RPGs This Week: Phantom Blade Zero and The Wolves of Mordor Lead October 26 to November 1

Five games we cover are due between Monday, October 26 and Sunday, November 1, 2026. Phantom Blade Zero, S-GAME's wuxia action RPG, is the biggest single player release, and The Wolves of Mordor gives The Lord of the Rings Online its next expansion. Around them sit an Early Access action RPG, a Monster Hunter game for phones and a vampire MMORPG still waiting for a firm global date.

Here is every game on the NEXTARCA Roadmap for the week, in date order, and what follows the week after.

This week at a glance

Emberville (October 27)

Emberville is an action RPG from Cygnus Cross, which develops and publishes it. You wake without your memories inside the Vitromotus, a huge underground dungeon where death does not stick, and each trip down helps you rescue survivors and rebuild the ruined town that gives the game its name.

It enters Early Access on Steam for Windows PC. In the studio's Early Access post, Cygnus Cross sets the price at $29.99 with a 10% launch discount, so $26.99 at first, and promises no microtransactions. Progress from the Steam Next Fest demo carries over. No launch hour has been given for any region.

The Lord of the Rings Online: The Wolves of Mordor (October 28)

The Wolves of Mordor is the next expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online, made by Standing Stone Games and published by Daybreak Game Company. It is set after the War of the Ring and sends players against Mordor's werewolves across Heledhris, Parth Rhavas and Nan Ogol, with an account wide Survival Instinct progression, a Neighbor system and new three and six player instances.

It is a PC release. In its release timing update, Standing Stone Games says it expects to release the expansion on Wednesday, October 28, after moving it from October 21. The studio has not given a time of day yet, in any region.

Phantom Blade Zero (October 29)

Phantom Blade Zero is a single player action RPG from S-GAME. You play Soul, an assassin framed for his master's murder and left with 66 days to live, fighting through a dark wuxia world with fast deflections, counters, more than 30 weapons and over 20 Phantom Edges.

It comes to PlayStation 5 and PC. The PlayStation Store lists one worldwide moment for PS5: 02:00 UTC on October 29, which is 10:00 AM in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei (GMT+8), 11:00 AM in Seoul and Tokyo (GMT+9), 3:00 AM in Central Europe (CET) and 2:00 AM in London (GMT) on October 29, and 10:00 PM in New York (EDT) and 7:00 PM in Los Angeles (PDT) on October 28. The Steam page lists October 28 with no time, and offers a standard edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition for pre-purchase.

Monster Hunter Outlanders (October 29)

Monster Hunter Outlanders is a free to play mobile action RPG developed by TiMi Studio Group under license from Capcom and published by Level Infinite. On the island of Aesoland you hunt with the series' classic weapons, paired with original Adventurers who add follow up moves, in squads of up to four with Buddy companions.

It is free with in-app purchases on iOS and Android, and the US App Store lists it as expected on October 29. No launch hour has been announced yet for any region.

VAMPIR (October 29, expected)

VAMPIR is a dark fantasy MMORPG from Netmarble Neo for PC and mobile, where vampire classes shape combat in a gothic world, alongside warfare between players, crafting and trading. It launched in South Korea in August 2025 and later in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Japan.

The global version is the one to watch here, and its date is not firm. Netmarble's global site has pre-registration open and says it continues until the official launch, without naming a day. The US App Store listing shows it as expected on October 29. Treat that as a placeholder until Netmarble confirms it.

Coming the week after

• November 4: World of Warcraft: Forever (PC). Blizzard gives the date with no time yet.

The full list, with dates as they change, is on the upcoming games page.

NEXTARCA's take

Phantom Blade Zero is the release most worth your time this week. A fixed 66 day countdown and deflection based swordplay give it a clearer identity than most action RPGs this year, and the PS5 unlock time is set for every region. If you can, wait for the first player impressions on day one before you pay for the Deluxe Edition.

Emberville is the low risk pick: play the free demo now, since your progress carries over. The Wolves of Mordor is for players already invested in Middle-earth. VAMPIR is the one to wait on until Netmarble gives a real global date and region list.