Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was one of the best games of 2025, and since its launch, there have been three DLCs that expand what players are able to do in Bohemia. Even though they aren’t necessary additions to the main story, these expansions bring a little extra spice to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and its predecessor took a similar approach with DLC. Now that Kingdom Come 3 is confirmed, though, Warhorse Studios needs to rethink this method with certain gameplay mechanics.
What every Kingdom Come DLC is centered around differs greatly, but the first and second game both have expansions that add extra RPG elements to the experience that should have been there from the start. The Legacy of the Forge DLC turns Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 into a blacksmithing simulator with base customization, while From the Ashes brought a settlement-building side activity to the first game. Life sim-focused expansions aren’t for every player, but these kinds of features need to be present from the get-go in Kingdom Come 3.
Kingdom Come 3 Needs to Put an End to Hiding Fun RPG Elements Behind a Paywall
Expansions like Legacy of the Forge and From the Ashes may not be essential for getting through the main story, but they both present players with great side activities that are easy to spend hours with. Added features like blacksmithing quickly turn Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 into a cozy life sim. Of course, many players are going to be more interested in following the main questlines, but having the option to slow down and enjoy a simpler side of medieval life is a great breather.
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For Warhorse Studios to Have Such Pride in Kingdom Come’s Immersion, Leaving Out Life Sim Features Is a Strange Move
One of the reasons that the Kingdom Come series has made such waves in the industry is because of its unapologetic realism. The first game was a strong start, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 raised the bar in a big way, making it one of the best medieval life sim games that gamers can dive into. RPG-focused expansions like From the Ashes and Legacy of the Forge only add to the experience, so it’s strange that Warhorse Studios didn’t make them side activities that were automatically built into the game’s fabric.
The base-building that these DLCs offer is something that a large subset of players enjoys deeply. Keeping it behind a post-launch paywall is frustrating, because there are a lot of fans who are willing to spend hours with these kinds of mechanics from the beginning, especially when it’s supposed to be a game that is all about immersion and choosing how you live in a medieval world. There aren’t really any major Kingdom Come 3 details at the moment, but Warhorse Studios hopefully uses this new chapter as a moment to rethink how DLC is handled.
The Kingdom Come Series’ RPG-Focused Expansions Have Faced Mixed Reviews That Make the Continuation of DLC Feel Pointless
Legacy of the Forge and From the Ashes have fared well when it comes to many critics’ reviews, but players haven’t always been pleased with them. Reviews on platforms like Steam can be more of a mixed bag. This is subjective, of course, but putting in the effort to offer a set of new mechanics as DLC just for it to underperform isn’t the right move. If all that work is going to be used to create these features, then including it in the base game for players to discover along the way and choose whether they want to spend time with it or not makes more sense.
Kingdom Come 3 Has the Opportunity to Shake Up the Series
When Warhorse Studios announced a new Kingdom Come game, the team was careful not to mention the “Deliverance” part of the title that has been present in the past two titles. Instead, Warhorse Studios specifically called it a “new Kingdom Come adventure.” It’s too early to say for sure what this specific choice of words means, but it could be laying the groundwork for a game that turns out to be an interesting departure from the last two.
Life sim-focused expansions aren’t for every player, but these kinds of features need to be present from the get-go in Kingdom Come 3.
The obvious option is that it’s a Kingdom Come game that doesn’t follow Henry. A spin-off would make sense, especially considering how fast of a timeline Warhorse Studios is working with. Kingdom Come 3‘s release date hasn’t been revealed yet, but it has at least been confirmed that the developer is eyeing its 2027 fiscal year. This could place the game anywhere between spring 2027 and spring 2028. That’s an incredibly fast turnaround between entries, so this has me anticipating a smaller game compared to the Kingdom Come: Deliverance titled.
If Kingdom Come 3 really is a smaller entry, it could be a great testing ground to add life sim elements into the game from the start instead of using them for DLC content. Blacksmithing and base-building mechanics could add hours of side content that would make a smaller game feel more worth the time and money. A down-sized Kingdom Come experience has the potential to disappoint some fans who want more of the series’ massive world, but robust side hobbies are a solid way to make a smaller game feel bigger than it might look on the surface.
Kingdom Come 3 isn’t the only project that Warhorse Studios has in the works. The studio is also working on an open-world Lord of the Rings RPG. Details about this project are still being kept under wraps, but Warhorse Studios is a great choice to bring this kind of game to life.
The wait to see what Warhorse Studios’ next Kingdom Come project has in store is now officially underway. There are a surprising number of cozy features in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and including more of those qualities in the base game would have potentially helped those elements shine through even more from the beginning. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s gameplay and story were a great improvement on its already strong predecessor, so it’s going to be fascinating to see how Kingdom Come 3 pushes the series even further.
- Released
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February 4, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
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Warhorse Studios
