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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIf you are waiting for Owlcat’s samurai-themed CRPG, the game most likely meant is Shadow of the Road, published by Owlcat Games and developed by Another Angler Games. Windows Central reported on October 9, 2026 that its Windows PC launch had moved from November 12, 2026 to March 10, 2027. That is the date currently reported, not a guarantee: release schedules can change, so check the latest official announcement before planning around it.
The best substitute depends on which part of the wait matters to you. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is the closest match in studio connection and tactical, isometric structure. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is the strongest choice for deep character building and turn-based battles. Baldur’s Gate 3 emphasizes a party-led campaign, while Divinity: Original Sin 2 rewards players who enjoy interacting with the battlefield. Shadowrun Returns provides a shorter-feeling change of scenery through turn-based cyberpunk fantasy.
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What to expect while you wait for Shadow of the Road
Shadow of the Road is the likely referent behind “Owlcat’s samurai RPG”: a samurai-themed computer role-playing game (CRPG) from Owlcat Games, with development handled by Another Angler Games. The latest dated release report places the PC launch on March 10, 2027, after a move from November 12, 2026. Treat that as a current report rather than a locked date.
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A substitute cannot reproduce an unreleased game’s setting or design exactly. Instead, choose the feature you most want to practice before the samurai game arrives:
#1 Best Overall
- Owlcat-style tactical structure: choose Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
- Turn-based combat and elaborate builds: choose Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
- A party-first adventure: choose Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Environmental and elemental combat: choose Divinity: Original Sin 2.
- A different genre skin with turn-based battles: choose Shadowrun Returns.
These are preference matches, not an objective ranking. They cover different reasons a player might be interested in a samurai CRPG, so the comparison below starts with your desired experience rather than an arbitrary “number one.”
Quick comparison
| Game | Setting and tone | Combat format | Build and rules emphasis | Party and companion emphasis | Best fit for the wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader | Warhammer 40,000 science-fantasy | Isometric tactical combat | Character customization | Choices and companion stories | The closest Owlcat-published alternative |
| Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous | Fantasy | Turn-based combat | Extensive character customization | Campaign choices and party management | Players who want systems depth and build experimentation |
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | Fantasy | Party-focused CRPG play | Character and party decisions | Strong party emphasis | Players seeking another widely recommended party CRPG |
| Divinity: Original Sin 2 | Fantasy | Combat built around interactions | Deeper elemental system | Party play and choices | Players who want the environment to matter tactically |
| Shadowrun Returns | Cyberpunk fantasy | Turn-based combat | Rules and character decisions | Party-based campaign structure | Players who want a compact change of setting |
The table identifies the main trade-offs. It does not imply that one game has better writing, balance or production values than another; the available descriptions support these differences in structure and emphasis, not a universal score.
1. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader — the closest Owlcat connection
Why it belongs on this list
Rogue Trader is the natural first stop when the reason for your purchase is Owlcat itself. It is an Owlcat-published, isometric tactical CRPG with meaningful choices, companion stories and character customization. Those shared structural traits make it the most direct way to experience another game associated with the studio while waiting for its samurai project.
Its setting is completely different. Instead of samurai-era fantasy, it uses the Warhammer 40,000 universe’s science-fantasy backdrop. Choose it for the way the campaign is organized and the tactical decisions it asks you to make, not because it recreates historical Japan or the tone of a samurai drama.
What the combat and campaign emphasize
- Isometric tactics: battles are presented from an overhead, readable perspective that lets you plan around positioning and action choices.
- Choice-driven progression: decisions are part of the appeal, so the campaign is more than a sequence of disconnected fights.
- Companion stories: party members have narrative roles, making team composition relevant outside combat.
- Customization: you can shape characters rather than treating the party as a fixed roster.
Who should start here
Start with Rogue Trader if the words “Owlcat CRPG” matter more to you than the samurai setting. It is also the best first choice if you want tactical, isometric presentation plus party stories and consequential choices. Players who specifically want a fantasy ruleset or an elemental battlefield should move to Wrath of the Righteous or Divinity: Original Sin 2 instead.
2. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous — the build-and-battle deep dive
Why it belongs on this list
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is the strongest recommendation for readers who want a fantasy campaign with extensive character customization and turn-based combat. Its Steam classification explicitly highlights turn-based combat, story, choices and character customization, which makes its appeal easy to identify before you commit to a long campaign.
What makes it a good training ground
A character-building game asks you to think ahead: what role should each member fill, which abilities work together and how should the party respond when a fight changes? Wrath of the Righteous places those decisions near the center of play. Turn-based combat gives you time to inspect the situation and select actions deliberately rather than relying on rapid inputs.
The result is a good choice if you are waiting for a CRPG in which preparation and rules knowledge feel meaningful. It is less suitable if you want a low-commitment game with minimal character planning. Extensive customization creates freedom, but it also creates more decisions to learn.
How to approach it without getting buried
- Decide whether you want turn-based combat. The game’s turn-based format is a central feature, so do not choose it expecting a purely real-time experience.
- Pick a simple first concept. Use a role you understand—such as a durable frontline character, a direct damage dealer or a support specialist—before experimenting with elaborate combinations.
- Keep the party’s roles distinct. A clear division between offense, defense and support makes the customization easier to evaluate.
- Change one variable at a time. If you rebuild every character simultaneously, it becomes difficult to tell which decision helped or hurt.
Choose Wrath of the Righteous when the act of constructing a party is part of the entertainment. If you would rather solve battles through terrain and status interactions than through character planning, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a better match.
3. Baldur’s Gate 3 — the party-focused choice
Why it belongs on this list
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the straightforward recommendation for players who want a party-focused CRPG while waiting. It is widely cited in current CRPG recommendation coverage and is available on PC and consoles, giving it a broad platform profile. The important match here is the emphasis on traveling with a party and making decisions as a group, not a shared setting with Shadow of the Road.
Rank #3
- Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is a full 3D remake of the first game in the legendary Wizardry series of RPGs.
- Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is built directly on top of the original 1981 game's code.
- Party management, navigation, spellcasting, and combat have all been significantly enhanced.
Choose it for the group, not the label
Party-focused play changes how you read a CRPG. You are considering how several characters fit together, how their stories affect your decisions and how a choice changes the group’s direction. If that is what you want from a samurai-themed adventure, Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a direct way to spend the waiting period in another character-led campaign.
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It is not the best substitute for every preference. The recommendation does not rest on a studio connection, and the available comparison evidence does not establish it as the deepest customization option or the most interaction-heavy combat system in this group. Select it when companions and party identity are your priority.
Who should skip to another game
- Choose Rogue Trader instead if Owlcat’s tactical, isometric approach is the main attraction.
- Choose Wrath of the Righteous instead if you want the clearest emphasis on turn-based battles and extensive customization.
- Choose Divinity: Original Sin 2 instead if environmental and elemental interactions are the feature you most want to explore.
4. Divinity: Original Sin 2 — the environmental-combat alternative
Why it belongs on this list
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the choice for players who want combat to be a problem-solving exercise. Current recommendation coverage describes it as party-focused and combat-focused, with a deeper elemental system. Those details distinguish it from a game chosen mainly for its studio pedigree or its build menu.
How its tactical identity differs
In a conventional character-building comparison, the question is often “Which ability should I select?” In Divinity: Original Sin 2, the question can also be “What can I do with the situation already on the battlefield?” Its elemental system and environmental interactions make the surroundings part of your tactical thinking. The appeal is experimentation: observe the conditions, consider how elements can combine and choose an action that changes the space as well as the target.
This makes it especially useful for readers who are curious about combat that rewards improvisation. It also means that players who prefer predictable, rules-forward encounters may need time to adjust. The game’s strength is the extra layer of interaction, not a promise that every encounter will be simple to solve.
Rank #4
- One Size Does Not Fit All: Don't feel like finding the key for a door? Why not try a Rocket Launcher! Basically the same thing... right?
- Enhanced Classic RPG Game Play: Classic RPG game play ideas updated with modern design philosophies
- Decision Making... with Consequences: With both short and long term reactivity to the players choices, every decision matters in the outcome of the story
- Huge & Customizable: dozens of hours of game, hundreds of characters, thousands of variations on your Rangers' appearance, over 150 weapons, dozens of skills, even the UI can be customized
Who should start here
Start with Divinity: Original Sin 2 if you want a party campaign but do not want every decision to be about character-sheet optimization. It is also the strongest alternative when you want to test whether environmental tactics are more compelling to you than a strictly ability-driven battle system.
5. Shadowrun Returns — a cyberpunk-fantasy change of pace
Why it belongs on this list
Shadowrun Returns is a turn-based cyberpunk-fantasy alternative. It keeps the deliberate rhythm of turn-based battles while moving away from both historical-samurai expectations and conventional medieval fantasy. That different setting can make the wait feel less like playing several versions of the same game.
When a change of setting helps
Playing another fantasy CRPG can sharpen your appetite for Shadow of the Road, but it can also make every comparison about familiar genre conventions. Shadowrun Returns interrupts that pattern. Its cyberpunk-fantasy identity lets you explore the same broad CRPG interests—choices, characters and turn-based encounters—through a different atmosphere.
Choose it when you want the tactical pause of turn-based play but need a setting that does not resemble a traditional fantasy campaign. Choose another title first if you specifically want deep customization, a strongly environmental combat system or the closest possible Owlcat connection.
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Use the feature you would miss most
- Would you miss Owlcat’s style most? Start with Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
- Would you miss making detailed builds? Start with Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
- Would you miss traveling with a party? Start with Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Would you miss manipulating the battlefield? Start with Divinity: Original Sin 2.
- Would you miss turn-based combat but want a new atmosphere? Start with Shadowrun Returns.
Use your tolerance for rules complexity
| If you prefer… | Begin with… | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| A studio-adjacent experience | Rogue Trader | It is Owlcat-published and combines isometric tactics, choices, companions and customization. |
| More control over character construction | Wrath of the Righteous | Its defining evidence points to extensive customization and turn-based combat. |
| Party identity over rules mastery | Baldur’s Gate 3 | Its clearest match is a party-focused CRPG campaign. |
| Experimentation during battles | Divinity: Original Sin 2 | Its deeper elemental system makes combat interaction a central draw. |
| A different fictional world | Shadowrun Returns | It combines turn-based play with cyberpunk fantasy. |
A practical play order for the waiting period
If you want to play more than one game before March 2027, avoid starting five enormous campaigns at once. Choose a sequence that changes one major variable at a time.
Best Value
- Start with Rogue Trader if the Owlcat connection is why you are waiting. This lets you sample the studio-adjacent structure first.
- Move to Wrath of the Righteous if you want a more explicit focus on build decisions and turn-based combat.
- Switch to Divinity: Original Sin 2 when you want to reset your tactical habits around environmental interaction.
- Use Baldur’s Gate 3 when you want a party-focused campaign to become the center of your play time.
- Keep Shadowrun Returns as the tonal reset when you want turn-based structure without another traditional fantasy setting.
You do not need to finish every game. A better plan is to choose one title that matches your main expectation, then switch only when you can name the specific feature you want to change.
Common mismatches to avoid
Expecting a substitute to reproduce samurai atmosphere
None of these recommendations is a samurai-themed game. The list matches mechanics, party structure, customization or tone, not the unreleased title’s exact setting. If the historical-samurai premise is the non-negotiable feature, waiting remains the only way to play that particular game.
Choosing the most complex system by default
More customization is not automatically better for every player. Wrath of the Righteous is the right choice when building and turn-based rules are enjoyable tasks. It can be the wrong first choice if you want to focus on companions or experiment with the battlefield instead.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 both appeal to players who want a party, but the supplied descriptions identify different reasons to choose them. Pick Baldur’s Gate 3 for the party-focused campaign; pick Divinity: Original Sin 2 for its combat focus and deeper elemental system.
Treating the reported launch date as permanent
The March 10, 2027 date comes from an October 9, 2026 report about a change from November 12, 2026. A delayed release can move again. Check the latest announcement close to launch rather than assuming the reported date cannot change.
Bottom line: which CRPG should you play first?
Begin with Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader if you want the closest Owlcat-published, isometric tactical experience. Choose Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous for extensive customization and turn-based fantasy combat. Choose Baldur’s Gate 3 for a party-centered campaign, Divinity: Original Sin 2 for elemental and environmental combat interaction, or Shadowrun Returns for turn-based cyberpunk fantasy.
That preference-based approach is more useful than declaring one universal winner. Each game exercises a different part of the CRPG experience you may be anticipating from Shadow of the Road, while the reported March 10, 2027 PC date remains subject to change.
Quick Recap
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