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The Blood of Dawnwalker launched on September 3, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Its defining hook is a day-and-night shift that changes how protagonist Coen fights and explores, while a moving timeline forces choices about which people and quests he can pursue. The first game tells a complete story about Coen’s conflict with vampire lord Brencis.
Release date and platforms
Developed by Rebel Wolves and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, The Blood of Dawnwalker is a dark fantasy open-world action RPG built with Unreal Engine 5. It launched September 3, 2026, and is listed for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The publisher’s launch announcement also notes a major day-one patch. Bandai Namco’s launch announcement and the official product page list the available platforms. Xbox Wire says Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC support Xbox Play Anywhere; that feature is specific to the Xbox versions, not a claim about PlayStation or other PC storefronts. Xbox Wire’s launch feature describes that support.
What is The Blood of Dawnwalker about?
The story is set in 14th-century Europe, in Vale Sangora, a fictional region in the Carpathian Mountains. Coen, a young man transformed into a Dawnwalker, exists between human life by day and vampiric power by night. He must decide how to use both sides as he tries to save his family from Brencis, the vampire lord ruling the region.
Xbox Wire’s launch feature describes the setup as a 30-day countdown: Brencis intends to execute Coen’s family and village at his coronation. The countdown gives the story urgency, but it is also tied to the game’s quest and choice systems rather than being a simple timer that automatically ends the game. Xbox Wire’s launch feature provides that specific plot framing.
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- Make the story your own - Experience and design the plot the way you want it. Set out to save your family, or swear revenge on your Creator and destroy all who stand in your way. Discover ancient secrets lurking in the valley. Plunge into the action or take time to prepare. Go alone or find friends and forge unlikely alliances.
- Day and Night - Experience two different gameplay loops with different abilities to choose from, secrets to uncover, and different ways to achieve your goals. Experiment with different approaches and discover how the world reacts to your actions.
- Every action counts - every action - and every inaction - shapes the world around you. Your family's days are numbered, and every time you take a quest, time progresses and brings you closer to the end. Choose carefully who you help and who you leave behind. You won't have time for all. The world is waiting for no one. And neither does evil.
- Sword, claws and anger - Defy gravity, become a brutal force of nature and use your supernatural abilities as a vampire. Or raise your sword and use powerful magic to take on your opponents as a human being. Experiment and adapt as your shape changes throughout the day and night; each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
- Open world full of adventure - venture through the handmade open world and discover everything it has to offer. Stroll through the lush forests, the vast plains, the treacherous swamps and explore the steep mountain peaks and medieval settlements. Explore forgotten ruins, find remains of an ancient civilization, and uncover a truth that might have preferred to remain hidden.
How day and night change gameplay
The day-and-night division affects more than appearance. The official description presents two gameplay loops, with distinct abilities and different approaches to goals, quests and mysteries. By day, Coen is human and can use a sword and magic; at night, vampiric abilities become available. The shifting form asks players to adapt rather than rely on one fixed combat style. The official product page describes the two loops and open world.
Human Coen by day
Rebel Wolves’ gameplay deep dive shows Coen using a sword and magical runes etched as scars during daylight. The studio says the showcase covered directional combat, traversal, magic, vampiric abilities and differences between day and night quests. Its footage was captured on PC from a pre-beta build, and the studio cautioned that it did not represent final quality. Rebel Wolves’ gameplay deep dive gives the studio’s description and footage qualification.
Vampire Coen by night
At night, Coen can fight with vampiric claws and use Shadowstep to move across rooftops, according to the same studio showcase. In a separate four-hour preview event, an Xbox Wire writer also described wall-walking, transforming into a wolf for quick travel, and skill trees for vampire abilities and human swordplay. Those latter details are observations from that preview, not a claim of independent testing here. Xbox Wire’s hands-on preview attributes them to its author’s play session.
Does the game have a time limit?
Time advances as Coen takes quests, and the official product page says players will not have enough time to help everyone. The system is designed to make choices matter: which people to help, which stories to leave aside, and when to pursue Brencis.
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- A dark fantasy action RPG set in a war-torn 14th-century Europe, developed by Rebel Wolves and published by Bandai Namco.
In an April 28, 2026 interview with PlayStation.Blog, game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz said the team wanted players to feel an approaching major event without being stressed by the clock. He said players can complete most of the game before time runs out; running out has consequences but is not necessarily a game over. Lead quest designer Rafał Jankowski also explained that optional stories support different solutions and endings. These are developer explanations from the pre-release period, not a promise that every quest outcome is consequence-free. The PlayStation.Blog interview discusses the mechanic.
The developers also described routes that let players skip certain optional paths and face Brencis sooner, with a sharper challenge. The structure is therefore about balancing exploration and urgency, not simply completing every quest before a fixed fail state.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the first game have a complete ending?
Yes. Bandai Namco Europe says Coen’s conflict with Brencis reaches a definitive, self-contained conclusion in this game, which is set entirely in the 14th century. The ending is shaped by player choices, but the announcement says the story does not rely on a cliffhanger or unresolved plot thread. Bandai Namco Europe’s announcement describes the conclusion and the broader plan.
The same announcement presents a wider Dawnwalker saga as a plan for standalone stories across different centuries, continents and cultures, with new characters in later installments. A teaser briefly places Coen in a 21st-century setting, but the developers said this does not mean the games will use time travel or continue his story through narrative cliffhangers. Those are announced intentions for the wider series, not details of a released sequel.
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The official product page lists four editions. Their contents differ mainly in digital extras and physical collectibles; check the page for the edition offered in your region and current availability.
| Edition | Listed contents |
|---|---|
| Standard | Game |
| Eclipse | Game, digital world compendium, digital comic book and digital soundtrack |
| Day One | Game, Steelbook and world map |
| Collector’s | Game, Steelbook, world map, PureArts Coen figurine, physical world compendium and the digital Eclipse content |
These are the contents listed by Bandai Namco’s official product page. It does not establish current stock or price by region.
PC system requirements
Bandai Namco lists the following Windows requirements. Both configurations call for Windows 10, DirectX 12 and 60 GB of available SSD storage.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5-11400F / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | Intel Core i7-11700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GTX 1060 / Radeon RX 580 | NVIDIA RTX 4060 / Radeon RX 7600 XT / Intel Arc B580 |
| Video memory | 6 GB VRAM | 8 GB VRAM |
| Storage | 60 GB available on SSD | 60 GB available on SSD |
| Operating system / API | Windows 10 / DirectX 12 | Windows 10 / DirectX 12 |
These specifications are the requirements listed on the official product page. They do not establish comparative performance across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
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