Threads of Time is coming to Switch and Switch 2 in summer 2027

A dinosaur wandering through a prehistoric settlement, a swordsman exploring a medieval city and a fox-like ninja confronting the corporations of the future might appear to belong to completely different games.

In Threads of Time, they are all part of the same adventure.

Developer Riyo Games and publisher Balor Games announced on October 28, 2026, that the turn-based role-playing game will launch in summer 2027.

The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 editions are newly confirmed. The developer also announced that the existing PC and Xbox Series X|S versions are planned for the same release window.

An exact launch date and price remain unannounced.

A time-travelling adventure inspired by JRPG classics

Riyo Games openly identifies Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy as major inspirations behind Threads of Time.

The game takes players through several historical periods, from a prehistoric world inhabited by dinosaurs to a distant future shaped by advanced technology.

Other locations include fantasy kingdoms and alternative realms, each with distinct characters, environments and histories.

The central story involves a conspiracy threatening the past, present and future. Players must investigate the connections between different civilizations and discover how events across time influence one another.

The studio describes an adventure in which the stories of different eras gradually become interconnected.

The announcement does not yet establish precisely how freely players will move between historical periods or whether their decisions can permanently change earlier events.

Recruiting heroes from across history

The party is composed of characters originating from different periods.

Together, they seek to restore the ancient Order of the Time Knights, an organization connected to protecting the timeline.

Rye is a young swordsman from approximately 1000 AD whose origins remain mysterious. An attack on his home leads him toward the Time Knights' legacy.

Luna, another character from the same period, combines an adventurous personality with magical abilities.

Aria is a mysterious figure who appears to know several possible futures and can contact Rye across time and space.

Rin comes from the year 2400. A kitsune who can assume human form, she opposes powerful corporations that dominate her society.

Bo originates in the prehistoric era and has a particular affinity for dinosaurs, while Barza is a sky pirate searching for the legendary airship Needle.

These characters suggest a party defined by very different cultural backgrounds and personal histories.

The complete playable roster and maximum number of active party members have not yet been confirmed.

Turn-based battles with time manipulation

Threads of Time uses strategic turn-based combat rather than real-time action.

Characters have individual abilities and can combine attacks to unleash powerful team techniques.

The official description also highlights time manipulation and opportunities to break enemy defenses, suggesting that the order and timing of actions will matter.

Gameplay footage shows party statistics, ability menus and a battle timeline interface.

Combined attacks feature elaborate animation sequences, bringing together pixel-art characters and modern visual effects.

Although these mechanics have been demonstrated in trailers, their complete rules and progression systems remain to be explained.

The extent to which party composition influences combat strategy will become clearer with more detailed gameplay demonstrations.

Pixel-art characters inside Unreal Engine 5 environments

The game's visual presentation combines hand-crafted pixel-art characters with three-dimensional environments powered by Unreal Engine 5.

Detailed lighting, environmental depth and rich color palettes give each historical period a distinct atmosphere.

Medieval cities contain busy markets, glowing lanterns and carefully decorated buildings, while futuristic environments feature industrial structures, neon lighting and advanced machines.

The overall approach recalls the combination of retro character art and modern environments popularized by contemporary HD-2D-style RPGs.

Riyo Games also promises anime-style cinematic sequences to support the main story.

While Unreal Engine 5 provides the underlying technology, the studio has not announced console resolution or frame-rate targets for the Nintendo editions.

More than 100 songs and a summer 2027 release

Nintendo's official announcement highlights a soundtrack containing more than 100 original musical pieces.

The music is intended to accompany the game's historical settings and distinctive environments.

Threads of Time is the first title developed by the Canadian studio Riyo Games, which describes its team as including developers with experience across several other major and independent games.

The studio also references collaborations with Japanese creators associated with established RPG franchises.

The confirmed platforms are Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC through Steam.

The release window is summer 2027. A specific date, final pricing and French localization have not been officially established in the sources reviewed.

Threads of Time has yet to demonstrate the full depth of its combat and time-travel systems, but its creative direction is clear: a modern, visually ambitious RPG built around heroes from different eras and the legacy of classic Japanese role-playing adventures.