Avowed

Avowed is an action role-playing game that can be played from both first-person and third-person views. Players can use magic, melee weapons, and firearms to defeat enemies. A wide variety of spells—such as those that freeze or entangle foes—can be combined with physical attacks; for instance, freezing an enemy may set it up for a crushing melee strike. Players can quickly switch between several combat setups, including dual-wielding pistols or wands, wielding a two-handed axe, or using a sword or gun together with a shield.

The game also features several skill trees for unlocking new abilities and permits individual weapon upgrades. Although not a fully open world game, Avowed includes several large, explorable zones.

Avowed takes place in the Living Lands, a diverse region within the fantasy world of Eora. The Living Lands features a range of environments—from lush forests and arid deserts to sprawling caves and valleys. Players assume the role of an envoy from the Aedyr Empire, tasked with investigating a mysterious plague known as the "Dream Scourge". The Envoy arrives to the port city of Paradis, where representatives from the Aedyran Empire clash with the islands native inhabitants.

The Envoy mediates between rebel groups, the Empire, and the Steel Garrote, a militant religious order that seeks to eliminate the chaos prevalent in the Living Lands. The Envoy is murdered by Paradis rebels and in death, meets a mysterious deity who revives the Envoy in exchange for their help in destroying the Dream Scourge. After their revival, they may decide to aid one of the factions vying for power in Paradis, or seek revenge for their murder in an effort to discover the source of the Dream Scourge.

Obsidian Entertainment started development in 2018 as an online multiplayer game. At that time, Obsidian's leadership were preparing to sell the company and pitched Avowed—then framed as a mixture of Destiny (2014) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)—to prospective buyers, with Microsoft's Xbox division purchasing the studio in November 2018. By January 2020, the studio had cut the multiplayer elements to focus on a single-player, narrative-focused experience, managed by Carrie Patel, director of The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon. Obsidian and Xbox Game Studios announced Avowed with a teaser trailer at a showcase in July 2020.

The game's reveal concerned the 80-person development team, who were starting development again. Patel's leadership led to two major overhauls: utilize the setting of the Pillars of Eternity franchise and replace the open-world setting with zones. The game was revealed again in 2023 with a scheduled 2024 release, which was later delayed to February 18, 2025. A premium edition was sold, offering access from February 13. A PlayStation 5 version of the game was released on February 17, 2026.

Avowed received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, and 83% of critics recommended the game according to OpenCritic.

The game was nominated for Best Role Playing Game at The Game Awards 2025, and Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game at the 15th New York Game Awards.