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Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon has you battle your way through an Arthurian legend that feels straight out of Hell.
I've been waiting quite a while for this one! After two whole years in early access, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is finally releasing on May 23, 2025.
Built on the Arthurian legend, your character comes into the story as a prisoner, some 600 years after the founding of Avalon by King Arthur himself. From there, it's your path to take on the world.
It's a first-person, open-world RPG that shares quite a few features with something like Skyrim. I've also heard a few players call it "indie-Skyrim". One YouTuber even said, "Skyrim walked so Tainted Grail could run," which is one heck of a positive thing to say.
Coming out of this early access, it very much led to a development cycle similar to Baldur's Gate 3 with Larian Studios. Currently, only the prologue and first act are available. Once released, the second and third acts, alongside an epilogue that will reflect your choices in-game, will also be playable.
Before diving into why I believe this game is incredible, you can check it out for yourself on Steam with a demo! In it, players can dive into the first hour or two of gameplay to get a feel for whether Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is right for you.
What makes Tainted Grail the most promising open-world RPG in years?
The open-world I've seen so far is massive and otherwordly.
(Image credit: Awaken Realms)
First of all, I need to give a nod to the overwhelmingly successful Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. That game is another stellar first-person title with hundreds of hours of content and replayability for players to grind through.
There's just one thing missing from Kingdom Come for us, Skyrim-loving fans: Magic. Tainted Grail offers that, in a very similar Bethesda style, developers and fans love. Players can equip spells much like weapons, either dual-wielding or playing side-by-side with a weapon in hand.
If you're not a fan of dark RPGs, become one already. You're missing out.
(Image credit: Awaken Realms)
While Tainted Grail doesn't have the same polish as a lot of AAA games these days, it brings that classic open-world RPG that games have been missing out on for years. The number of routes available to the player is astonishing.
The opening area, also part of the demo, is filled with places you can entirely skip or miss. One area you'll come across features a pickaxe in a wall, where, upon picking it up, you'll find you can bulldoze your way through rock and into a corridor filled with enemies.
Photo mode is currently available, but could definitely get some TLC.
(Image credit: Future — Michael Hoglund)
On top of that, Tainted Grail is also incredibly dark. Featuring the return of a long-defeated entity called the Wyrdness, and a deadly plague that King Arthur once defeated. The old king is gone, now replaced with deadly Red Priests and monsters looking to end you and the world you inhabit.Combat is harsh and punishing, testing the skills of players with over 55 spells and 400 different weapons for players to choose from. Yeah, 400 weapons!
Archery is actually.. satisfying? In an RPG?!
(Image credit: Awaken Realms)
Over a hundred side quests will come alongside what promises to be a 60-70 hour main quest. Players looking for their next big RPG should definitely check out Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon. If nothing else, check out the demo on Steam!Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon releases on May 25, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.
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