5 Anticipated RPG Sequels Without Release Dates

Who hasn't waited long for the next chapter or release of their favorite game?

In the case of games, the sequel or next title of a franchise or work that achieved global success is usually a hot topic for speculation, alleged leaks, and a dozen scattered pieces of information until, finally, the studio releases the long-awaited trailer.

Some games take only a few years to announce their sequel, but others take almost a decade or more to release the next big title in the franchise, and in this article, we present five RPG games with sequels eagerly awaited by fans that have not yet been released or have no release date —or even an announcement— revealed.

The Witcher 4

After The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt established itself as one of the most important RPGs of the past decade — with over 50 million copies sold and expansions treated as complete games — CD Projekt spent years dealing with the weight and expectations of this legacy but faced some obstacles before being able to move forward with the franchise: the studio worked hard on marketing Cyberpunk 2077 and, in the following years, had to deal with the game's troublesome launch and rework it until it became a product that met the expectations created by the public.

The Witcher 4 has already been confirmed as part of a new saga, now outside Geralt's storyline, but remains shrouded in silence regarding its release date. CD Projekt Red has given fans their first real glimpse of what's to come with the next game in the franchise since 2015.

In the trailers revealed so far, Ciri — Geralt's adopted daughter — is positioned as the new protagonist of the series, marking a deliberate shift and signaling the intention to begin a new era in the Witcher universe while respecting the chronological coherence presented in previous titles.

Ciri grew up and accumulated power in the events of The Witcher 3, gained independence throughout the series, and has stood out as a character in the Netflix show. Despite the mixed reception to the announcement, the hype surrounding a new game in the Witcher franchise was enough to reignite interest in the games.

Although the developer has not yet defined a release window, internal estimates indicate that late 2027 or early 2028 is a more likely date.

Fallout 5

Despite being divisive among longtime fans, Fallout 4 was a massive commercial success and expanded the franchise to a wider audience. Since then, the series has fragmented between experiments like Fallout 76 — which only found stability years later — and Skyrim re-releases, which continue to consume Bethesda's time and resources. With Starfield occupying the role of the company's major standalone RPG of the last decade and The Elder Scrolls VI still in the middle of its run, Fallout 5 doesn't even seem like a tangible project yet.

Although Bethesda has already confirmed that the game is in development, the franchise's focus today also seems to be shifting to another medium: the live-action series made in partnership with Amazon Prime was one of the most celebrated audiovisual products inspired by games in recent years and premiered its second season a few days ago, with a third already guaranteed.

A dialogue between the universe of the series and that of the games has already been confirmed by Todd Howard, director and executive producer at Bethesda, who stated that the next title in the franchise will incorporate events from the show and transform the Fallout experience into a transmedia integration, where a story is told through different means.

The Fallout 5 saga will likely take a long time to reach its conclusion with a new title in the series, as it remains without a clear release window and, according to team members, is only expected to hit the market after The Elder Scrolls VI — effectively pushing its release to the 2030s.

The Elder Scrolls VI

Perhaps all the care we see developers taking today when announcing sequels is due to The Elder Scrolls VI. Announced too early, in 2018, the game became a symbol of how trailers can create promises that the industry cannot fulfill in the short term, and the title remains without even a planned release year.

Skyrim continues to be re-released and played more than ten years later, while the new chapter remains distant, stuck in an internal queue of priorities and, perhaps, technical development problems and an ambitious vision that ended up, because of an announcement, creating excessively high expectations for the player base, which has been waiting for the sixth game in the series for almost 15 years.

Persona 6

In 2026, Persona 5, the most recent main title in Atlus's famous franchise and the most famous game in the series, will be 10 years old, and to date, there is no indication of an announcement and/or a release date for the next main game, Persona 6.

In recent years, we've seen Persona 5 become a phenomenon and give rise to spin-offs, expanded versions, and animated adaptations that have helped keep the brand alive but have also lengthened the interval between main chapters and given the fan base the feeling that Atlus is squeezing as much as possible out of the title before moving on.

The situation regarding Persona 6 today is a mix of rumors and editorial priorities of its studio: in 2024, Studio Zero released Metaphor: ReFantazio as a new IP within Atlus' RPG genres. The title became Atlus' biggest release on Steam and established itself as the best RPG of that year.

Meanwhile, Persona 6 has not received an official announcement, not even a small teaser in the style of what was done with the previous game, and rumors about possible announcement windows and visual identity remain unconfirmed and/or proved wrong so far.

NieR 3

NieR 3 (or NieR 4 if you consider Nier: Reincarnation as the third game in the series) is a peculiar case.

NieR: Automata was an unexpected commercial success and propelled Yoko Taro's series to a mainstream audience instead of remaining a cult game like the first NieR. Since then, Taro has continued exploring the franchise's universe in side projects, such as the anime released between 2023 and 2024 and collaborations with various titles, but both Taro and Square Enix avoid confirming a direct sequel to the franchise.

Recent interviews, however, may bring some concerns about the future of NieR for fans, or some relief: during G-Con 2025, the director commented on his creative process and that the reason people haven't heard about his projects lately is because they are discontinued mid-development.

In 2024, Square Enix announced its three-year reboot project focused on quality over quantity, where, by the end of it—in the first quarter of 2027—the company would be able to consistently produce titles from major IPs with multiplatform releases. The company also believes that by placing all its games under centralized management instead of outsourcing titles, it will improve the quality of its games by consolidating internal processes.

This restructuring aimed at optimizing work processes and costs resulted in the cancellation of several projects, including some that were already underway, such as Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link. It is possible, if not probable, that Yoko Taro's future projects were among these canceled titles — NieR is considered one of Square Enix's major IPs today, so it is likely that, under this new organizational culture, the next title in the franchise could be announced or even released during this decade.

The process, however, will be long: Taro admits, in an interview with YouTuber Archipel, that his writing process starts quickly and efficiently, but slows down as he progresses.

Despite the long wait, the games mentioned above still move a legion of fans who wish to get their hands on the new title in the series, but they also present several paradoxes of the industry today.

It's possible that most companies and developers have learned from their past mistakes in announcing projects too early. Besides the emblematic case of The Elder Scrolls VI, works like Final Fantasy XV were released only ten years after their official announcement, and although the hype market is part of entertainment, expectations too early can create unwanted demands.

At the same time, this scenario of long waits reflects a lot about the current state of the games industry today. Gaming has grown exponentially in recent decades and today involves gigantic numbers and workforces to create the next big title in the industry. For the sake of quality, waiting is more than necessary to deliver something that meets fan expectations while offering innovations and technological and visual leaps that justify the investment and the wait.

Every fan will always wish for the next game, just as they wish for the next season of their favorite series or the new album from their favorite musician. It's part of the industry — and to a certain extent, it's good that some titles remain unannounced until there's a concrete understanding from the studios regarding release expectations. Otherwise, they only serve to generate hype, and in the end, hype is an empty tool if it doesn't generate motivation.

These five games illustrate a central paradox of the modern RPG industry. There has never been so much demand, so much money, and so many technical tools available—and yet, it has never been so difficult to follow up a major success. Between creative caution, rigid structures, and the constant fear of disappointing, these sequels remain trapped in a space where hype grows, but silence speaks louder.