Avowed at One: New Races, New Game Plus and a PS5 Version for Obsidian's Fantasy RPG
Obsidian's first-person fantasy RPG started life as an online Skyrim-meets-Destiny pitch. A year after launch, its Anniversary Update made it a much fuller game, just as its studio's future plans changed.
When Obsidian Entertainment first pitched the game that became Avowed, in 2018, it was an online multiplayer adventure, described to potential buyers as a mix of Destiny and Skyrim. Microsoft bought the studio that November. By January 2020, the multiplayer had been cut, and the project had become a single-player, story-driven RPG led by director Carrie Patel.
Avowed finally launched on February 18, 2025 for PC and Xbox Series X|S. Exactly a year later, on February 17, 2026, it arrived on PlayStation 5 together with a free Anniversary Update that added new playable races, New Game Plus, a photo mode and much more. For anyone who skipped it at launch, it is a very different game now.
A Pillars of Eternity story in first person
Patel's biggest change was to set the game in Eora, the world of Obsidian's acclaimed Pillars of Eternity series. You play the Envoy, an agent of the Aedyr Empire sent to the Living Lands, a wild frontier of forests, deserts and mountains, to investigate a plague called the Dream Scourge. The story eventually turns to a lost civilisation and a god you can choose to destroy or free.
Combat mixes magic, melee weapons and firearms, in first or third person. You can dual-wield pistols or wands, swing a two-handed axe, or pair a sword with a shield, and swap between setups quickly. Instead of one huge open world, the game uses several large, explorable zones, which was another of Patel's decisions.
What the Anniversary Update changed
The update is the biggest change since launch. At release, the Envoy could only be a human or an elf. Now three more races are available at character creation: dwarves, orlans and aumaua. A Magic Mirror at the party camp even lets you change race and appearance mid-game.
New Game Plus lets you replay the story while keeping your abilities, unique weapons, armour and enchantments, with tougher enemies and the attribute cap raised from 15 to 30. Custom difficulty settings let you adjust enemy damage, health and speed, as well as your own resources and carrying capacity. There is also a new weapon type, the quarterstaff, plus a photo mode and improved lighting.
How it scored
Avowed received generally favourable reviews: 77 on Metacritic for PC, 80 for Xbox Series X|S and 81 for PS5, with 83% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic. Opinion was spread wide, from 5/5 at VG247 and 9/10 at Shacknews to 6/10 at GameSpot. It was nominated for Best RPG at The Game Awards 2025 and for its writing at the New York Game Awards.
Sales were a different story. In February 2026, it was reported that the game had not met Xbox's sales expectations.
What comes next
The future is uncertain. A sequel was reportedly in development in early 2026, but during a round of Microsoft Gaming layoffs in July 2026, about a quarter of Obsidian's staff were let go and the sequel plans were reportedly scrapped, with most of the remaining team moving to a Fallout project. A small group is reportedly still working on Avowed 2.
That makes the Anniversary Update feel like a farewell gift as much as a celebration. With five races, New Game Plus and a PS5 version, Avowed is now the complete, flexible RPG many fans hoped for in 2025, and at $49.99 it is a good time to visit the Living Lands. For Obsidian's other big RPG of the era, see our story on The Outer Worlds 2's expansion.