Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Campfire Cabal have set an August 7, 2026 Early Access launch for Expeditions: Samurai, a party-based RPG landing on PC via Steam. The two companies intend to share a development roadmap before then, covering both what ships at Early Access launch and where the game goes from there.
The story places the player’s crew in Japan in the year 1600, arriving aboard the Dutch frigate De Albatros. It leans on a real historical figure for its premise: English navigator William Adams landed in Japan that year and later became the first foreigner recognized as a samurai. Here, Adams doesn’t make it, and it’s the player’s character, Captain Flynn, who takes his place in that history instead. Flynn’s crew gets swept into the final years of Japan’s civil war, and players work through it by talking their way past problems, sneaking around them, or fighting outright, depending on how they want to play. Character creation covers Flynn’s name, look, and a choice between four classes.

The combat system stays turn-based at its core but resolves actions from both sides at once instead of strictly alternating, so an enemy’s counterattack can land in the same beat as the player’s own move. The series also gets stealth for the first time: parties can be split apart before a fight to scout positions or set up an opening strike. Eight companions are confirmed for the crew, each carrying a personal storyline. Four have been named so far: Antje, whose specialty is breaking into locked places; Johan, tied by blood to the crew’s previous captain; Tora-Hime, an onna-musha carving out her own place in the conflict; and Étienne Durand, a priest who takes the lead on diplomacy. How a player treats each of them can shift the relationship toward friendship, conflict, or something more romantic.

Early Access opens with the first of the game’s four planned story acts, an estimated eight hours long. Campfire Cabal has said two content updates will follow before the full release: one adding new content to systems already in the game, and the second introducing the story’s second act, with the completed version expected to reach roughly 60 hours across all four acts. The full release is also set to bring crafting, more character build options, and control over a village of the player’s own in Japan.

Expeditions: Samurai is available to wishlist now on Steam.