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The Blood of Dawnwalker is an open-world dark fantasy action RPG for PC from Rebel Wolves, available on Steam and GOG. You play as Coen, a man cursed to become a vampire at night while staying human by day. Every quest you take moves time forward, so the choices you make about who to help and who to leave behind carry real weight.
The day and night split is what carries the game. By day you fight as a human with sword and magic, and by night you can embrace vampire powers instead, and each approach opens different ways through the same quest. The world reacts differently depending on which side of yourself you lean on.
It released on September 3, 2026, alongside PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S versions. It runs on Windows 10 and 11 and is built on Unreal Engine 5, with full controller support if you prefer a gamepad on PC.
Already playing? Tell us whether you are leaning human or vampire in the comments. Got questions before buying? Reach out to us directly.
What You Need to Know
- It costs $69.99 standard, or $79.99 for the Eclipse Edition, which adds a digital compendium, soundtrack, and comic book.
- This is a single-player game with no online or co-op mode.
- Every quest advances an in-game day counter, so the story keeps moving whether you rush or take your time.
- Nexus Mods already has dozens of day one mods, including fixes and a mod that removes the day-limit pressure for a slower playthrough.
Quick Facts
How to Download The Blood of Dawnwalker on Windows
You can buy it on Steam or GOG. GOG’s copy is DRM-free, so pick that one if you would rather not run a launcher in the background.
- Step 1. Open the Steam page or the GOG page.
- Step 2. Pick the standard edition unless you specifically want the Eclipse Edition extras.
- Step 3. Sign in to your Steam or GOG account, or make a free one.
- Step 4. Pay, then open your library and click Install.
- Step 5. Clear 60 GB of SSD space before you start the download. An SSD is required, not just recommended.
- Step 6. Let the launcher finish any day-one update before you open the game.
- Step 7. Pick your preferred graphics settings on first launch based on your GPU, then adjust once you see how it runs.
- Step 8. Take the early quests slowly. You have more breathing room than the time-pressure framing suggests, at least at first.
☁️ Your PC is too weak? Cloud gaming is an option.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is on Boosteroid, which streams the game from its own hardware so your machine only has to play the video. You buy it on Steam or GOG first, then launch it through the service. Worth trying if your GPU falls short of the recommended tier.
What Is The Blood of Dawnwalker?
The Blood of Dawnwalker is an open-world dark fantasy RPG set in 14th-century Europe, as the Black Death sweeps the land and vampires seize the chaos to walk openly again. You play as Coen, a young man turned into a Dawnwalker, someone who lives as a human by day and a vampire by night. Both halves of that split come with their own abilities, and the game tracks which one you lean on.
Every quest you accept moves an in-game clock forward, and your family’s time is running out. That pressure is meant to push you toward choosing carefully who you help, rather than clearing every side quest on the map before moving the story forward. Rebel Wolves describes it as a narrative sandbox: the world reacts to what you do and what you skip, not just to scripted story beats.
Rebel Wolves is a Polish studio founded by former CD Projekt Red developers who worked on the Witcher series, and the RPG lineage shows in the hand-crafted world, built on Unreal Engine 5 across forests, swamps, mountains, and medieval settlements.
Official Trailer
Watch the official launch trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker to see Coen’s day and night forms, a look at the open world, and the tone of the story around his family and his curse.
Key Features
Two Ways to Fight
Take on quests as a human with sword and magic, or embrace vampire powers at night. Each path opens different tools and different ways through the same problem.
A Clock That Never Stops
Every quest you take advances an in-game day. Choosing who to help and who to leave behind is the game’s real difficulty setting.
A Narrative Sandbox
The world reacts to what you do and what you skip. Rush in, take time to prepare, go alone, or forge alliances, and the story adjusts.
Hand-Crafted Open World
Forests, swamps, mountains, and medieval settlements built on Unreal Engine 5, made by a studio with a Witcher pedigree behind it.
A Curse With a Cost
Fight for your humanity or lean fully into the vampire’s power to save your family faster. Neither choice is free.
Full Controller Support
Play with mouse and keyboard or a gamepad on PC, with the same options console players get.
Is This Game for You?
You Will Love It If:
- ✅ You want an RPG where your choices actually change what happens next
- ✅ You like the idea of switching between two distinct playstyles in one character
- ✅ You enjoy dark fantasy settings with real weight to them, not just gothic set dressing
- ✅ You want a single-player story you can play at your own pace, no online required
- ✅ You like open worlds built by hand rather than procedurally generated
You Might Not If:
- ❌ You want to play with friends, since there is no co-op or multiplayer
- ❌ You dislike time-pressure mechanics that keep a story moving forward
- ❌ You are not into vampire or dark fantasy themes and mature content
- ❌ You want a game confirmed to run well on older, budget hardware
- ❌ You would rather wait for reviews to settle before buying a $69.99 debut RPG
🎮 Our Take
A dark fantasy RPG built by former Witcher developers comes with real expectations attached, and the day and night split with a moving clock is a genuinely interesting hook rather than a gimmick bolted onto a standard open world. Making time pressure a core mechanic instead of an optional difficulty toggle is the boldest design choice here, and it is the one most likely to split players down the middle. If it works for you, it makes every choice feel like it costs something real.
The honest thing to know going in is that this is Rebel Wolves’ first game as a new studio, and a debut always carries more risk than a sequel from an established team. If you like the idea of choices with a real clock attached and want to form your own opinion on launch day, this is worth buying now. If a moving story timer sounds stressful rather than exciting, or you would rather see how the game holds up after a patch or two, waiting costs you nothing.
Why Play on PC?
- Mods, already active on day one. Nexus Mods had dozens of mods live within hours of launch, something console versions cannot offer.
- Higher framerates and graphics control. PC hardware scales past what console versions run, and DirectX 12 support means better lighting and texture detail on strong GPUs.
- Ultrawide support, fixed by the community. A day one mod already removes the black bars from cinematic cameras on ultrawide monitors.
- Faster loading from an SSD. The game requires SSD storage either way, so PC players with fast NVMe drives get quicker load times than console hard drives.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Mods
The game launched today, and modders were already active within hours. Here are six of the most useful mods live on Nexus Mods right now.
Where to Find Them
All of these are on Nexus Mods. You will need a free Nexus account to download, and most mods just drop into the game’s folder with no separate mod manager required. Check each mod page for its own install notes.
57 endorsements
Better Story Timer
Gives you as many in-game days as you want for the main story, and can also remove the time cost on traits. The pick if the day-limit pressure is what’s holding you back from buying.
Quality of life
DawnWALKING
Turns the hold-to-walk control into a single toggle. Tap once to walk, tap again or sprint to go back to normal movement, instead of holding a key the whole time.
Combat
Easier Parry
Doubles the perfect-parry timing window for a more forgiving defensive game. Worth trying if the combat is feeling stricter than you’d like early on.
Ultrawide fix
Centered HUD On Ultrawide
Centers the HUD and menus on ultrawide and super ultrawide monitors, so they sit in the middle of the screen instead of pinned off to one side.
Performance
Ultimate Engine Tweaks
An Engine.ini tweak set aimed at cutting stutter, improving performance, and lowering input latency with no visual quality loss. Useful if you’re running closer to the minimum spec.
Modding tools
UE4SS for Dawnwalker
A pre-configured build of the Unreal Engine scripting framework that most of the other mods on this list build on top of. Install this first if you plan to try more advanced mods later.
System Requirements
Tips for Beginners
Try both day and night playstyles early
Fight as a human for a few quests, then try leaning on vampire powers. Knowing how both feel before you commit saves you from regretting your build later.
Do not panic about the day counter at first
The early quests give you more room than the framing suggests. Get a feel for how much time each choice actually costs before you start rationing side content.
Install UE4SS first if you plan to mod
Several of the best community mods build on top of this scripting framework, so installing it first keeps you from reinstalling mods in the wrong order later.
Match your graphics settings to your GPU before you start
The game is demanding at the recommended tier. Set your options on first launch rather than starting on defaults and adjusting mid-quest.
Save before major story choices
Every action shapes who you can and cannot help later. A second save lets you see the outcome of a hard choice without losing your original run.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Screenshots
A look at Coen’s day and night forms, the open world, and the combat you will find in the game. Click any shot to open it full size.
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FAQ
Is The Blood of Dawnwalker on Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass?
What is the difference between the standard edition and the Eclipse Edition?
Does The Blood of Dawnwalker have mods?
Can I play The Blood of Dawnwalker on console?
What are the system requirements for The Blood of Dawnwalker on PC?
Support and Community
- r/pcgaming, useful for launch-day discussion until the game’s own subreddit picks up activity
- The Blood of Dawnwalker Steam Discussions, useful when you hit a bug or a technical issue someone else already solved
- The official Blood of Dawnwalker website, Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco’s own page for the game
- Rebel Wolves, the developer’s own website
Explore more Windows games: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt · Elden Ring · Best RPG Games for PC
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