Puzzle Quest 3 is finally happening, will be out later this year

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It's been more than a decade since the arrival of Puzzle Quest 2, a mix of isometric roleplaying and match-3 gameplay that we described as "brain-tickling puzzling in a fantasy wrapper" in our 86/100 review. That's a long time to wait for a sequel to such a well-received game, but that wait is almost over: 505 Games announced today that Puzzle Quest 3 is in development and expected to be out later this year.

Puzzle Quest 3 will tell an all-new RPG-infused tale in the land of Etheria, set 500 years after the original game, with its match-3 battle system upgraded with "new and imaginative gameplay mechanics." It will be the first game in the series to be published by 505 Games, which recently acquired developer Infinity Plus Two—previously known as Infinite Interactive, the studio behind the first two games in the series—and will be free to play, also a first for the series.

"After an overwhelming demand from fans over the past decade for the next instalment of Puzzle Quest, we're thrilled to finally reveal the development of Puzzle Quest 3," Infinity Plus Two CEO Steve Fawkner said. "The vision for this latest project has been years in the making, and like any good Puzzle Quest game, it's a delicate balance of gameplay, story, and strategic puzzle-solving while introducing something unexpected that will appeal to both old and new fans."

That's a lot to put on the shoulders of a match-3 game, but Puzzle Quest is really good (and still eminently playable, if you're curious) and so I'm glad that a new one is finally on the way. A date hasn't been set yet but 505 said it will be out later this year, and in the meantime you can keep track of what's happening at puzzlequest3.com.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.