The new mid-March recap is here, and once again this week I’ve got plenty of interesting titles to show you, all ready to be played. Meanwhile, TurnBasedThursdayFest 2026 is still underway, and I’ll dedicate a final recap on Monday highlighting everything that stood out the most and truly deserved the spotlight.
With that said, let’s take a look at all the new RPGs available for you to dive into.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Developers: CAPCOM
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: March 13, 2026
Steam Page
Carving parts and forging gear is not the only Monster Hunter game construction style. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection was the series’ turn-based RPG that players were allowed to play again, being a Rider from Azuria amid the danger that jeopardizes the life of two nations, Azuria and Vermeil.
The story focuses on the birth of a twin Rathalos, which is the Skyscale marked by a twin Rathalos, a symbol of a civil war that took place 200 years ago, while the world is dealing with the collapse of ecosystems and the endangerment of species. This makes it possible to present this scenario with a more politics and ecology-oriented perspective than the conventional hunt-to-upgrade cycle.
In terms of mechanics, it is still based on the familiar triangle of turn-based combat that has been in the series Power, Speed, and Technical attacks; these involving Head-to-Heads, Double Attacks, and part breaking, decisively shaping every single encounter on the battlefield, but Stories 3 somehow manages to make it even more challenging with Wyvernsoul Gauge and Synchro Rush system.
After an enemy has been weakened sufficiently to be Toppled, the team can take advantage of the opening and execute a highly coordinated attack which consequently, the battles will henceforth be characterized by fast and solid speed compared to previous editions.
The other feature is the restoration of the inhabitant ecosystem of monsters, which the Rider fantasy goes further in, as it also binds the progression to the recovery of these ecosystems; thus, it is seen as taking care of the world and managing it, as much as it is about the won battles. You can check it out for yourself on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, where it is available at the moment.
SOLASTA II (E.A.)
Developers: Tactical Adventures
Platforms: PC
Release Date March 12, 2026
Steam Page
Solasta II has moved away from the run-based fantasy roguelike gameplay found in the original, and now uses a much more rule-based CRPG format; as part of Tactical Adventures‘ second installment (and sequel) to the first Solasta, the battle action takes place in the magical continent of Neokos, and a new party of four adventurers are once again drawn into a quest driven by a family feud against the enigmatic Shadwyn.
Solasta II will continue to utilize the SRD 5.2 ruleset to underpin both the turn-based combat mechanics, party creation, skill checks, and spell casting, in addition to utilizing all of the same elements as in the previous game.
The reason why Solasta II is noteworthy in this week’s recap of newly accessible games is because of the fact that the “showcase” version of the game is no longer available for testing.
Instead, on March 12th, 2026, Solasta II was released in Early Access and contains approximately 10-15 hours of playable material, along with six classes, four ancestries, and a complete first chapter of its story/campaign currently available on Steam.
The revised design also allows for the ability of the players to explore the world of Neokos at their leisure, and to discover its map as they see fit, which may create a more open sense of exploration compared to the previously confined experience of the game, despite the fact that the fundamental elements of the game have not changed.
Sparrow Warfare (Demo)
Developers: NEON AURELIUS
Platforms: PC
Release Date: TBA
Steam Page
Sparrow Warfare is a very strange, light-hearted deck builder based off Mahjong, where you link together sets of three tiles (either by matching tiles, or creating a number run) to free trapped birds and attack the Storyteller, along with his minions.
On the surface, the game appears to be quite simplistic; however, the chain-based pattern of linking tile combinations creates an attack, defense, and upgrade, essentially creating a Combo Puzzle type game vs a typical Card Battler.
The games offers four playable paths, which represent different themes including Fire, Song, Water, and Ghosts; each of these will provide unique tiles, wildtile interactions, and play style identities.
What defines this game more than anything else is the wild tile system. Each bird that is freed from a cage adds additional wild tiles to the player’s ability to build. No release date yet, but an enjoyable demo to try.
Bloodgrounds (Out Of Early Access)
Developers: Exordium Games
Platforms: PC
Release Date: March 12, 2026
Steam Page
Where Sparrow Warfare chases after a few quirky deckbuilding ideas, Bloodgrounds takes it in a meaner, physical direction. Exordium Games‘ tactical roleplaying game is a blend of grid-based arena combat with management, rogue-lite progression and permanent loss where the player takes on the role of a former gladiator who escaped from the pits to return as a wealthy patron.
After that, the loop is based on recruiting and training fighters to build teams across physical, ranged, and magical classes, then sending them into brutal matches where death is final.
Outside the arena, there also exists a city management layer connected to unlocking and upgrading buildings, which open up more services and mechanics as the revenge story pushes towards the emperor at the center of it all.
More importantly for this week’s recap, Bloodgrounds is now fully out of Early Access with version 1.0 launching few days ago.
This release wraps in several additions which make the management side less static including item crafting for custom gear, a gambling minigame in the Dark Alley new enemies and alternate boss fights plus an audience entertainment system designed to feed into the spectacle of the arena.
The developers also used the 1.0 update to roll in broad balance changes, bug fixes, and quality of life work.
Dungeons and Warbands (E.A.)
Developers: Omer Erenturk
Platforms: PC
Release Date: March 11, 2026
Steam Page
Dungeons and Warbands expands upon the punishing theme of Bloodgrounds by introducing a larger open-world sandbox experience. Developed by solo creator Omer Erenturk, Dungeons and Warbands provides an open-world experience that combines turn-based battles with grid-based battle systems, allowing players to travel freely throughout various kingdoms, settlements, caves, and ruins either alone or leading a customizable warband.
The most notable aspect of Dungeons and Warbands’ gameplay is the level of physicality in the combat system. Combat attacks hit the exact body part of the opponent (such as a shoulder, arm, etc.), injuries can severely hinder a unit’s effectiveness, and armor is not simply a flat defense value, but rather a layered system consisting of different layers (cloth, gambeson, chainmail, etc.) that interact with the type of attack (slashing, piercing, blunt) that is being used.
This makes the standard dungeon crawl loop feel more realistic, and when the player has the ability to protect their characters neck, head, and chest with appropriate equipment, they may have a greater chance of survival during combat.
The overall structure of the game appears to focus heavily on providing the player with as much flexibility and free will as possible, versus a predetermined path of progression. We will be able to recruit a variety of companions, including knights, bandits, goblins, minotaurs, and other units; clear dungeons, trade with the settlements, take quests, and develop the party using skill trees that allow them to develop both combat techniques and orders such as hold position, follow, and attack.
Early Access is available on PC via Steam, with larger systems, such as more dynamic world mechanics and enhanced companion development, to be added later.
STARWEAVE
Developers: Studio Starweave
Platforms: PC
Release Date: March 9, 2026
Steam Page
Studio Starweave’s first release is a story-driven turn-based tactics RPG, taking place in a world locked into a prophecy, where the party moves through a bittersweet tale of destiny, self-discovery, and rebellion.
Battles are squad-based; however, the game’s main draw is the refusal system that allows players to have their characters fight back against the roles assigned to them, altering how scenes and choices occur in the game.
This makes the battle tactics in the game carry greater narrative significance than normal, as both combat and player agency appear to be designed to support the same central theme of breaking free from an oppressive cycle.
The developers refer to Starweave as approximately a three-hour-long game, produced as a thesis project by a group of students and freelance contributors, which explains why the game has such a small scope and structured design. Anyway, a game to give a try now on Steam.
THYSIASTERY
Developers: DIRGA
Platforms: PC
Release Date: March 9, 2026
Steam Page
In THYSIASTERY, players are pulled into a large maze (the Labyrinth) by being forced down a long, winding path, through multiple layers of shifting, hostile environments, to find their way back out.
As an RPG in a traditional sense, with roguelike mechanics, the player will experience the same type of procedural, turn-based gameplay as found in many modern roguelikes. Instead of experiencing a set piece, the player will survive run after run of procedurally generated content, deal with the consequences of losing a character (permadeath), and make the best use of random character builds from expedition to expedition.
The setting also adds a lot to the gameplay loop with the inclusion of buried forests, underwater cities, ancient relics, and odd creatures, giving the Labyrinth more depth than a simple gauntlet of combat.
THYSIASTERY also has what I believe is a nice key feature that separates it from other retro-style crawlers: the ability to teach a character’s skills to another character. In fact, you can pass a learned skill to another member of the party.
This allows the player to experiment with different builds and strategies during each run and develop a custom team over time. In addition to this, the game includes difficulty modifiers and turn-based combat that is designed around exploiting weaknesses and taking advantage of random chance, features that are likely to be appealing to fans of older style, tense DRPGs.
The Tower of Shadows (Out of Early Access)
Developers: Alien Création
Platforms: PC
Release Date: March 13, 2026
Steam Page
The dark fantasy roguelite by Alien Création, The Tower of Shadows puts the player into a tower where each time they climb higher, the game changes the rules of play (curses, enemy adaptation and the physical structure of the floors), making the challenges in this game not just about survival from fights but adapting to a structure that continually writes the rules of engagement.
It is described as a “hardcore” combination of Tactical RPGs, Dungeon Crawlers, and Procedural Run-Based Design; Each fight will be determined by how well you are able to utilize your hero’s synergies, manage the tiles you are on, utilize the resources available to you, and understand the enemy’s weaknesses in order to win.
After an early access period, The Tower of Shadows was officially released in version 1.0 on March 12, 2026, with a free demo available.
Light Fairytale Episode 3 (E.A.)
Developers: miyu.works
Platforms: PC
Release Date: March 12, 2026
Steam Page
After a string of challenging roguelites and the darker dungeon crawler experience, Light Fairytale Episode 3 moves to a different style that has become far more traditional.
miyu.works is continuing their episodic JRPG series in a dying underground world ruled by an empire, and follows from Haru’s encounter with the mysterious girl, which takes the search for the lost “Sky” a bit further along.
This has a clear 90’s console RPG feel, but with modern day visuals and comfort-of-play features, so there isn’t really a need to create anything new as regards the turn-based battle system, rather deliver a story-driven continuation at a well-known level of exploration, party scenes, and menu-based battles.
What is most important, however, is that episode three is currently available to play via Steam, which places it among the most recently released titles for those that follow the series through all its prior episodes.
Specifically, the Steam version can be purchased either independently or as part of a trilogy pack (including episodes 1 & 2). Thusly, this is essentially a continuation of a larger serial adventure, and while there are certainly some new systems and content to explore, the greatest advantage of playing Light Fairytale Episode 3 is continuity: new allies, returning allies, and additional progress toward uncovering the central mystery within the game’s setting.
Last 4 Days (Demo)
Developers: Anaxanthia
Platforms: PC
Release Date: TBA
Steam Page
Last 4 Days use a new type of pressure in a cold way. Anexanthia tactic game using the last plan of humanity to defeat the rogue AI army, and has five teams deployed in five major locations as part of “Project Clean Sweep”.
The structure of the game uses base building/survival management and turn-based combat. The major twist on the game is time. Each turn of the battle advances the clock, and each decision made after a battle (rest, repair, build, etc.) will burn up time until the next battle.
Where this game differs from other games is the relationship between each battle and where they are located.
Each location is the same for four days, and choices made in one area affect all areas of the campaign. For example, if you choose to move a soldier to another team, skip a distress signal, or lose a special unit member, you will have an effect on future missions.
What is important for your squad is the type of class they belong to. There are many classes such as sniper, engineer, bomb technician, etc. each class has different upgrades and tools. In addition to the types of units you have on your team, there is also the construction of fortifications, and the management of supplies.
Supplies are very rare, and when lost, it is a permanent loss. If a unit member dies, they will stay dead. Unit members also get tired and their abilities become less effective. I still don’t have a release date to share with you, but i think the demo deserves a try.
Labyrinth Trailblazer
Developers: Chris D
Platforms: PC
Release Date: March 9, 2026
Steam Page
To cap off the recap on a more nostalgic note, Labyrinth Trailblazer takes a more traditional approach to first-person dungeon crawling (with a clean, run-based structure) than most other old-school DRPGs.
Chris D‘s game drops you into procedurally generated labyrinths for each run of the game, with turn-based party battles, random events, and gradual skill and item progression. It does keep all of the typical features of this genre, though, including campfires to recover and recruit, map markers to track points of interest, and a complete restart when your run fails.
Labyrinth Trailblazer offers more than ten playable characters, over thirty animated enemies, three different themed regions, twenty-plus items, fifteen-plus events, and multiple difficulty settings to affect the pace of a single run. Now available on Steam with a demo version to try.