Wizards of the Coast has announced a new dark fantasy open-world action game called Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons during The Game Awards 2025. Per the title, it’s set within the world of the popular tabletop game, with players controlling a powerful spellcaster battling the forces of evil.
Developed by Invoke Studios, the game stars Kaatri, who is described in a press release as “a veteran warrior who makes a pact to wield otherworldly magic against dark powers.” Kaatri is also voiced by actress Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Lucifer). Speaking to Jeff Hattam, vice president/creative at Invoke, he says the Warlock was chosen over other D&D classes due to his fascination with the class’s blend of spellcasting prowess and high charisma.
“Personally, one of the things that kind of struck me as a little bit odd is that Warlocks have really high charisma and they use that for damage,” Hattam explains. “And I’ve always wondered what kind of person is it that they can convince some of the most powerful beings in Dungeons & Dragons to bestow magical powers on them? And I attribute that to their charisma […] I wanted to really craft that and create that with the game, that’s really the spark that started this.”
Hattam says the Kaatri is a far cry from the “pointy hat wizard” archetype, and her journey delivers a darker tale that has more bite to it than the average fantasy fare. But magic is ultimately at the heart of Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons. “You get magical abilities, spells, rituals, and you use those spells to explore the world, uncover its many secrets, discover the corners of the world, solve challenges, environmental puzzles, and obviously, you’ll have encounters and use magic against that as well,” Hattam explains.
While it’s a D&D game, Warlock is not an RPG. It’s a third-person action game, so you don’t have a party following you around, though Kaatri will meet helpful allies along the way. The game is also telling a focused narrative as opposed to being a choice-driven experience in the vein of Baldur’s Gate 3. “While D&D is a huge inspiration for the game. We’re not trying to replicate it,” says Hattam. “So you are playing Kaatri’s narrative. It’s got clear stakes momentum, and you’re driving forward with that.” Invoke is keeping the details of the game’s open world under wraps, but Hattam teases that players will rely on magic to explore and can tackle side quests along the way.
Invoke plans to reveal the first gameplay footage for Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons next summer. The game is slated to launch sometime in 2027 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
