All PS Vita Games with Pre-Orders (2021)

Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World is the latest installment in the Atelier franchise developed by Gust and published in the West by Koei Tecmo. In a departure from the past titles, it focused on town building rather than alchemy, although it still retains the familiar elements of resource gathering, battles, and synthesis.

The player takes on the role of Nelke, a young noblewoman who longs to become an alchemist, but lacks the talent. After she is appointed the governor of a frontier village, it falls to her to develop it into a thriving city. Legendary alchemists from the previous Atelier games come together to help her along the way.

Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is a rhythm game developed and published by Atlus. Like the name suggests, it features the cast of Persona 3, who perform to fan-favorite tracks in locations from the original game. As the player progresses, they unlock new costumes and other items, and deepen the social bonds between characters through conversation and mini-events.

The counterpart to Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is the simultaneously-released Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, which stars the characters of Persona 5 and uses realistic dance routines.

Developed by Atlus following the success of Persona 4: Dancing All Night, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight has the members of the Phantom Thieves tearing up the dance floor in stages based on the original title. It features both fan-favorite tracks and brand new remixes, and a variety of unlockable costumes and accessories to make the dances even flashier.

The game will launch alongside its P3 counterpart, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, which stars the characters of Persona 3 and features acrobatic dancing.

The upcoming Secret of Mana is a 3D remake of the 1993 SNES action RPG from Square Enix. It follows the adventures of a courageous young man Randi, who alongside a noblewoman Primm and a mischievous sprite Popoi take on a treacherous empire in an attempt to restore balance to the world.

Compared to the original, the remake features revamped visuals and controls, voiced characters, a rearranged soundtrack, and local multiplayer for up to three players.

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory is a role-playing game developed by Japanese company Media.Vision and published by Bandai Namco for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. It shares locations and gameplay elements with the 2015 title Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, but features a new story and characters.

The protagonist of the game is Keisuke Amazawa, a boy who is blamed for a crime committed through his stolen Cyberspace EDEN account. He joins a hacker group called Hudie, and sets out to find the real culprit, befriending numerous Digimon along the way. Players can choose between Gotsumon, Betamon, or Tentomon as their partner at the beginning, and the game features 320 creatures in total.

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders is a tactical RPG developed by Media.Vision, and published by Gaijinworks outside Japan. The game takes place in Fillujah, a Cocoon World enveloped by a mysterious barrier where the three main characters – Raj, Amu and Ist – live in virtual isolation. This changes when strangers from another worlds begin appearing from the sky.

The game is notable for its huge (50+) character cast, emotional story, and a fully 3D battle system. It is also the first installment in the Summon Night series to boast HD graphics.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is a murder-mystery visual novel developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by NIS America in the West. It plays similarly to the previous installments of Danganronpa, but features a new setting and a fresh cast of characters. Characters from the previous games are said to appear in the upcoming game’s bonus modes, however.

Taking place in the Prison School for the Gifted, the game’s protagonist is Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. Along with fifteen classmates who possess Ultimate talents of their own, Kaede is forced to participate in a mutual killing game by Monokuma, a deranged robotic bear who serves as the school’s headmaster.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is an action RPG developed by Nihon Falcom and localized by NIS America for the Western markets. The game comes with dual audio, and includes English and French subtitles.

Like several other Ys games, it begins with the protagonist Adol Christin getting shipwrecked and stranded on a cursed island. Forming a village together with the other shipwrecked passengers, he sets out to unravel the secrets of the cursed isle and the blue-haired maiden Dana who haunts his dreams.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is a tactical RPG / visual novel hybrid made by Aquaplus and localized by Atlus. As a direct sequel to Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception, it continues Haku’s journey and brings it to a climactic and thrilling conclusion. The upcoming title is said to offer 70+ hours of gameplay, enhanced battle mechanics, and an increased cast of fascinating characters.

In North America, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth will be available in physical and digital formats for both PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. The game comes with the original Japanese voice acting and English subtitles.

Valkyria Revolution is an action RPG developed by Media.Vision and published by Sega. A spin-off of the main Valkyria Chronicles series, the game shares similar themes but takes place in a different universe, portraying war between two vastly different nations during the European industrial revolution. The battle system is also changed from a turn-based to a hybrid one, with faster-paced, real-time combat.

Valkyria Revolution comes with dual audio, so the players can choose between the original Japanese voice acting and the new English dub. The game’s soundtrack is composed by the acclaimed Yasunori Mitsuda.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is a tactical RPG and visual novel game developed by Aquaplus and published by Atlus. The story takes place in a rich fantasy world and is said to offer 40 to 50 hours of gameplay. It begins with the protagonist awakening atop a snowy mountain, with no memories of who he is and how he got there. When he is attacked by a giant monster, a beautiful girl with animal ears and a tail comes to his rescue.

The plot of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception unfolds through a linear visual novel boasting great art and background soundtrack. Integrated with that is a turn-based RPG battle system with various mechanics like elemental affinities and combo attacks that add depth to the combat encounters. The game features English text and Japanese audio.

Akiba’s Beat is an action RPG developed by Japanese studio Acquire and published by Marvelous USA (XSEED Games) in North America. In this third title from the Akiba series, players take control of Asahi Tachibana, a NEET who becomes trapped in a day-long time loop along with the other main characters. The game puts a fantastical spin on the Tokyo’s Akihabara ward, with real-life landscapes meshing with surreal “Delusionscapes”.

Unlike its predecessors, Akiba’s Beat plays more like a typical JRPG, with a four-member party taking on enemies (“deluseons”) using a variety of physical and magical skills. Characters can also receive passive boosts (such as halved SP consumption) via the in-game trading card system.

Toukiden 2 is an upcoming action RPG developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo. Set two years after the events in Kiwami, it follows a Slayer who fought in the defense of the city of Yokohama and was swallowed by a portal, emerging in Mahoroba Village ten years later with no memories of the past.

One major change from its predecessors is that Toukiden 2 now features an open world, with Mahoroba Village serving as the game’s main hub. The entire cast of Slayers, as well as non-combatant NPCs, make a return in the upcoming title. There also are new characters, Oni, and Mitama.

The latest installment in the long-running Atelier series takes place shortly after the events in Atelier Sophie. The game follows a 15-year-old girl named Firis, who lives in an isolated mining town and yearns to venture to the outside world. When the protagonist of the previous game, Sophie, visits the town, Firis jumps at the chance to become her apprentice. However, Firis must become a certified alchemist in just one year if her parents are to allow her to continue her travels.

The Synthesis system in Atelier Firis features a number of exciting new additions to suit its nomadic nature, says publisher Koei Tecmo. A portable Atelier Tent allows Firis to synthesize wherever she wants, whereas Mass Synthesis is capable of creating huge items such as bridges and boats to help navigate the game’s world. Effectiveness of items can be magnified through the use of special Catalysts.

Adapted from the popular manga series Berserk, this M-rated hack-and-slash game follows lone mercenary Guts in his quest to take down every last one of the demonic Apostles. Armed with a vast array of different weapons, players can utilize them to their full potential against hordes of enemies in Dynasty Warriors style, one-vs-many battles. Berserk and the Band of the Hawk includes as many as eight playable characters (such as Griffith, Casca, and Schierke), each with their own different fighting styles.

The game is developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo for PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and Windows in the West. The Japanese version, titled Berserk Musou, also received a PS3 release. It follows “Golden Age” through “Hawk of the Millennium Empire” arcs of the Berserk manga.

World of Final Fantasy is a role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for PlayStation 4 and Vita, with cross-save enabled between the two systems. It follows twin siblings Lann and Reyne who journey through the world of Grymoire on a quest to recover their lost memories.

The game is said to be more accessible to younger players, and features stylized “chibi” characters and monsters. The battles use the ATB system that Final Fantasy players will be familiar with, but there’s also an added strategic element of stacking monsters on top of each other to create powerful monster towers.

Dragon Quest Builders is an action RPG with voxel-based block building elements developed and published by Square Enix. A spin-off from the original series, the game tasks the player with rebuilding the land of Alefgard which was devastated by monsters after the hero’s demise.

Unlike true sandbox games like Minecraft, the world of Dragon Quest Builders is handcrafted rather than procedurally generated, and the game has quests and a storyline to advance through. However, there is also a Free Build Mode which becomes available after clearing the first continent. In this mode, players can build with no restrictions and share their creations through the PlayStation Network.

God Eater 2: Rage Burst is an enhanced version of the 2013 action RPG God Eater 2, developed by Japanese studio Shift and published by Namco Bandai in the West. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where gigantic monsters called Aragami seek to devour humanity. Only elite warriors called God Eaters can stand up to the threat by using God Arcs – weapons infused with Oracle Cells taken from Aragami themselves.

The expanded game adds another story chapter as well as new characters, enemies and weapon types. It also introduces a new gameplay mechanic called Blood Rage, which allows the player to use their Awakening Gauge to gain various buffs.

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a LEGO-themed action-adventure game developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros for all major gaming platforms. While mostly based on the eponymous movie, it also includes content which covers the events between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

The gameplay is said to be similar to that of its predecessors, but LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens does include some new mechanics, such as space dogfights, Blaster Battles which use a cover system, and Multi-Builds where players can choose from multiple building options to solve puzzles and open up new paths.

Grand Kingdom is a tactical turn-based JRPG developed by studio MonoChro and published by NIS America in the US. The game is set in a medieval fantasy world where four major nations are battling for dominance. It offers an expansive single-player campaign as well as online war mode where players fight for one of the Four Great Nations. Cross-play, but not cross-save, is supported between PS4 and the Vita.

Grand Kingdom has been out in Japan since November 2015, and a number of paid DLC was released so far. The good news is that the Western release will include all this content free of charge. This brings the total number of character classes up to 17, and story chapters from 12 to 48, resulting in more than 40 hours of offline gameplay.