I still remember the first time I read that Avowed would not have romance options. It was late 2024, and I was scrolling through RPG news while waiting for the February 2025 release. My first reaction was disappointment. I had spent hundreds of hours in games like Baldur's Gate 3, where romance is not a side dish but a main course. So when Obsidian Entertainment said Avowed would skip romance entirely, I wondered if the game would feel cold. Now, in 2026, after finishing Avowed twice and watching the community debate it for more than a year, I can say my worry was misplaced. The no-romance choice is not a missing feature. It is a design statement.
Avowed director Carrie Patel explained the reasoning in an interview with GamesRadar+. Her answer was refreshingly practical. 'It’s a ton of work,' she said. 'You want to make sure you do it right.' That line has stuck with me because it admits something most RPG fans rarely want to hear: romance is expensive. It requires extra writing, animation, voice acting, branching dialogue, jealousy systems, pacing changes, and careful continuity. If a studio adds romance just to check a box, the result can be shallow. Patel also said the team wanted players who opt out of romance to still have deep, meaningful relationships with companions. Friendship and ally paths should be just as thorough as romance paths. That is a high bar, and Avowed meets it in its own way.
The game has four companions. Obsidian focused on making all of them matter in a single playthrough. Patel described them as having key roles in the story, different party roles, different personalities, and ways they complement each other while telling the story of the Living Lands. After playing, I understand why that mattered more than dating. My companions argued, joked, disagreed, and grew. I did not need to kiss anyone to feel close to them. I needed to listen.
Here is how I would compare Avowed’s approach with the romance-heavy RPG blueprint that dominated the 2020s:
| Design question | Avowed's answer | Typical romance-heavy RPG |
|---|---|---|
| What is the core bond? | Friendship, trust, shared mission | Attraction, flirtation, commitment |
| How much content is locked behind romance? | Little to none | Often major companion scenes |
| Replay pressure | Low; one run can reveal full arcs | High; different romances require new runs |
| Tone | Adventuring party, not dating sim | Emotional intimacy plus courtship |
| Risk | Players may miss romance | Players may miss non-romance depth |
That table is not meant to dunk on romance. I love romance in RPGs when it is done well. Baldur's Gate 3 made me care about its characters in ways that few games ever have. But Avowed made me care differently. I traveled through the Living Lands with a party that felt like a group of coworkers who slowly became friends. We survived ambushes, made ugly political choices, and learned each other's limits. No one was waiting for me to pick the right flirt option. That absence made room for something quieter: loyalty.
Obsidian had already tested this philosophy with The Outer Worlds, which also skipped romance. At the time, that felt unusual. In 2026, after years of watching RPGs compete over who has the best romance arcs, Avowed’s choice feels almost rebellious. It says that not every epic needs a love story. It says that a companion can be essential without being romanceable. It says that friendship can carry the emotional weight of a 60-hour campaign.
I will admit there were moments when I wondered what a romance path might have looked like. A few late-night camp conversations had a certain charge. A certain companion’s loyalty felt like it could tip into something more. But Obsidian did not go there, and I respect the restraint. Patel’s point about doing it right matters. Half-hearted romance is worse than no romance. It can turn characters into reward dispensers and make every kind gesture feel like a transaction.
What I appreciate most about Avowed is that it respects my time. I did not have to complete three playthroughs to see the full companion stories. I did not have to look up a guide to avoid locking myself out of a romance. I just played. I made choices. I lived with them. The four companions each had a role in the party and a role in the story of the Living Lands, and by the end, I felt like I knew them. Not as conquests. As people.
In 2026, with so many RPGs chasing the same emotional beats, that feels rare. Avowed is not anti-romance. It is pro-friendship. It is pro-companion. It is pro-single-playthrough storytelling. And for me, that is enough. Sometimes the best way to tell a love story is not to tell one at all. Sometimes you just hand someone a sword, point at the horizon, and say, 'Let's go.'
Would I play a romance-focused Avowed sequel? Absolutely. But I would not trade what we got. Obsidian made a bold call, and in a market still obsessed with dating options, that call still feels bold today. 🎮