Expeditions: Samurai is sailing into Steam Early Access on August 7th this summer, and fans of historical RPGs have every reason to get hyped.
If you loved the Expeditions series’ mix of real history, tough choices, and tactical combat in games like Expeditions: Rome or Viking, this one cranks it up by dropping you into feudal Japan around 1600. You play as the leader of a ragtag crew of privateers arriving on a battered Dutch ship, beating William Adams to the punch and aiming to become one of the first European samurai. The Sengoku period is wrapping up with warlords clashing everywhere, and your decisions shape alliances, betrayals, and the fate of Japan itself.
The game keeps the turn-based combat feel but makes it faster and more dynamic with simultaneous actions, stealth mechanics, gadgets, ambushes, and a fun blend of pirate and Japanese weapons. For the first time in the series, you can jump in and out with a friend in co-op mode, sharing those big story moments or coordinating sneaky takedowns. Early Access will give you a solid chunk of the story with full voice-over, exploration, and core systems, while the team plans to add more quests, weapons, armor, crafting, character customization, and your own village to rule by the full 1.0 launch in Q1 2027.
It’s the perfect time to dive in if you enjoy branching narratives, companion stories that can turn into friendships, rivalries, or even romances, and getting your hands dirty rewriting history. Expeditions: Samurai looks like another winner for anyone who geeks out over tactical RPGs with real historical flavor.
