Knights of Fiona is live. CharacterBank’s free-to-start VR JRPG unlocked on Meta Quest 3, Quest 3S, and SteamVR on September 3, 2026 in the West (September 4 in Asia Pacific). The download costs nothing. The full six-chapter story sits behind an $18.99 Story Pass.
The Kyoto studio’s official release note and RPG Site’s write-up match the store clocks: 10:00 a.m. PDT / 1:00 p.m. EDT on September 3. Chapters 1 through 5 ship now. Chapter 6 arrives in a later update this year. Meta Quest and SteamVR run full cross-play for parties of up to three.
Free install, paid story
VR.org unpacks the model cleanly. “Free-to-start” means the hub city of Geogallia, its quest board, NPCs, and enough combat to feel whether arm-swinging for an hour is worth another hour. The Story Pass — $18.99, or 3,000 yen — unlocks the six story chapters with Japanese and English voice acting, battle missions, and trading tables. CharacterBank’s previous VR JRPG, RUINSMAGUS (2022), still sells as a $34.99 upfront title. Same team, same genre, different bet.
On the Steam page, the game is marked Free To Play with the Story Pass listed as DLC (currently discounted to $17.09 in some regions). Early reviews sit at Mixed — 51% of 27 — which is a thin sample, not a verdict.
Co-op without platform sorting
Maximum party size is three. Solo and duo runs fill empty slots with AI companions rather than shrinking encounters. Cross-play between Quest and SteamVR is the point: you pick friends, not headsets. The open beta ran mid-August; CharacterBank says more than 1,600 players joined cross-platform sessions and that feedback shaped launch builds.
Combat is physical — sword, bow, magic — in Gallia, a setting where “thoughts become power.” English localization is by Nob Ogasawara (Pokémon, Dragon Quest, Yakuza). Fiona is voiced by Minami Tsuda in Japanese and Florence St. Leger in English. Kickstarter and Campfire raised over 6 million yen from 815 backers; backers keep unrestricted story access plus extras.
Why the model matters this September
September’s Quest and PCVR calendar is already packed with paid day-one titles. CharacterBank is instead putting the feel of the swing in your hands before asking for money. That is a sharper pitch for a VR JRPG than another timed demo nobody wishlists. The check is still on the player: try the free opening, then decide whether $18.99 buys the story you actually want to finish.
Sources: CharacterBank / Games Press, RPG Site, VR.org, Steam, UploadVR September calendar.