All RPG Games with Pre-Orders (2024)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is a JRPG with turn-based battles developed by Nihon Falcom and published outside Japan by NIS America. It picks up over a year after the events of the previous game, and centers around the returning Rean Schwarzer. As an instructor at the newly opened Thors Branch Campus, he takes lead of Class VII and has to guide the new generation in the face of an uncertain future.

Like with the previous launches of Trails of Cold Steel III on PlayStation 4 and PC, the upcoming Nintendo Switch release in the West is accompanied by some modest pre-order bonuses and special editions detailed below.

Trails of Cold Steel III (Switch) Pre-Order Bonuses →

Humans kill over a hundred million sharks every year. In the same time span, sharks only kill five humans. Tripwire’s action RPG Maneater promises to even those odds.

Players take control of a baby bull shark and explore, eat, and fight their way through oceans, rivers, and swamps to become the ultimate murder machine. Take a bite out of too many humans, and bounty hunters are called in. Besides those, the shark also has to contend with apex predators and other dangers lurking in the water.

Maneater Pre-Order Bonuses →

Sakura Wars is a cross-genre title that combines action-based battles with visual novel and dating sim elements. Players step into the shoes of Seijuro Kamiyama, a young captain overseeing the reformation of the all-female Flower Division. Their job? Piloting steam-powered mechs, fighting demons, and during times of peace, producing theater plays.

The game features a fully 3D version of Ginza, Tokyo, which Seijuro can explore on foot and talk to different characters to trigger story events. The interactive LIPS system from earlier Sakura Wars installments makes a return. During dialogue, the player must pick one of the multiple responses within a time limit, and the choice affects the characters’ relationships.

Sakura Wars Pre-Order Bonuses →

Trials of Mana is a remake of the third installment in the fantasy JRPG Mana series from 1995. Developed by Square Enix, the game brings the classic storyline and the cast of characters into a lush 3D world with new combat and progression systems and a partly orchestral soundtrack.

The game offers six playable characters, out of which the player picks the protagonist and their two companions. The story and conversations play out differently depending on the party composition.

Trials of Mana Pre-Order Bonuses →

Final Fantasy VII Remake is an action RPG from Square Enix that retells the story of the original 1997 game in high definition. Like the title implies, it is not merely a port but a ground-up remake with new environments, character models, soundtrack, and modernized gameplay mechanics.

The story of Final Fantasy 7 follows Cloud Strife, a former soldier of the shadowy Shinra corporation which is utilizing the planet’s very life force as an energy source. After being hired by a resistance group Avalanche, he fights alongside his new comrades to save the planet.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Pre-Order Bonuses →

Persona 5 Royal is an enhanced version of the critically acclaimed supernatural RPG-slash-school life simulator from Atlus. It adds a third semester at the Shujin Academy attended by the cast, an entirely new story arc, new characters and confidants, more background music, and a grappling hook mechanic that comes in handy for reaching hidden areas.

The upcoming Royal release of Persona 5 comes with its own special editions, including a launch edition with a bonus Steelbook available to early customers at no extra charge. These are detailed after the break.

Persona 5 Royal Pre-Order Bonuses →

Nioh 2 is a “masocore” action RPG from Team Ninja. Timeline-wise it is a prequel to the original Nioh, and follows a different protagonist: a half-yokai, half-human mercenary who can utilize both weapons and supernatural abilities, and even enter the Dark Realm. This time around, the protagonist is fully customizable by the player including gender, appearance, and so on.

Like its predecessor, Nioh 2 can be played in Action (60 FPS), Movie (30 FPS with superior visuals), and Variable modes – and switching between them is easier than before. Regardless of the mode, PS4 Pro owners will enjoy higher resolutions.

Nioh 2 Pre-Order Bonuses →

Darksiders Genesis is an isometric hack-n-slash RPG developed by Airship Syndicate and published by THQ Nordic. It is a spin-off from the main Darksiders series, and stars Strife, the fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse, as well as his brother War. The player can switch between gunslinger Strife and swordsman War during gameplay, or tackle the game in a local or online co-op with a friend.

The game is already out on PC and Google Stadia, and has garnered generally favorable reviews. The console release is coming in February 2020, and as usual, there are some pre-order bonuses to take a look at.

Darksiders Genesis Pre-Order Bonuses →

Re:Mind is a downloadable expansion for Kingdom Hearts III. It brings a new standalone scenario playable after the original campaign. There also are new story cutscenes, new Keyblades and Formchanges, and the ability to switch the player character during certain segments of the game.

Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind is available in its standard form for $29.99. For $10 more, you get a Concert Video bundle that includes 19 musical tracks from Kingdom Hearts Orchestra –World of Tres- as detailed after the jump. Ownership of the base Kingdom Hearts III game is required.

Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind Pre-Order Bonuses →

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is an anime-style action RPG from CyberConnect2 and Bandai Namco. It allows the player to relive the entire story of DBZ as Goku, from iconic events and epic battles to daily life, training, and making friends. It also includes original, never-before-seen backstories for certain characters.

Goku can zoom around on his Nimbus, explore new areas, complete side-quests, and engage in activities like fishing and eating. In combat, the perspective switches from third-person to over-the-shoulder view similar to Xenoverse. The battles feature destructible environments and heart-pumping remixes of the original Japanese Dragon Ball Z anime soundtrack.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Pre-Order Bonuses →

Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Gust are hard at work on the upcoming re-release of the Atelier Dusk Trilogy that comprises Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk DX, Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky DX, and Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea DX.

The little “DX” at the end of each title signifies that the game includes numerous previously released DLC and some quality-of-life features. These include the ability to run in the overworld to explore faster, as well as a feature to fast-forward battles. The game’s graphics are also improved on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

Atelier Dusk Trilogy Pre-Order Bonuses →

Pokémon Sword and Shield are eight-generation core Pokémon games that take place in the Galar region heavily inspired by Great Britain. Players choose one of three new partner Pokemon – Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble – and embark on a journey as a Pokémon Trainer, catching, trading, and battling both returning and never-before-seen Pokémon.

New features include the Dynamax mode, which causes the trainer’s Pokémon to grow in size and power for a limited number of turns, as well as Max Raid battles which allow up to four trainers to take on a Max Raid Pokémon together.

Pokémon Sword and Shield Pre-Order Bonuses →

The latest main entry in Gust’s Atelier series follows Reisalyn “Ryza” Stout, a tomboyish girl with a strong sense of justice, whose world is turned upside down following an unexpected encounter. The scenario is co-written by Yashichiro Takahashi, a novelist best known for his Shakugan no Shana series, and features summer memories as a theme.

Compared to its predecessors, Atelier Ryza brings a significant graphical overhaul with more realistic visuals, and deepens the gathering, synthesis, and battle mechanics. The titular Secret Hideout (Ryza’s atelier) can be remodeled and customized floor to roof.

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout Pre-Order Bonuses →

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is a JRPG with turn-based battles and animated cutscenes. Taking place two years after the events of ToCS II, it follows Rean Schwarzer, now a combat instructor at Thors Branch Campus, who must prepare a new class for an uncertain future, and uncover a dark plot threatening his homeland.

The game has been released in Japan back in 2017, and NIS America is handling the upcoming launch in the West. Trails of Cold Steel III will launch with dual English & Japanese audio, and English & French text.

Trails of Cold Steel III Pre-Order Bonuses →

Indivisible is a crowdfunded action RPG slash platformer from Lab Zero Games, the developer of Skullgirls. It follows Ajna, a “fearless girl with a rebellious streak”, who sets out on a quest to uncover the truth about her newly awakened powers and save the world of Loka. Along the way she encounters many Incarnations: unique characters who she can absorb and manifest to fight at her side.

The game features hand-drawn anime-style visuals and an opening animated by Studio Trigger. The composer of Indivisible‘s soundtrack is Hiroki Kikuta of Secret of Mana fame.

Indivisible Pre-Order Bonuses →

Code Vein is an action RPG developed by Japanese studio Shift (the makers of God Eater) and published by Bandai Namco. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where once-towering skyscrapers are now lifeless graves of humanity’s past.

The player steps into the shoes of a vampiric Revenant, gaining powerful Gifts in exchange for their human memories and a constant thirst for blood. Those who succumb to the bloodlust become Lost: mindless ghouls roaming the wasteland in search of blood.

The player is joined by a partner on their journey, each of whom have their own combat style and background story. There are different classes of weapons to choose from – such as bayonets, axes, and spears – to accommodate various playstyles. Careful strategy and coordination with the partner is necessary to bring down the most threatening enemies.

Code Vein Pre-Order Bonuses →

The Surge 2 is a sci-fi action RPG developed by Deck 13 and published by Focus Home Interactive and Maximum Games. The game begins with the player waking up inside an abandoned detention facility in Jericho city following a plane crash. The military is enforcing martial law, the robots are rampaging, and an expanding nanostorm looms in the sky.

Much like the original title, the sequel features a melee combat system which encourages players to rip armored limbs off their enemies and use them to upgrade their own exo-rig. Instead of playing as Warren (the protagonist of The Surge), however, players create their own character. The sequel’s world is more expansive and open, made up of interconnected urban areas each with their set of quests and NPCs. There also are new weapon types, armor, implants, consumables, and companion drones wielding ranged weaponry.

The Surge 2 Pre-Order Bonuses →

Borderlands 3 is a first-person shooter with RPG elements, which like its predecessors is developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. It stars four new Vault Hunters – Moze the gunner, Amara the siren, FL4K the beastmaster, and Zane the operative – who seek to stop the fanatical Calypso Twins from claiming the galaxy’s ultimate power.

For the first time, the game features new worlds beyond the planet of Pandora, each with their own unique environments and enemies. As usual, there are endless guns to loot – including ones which grow legs and chase down enemies while hurling insults – and with alternate firing modes at that. Borderlands 3 supports both online and offline (split-screen) co-op.

Borderlands 3 Pre-Order Bonuses →

GreedFall is a single-player fantasy RPG from an independent French studio Spiders. The game’s art direction is inspired by 17th century Europe, and it takes place on a fictional continent of the Old World that is plagued by overpopulation, pollution, and an incurable epidemic. The only hope is a newly discovered land, Teer Fradee, where the game’s protagonist sails off to establish a colony – yet the island is teeming with fantastical creatures and magic-wielding locals.

GreedFall promises a high degree of freedom both in character progression and the way players can approach their objectives. Quests can be accomplished through combat, diplomacy, or deception, and choices made throughout the game influence the story.

GreedFall Pre-Order Bonuses →

Iceborne is the first major expansion to Capcom’s action RPG Monster Hunter: World. It delivers significant amounts of new content including an all-new story, a new locale – the Hoarfrost Reach – that is said to be the largest in the game yet, and a Master Rank difficulty tier that is equivalent to the previous installments’ G-rank.

The elements themselves will prove a threat in the snowy Hoarfrost Reach, with the players having to consume hot drinks to stave off the cold. Naturally, there are many returning and new monsters to hunt, including the brand new Elder Dragon Velkhana featured on Iceborne‘s box cover.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Pre-Order Bonuses →