Readers searching for upcoming turn based strategy games usually want more than a list of names. They need to know which projects offer deep party building, meaningful story choices, demanding battlefield decisions, or a broader campaign between fights. The strongest RPG-focused watchlist currently includes Solasta II, MENACE, Demonschool, Threads of Time, Mewgenics, Mars Tactics, Shadow of the Road and Beast. These games cover very different styles, from tabletop-inspired fantasy battles to cat-based roguelike runs and science-fiction squad campaigns. Release plans can change, so compare each game’s systems first and verify its current status before buying or making firm plans.
Turn-based strategy is a broad label. It can describe a large-scale 4X game, a board-game adaptation, a tactical war game or a party-based RPG. This article focuses on the last two categories: games where combat connects to character development, equipment, exploration, party composition or narrative decisions.
The best upcoming turn based strategy games make each turn matter without reducing the experience to a sequence of isolated battles. A strong position can save a fragile character, preserve a scarce ability or open a route through an encounter. Outside combat, the player should have equally meaningful decisions about recruitment, skill development, relationships, resources or the direction of the campaign.
The projects below have been presented as forthcoming or in development, but their schedules and final feature sets may change. The comparison concentrates on the kind of experience each game is aiming to provide rather than listing unverified dates or platforms.
| Game | Core format | RPG or narrative hook | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solasta II | Party-based grid tactics | Tabletop-inspired fantasy rules and character roles | Players who enjoy careful party construction |
| MENACE | Science-fiction squad tactics with a campaign layer | Unit management and mission decisions | Systems-focused players who like pressure |
| Demonschool | Planned-action tactical battles | Demon hunting, a school schedule and relationships | Players who want social planning alongside combat |
| Threads of Time | Classic turn-based party RPG | Time travel and heroes from different eras | Story-first players who enjoy traditional party adventures |
| Mewgenics | Run-based tactical roguelike | Cat traits, recruitment and build experimentation | Players who prefer repeatable runs |
| Mars Tactics | Turn-based engagements within a Mars-set conflict | Faction decisions and a wider strategic campaign | Players who want the war layer to matter |
| Shadow of the Road | Party-focused turn-based tactics | An alternate Edo-era Japan with supernatural elements | Players drawn to setting and character identity |
| Beast | Dark-fantasy tactical RPG | Moral tension and the conflict between human and beast | Players looking for a harsher tone |
Solasta II is the clearest choice for players who want a traditional fantasy party and battles built around positioning. The sequel follows the series’ tabletop-inspired approach, where class roles, line of sight, elevation and ability selection can shape the result of an encounter. That makes the party roster as important as the individual move selected on a character’s turn.
Its main appeal is the combination of customisation and readable tactical problems. Choose it if you enjoy comparing classes, arranging a balanced group and finding a solution through preparation. The trade-off is that rules-heavy combat can feel slower to learn than a more streamlined RPG, so prospective players should look for current information about tutorials, difficulty options and how much of the campaign is accessible to newcomers.
MENACE comes from Overhype Studios, the team behind Battle Brothers, and moves the studio’s interest in demanding tactical campaigns into science fiction. Its focus is a squad operating in a hostile environment, with the wider campaign giving context to individual missions. The attraction is the link between battlefield choices and the condition of the force that returns from the fight.
This is one to watch if you enjoy building a capable team while dealing with uncertainty and limited resources. It may suit players who value operational decisions more than a heavily scripted fantasy story. Before committing, check how the finished game handles squad replacement, progression, difficulty and the consequences of a failed mission.
Demonschool stands out because it places tactical planning beside a school-life structure. The game combines demon hunting with a calendar, party preparation and character relationships, while its battles are designed around planning actions and creating combinations across the grid. That gives the player decisions to make before an encounter even begins.
The format should appeal to anyone who likes social systems to have a practical effect on an RPG campaign. You may prefer it to a conventional tactics game if choosing how to spend time between missions sounds as interesting as selecting attacks. Its unusual structure also makes it worth checking how freely players can recover from a poor schedule or an unsuccessful battle.
Threads of Time is aimed at players who associate turn-based RPGs with a colourful party, memorable locations and a journey that moves beyond one historical period. Its time-travel premise allows the cast and environments to draw from different eras, giving the adventure a broader identity than a single medieval kingdom or science-fiction colony.
This is a stronger fit for story-led players than for anyone seeking a military simulation. The strategic interest comes from party composition, ability combinations and the timing of decisions rather than managing an entire army. Watch it if you want a traditional RPG structure with a distinctive setting, but pay attention to the depth of character customisation and how much player choice affects the story.
Mewgenics takes a very different route. The Team Meat project centres on cats, traits and tactical roguelike runs, making experimentation a central part of the experience. Instead of building one fixed hero for a long linear campaign, players can expect the appeal to come from discovering unusual combinations and adapting to what each run provides.
That makes it a good choice for players who enjoy trying strange builds, accepting setbacks and starting again with new possibilities. It is less suitable if your priority is a carefully authored party drama with a permanent cast and a straightforward progression path. Check how much progression carries between runs, since that distinction strongly affects whether a roguelike structure feels rewarding or repetitive.
Mars Tactics should interest players who want individual battles to sit inside a wider conflict. Its Mars setting provides the backdrop for faction competition, while the strategic layer is intended to give decisions outside combat their own weight. The important question is not simply whether the maps are challenging, but whether campaign choices alter the problems that follow.
Choose this type of game if you like deciding where to commit a squad, which objectives deserve attention and how to manage a conflict over time. It may be a better match than a character-led RPG for players who prefer a war-room perspective. On the other hand, those looking for extensive relationships or branching personal stories should confirm how much narrative development exists beyond the faction struggle.
Shadow of the Road uses an alternate Edo-era Japan as the foundation for a party-based tactical RPG. Its combination of samurai, ninjas and supernatural elements gives it a clear identity, while the party structure creates room for different roles and competing personalities. The setting is likely to be the main reason many players place it on a watchlist.
It is a promising option for anyone who wants the fiction surrounding a battle to matter as much as the map itself. Look for information about party relationships, exploration and the effect of narrative choices before deciding whether it is closer to a story-driven RPG or a combat-first tactics game. That distinction will matter to players expecting the kind of freedom described in a traditional role-playing adventure.
Beast, from False Prophet, takes a darker fantasy approach and builds its identity around the tension between a human protagonist and a more monstrous side. That premise gives the game a natural reason to connect tactical encounters with questions of identity, morality and control. The result should appeal to players who want their campaign to feel more severe than a conventional heroic quest.
The main reason to follow it is the possibility of combining grim storytelling with deliberate battlefield decisions. It may not be the right choice for someone seeking a light adventure or a purely numbers-driven strategy game. Before release, examine how much of the promised tension appears in actual choices, party development and repeatable combat rather than in the setting alone.
The phrase “best upcoming turn based strategy game” has no single answer because these projects create challenge in different places. Use the following distinctions to narrow the watchlist.
Marketing descriptions often use “tactical RPG” for games with very different loops. A few minutes spent checking the actual systems can prevent disappointment, particularly when a project is still in development or entering early access.
A turn-based strategy game may focus on armies, territories, economies or objectives, while a turn-based RPG usually gives more attention to individual characters and their development. Tactical RPGs combine both concerns by linking battlefield decisions to classes, equipment, party relationships and story progression.
There is no universal starting point because the games above vary in complexity and structure. A newcomer should look for clear tutorials, adjustable difficulty and transparent enemy rules, then choose between a traditional party RPG such as Threads of Time or a more rules-focused project such as Solasta II.
Demonschool, Threads of Time, Shadow of the Road and Beast are the most obvious projects to investigate if character identity and setting are priorities. Their precise narrative scope may change during development, so check current gameplay and feature descriptions rather than relying only on the premise.
MENACE, Mars Tactics and Mewgenics are the strongest candidates for players who want campaign management, tactical pressure or build experimentation. They differ significantly: the first two centre on broader conflicts, while Mewgenics is built around repeatable runs and unusual team combinations.
No. A turn-based battle may pause between actions, but the pressure can come from limited time-sensitive resources, enemy threats, positioning and irreversible choices. The pace depends on encounter length, animation speed and how much information the game gives you before committing to a move.
Development schedules, platforms, early-access plans and feature lists can change after an announcement. Check the current developer page and storefront entry so you know whether you are following an unreleased project, an unfinished build or a game that has already launched.
The right watchlist depends on the kind of decisions you want to make. Choose Solasta II or Threads of Time for party-led fantasy, MENACE or Mars Tactics for campaign pressure, Demonschool for planning beyond combat, Mewgenics for experimental runs, and Shadow of the Road or Beast for setting and moral tension. For upcoming turn based strategy games, comparing the combat loop, RPG progression and current release status will give you a more useful shortlist than relying on genre labels alone.
