5 Modern Turn-Based RPGs With Gorgeous Pixel Art

Published Aug 19, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT Bruno Yonezawa is a Gaming Senior Writer for Screen Rant. He's been practicing professional journalism for over 10 years, and is also a communications specialist. He's played games all his life and turned that passionate hobby into a passionate career, in an industry where he's worked as a writer, editor, analyst, and more. Turn-based RPGs may have diminished in popularity in the early 2000s and 2010s, but they are making a huge comeback over the past decade or more with impressive titles that are highlighting how the classic gameplay style can be modernized. A great example of this is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the 2025 GOTY that brought new light to the genre, following in the footsteps of Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023. Some turn-based RPGs are defined by choices you make during the campaign, while others stand out due to their gameplay mechanics. Meanwhile, other titles are defined by their looks. The pixel art and retro art movements are stronger than ever, even if they never truly disappeared from the industry. While a ton of games are pushing for more realistic and high-tech graphics, some titles look back at more classic visuals, and they do so masterfully. There are some pretty remarkable modern pixel art games out there, beyond the classics. Lately, the industry has been doing a great job of applying this type of artwork style to turn-based RPGs, with a splash of modern style, making for unforgettable experiences from start to finish. Octopath Traveler One of the best examples of such games is Octopath Traveler. Square Enix’s turn-based RPG was released in 2018 with a brand-new pixel art style, coined as HD-2D by the company. The idea behind it is that the game features 2D pixel art sprites, but they’re all enhanced and set in a 3D world, giving it immense depth. On top of all that, the lighting and shadows applied to it give it an extra flair, making it look like the new age of pixel art. In addition to the breathtaking pixel art graphics, which stun anyone immediately, Octopath Traveler is a truly remarkable turn-based RPG at its core. With great combat features, including the weapon- and element-specific weaknesses and the break and boost mechanics, the game feels fast and impactful. I may be biased since this is one of my favorites in the genre, but going through the unforgettable adventure led by the eight main characters with these mechanics makes for a great gameplay loop. The game was successful at launch, and the franchise has already seen two major core releases after the original: Octopath Traveler 2 and Octopath Traveler 0. Beyond that, the HD-2D style was integrated into several other Square Enix releases, such as Triangle Strategy, the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, Star Ocean: The Second Story R, and the recently released The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. The style has even inspired other studios to use similar visuals for their games. Chained Echoes Released in 2022, Chained Echoes is an homage to 1990s JRPGs, featuring turn-based combat, pixel art visuals, and great gameplay mechanics. Developed by Matthias Linda, this indie RPG does not have the immense visual flair seen in the HD-2D style, but it stands out due to how detailed its pixel art sprites and world are. Chained Echoes is anything but short of gorgeous, and it's highly reminiscent of several games that actually inspired it. With 16-bit visuals, Chained Echoes follows the story of a group of heroes, all of whom can be considered protagonists, like some of the best Final Fantasy stories out there. The turn-based combat will feel familiar to anyone who played any SNES-era RPG, but with unique modernized mechanics, including the overdrive meter and the Ultra Moves you can pick while fighting. The gameplay loop is extremely satisfying, and it’s one of the things we most praise in Screen Rant’s review of Chained Echoes. The turn-based RPG excels at replicating the greatness of classic 1990s RPGs, but feels like a modern title in the genre, avoiding some of the missteps the classics made back in the day. Chained Echoes is easily one of the best RPGs of 2022, and if you haven’t played it yet, I highly encourage you to check it out whenever and however you can. Rise of the Third Power Arguably one of the most unknown modern turn-based RPGs with pixel art graphics that has been released lately is Rise of the Third Power. Developed by Stegosoft Games, the creators of Ara Fell, this turn-based RPG is an ode to classic RPGs released in the 1990s. Released in early 2022, Rise of the Third Power follows a group of eight heroes set in Rin, a world overrun by political turmoil and revolution. The indie RPG brings a modern touch to the classic style that inspires it. For example, you can play with all eight heroes at once, rather than having to rely on party management ahead of battles. This allows you to mix and match proficiencies and take advantage of enemy weaknesses on the spot. Rise of the Third Power also features a tweak to gear and inventory to make your loot feel more meaningful and permanent. In addition to that, Rise of the Third Power looks great. With highly detailed pixel art visuals, combined with illustrations, the turn-based RPG stuns with its looks both in and out of combat. Rise of the Third Power boasts an impressive 88% Positive review status on Steam, even if it is fairly less well-known than some of the other titles in that same genre. Cassette Beasts Another big turn-based RPG franchise is Pokémon, and one of the best Pokémon lookalikes of recent years is Cassette Beasts, even if titles like Palworld and the upcoming Honkai: Nexus Anima tend to get more attention. Developed by Bytten Studio, Cassette Beasts was released in 2023 to remarkable reception. This open-world creature-collecting RPG allows you to catch different monsters and use them during turn-based battles. However, this game has an extra twist. Cassette Beasts allows you to fuse two different monsters with the game’s Fusion System to create even stronger new ones you can use on your adventures. Effectively speaking, you are the one transforming into the monsters you collect. Apart from how good and fresh the core mechanics in combat feel, the open-world exploration is also something that makes the game stand out, as there is much more freedom in this world than most Pokémon lookalikes. Additionally, Cassette Beasts has incredible pixel art graphics, featuring meticulously crafted 2D sprites inserted into a 3D pixel art world. This makes it reminiscent of the HD-2D style, but it’s a style of its own. On Steam, Cassette Beasts has a jaw-dropping 95% Positive review status, with over 6000 reviews at the time of writing – a testament to its overall quality across all fronts. Sea Of Stars Last but definitely not least, Sea of Stars is one of the best modern turn-based RPGs with pixel art visuals you can play right now. Developed and published by Sabotage Studio, this prequel to The Messenger was first released in 2023, and it’s an ode to the greatest Square Enix RPG of all time: Chrono Trigger. Right out of the gate, Sea of Stars is a gorgeous game. With colorful and well-designed pixel art characters and areas, this is enhanced by the quality of the game’s animation. Sea of Stars is an absolute artwork masterpiece that you don’t ever really grow tired of looking at. If that weren’t enough, Sea of Stars is an excellent turn-based RPG at its core. The indie RPG pays homage to Chrono Trigger, but it’s dressed with modern mechanics that make it extremely enjoyable. In fact, the real-time prompts during turn-based combat make it feel unique, while the puzzle-driven exploration gives it an extra layer of complexity that just sits right. Sea of Stars is already one of the best turn-based RPGs of the decade, and it’ll likely continue to be one of my favorites for years to come. RPG