The data from over a decade of community voting reveals a profound transformation in the roleplaying games industry. For the first time in the hobby’s modern history, community intimacy has become a more valuable currency than global intellectual property.
Between 2013 and 2023, the #1 spot on the annual EN World Most Anticipated list was held exclusively by established legacy brands or massive corporate licences. During this era, owning a trademark like Star Wars, Dune, or Dungeons & Dragons was a mathematical guarantee of fan enthusiasm.
The year 2024 marked a revolutionary break in this cycle. The victory of Shadow of the Weird Wizard signalled that the “glass ceiling” for original, creator-led projects was finally dismantling. This trend has solidified into a new normal: in 2026, the community-driven Deathbringer took the crown, even when faced with a field crowded by global icons like Discworld, Warhammer, and Mistborn.
The Decade of Battle: Original vs. Established
The battle between original concepts and established brands has been hard-fought for over ten years. While original games like Numenera and Fate Core were present in the early 2010s, they rarely commanded the peak of the rankings. Following a “dark age” of corporate consolidation between 2016 and 2021 (where licensed properties frequently swept the top ten) the tide has turned.
The current “Creator Era” is defined by direct access. Whereas the old guard relied on retail presence and expensive IP acquisitions, the new guard leverages high-velocity loyalty built through YouTube, Discord, and direct community engagement. Even TikTok!
The Data: 2013 to 2026
2026: The Community Peak
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Deathbringer | Roll For Combat | Original |
| 2 | Invincible Superhero Roleplaying | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 3 | Mistborn | Brotherwise Games | Established (Licensed) |
| 4 | Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 5E | Cubicle 7 | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 5 | Ars Magica Definitive Edition | Atlas Games | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 6 | The Broken Empires | Evil Baby Entertainment | Established (Licensed) |
| 7 | The Black Company | Arc Dream Publishing | Established (Licensed) |
| 8 | Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 9 | Old School Essentials 2026 Update | Necrotic Gnome | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 10 | Twilight Sword | Two Little Mice/Free League | Original |
2025: The Indie Equilibrium
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Legend in the Mist | Son of Oak | Original |
| 2 | Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere | Brotherwise Games | Established (Licensed) |
| 3 | Daggerheart | Darrington Press | Original |
| 4 | Draw Steel | MCDM | Original |
| 5 | Terry Pratchett’s Discworld | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 6 | Dolmenwood | Necrotic Gnome | Original |
| 7 | Coriolis: The Great Dark | Free League | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 8 | 13th Age 2nd Edition | Pelgrane Press | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 9 | Alien – Evolved Edition | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 10 | Starfinder 2E | Paizo Publishing | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
2024: The Tipping Point
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Shadow of the Weird Wizard | Schwalb Entertainment | Original |
| 2 | The Electric State | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 3 | 13th Age 2nd Edition | Pelgrane Press | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | Pendragon 6E | Chaosium | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 5 | Dolmenwood | Necrotic Gnome | Original |
| 6 | Cohors Cthulhu | Modiphius | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 7 | Daggerheart | Darrington Press | Original |
| 8 | Monty Python’s Cocurricular… | Exalted Funeral | Established (Licensed) |
| 9 | Mothership 1E | Tuesday Knight Games | Original |
| 10 | Tales of the Valiant | Kobold Press | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
2023: The Modern Legacy Era
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | King Arthur Pendragon 6th Edition | Chaosium | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 2 | Dragonbane/Drakar och Demoner | Free League | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 3 | 13th Age 2nd Edition | Pelgrane Press | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | Household | Two Little Mice | Original |
| 5 | Mothership 1E | Tuesday Knight Games | Original |
| 6 | Shadow of the Weird Wizard | Schwalb Entertainment | Original |
| 7 | The Walking Dead Universe | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 8 | Warhammer 40K Imperium Maledictum | Cubicle 7 | Established (Licensed) |
| 9 | Old Gods of Appalachia | Monte Cook Games | Established (Licensed) |
| 10 | Monty Python | Exalted Funeral | Established (Licensed) |
2022: The Licensed Gold Rush
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Blade Runner | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 2 | Broken Tales | The World Anvil Publishing | Original |
| 3 | Pendragon 6E | Chaosium | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | Avatar Legends | Magpie Games | Established (Licensed) |
| 5 | Mothership 1E | Tuesday Knight Games | Original |
| 6 | Rivers of London | Chaosium | Established (Licensed) |
| 7 | Shadow of the Weird Wizard | Schwalb Entertainment | Original |
| 8 | Cy-Borg | Stockholm Kartell | Original |
| 9 | Swords of the Serpentine | Pelgrane Press | Original |
| 10 | Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5e | Renegade Studios | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
2021: The Joint Winners
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Dune / Twilight: 2000 (joint) | Modiphius/Free League | Established (Licensed/Legacy) |
| 2 | – | – | – |
| 3 | The One Ring 2nd Edition | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 4 | King Arthur Pendragon 6th Edition | Chaosium | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 5 | Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition | ENP | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 6 | Rivers of London | Chaosium | Established (Licensed) |
| 7 | Pathfinder for Savage Worlds | Pinnacle Entertainment | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 8 | Brancalonia | Acheron Books | Original |
| 9 | Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition | Renegade Studios | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 10 | SLA Industries, 2nd Edition | Nightfall Games | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
2020: The Licensed Peak
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Dune Adventures in the Imperium | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 2 | Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 3 | Cyberpunk Red | R. Talsorian Games | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | Fallout | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 5 | Warhammer: Age of Sigmar | Cubicle 7 | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 6 | Swords of the Serpentine | Pelgrane Press | Original |
| 7 | Rivers of London | Chaosium | Established (Licensed) |
| 8 | Stargate | Wyvern Gaming | Established (Licensed) |
| 9 | Fading Suns 4E | Ulisses Spiele | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 10 | Cortex Prime | Fandom Tabletop | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
2019: The Edition Shift
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Savage Worlds Adventure Edition | Pinnacle Entertainment | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 2 | Pathfinder 2nd Edition | Paizo Publishing | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 3 | Lex Arcana | Quality Games | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | The Expanse | Green Ronin | Established (Licensed) |
| 5 | Eclipse Phase 2nd Edition | Posthuman Studios | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 6 | Dune Adventures in the Imperium | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 7 | John Carter of Mars | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 8 | Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition | Onyx Path | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 9 | Things from the Flood | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 10 | Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD | ENP | Established (Licensed) |
2018: The Gothic Revival
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition | White Wolf | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 2 | Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition | Cubicle 7 | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 3 | Kult: Divinity Lost | Helmgast AB | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | Forbidden Lands | Free League | Original |
| 5 | RuneQuest: Role-playing in Glorantha | Chaosium | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 6 | The Witcher Roleplaying Game | R. Talsorian Games | Established (Licensed) |
| 7 | Warhammer 40,000 Wrath & Glory | Ulisses North America | Established (Licensed) |
| 8 | The Expanse | Green Ronin | Established (Licensed) |
| 9 | Legend of the Five Rings 5th Edition | Fantasy Flight Games | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 10 | Numenera 2: Discovery & Destiny | Monte Cook Games | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
2017: The Licensed Frontier
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Trudvang Chronicles | RiotMinds | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 2 | Tales from the Loop | Free League | Established (Licensed) |
| 3 | Kult: Divinity Lost | Helmgast AB | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | Star Trek Adventures | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 5 | Conan Adventures in An Age… | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 6 | Starfinder | Paizo Publishing | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 7 | The Witcher Roleplaying Game | R. Talsorian Games | Established (Licensed) |
| 8 | Coriolis – The Third Horizon | Free League | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 9 | Delta Green Roleplaying Game | Arc Dream Publishing | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 10 | Astonishing Swordsmen… 2E | North Wind Adventures | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
2016: The Kickstarter Giants
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Rifts for Savage Worlds | Pinnacle Entertainment | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 2 | Mutant Crawl Classics | Goodman Games | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 3 | 7th Sea 2nd Edition | John Wick Presents | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | Conan | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 5 | DCC Lankhmar | Goodman Games | Established (Licensed) |
| 6 | RuneQuest 4 | Chaosium | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 7 | Torg: Eternity | Ulisses Spiele | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 8 | Blue Rose AGE | Green Ronin | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 9 | Paranoia | Mongoose Publishing | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 10 | Delta Green | Arc Dream Publishing | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
2015: The Space Opera Era
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | Status |
| 1 | Star Wars: Force & Destiny | Fantasy Flight Games | Established (Licensed) |
| 2 | Deluxe Exalted 3rd Edition | Onyx Path | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 3 | Unified Rolemaster | Iron Crown Enterprises | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 4 | Conan Adventures in An Age… | Modiphius | Established (Licensed) |
| 5 | Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls | Flying Buffalo | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 6 | Barbarians of Lemuria: Mythic Edition | Dungeonland | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 7 | Feng Shui 2 | Atlas Games | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 8 | Fantasy AGE | Green Ronin | Original |
| 9 | Paranoia | Mongoose Publishing | Established (Legacy/Redux) |
| 10 | Shadow of the Demon Lord | Schwalb Entertainment | Original |
While independent creators have successfully claimed the top spot for three consecutive years, the broader Top 10 landscape reveals a resilient “Licensed and Legacy” stronghold. In 2026, despite Deathbringer taking the crown, the “Original” category actually saw a decline in its overall presence within the list compared to previous years.
The Resilience of the Established Guard
As the stacked bar chart illustrates, the “Established” category remains the industry’s floor. Even as peak enthusiasm shifts toward community-led auteurs, corporate licences and legacy editions continue to dominate the rankings.
- Market Resurgence: 2026 witnessed a “Licensed Gold Rush,” with 80% of the Top 10 dominated by global icons and legacy properties.
- A “Top-Heavy” Market: While original games have seized the peak, the surrounding list is increasingly crowded by multi-million-pound literary estates and 40-year-old brands.
- Statistical Dip: The number of original projects in the Top 10 dropped to its lowest level since 2021, suggesting that while the “Original” category is winning the war for the #1 spot, it is still fighting a hard battle to maintain its volume in the overall rankings.
This data highlights a fascinating paradox: the industry’s most intense hype is reserved for the new, yet the most consistent commercial space is still held by the familiar.
Via EN World’s 2026 vote.
