Always online? Free-to-play? Nope, Xbox-published action RPG wants to be a "full game" now, switching to "buy once, offline" glory: "You will own the complete experience permanently"

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The Towerborne devs pivot away from their original vision

Towerborne
(Image credit: Stoic Studio)

Towerborne – the always-online, free-to-play action RPG from the developers of the incredible Banner Saga trilogy – is embracing a more traditional model for its upcoming 1.0 launch.

Stoic CEO Trisha Stouffer announces as much in a recent Xbox Wire post, explaining that once Towerborne leaves early access next month, it'll shift "from its original vision as a free-to-play, always online title into a buy once, offline game – you will own the complete experience permanently, with offline play and online co-op."

Towerborne Developer Interview | New Game+ Showcase 2026 - YouTube Towerborne Developer Interview | New Game+ Showcase 2026 - YouTube
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"This change required deep structural rebuilding over the past year, transforming systems originally designed around constant connectivity," Stouffer adds. "The result is a stronger, more accessible, and more player-friendly version of Towerborne – one we're incredibly proud to bring to launch."

Towerborne is hitting 1.0 on February 26, 2026 on PC, Xbox, Game Pass, and PS5 alongside a mega-update that's making other extensive changes to the game proper.

In another player-friendly move, Stoic is removing all of the cosmetic purchasing so everyone can earn their cosmetics via, you know, playing the actual game. What a novel concept in our cursed year of 2026. The full launch will also complete the game's story with a final showdown, new side quests, two new bosses, a revamped map, and another biome. New gear, player abilities, bug fixes, a reworked difficulty system, and more music from the composer behind Journey, Austin Wintory, are also coming.

Towerborne's flown somewhat under the radar this past year, but it essentially carries on Stoic's knack for gorgeous, painterly fantasy worlds, this time in a combo-based action game with a focus on co-op beast-brawling, rather than the methodical strategy and heavy narrative decisions that defined The Banner Saga.

Check out the upcoming indie games of 2026 and beyond.

Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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