RPGs Coming This Week, September 20–26, 2026 – Adventures, Demons, and More

Nighthawks – September 22nd (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Adventure game and RPG fans are typically in for a good time when Wadjet Eye publishes a new title, and this week they bring Nighthawks to Steam after eight years of development. As you can tell from the screenshots, Nighthawks is set in a world of vampires, but this isn’t a game where you fight the creatures of the night, but rather one where you, as a vampire, are seeking to build a “thriving nightclub empire through fear, seduction, and forbidden supernatural gifts.”

Apparently that mention of “seduction” was too much for Valve, as leading up to this week’s release, they temporarily slapped an “Adults Only” rating on Nighthawks, which would have prevented the game from showing up in search results, and prevented its sale entirely in some countries. As Wadjet Eye founder Dave Gilbert said on Bluesky, “Valve is under the impression that this game is way sexier than it actually is.” Thankfully for the publisher and people who want to play the game, Valve now considers the game “not porn.” Well that’s a relief. It won’t be that difficult to hop in and run your own vampire nightclub now, if you’re so inclined.

One piece of advice for any would-be successful vampire club owners though: vet your talent (language warning) if you wanna keep your clientele coming back.

by Mike Salbato

Nocturne – September 22nd (Windows)

Do you like it when rhythm games and RPGs combine? That combination may bring to mind games like Final Fantasy Theatrhythm, but Nocturne takes a different approach entirely. Nocturne fuses the timing-based, beat-demanding, note-crushing gameplay of Guitar Hero with the top-down, 2D exploration and classic storytelling of an SNES RPG into one intriguing package. Narrative details are scarce, but the game revolves around a post-apocalyptic Digital Afterlife that’s engulfed the world, and manipulating this beautiful, digital world is key to finding the secret behind what’s left the world in ruin. Better yet, the game’s 101 playable tracks were recorded by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra! A truly fully featured music RPG, something I’m sure is right up the alley of many Rhythm Encounter listeners.

by Ben Love

Rivage – September 22nd (Windows)

I usually don’t want someone to try and sell me on a game by saying “it’s like [game you love] and [other game you love]!,” but when I hear Rivage — a first-person narrative adventure — likened to games like Myst and my beloved Blue Prince, I have to take notice. In Rivage, we play as Miranda, apparently the sole survivor trapped on a space station launched to study the viability of living on a newly discovered planet. What follows is a puzzle-filled adventure to try and uncover the fates of the rest of the crew, and the strange happenings on board the station itself.

As I mentioned, a gripping narrative adventure is always welcome, and while I loved the aesthetics of Blue Prince, I can’t say no to a beautiful spaceship setting, either.

by Mike Salbato

Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow – September 24th (PS5, Switch, Windows)

Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow is billed as a “tactical counter-timeline RPG” boasting an action-oriented take on strategic combat in which players try to predict an enemy’s moves to plan successful counters. The narrative stars dual protagonists Rena and Soma in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi urban fantasy version of our world as they investigate strange occurrences to prevent a total reality collapse. Featuring a combination of storytelling visual novel visuals and 3D graphics for its hectic combat, Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow could be an RPG worth checking out when it releases later this week!

by Audra Bowling

Yami Kids – September 22nd (Windows)

Taking heavy inspiration from Atlus’ own kid-friendly monster-collecting RPG franchise DemiKids, Yami Kids takes the colorful 8-bit aesthetic of classic Game Boy Color titles and fuses that with Japanese folklore. You play as the Yami Twins (Yuki Yami and Yuumi Yami), a pair of sibling Contractors who make pacts with Oni to fight Shadow Duels (turn-based conflicts between Contractors and their teams of Oni). There are over 80 Oni to collect, an Overworld and Underworld to explore, and taming them all will be necessary to assist the twins in their pursuit of revenge against their killer. Definitely a darker tone than your average monster-catching RPG, but the visuals establish a delightfully old-school vibe for fans of classic handheld RPGs. There’s even a free demo on Steam if you want to give the game a try before it releases this week.

by Ben Love

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition – September 24th (Switch 2)

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a grand JRPG adventure that the Luminary and his colorful compatriots embark upon while trying to save their world from certain ruin. I had a blast playing it on the Switch, and I’m glad to see others getting the chance to play this highly-praised game as well with this week’s Nintendo Switch 2 release!

by Audra Bowling

The Relic: First Guardian – September 25th (Xbox Series X|S)

The Relic: First Guardian graced PCs and PS5 earlier this summer on July 31st, with the Xbox and Switch 2 editions rolling out this fall. So if you’re an Xbox player, this week you too can play the game that our own Matt Wardell described as “a purgatory of tedium and glitches dressed up to look like a heavy-hitter action RPG.” In fairness to the developer and publisher, in those seven weeks, the game has been patched 18 (!?) times, the most recent being two days ago. I don’t know if 18 patches in seven weeks is ultimately a good or bad thing, but hopefully The Relic: First Guardian is in a better place than it was in July, between these updates and the game’s recent permanent price reduction.

by Mike Salbato