Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco held a new Road to Launch presentation for The Blood of Dawnwalker, an upcoming open-world dark fantasy action RPG that has already attracted attention since its early showcases due to one very simple fact: it is backed by a team of former CD Projekt RED developers, including people who worked on The Witcher 3. Therefore, comparisons are inevitable.
The most important news from the presentation is that The Blood of Dawnwalker will be released on September 3, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and pre-orders are already open. During the event, a new story trailer was shown, more than ten minutes of gameplay from the latest PC build, details about the game releases, PC system requirements, a music video for the new song “Uphill Battle,” and several behind-the-scenes materials.
We already know that we play as Coen, a young man turned into a Dawnwalker, a being caught between the human and vampire worlds of the 14th century, in a time of wars, plagues, and the general decay of human dignity. Our initial impressions at the last Gamescom were very positive.
What Dawnwalker tries to sell as its key idea is not just “vampires in the Middle Ages,” but a game where time and decisions have real weight. Coen has only 30 days and nights to save his loved ones. Every major action you take can push time forward. The developers claim that the system is not designed as a punishment, but as pressure that constantly reminds the player that something big is approaching. If time runs out, the game does not end automatically, but the consequences remain.
Player decisions can lead to certain NPCs ending up dead. The game continues, but with consequences. There is also a blood hunger system: if Coen's thirst for blood drops too low, it begins to affect dialogues and behavior, to the point where conversation options turn into chaos.
Gameplay revolves around a clear division between day and night. During the day, Coen uses human skills, sword fighting, and magic, while at night, vampire abilities come to the fore. Some abilities will be tied to specific vampire blood, and Coen can gain new powers by draining another vampire.
Combat is described as adaptable, with options for players who want a more challenging action experience, but also for those who are more story-focused. Blocking, parrying, indicators of incoming attacks, and unblockable attacks marked with red symbols were showcased. One of the shown enemies was The Forgotten Guardian, an armored skeleton mini-boss in an underground ruin.
The presentation also revealed the PC requirements, and they are quite hefty. If you thought your PC would breeze through the game, unfortunately, that won't be the case:
Minimum (1080p, 30 fps)
· Quality preset: Low
· CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
· RAM: 16GB
· GPU: Nvidia RTX 3050/GTX 1070, AMD RX Vega-56, or Intel Arc A580
· VRAM: 6GB
· Storage: 60GB SSD
Recommended (1080p, 60 fps)
· Quality preset: High
· CPU: Intel Core i5-13600 or AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
· RAM: 16GB
· GPU: Nvidia RTX 5060 or AMD RX 6800-XT
· VRAM: 12GB
· Storage: 60GB SSD
Recommended (1440p, 60 fps)
· Quality preset: High
· CPU: Intel Core i5-13600 or AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
· RAM: 16GB
· GPU: Nvidia RTX 4070-Ti or AMD RX 7800-XT
· VRAM: 12GB
· Storage: 60GB SSD
Ultra (1440p, 60 fps)
· Quality preset: Ultra
· CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
· RAM: 16GB
· GPU: Nvidia RTX 4080 or AMD RX 7900-XTX
· VRAM: 16GB
· Storage: 60GB SSD
Ultra (2160p, 60 fps)
· Quality preset: Ultra
· CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
· RAM: 16GB
· GPU: Nvidia RTX 5090
· VRAM: 16GB
· Storage: 60GB SSD
In addition to the standard edition, the Day One Edition, Eclipse Edition with digital bonuses such as a world compendium, soundtrack, and comic book, and a limited Collector’s Edition have been announced. It has also been confirmed that The Blood of Dawnwalker is developed in Unreal Engine 5 and is envisioned as the beginning of a new RPG saga.
So far, The Blood of Dawnwalker looks like one of the more interesting RPG projects of the year. It has a dark setting, a clear identity, an interesting time pressure, and a decision-making system that, if it truly works, could avoid that well-known open-world flaw where everything seems important, but nothing is actually urgent.
Of course, all of this still needs to survive contact with the final version. The ambition and atmosphere are there. Vampires are there. The former Witcher pedigree is there. Now only the worst remains: that the game actually be good. Because marketing can promise blood, choice, and consequences, but in the end, players remember most what they can truly feel under their fingers.
