The Wayward Realms: The Grand RPG Aiming to Redefine Immersive Role‑Playing
Every so often, a game comes along that feels like it’s reaching for something bigger than the rest of the industry. The Wayward Realms is one of those rare projects, a massive, deeply ambitious RPG created by two of the original architects behind The Elder Scrolls. With its promise of a reactive world, limitless role-playing freedom, and a scale rarely attempted in modern RPGs, this game is shaping up to be something truly special.
And as someone who backed the Kickstarter, I’m all in.
A Legendary Team Returns to Their Roots
The Wayward Realms is being created and directed by Ted Peterson and Julian Lefay, two of the key developers behind The Elder Scrolls: Arena and Daggerfall. These are the people who helped define what open-world RPGs could be long before the genre became mainstream.
Their new studio, OnceLost Games, is building a spiritual successor to the deep, simulation-driven RPGs that made the early Elder Scrolls titles so iconic. You can feel that legacy in every part of the project, from the world design to the systems to the philosophy behind player freedom.
Honoring Julian Lefay — The Godfather of Elder Scrolls
No discussion of The Wayward Realms would be complete without acknowledging the profound legacy of Julian Lefay, who sadly passed away in 2025. Often called the Godfather of The Elder Scrolls, Lefay was instrumental in shaping the foundations of open‑world RPGs as we know them today. His work on Arena and Daggerfall helped define an entire genre, and his vision continues to influence modern RPG design decades later. Though he is no longer with us, his creativity, innovation, and passion live on through The Wayward Realms, a project he helped bring to life. The game stands not only as a bold new chapter for OnceLost Games, but also as a tribute to one of the most influential minds in RPG history
A Massive, Ever-Changing World
The developers describe The Wayward Realms as a “Grand RPG”, a term they coined to capture the scale and ambition of the world they’re building. This isn’t just a big map; it’s a world designed to feel alive, unpredictable, and shaped by your actions.
The world features:
Huge, bustling cities
Dense, mysterious forests
Towering mountain ranges
Fog‑covered swamps
Treacherous marshlands
Vast oceans
And more biomes yet to be revealed
This scale isn’t just for show. The team wants the world to feel like a place you can get lost in, a world full of secrets, factions, cultures, and stories that unfold naturally as you explore.
A Virtual Game Master That Reacts to You
One of the most exciting features is the Virtual Game Master, an AI-driven system that dynamically shapes the world around your actions. Instead of relying on scripted events or linear questlines, the game adapts to your choices, your playstyle, and even your mistakes.
This means:
No two playthroughs will ever be the same
NPCs and factions will react to your reputation
Events will unfold differently depending on your actions
The world evolves as you play
It’s the closest thing we’ve seen to a tabletop RPG Game Master inside a video game, and if it works, it could be revolutionary.
True Role‑Playing Freedom
Unlike many modern RPGs, The Wayward Realms doesn’t lock you into predefined classes or archetypes. There are no pre-baked classes. You become who you choose to become through your actions, skills, and decisions.
Want to be a scholar who moonlights as a thief?
A noble who secretly practices forbidden magic?
A mercenary who becomes a political powerbroker?
The game is built to support that level of freedom.
This is role-playing in the truest sense, not just choosing dialogue options, but shaping your identity through the world itself.
A World Rich With Lore, Including a Prequel Novel
The world of The Wayward Realms is dense with history, mythology, and political intrigue. To expand the universe even further, Ted Peterson wrote a prequel novel titled “Fool Me Once”, which sets the stage for the game's events and tone.
It’s rare to see a game world fleshed out through literature before release, and it shows just how much thought is going into the lore.
A Passionate Development Team With Active Devlogs
The developers are highly active, regularly posting Devlogs, behind-the-scenes updates, and world-building insights. Their transparency has helped build a strong, engaged community around the project.
The game’s Kickstarter was a major success, and backers, including me, will gain access to the Early Access release in 2026. I can’t wait to explore this world firsthand. Everything about this game feels like a return to the deep, immersive RPGs that defined the genre’s golden age.
A Game Built on Freedom and Exploration
At its core, The Wayward Realms is about freedom:
Be who you want
Go where you want
Do what you want
Explore a world that reacts to you
If the Early Access release delivers on the team’s vision, this could be one of the most exciting RPGs of the decade, maybe even a new benchmark for the genre.
I can’t wait to dive into the moment it drops.
References
The Wayward Realms on Steam. (n.d.). https://store.steampowered.com/app/1685310/The_Wayward_Realms/
The Wayward Realms. (n.d.). https://www.waywardrealms.com/
The Wayward Realms. (n.d.). Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oncelostgames/the-wayward-realms