Magic is a standard system in RPGs to fit with melee-based combat. For example, most of them Final Fantasy games have some sort of mage or magic user on hand to kill monsters and enemies with fire, wind, or ice ailments. There aren't many games that are all about magic, except maybe The legacy of Hogwartswhich is one of the more recent examples that Harry Potter fans are still excited about.
Wizard of Legend and its sequel are two lesser examples, but they're still fun roguelikes regardless. For all gamers who like to use magic, and only magic, in their games, here are the upcoming releases to wishlist on their preferred platform. Hopefully they will come out sooner rather than later.
Never Grave: The Witch And The Curse
A Witch's Odyssey
- Developer: Front page 180
- Publisher: Pocketpair Publishing
- Planned release Date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch and Xbox
Never Grave: The Witch And The Curse is a “roguevania”, a cross between the randomized nature of roguelikes and the map or ability progression of Metroidvanias. Player is a young witch character who will primarily attack enemies with spells, although it appears that melee combat is also available. The art style is reminiscent of Hollow Knightas everything has a hand-drawn aesthetic.
Even cooler than the spells, players can throw their hat at downed enemies to temporarily possess them, much like a more demonic Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey. It seems that the game will launch first on PC, PS4 and PS5, as the links to the Switch and Xbox pages are not active, so it is not known when or if the game will launch on the current Nintendo and Microsoft consoles.
Spellcaster's Chronicles
A surprise message
- Developer: Quantic Dream SA
- Publisher: Quantic Dream SA
- Planned release Date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC
The disclosure of Spellcaster's Chronicles is one of the year's most surprising announcements, as it is being developed by a spinoff team from Quantic Dream, best known for its branching adventure games such as Detroit: Become Human. This upcoming game appears to be a magic-based amalgamation of MOBA and team shooter experiences, as two teams of three will be duking it out in arenas.
These teams have access to spells, but players can create decks with monsters to summon as well. Spellcaster's Chronicles will be free to play, and the beta is supposed to launch before the end of 2025, so it will be interesting to see what the studio has cooked up.
Time Spinner 2: Unwoven Dream
An unexpected sequel
- Developer: Lunar Ray Games
- Publisher: Lunar Ray Games
- Planned release date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Linux
One of the most underrated Metroidvanias is Time spinnerwhich was released in 2018. In it, players could collect orbs, each of which produced different spells, and then create combos by combining two orbs, making combat more engaging than most Metroidvanias.
The battle in its indirect sequel, Time Spinner 2: Unwoven Dreamlooks to follow the same formula, which is great for fans of the original. Another element that appears to be carried over is the magical families that players can call upon to aid them in battle or exploration.
UnderMire
Dual-Wielding with friends
- Developer: Table knight game
- Publisher: Table knight game
- Planned release date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC
UnderMire is an amazing spellcasting experience for anyone who likes to double string games. Players can learn spells, find books, and use gadgets to aid them in battle. There will even be a crafting station, which will presumably allow players to create more ways to use magic and magical items in the game.
It's a roguelike, so how progression works is currently unknown, but another detail to look forward to is co-op. Up to four players can join a run together, similar to another big magic roguelike, Wizard of Legend.
Witchbrook
A school for magicians
- Planned release date: 2026
- Planned systems: PC, Switch, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X
Witchbrook is a more chill witch experience than most of the upcoming games on this list. It's more of a life sim, as players can meet friends and attend classes at a magical academy not unlike The legacy of Hogwartsbut in a more pixelated way.
This is another game with four-player co-op, although how that will work is a bit more mysterious as it doesn't seem like combat is a big focus. Witchbrook can be a good companion to Stardew Valley if anyone gets tired of playing through that game for the millionth time.
Wizard cats
Abra Ca-Meow!
- Developer: BigFrog Studios
- Publisher: BigFrog Studios
- Planned release date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC
Wizard cats is a great name for an adorable top-down rogue-like experience that almost looks like a tactical game thanks to the tile designs. As a cat, players will gain magical powers from runes that they can create with a skill tree on their runs.
The game boasts that there will be an almost infinite amount of skills to craft, from icebergs to lightning, which may appeal to Borderlands audience because these games have an almost unlimited amount of weapons. How many different fire spells can a game have? It will be interesting to find out.
YAPYAP
Magic mischief
- Developer: Maison Bap
- Publisher: Maison Bap
- Planned release date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC
YAPYAP looks to follow in the footsteps of chaos simulators like GOAT Simulator, made for the steamy co-op crowd. Six players can join together for a match where they explore a troll tower that is different each time they enter.
Players can learn basic spells as they explore, like fire magic, and building spell chains with friends is probably half the fun. Think about Mickey in Fantasy the movie was more of a stinker and went into a scarier tower filled with menacing monsters and cloaked demons that wanted to kill him. It basically is YAPYAP briefly.
