Magic, in most games, is treated like a key for a lock – a spell performs a set function. Ice getting in the way? Melt it with fire. Enemy covered in armor? Hit them with lightning. Warlock: Dungeons and Dragons, on the other hand, treats magic more like a painter’s palette.

In a hands-off demo at Gamescom 2026, I see how its take on magic (or, to be specific, its take on the magic of Dungeons & Dragons) feels more expressive, open to interpretation, with multiple means to accomplish a single task. Not only do I see a dozen or so spells, I imagine dozens more ways they could have been used.

An open world action-adventure, it puts you in the boots of Kaatri, a swordmaster granted the powers of a D&D warlock by a less-than-trustworthy patron. It’s a means of letting you combine melee and spellcasting but, in my time seeing the game, your sword seems to be a means to an end – more often a way to finish a fight you’ve effectively already won by means of magic.

That’s absolutely fine by me, given it’s rare to see an action game allow for the player to decide how to fight (and explore) quite so much as this. Take a simple telekinesis spell – in this single demo, I see it being used to throw scenery at enemies, or turn a boulder into a shield against an arrow trap, or to pull water out of a pond to douse a fire, or combined with a Black Tentacle spell to create new platforming solutions across a chasm.

But in all of these situations, I could imagine another spell being just as useful. Kaatri could have used an Eldritch Blast on the enemies, used Misty Step to avoid the arrow trap or cross the fire, or performed an Otherworldly Leap to cross that perilous gap. The fact that, without even playing, I’m already theorycrafting my own solutions feels like the point – Warlock is built to allow for discovery in a way many games can’t allow for.

That philosophy feeds into quest design too – the developers at Invoke Studios tell us that you won’t be given waypoints to take you from story beat to story beat. Instead, you’ll need to gather your own clues, find your own way. When Kaatri enters a town, she speaks to villagers to gather information, and looks for unusual activity around her.

At one point, she spots bloody drag marks leading behind a conspicuously open door – this isn’t signposted, and even seems to require the player to walk all the way up to it to it to interact. It feels easily missed, on purpose, allowing for players to find their own routes and discoveries. When they do activate this particular interaction, it opens up a Mystery – the game’s take on sidequests, built around accruing information and exploring, rather than simply being pointed to the next cutscene.

Even the open world itself seems open to experimentation – Kaatri’s able to perform Rituals, which use up resources to create a literally world-changing effect. In this case, she casts Downpour to turn a sunny day into a wild storm before striding up to an entire group of enemies and casting Witch Bolt – but not at them, rather at a metal pole behind them. The combination of lightning, metal and conductive rain sends chains of electricity across the whole group, no swords required.

It’s a hugely impressive showing of how deep this all seems to go – abilities, environmental effects, and even scenery working in concert. As first glimpses go, it’s a very good one – Warlock looks to be bringing fresh ideas to a familiar genre but, even better, it wants you to bring your own ideas too.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons comes to XBOX Series X|S in 2027.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons

Wizards of the Coast

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Warlock is a third-person, single-player action-adventure game set in a dark fantasy, exploration-driven open world inspired by D&D.

You play as Kaatri, a warlock who uses clever spellcraft to explore the world, overcome challenges, and defeat monsters in creative ways. Her arsenal includes spells, rituals, and forbidden magic that let her bend the rules of the world to her advantage. Each spell can be combined with others in multiple ways, opening up different solutions to the every problem.

That flexibility carries into combat, where Kaatri can summon otherworldly melee weapons, each imbued with unique power and tactical value. Whether exploring the world, solving challenges, or facing the malevolent creatures lurking in the shadows, every encounter tests your creativity, preparation, and cunning.