Turn-based JRPGs had a busy 2026. Falcom closed out Estelle's Liberl story in a full remake, Intelligent Systems put a new Fire Emblem on Switch 2, and Square Enix brought classic command battles back to Final Fantasy in HD-2D. The list below sticks to games that are new, rebuilt, or newly playable as full single-player RPGs this year, with the focus on how the battles actually work.
1. Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter
Developer: Nihon Falcom. Released September 17, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
This is the remake of Trails in the Sky SC, and it picks up right after the cliffhanger of 1st Chapter. Estelle sets out to find Joshua, and the political plot around Liberl keeps widening as she does. Combat keeps the hybrid system from the first remake. You still build quartz loadouts, chain Arts, and read the turn order, but you can also move characters around the field before you lock in a command. Positioning matters once enemy lines and area Arts start overlapping. Reviews from IGN and Game Informer treated it as one of the stronger JRPG releases of the year, mostly for the cast and the way the remake keeps the original story intact while speeding up the old battle flow. If you already finished 1st Chapter, this is the one to play next. If you have not, start there first. The sequel assumes you know Estelle's party.
2. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
Developer: Intelligent Systems. Released September 17, 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2.
Fortune's Weave is a tactical RPG built around the Heroic Games in the city of Dagsion. You follow four heroes in a time-travel story that eventually points at the demon god Balor. Between matches you train, recruit, and explore outside the capital, but time before each bout is limited, so preparation is part of the strategy. Battles are grid-based and turn-based. Win conditions often mean taking out the enemy leader, not clearing every unit. Weapons cover swords, bows, magic, and more, and Combat Arts spend durability for extra range or power. Blaze Arts burn a resource called soul for bigger special moves. The weapon triangle and unit matchups still decide most maps, so the fun is in reading the field before you commit a turn.
3. Final Fantasy Resonance
Developers: Square Enix and Lancarse. Releases October 22, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Resonance retells the opening of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius as a standalone HD-2D RPG. Rain, Lasswell, and Fina lead a traditional campaign with a world map, chocobos, and airships, and the gacha layer from the mobile game is gone. Combat is classic turn-based, not ATB. A visible timeline shows who acts next, and stagger windows open once you pressure an enemy the right way. Limit Bursts, Espers, and Visions of older Final Fantasy heroes sit on top of the normal command list. Hands-on coverage has put the main story around 30 to 40 hours, with a first-chapter demo already out and save data carrying over. If you want a new Final Fantasy that still lets you pick Attack, Magic, and Item, this is the 2026 release built for that.
4. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
Developer: Square Enix. Released February 5, 2026, on modern platforms.
This is a ground-up remake of Dragon Quest VII, not a straight port. The party still travels to islands sealed in the past, fixes what went wrong, and watches those islands return to the present map. Combat stays classic Dragon Quest turn-based. Each character starts with personal skills, then the Vocation system opens and party roles widen. The remake adds difficulty options, battle fast-forward, and a shared inventory, which the series had not used before. The loop is simple on purpose. Explore a fragment of the past, fight, change jobs, and come back to a map that has grown. It is the best on-ramp this year if you want a long, traditional JRPG without a calendar system or a social-link schedule.
5. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Developer: Capcom. Released March 13, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Stories 3 keeps the Rider fantasy: you hatch monsters, ride them, and send them into turn-based fights. The battle system is still a rock-paper-scissors match between Power, Speed, and Technical attacks. Winning the type check is how you seize the turn. The new Synchro Rush lets the whole party pile into one coordinated attack once the setup is right. Outside battle, Habitat Restoration lets you release monsters back into the wild, raise an area's Ecosystem Rank, and change which eggs and traits show up later. Riding Actions cover climb, glide, and flight, so exploration is tied to which Monstie you have bonded with. It is the monster-collecting JRPG to play if you want party building to include the creature on your saddle, not just the humans in the back row.
6. Another Eden Begins
Developer: Wright Flyer Studios. Released mid-September 2026 on PC, with console versions following.
Another Eden Begins takes the mobile game's story, written by Chrono Trigger and Xenogears writer Masato Kato, and ships it as a paid single-player JRPG with the gacha removed. Aldo chases his sister Feinne into the Moonlight Forest and falls through time, landing 800 years ahead of his village. Battles are command-based and start with a party of three or four. Hitting an elemental weakness deals more damage and builds Chain Points. Cross a CP threshold and other party members can fire follow-up skills, so the fight is about setting up the chain, not just spending MP. The early hours are slower, then the role system and synergy skills open up. Music includes a main theme by Yasunori Mitsuda. It is a clean way to play the Another Eden plot without a live-service layer.
7. Brigandine: Abyss
Publisher: NIS America and Happinet. Released August 26, 2026 on PC, and August 27, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Abyss is a strategy RPG about stopping the Abyssloa Empire, split across six story campaigns. Mission Mode adds 24 factions, each with its own win condition, so the campaign list is only part of the content. The loop has two layers. On the world map you recruit monsters, upgrade bases, send squads on side quests, and pick where to attack. In battle, human leaders command squads of monsters in turn-based fights. Territory you leave thin can be hit back, so expanding and defending are the same decision. If you want a JRPG where the army management between fights matters as much as the tactics inside them, Abyss is the 2026 pick.
8. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World
Developers: Square Enix and Tose. Launches December 3, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
The Withered World is the next monster-breeding Dragon Quest. You scout creatures from across the series, raise them, and synthesize new ones by combining parents. Battles are turn-based monster vs monster fights, with the team you built deciding the available skills. The story follows new wranglers Bianca and Nera. Synthesis is the real system to learn. Traits, resistances, and skill lists pass down based on which monsters you fuse, so a strong team is a breeding project, not just a level grind. It lands late in the year, and it is the one to queue if you liked the older Monsters games more than a standard hero-party Dragon Quest.
9. People of Note
Developer: Iridium Studios. Released April 7, 2026, on PC.
People of Note is a music JRPG where the battle itself is a performance. Turn-based commands still decide what the party does, but rhythm input changes how well that action lands, and each party member fights in a different musical style. Swapping who is on stage changes both the song and the tactical options, so party order is a build choice. It is shorter and narrower than the big publisher releases above, and that is the appeal. You are here for the combat hook, not a 80-hour world map. Worth a try if standard menus have started to feel the same and you want the turn structure tied to a beat.
10. Havoc Heirs
Developer: Jay Sugarman. Released October 1, 2026, on PC via Steam.
Havoc Heirs is an indie dark-fantasy turn-based RPG set in the Lands of Marana, four continents joined into one map. It does not lean on a famous series name. The draw is exploration across a connected world and a party you build while the regions change tone. A demo was available before launch, which is the easiest way to check whether the battle pacing fits you. Slot it in if the big fall releases are already on your list and you want something smaller that still plays by command-based rules.
Where to start
If you want one game right now, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is the safest pick of the year so far, as long as you have played 1st Chapter. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is the tactical alternative, locked to Switch 2. Final Fantasy Resonance, out October 22, is the one to watch if you have been waiting for a new mainline-style Final Fantasy that still uses turns. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined and Monster Hunter Stories 3 are already out if you want a long classic campaign or a monster roster instead.
Comments