The Blood of Dawnwalker: Release Date, Story, Characters, Gameplay and PC Requirements

The Blood of Dawnwalker is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated role-playing games of 2026, combining dark fantasy, vampires, an open world, action combat, and a narrative system in which quests and relationships can reshape the story.

It is the debut game from Rebel Wolves, a studio co-founded by The Witcher 3 game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz and featuring developers who previously worked on The Witcher 3 and its expansions. Despite frequent comparisons, Dawnwalker is a new intellectual property and not an official Witcher sequel or spin-off.

Interest in the game has grown substantially, with its official Steam announcement confirming that it had passed one million wishlists before release.

Set in 14th-century Europe during a period of war and plague, the game follows Coen, a young man who is human by day and vampire by night. He must decide how far he is willing to sacrifice his humanity to save his family from a powerful vampire ruler.

Last updated: July 15, 2026

Quick Information

Original title: The Blood of Dawnwalker

Developer: Rebel Wolves

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Genre: Open-world dark fantasy action RPG

Perspective: Third-person

Engine: Unreal Engine 5

Main character: Coen

Setting: Vale Sangora in the Carpathian Mountains

Time period: 14th-century Europe

Mode: Single-player

Release date: September 3, 2026

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S

PC storage: 60GB

Required memory: 16GB RAM

Storage type: SSD

Arabic support: Arabic is not currently listed among the officially announced text or voice languages.

What Is The Blood of Dawnwalker About?

The story takes place during the 14th century, when wars are tearing Europe apart and the Black Death is devastating the surviving population.

A powerful group of vampires takes advantage of humanity’s weakness. Instead of remaining hidden, they step into the open, overthrow feudal rulers, and establish a new order. Other supernatural creatures also begin to emerge as legends become reality.

The vampire lord Brencis controls Vale Sangora after removing its human ruler and taking over Greifberg Castle. Coen’s family is held within his domain, pushing the protagonist to rescue them or seek revenge against those responsible for his transformation.

The game does not force the player to follow a single route. Coen can search for allies, uncover secrets, gain new abilities, prepare for the confrontation, or attempt to assault Brencis’ castle much earlier than expected.

Who Is Coen?

Coen is a young man who was already responsible for supporting his family before becoming a Dawnwalker, a being trapped between humanity and vampirism.

During the day, he retains his human form and uses a sword and ritual magic based on runes carved into his body.

At night, his vampire nature takes over, giving him claws, supernatural strength, enhanced traversal abilities, and access to areas that cannot be reached in the same way during daylight.

This duality affects far more than appearance. It changes combat, exploration, dialogue options, quest solutions, and potential story outcomes. A location that is heavily guarded during the day may be entered from the rooftops at night.

How Does the 30-Day System Work?

Coen has 30 days and 30 nights to save his family, but the game does not use a continuously running real-world countdown.

Time does not advance while exploring, fighting, searching buildings, or wandering through Vale Sangora. It moves forward only when the player completes certain quests, selects specific dialogue options, or changes between day and night.

Activities that consume time display an hourglass icon, allowing the player to see the cost before making a decision.

This gives players unlimited real-world time to explore between narrative checkpoints. However, there is not enough in-game time to complete every story and help every character in one playthrough.

The game does not immediately end when the 30-day limit expires, but Coen’s family may suffer serious consequences based on what the player has or has not accomplished.

What Is a Narrative Sandbox?

Rebel Wolves describes the game as a narrative sandbox.

There is no strict division between main quests and side quests. A seemingly optional character or hidden location may provide information, abilities, allies, or opportunities that completely change Coen’s route toward his final objective.

Players may help the rebellion, search for a legendary weapon, form unexpected alliances, uncover ancient secrets, or attempt to understand certain vampires instead of automatically killing them.

The limited amount of narrative time means every playthrough can feature different quests, relationships, consequences, and endings.

Where Does the Game Take Place?

The Blood of Dawnwalker is set in Vale Sangora, a fictional region located in the Carpathian Mountains.

The handcrafted world includes forests, plains, swamps, steep mountains, medieval villages, cities, caves, forgotten ruins, and remnants of an ancient civilization.

Svartrau

Svartrau is the largest city and capital of Vale Sangora, as well as the center of Brencis’ power.

During the day, its streets, markets, and districts appear filled with ordinary medieval life, although signs of vampire control remain visible.

At night, Coen’s supernatural traversal abilities open paths across rooftops and into previously inaccessible locations.

Human Combat and Magic

During the day, Coen primarily fights with a sword and ritual magic.

The game uses a directional combat system in which players must study enemy movements, select attack directions, block accurately, and time counterattacks.

Successful attacks, blocks, and parries build Activation Charges that can be spent on special abilities.

Revealed spells include Burning Blood, which inflicts damage over time, and Feral Mind, which may cause an enemy to attack random targets, including allies.

New spells are learned from magical scrolls found across the world and are unlocked or upgraded with skill points.

Coen’s magic depends on runes carved into his body. These runes become inactive at night, preventing his vampire form from using the same human spells.

Coen does not normally use bows or crossbows. Combat is designed around close-range swordplay, fists, magic, and supernatural abilities that help him close the distance to enemies.

Vampire Abilities at Night

At night, Coen loses access to his human magic but gains vampire powers.

Revealed abilities include:

Shadowstep, which helps Coen move quickly across rooftops.

Clawride, a traversal ability connected to his claws.

Planeshift, which allows him to reach elevated or distant locations.

Vampire claws, which replace the sword in several nighttime encounters.

These powers offer alternative routes through quests and environments. In the gameplay presentation, Coen used his nighttime movement abilities to enter a cathedral from above rather than approaching through its guarded entrances.

Blood Hunger

Coen experiences Blood Hunger during the night.

He can drink blood from defeated enemies, vampires, villagers, or animals, or use special blood vials.

Players may drain only enough blood to leave a victim unconscious or continue until the character dies.

Ignoring Blood Hunger weakens Coen’s health and abilities. In extreme situations, he may lose control and attack a nearby character, potentially killing someone important to the story.

The system therefore connects survival mechanics with narrative and moral consequences.

Does the Game Have a Morality System?

The Blood of Dawnwalker does not use a traditional good-versus-evil morality meter.

Stories and decisions are designed around moral ambiguity, and players must reach their own conclusions about which choices are justified.

Relationships, characters, storylines, and endings can change based on the player’s decisions. Rebel Wolves has also confirmed that killing every vampire is not necessarily required to achieve Coen’s goals.

Confirmed Characters

Coen

The protagonist, a young man transformed into a Dawnwalker who must balance his humanity with his vampire powers.

Brencis

The vampire lord who controls Vale Sangora and holds Coen’s family within his territory.

Marat

The courageous and charismatic leader of a rebellion opposing the Vrakhiri. He is highly suspicious of betrayal, meaning Coen must earn his trust.

Lacra

A mysterious woman driven by revenge. She has her own agenda, and her secrets may only be revealed depending on Coen’s actions and relationship with her.

Anca

A longtime presence in Coen’s life who taught him to read and understand more than what is written on the surface. She also carries a secret that may separate her from the other villagers.

Xanthe

The oldest vampire in Vale Sangora. She uses blood-control abilities and appears as a powerful opponent during the cathedral gameplay sequence.

Bakir

A vampire antagonist belonging to Brencis’ group. Former UFC champion Jan Błachowicz contributed motion-capture work to the character’s combat performance.

Release Date and Platforms

The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on:

September 3, 2026

Confirmed platforms are:

PC through Steam

PlayStation 5

Xbox Series X

Xbox Series S

No PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch 2 versions have been officially announced.

Some regional Steam pages may display September 2 because of time-zone differences, but the global date announced by Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco is September 3, 2026.

Editions and Prices

Standard Edition

Includes the base game.

The official European price is €69.99, while the US Steam listing shows $69.99. Prices may vary by country, platform, tax, and retailer.

Eclipse Edition

Includes:

The base game.

Digital World Compendium.

Digital comic book.

Digital soundtrack.

The announced price is €79.99 in the European Bandai Namco store and $79.99 on the US Steam store.

Day One Edition

A physical edition containing the game, a Steelbook case, and a printed map of Vale Sangora. Availability may vary by platform and retailer.

Collector’s Edition

Includes the base game, Eclipse Edition digital content, Steelbook, world map, a 60-page physical World Compendium, stickers, and a 23cm PureArts Coen figurine.

Its announced European price is €199.99. The PC edition contains a download code inside the box, while console versions include a physical game disc.

Pre-Order Bonus

Pre-orders include the Sangoran Wayfarer’s Armor Set.

The item is not permanently exclusive, as players can also obtain it later through normal gameplay.

The Blood of Dawnwalker PC System Requirements

Two different official specification lists are currently available.

The first is the simplified baseline list shown on Steam and Bandai Namco’s store pages.

The second is a detailed performance chart published during the Road to Launch event, identifying hardware targets for specific resolutions, presets, and frame rates.

Baseline Minimum Requirements

OS: Windows 10 64-bit with DirectX 12

Processor: Intel Core i5-11400F or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X

Memory: 16GB RAM

NVIDIA GPU: GeForce GTX 1060

AMD GPU: Radeon RX 580

DirectX: Version 12

Storage: 60GB

Storage type: SSD.

Baseline Recommended Requirements

OS: Windows 10 64-bit with DirectX 12

Processor: Intel Core i7-11700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X

Memory: 16GB RAM

NVIDIA GPU: GeForce RTX 4060

AMD GPU: Radeon RX 7600 XT

Intel GPU: Arc B580

Storage: 60GB

Storage type: SSD.

Detailed Performance Targets

Bandai Namco also published a more demanding chart for specific performance targets. The listed results were measured without upscaling or frame generation, although the game will support technologies such as DLSS and FSR.

1080p at 30 FPS — Low

CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

RAM: 16GB

GPU: RTX 3050, GTX 1070, RX Vega 56, or Intel Arc A580

VRAM: 6GB

Storage: 60GB SSD

1080p at 60 FPS — High

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600 or AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

RAM: 16GB

GPU: RTX 5060 or RX 6800 XT

VRAM: 12GB

Storage: 60GB SSD

1440p at 60 FPS — High

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600 or AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

GPU: RTX 4070 Ti or RX 7800 XT

RAM: 16GB

VRAM: 12GB

1440p at 60 FPS — Ultra

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

GPU: RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX

RAM: 16GB

VRAM: 16GB

4K at 60 FPS — Ultra

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

GPU: RTX 5090

RAM: 16GB

VRAM: At least 16GB.

Why Are the Requirements Different?

The store specifications represent a baseline for installing and running the game.

The detailed chart describes hardware used to achieve specific combinations of image quality, resolution, and frame rate without relying on upscaling.

A GTX 1060 appearing in the baseline list does not necessarily mean it will match the 1080p and 30 FPS experience associated with the separate GTX 1070 or RTX 3050 target.

Final performance should be judged using release-version benchmarks, since patches and graphics drivers may alter results.

Can a GTX 1650 Run The Blood of Dawnwalker?

The GTX 1650 is generally weaker than the GTX 1060 and GTX 1070 listed in the official requirements, and most models have only 4GB of VRAM.

It does not reliably meet the official minimum. The game may require a very low internal resolution, the Low preset, aggressive upscaling, and reduced texture quality, with no guarantee of stable performance.

Can a GTX 1660 Super Run the Game?

The GTX 1660 Super is faster than the baseline GTX 1060 but is not one of the officially tested cards.

It may be capable of running the game at 1080p on low settings, but stable 60 FPS or High settings should not be expected without final benchmarks.

Can an RTX 3050 Run the Game?

Yes. The RTX 3050 is included in the detailed 1080p, 30 FPS, Low target.

Performance will depend on the exact desktop or laptop model, VRAM capacity, power limit, and processor.

Can an RTX 3060 Run the Game?

The RTX 3060 is faster than the RTX 3050 and should exceed the minimum performance level.

However, it remains below the baseline recommended RTX 4060 and significantly below the RTX 5060 used for the detailed 1080p, 60 FPS, High target.

It may provide a reasonable 1080p experience with adjusted settings and DLSS, but no official final benchmark is available yet.

Can an RTX 4060 Run the Game?

Yes. The RTX 4060 is listed in the baseline recommended specifications.

The detailed chart uses an RTX 5060 for native 1080p, 60 FPS, High settings without upscaling. An RTX 4060 may approach that target by enabling DLSS or reducing selected settings.

How Much Storage Does the Game Need?

The PC version requires 60GB of SSD storage.

Keeping at least 70GB to 80GB free would provide additional space for patches and temporary installation files, although the officially stated requirement remains 60GB.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Does The Blood of Dawnwalker Release?

September 3, 2026.

Which Platforms Will Support the Game?

PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Is It Coming to PS4 or Xbox One?

No previous-generation versions have been announced.

Is the Game Multiplayer?

No. It is a single-player, story-focused action RPG.

Is It Related to The Witcher 3?

No. Some Rebel Wolves developers previously worked on The Witcher 3, but Dawnwalker is a separate world and intellectual property.

Is the 30-Day Limit a Real-Time Countdown?

No. Time advances only through specific quests, actions, dialogue choices, and transitions between day and night.

What Happens When 30 Days End?

The game does not immediately end, but Coen’s family may suffer consequences.

Can You Play as Both a Human and a Vampire?

Yes. Coen is human during the day and vampire at night.

Does the Game Require an SSD?

Yes. The official PC specifications list an SSD.

What Is the Download Size?

The official PC storage requirement is 60GB.

Can a GTX 1650 Run It?

The GTX 1650 does not reliably meet the official minimum specifications.

Can an RTX 3050 Run It?

Yes. It appears in the detailed 1080p, 30 FPS, Low performance tier.

Does the Game Support Arabic?

Arabic is not currently included in the officially announced language list.

Is There a Good and Evil System?

There is no traditional morality meter. Choices instead affect relationships, storylines, characters, and endings.

Conclusion

The Blood of Dawnwalker presents a dark version of 14th-century Europe in which vampires have used war and plague to seize control from weakened human rulers.

Players control Coen, a human by day and vampire by night who has 30 in-game days and nights to rescue his family from Brencis.

Its major features include a narrative sandbox, meaningful time costs, directional combat, ritual magic, supernatural traversal, Blood Hunger, and relationships that can reshape the story.

The game launches on September 3, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The PC version requires 16GB of RAM, an SSD, and 60GB of storage.