to unleash powerful special moves when the timing is right. Other gameplay mechanics such as dungeon crawling, resource gathering, and turn-based battles (with auto-battle options) all promise to keep you on your toes. We missed out on the chance to play EXSTETRA localized when it originally released on the 3DS and Vita, but this remaster seems intriguing enough to warrant a look when it releases on Steam later this week! by Audra Bowling The Prince of Tennis Doki Doki Survival eternal passion! Tie break ♡ game – July 30th (Windows, Switch, Switch 2) The Prince of Tennis Doki Doki Survival eternal passion! Tie break ♡ game is an otome spinoff of the anime/manga series The Prince of Tennis. Players assume the role of a young person boarding a boat with their friend alongside a bunch of rather familiar-looking (to those acquainted with the series!) tennis players on their way to a training camp. Of course, game storytelling logic being what it is, there is a storm and everyone gets stranded on a seemingly deserted island. Can you solve the mystery of your new location and hopefully survive long enough for potential rescue? There will no doubt be some romance and gravity-defying tennis moves thrown into the mix! I’m honestly shocked that this game is getting a remastered localization, given that the original version launched for the PS2 in Japan in 2006. However, it is a nostalgically pleasant surprise since I greatly enjoyed some of The Prince of Tennis ‘ cast. Given the nature of the series, an otome adventure game based on the admittedly sometimes over-the-top and character-driven sports story isn’t as far-fetched as one might think. I’m definitely looking forward to getting the chance to finally try out The Prince of Tennis Doki Doki Survival eternal passion! Tie break ♡ game when this version releases on PC and Nintendo Switch later this week! by Audra Bowling The Prince of Tennis Sweet School Festival ♡-40 and more… – July 30th (Windows, Switch, Switch 2) The Prince of Tennis Sweet School Festival ♡-40 and more… is also releasing on the same day as the aforementioned remaster (this one released even earlier originally, in late 2005 for Japanese PS2 players)! Tenipuri and romance fans, rejoice! In this other otome spinoff of The Prince of Tennis anime/manga series, rival schools join forces for a joint school festival during summer break. You play as a student assigned to assist one of said schools in creating an event stall. Can you cut through the fierce competition and claim victory, all while forming bonds with your tennis playing teammates? The visuals wonderfully match the series’ tone, with some even having limited animation. The Prince of Tennis comes alive through the strong character writing just as much as its intense tennis matches. by Audra Bowling The Relic: First Guardian – July 31st (PS5, Windows) You didn’t think we could have this many games releasing in a week and there wouldn’t be at least one Souls-like, did you? This week, our Soulsiness comes from The Relic: First Guardian, a tough action RPG from Project Cloud Games that has “up to” 80 bosses to square off against, set in a world inspired by Korean mythology. The game features an interesting loot system wherein each piece of equipment only exists in a single place in the game world, with the idea that each has a history and reason for being where it is. That seems like a lofty goal, but if the devs can deliver on that level of lore alongside satisfying combat, it may be one to watch! The Relic: First Guardian launches this week on PC and PS5, and is coming later to Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2. by Mike Salbato Signy & Mino: Against All Gods – July 30th (Windows) Get it? It’s a pun since we like to fight gods in RPGs. Signy & Mino: Against All Gods seemingly takes as much inspiration from belt-scrolling beat ’em ups as it does from timing-centric, turn-based combat (think Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga mixed with Scott Pilgrim EX ). Signy, the girl, lines up enemies on the battlefield and combos each attack into the next, given the correct timing input and positioning. Launch, juggle, and knock enemies into each other before finishing combos with full-screen attacks, in very Marvel vs. Capcom fashion. Mino, the dog, can be called in like an MvC assist character for alley- Story details are sparse so far, but it looks like an angry volcano god has awoken with a bone to pick, and Signy and Mino find themselves caught in an inter-god battle. The punchy combat and cutesy, colourful art style seem to reign here, but find out for yourself via the game’s Steam demo. by Matt Wardell Also Coming This Week Verho – Curse of Faces – July 30th (PS5, XBX, Switch) PC players may recognize Verho – Curse of Faces from its initial release in November of 2025. Well, console players will finally get in on the fun at the end of this month. Verho takes proud inspiration from the defunct King’s Field series of first-person action RPGs. Even the most hardcore of FromSoftware ( Demon’s Souls, Elden Ring, etc.) may be unaware of how much King’s Field laid the foundation for the modern Souls-like. In Verho, developer Kasur Games takes the nostalgic HUD, chunky polygons, and foggy environments of the first three PS1 King’s Field games and marries those visuals with fast, reactionary movement, a sprawling and interconnected world, and a cast of NPCs with questlines running parallel to the player’s own. It’s like they’ve taken a horse and buggy and slapped some NOS onto it. by Matt Wardell Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – July 30th (Switch 2) With the announcement of Xenoblade Genesis, forthcoming in 2027, this year is the perfect time to catch up or refamiliarize yourself with the first three Xenoblade Chronicles games, beefed up for their Nintendo Switch 2 editions (with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition rereleasing this past June and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 coming this December). Though there’s a small handful of purported new content—a new Blade (that is, sentient weapon) and an associated quest—the biggest changes seem to be the ability to play with 4K resolution docked and full HD handheld, both at 60 fps. The original Switch release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 received high praise from RPGFan, so we’re hopeful this Switch 2 Edition will only sweeten the pot. by Matt Wardell (*It’s me, I know which reviews are coming soon, but I can’t spill the beans yet.) Be part of the conversation and join us on our Discord, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.