Blood of the Dawnwalker - Gameplay Reveal (Releases 2026) | Xbox Showcase

I think this looks really good, excited to see more uncut gameplay. Hope it has a bunch of complicated subsystems and upgrades, and I'm not even shitposting. Seems like the kind of game that would have something like that.
 
The camera placement during gameplay is absolutely atrocious. I dont know hot they thought it was right

But the game itself looks good, I am interested
 
The tiny gameplay bits looked rough, no way this is releasing in 2026, especially since they're planning to turn it into a bigger brand and the first game can't afford to end up being a big disappointment.
 
Trailer wasn't nearly as impressive as the reveal but still day one.

Hopefully they nail the writing because i don't have much hope for a great combat and the graphic looks pretty underwhelming.
 
Needs more time. Animation needs polish and the hazy lighting in darker scenes is an eyesore
 
Footage was labeled as pre-beta so basically an alpha, I think they can sort the performance issues till launch but we will see next year I guess.
 
To all nay-sayers remember thats small studio which just grew to 90ppl in 2024, game will be much better from what we see now, have faith, most important is the topheads/devteam know what they are doing, we wont get AAA crazy blockbuster but it will be solid AA game :)
Think this but in the western rpg(midleaged eastern europe+ vampires) genre:
 
Interesting, but holy shit does the music sound like exactly some of the music in Witcher 3. Could've fooled me.
 
Serious potential given the dev pedigree.

It's their's to prove or fail though since this looks a little rough (janky).

Happy to open mind this all day long but the character designs need more… inspiration?

Everyone looks generic and non-distinctive, including the main character.

It's also a shame coming from the amazing character design work in the Witcher series from the same devs.

It's even more jarring when you contrast with the amazing vampire designs in the TW3.
 
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The framerate in the trailer was so atrocious that it was surprising they'd show it in that state. It reminded me of ps3/360 era trailers where the games would be running at 15fps around E3 (and to be fair, no one cared).

Hopefully they don't launch it too early and let it cook properly.
 
fatmarco said:
The framerate in the trailer was so atrocious that it was surprising they'd show it in that state. It reminded me of ps3/360 era trailers where the games would be running at 15fps around E3 (and to be fair, no one cared).

Hopefully they don't launch it too early and let it cook properly.
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Thats what u get when u see early actual gameplay footage compared to bullshot doctored af trailers, bro.
Game is sheduled for 2026(which means either holidays or 2027 sometime) so plenty time left for polish/improvements, we all know how many of pristine quality trailers with perfect fps ended up as- complete fakes, to not look far witcher3, watch dogs, the division, or bit further back killzone 2/motorstorm just to name few examples :D
 
PeteBull said:
Thats what u get when u see early actual gameplay footage compared to bullshot doctored af trailers, bro.
Game is sheduled for 2026(which means either holidays or 2027 sometime) so plenty time left for polish/improvements, we all know how many of pristine quality trailers with perfect fps ended up as- complete fakes, to not look far witcher3, watch dogs, the division, or bit further back killzone 2/motorstorm just to name few examples :D
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I wouldn't worry so much, footage was labelled pre-beta, so I think they will start optimisation soon, the game might even not be full playable from start to finish yet.

I expect solid AA game, The Witcher 3 didn't feel AAA too, people forget that Geralt was running a bit wonky and that he only had walk and run animation and nothing in between. Yet when I played it laughed that they should have more animations for Geralt... I still played the heck out of it. And it didn't really bother me that much because it's just a game plus it felt responsive.
 
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BeardSpike said:
I wouldn't worry so much, footage was labelled pre-beta, so I think they will start optimisation soon, the game might even not be full playable from start to finish yet.

I expect solid AA game, The Witcher 3 didn't feel AAA too, people forget that Geralt was running a bit wonky and that he only had walk and run animation and nothing in between. Yet when I played it laughed that they should have more animations for Geralt... I still played the heck out of it. And it didn't really bother me that much because it's just a game plus it felt responsive.
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I played it later maxed on pc and w3 defo fellt proper AAA, but again that was in 2017 after both expansions and with all/majority bugs fixed ;)
 
news.xbox.com

A Grounded Take on Dark Fantasy & Vampires - Story, Design and Combat in The Blood of Dawnwalker - Xbox Wire

The Blood of Dawnwalker is a dark fantasy RPG with a unique, grounded take on vampires. Find out more about the world Rebel Wolves is building.
news.xbox.com news.xbox.com

The Story


Our game takes place in Vale Sangora: a fictional, remote valley tucked somewhere in the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe. And while The Blood of Dawnwalker is a work of fiction, real-world history plays a key role in the narrative.

The old continent and its people are in dire shape. Fourteenth-century Europe was already ravaged by brutal wars, but it was the Black Death that truly brought civilization to its knees. It decimated the population and left entire regions in a state of collapse. And while the plague was a catastrophe of unprecedented scale, for some it presented an opportunity that couldn't be ignored. One of them was Brencis, a vampire who emerges from the shadows, overthrows the local lord Skender, and seizes power in Vale Sangora.

But even a powerful vampire knows brute force isn't enough to maintain power. To win the people over, he offers them something no one else can: a cure. Using the properties of vampiric blood, he saves them from the plague.

At the center of the narrative is Coen, our protagonist. A young man turned into a dawnwalker: human by day, vampire by night, destined (or cursed?) to forever walk the line between those two worlds. His goal is simple: to save the people he loves. Even if it means using the very powers he once feared, the powers of a vampire.

The Vampires


From the start, our goal was to make both of Coen's forms, human and vampire, equally engaging, fun, and meaningful to play. Each brings unique abilities and influences the world, quests, and story in different ways.

When it comes to vampires, we wanted to honor the classic vision – the elegant "nobility" of the night, while also introducing some twists that make our vampires stand out in more distinct, sometimes unsettling ways.

To turn a human, a vampire must pull out one of their teeth and pierce the heart of their chosen target. This ritual is one of our biggest changes to vampire lore and it plays a crucial role in Coen's transformation into a dawnwalker. In his case, though, something went wrong. I won't spoil the details, but the consequences of that moment will have far-reaching implications well beyond the borders of Vale Sangora.

The Narrative Sandbox

We wanted to give players as much control over the narrative as possible — a clear objective, but many paths to achieve it. That, to us, is the unique strength of video games as a storytelling medium: player agency. The way the game adapts to your actions.

Your task in The Blood of Dawnwalker is to save Coen's family, but how you do it is up to you. Put simply: once the prologue ends, the world opens up — not just in terms of traversal, but also narrative. There's a major goal ahead of you, but many ways to get there.

Some players might embrace their vampire side and give in to its temptations. Others might cling to their humanity and reject the monster within. You can align with the human rebellion or finish the game without ever meeting them. You can take the fight to Brencis at any time, choosing from multiple paths to do so.

This open, player-driven approach is what we call the narrative sandbox. It's the philosophy at the core of our storytelling.

The Combat


Coen trained for years with his father, a grizzled war veteran, so during the day he wields a sword. We studied medieval fighting styles and even have a few trained swordsmen on the team. The result is combat that feels authentic and grounded, yet approachable and fun.


As a human, he also learns how to use magic — raw, ritual-based, with dark, primordial origins. We're not going the high fantasy route with colorful explosions. Our spells are darker and grounded — tied to blood, heat, and air that seems to pulse and breathe. The visuals can be striking, but in a more visceral, eerie way. To cast a spell, you first have to literally open up your body to the occult by carving runes and becoming a living conduit. Magic flows through you.


At night though, these runes seal shut as your flesh regenerates. They fade, like old scars. Instead, your vampiric nature awakens. You'll fight with claws, enhanced strength, supernatural agility, and dark powers available only after sunset. But these powers come at a cost: your humanity. Coen's vampiric Blood Craving comes into play: a system that ties his health level and his hunger. When losing health, Coen is at risk of losing control over his vampire nature, which can even lead to involuntary draining an NPC that you interact with, locking you out from some dialogue options or even quest lines as his dark instincts take over.


I could go on and on about The Blood of Dawnwalker, but let's stop here for now. Thank you for taking the time to read about our vision for this story-driven RPG. And if you want a deeper look, we've got a special Gameplay Reveal Event happening on June 21, right on the Summer Solstice. You'll see extended footage from the game, including combat, exploration, magic, and much more. Head to dawnwalkergame.com for all the details.
 
This is soooo Empire of The Vampire it's not even funny.

It's definitely not the most creative thing, and it does look a little rough, but I'm not going to forget this game amongst the pack.
 
Gameplay looks rough. They aren't showing very much of it either.

If they don't improve the gameplay side, this will be a pass.
 
Exentryk said:
Gameplay looks rough. They aren't showing very much of it either.

If they don't improve the gameplay side, this will be a pass.
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They literally announced a 45min dev talk on the game with atleast 15 minutes of gameplay?
 
Balducci30 said:
Thought this was going to be a legacy of kain thing, too bad
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It still could be, but more witcher like/western rpg spin to that.
Just keep in mind devteam expanded from 20 to 90 ppl in 2024 so it cant have that premium AAA look witcher4 tech demo or gta6 trailers have.
 
PeteBull said:
Yup and in 10days, we will have lots more to work with soon ^^
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It'll be good for devs to give a better depth of where they are and a nice way of allowing some good breathing room after when they probably will go silent for a good chunk of time. In that sense they've made the right move to get the game out there so people can get excited for what is to come.

We all love great vampire games; when they are done right, they are some of the best narrative/RPG experiences out there.

Legacy of Kain, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Vampyr – we have truly been blessed when they are done properly, and I really would love to see this join the ranks and go beyond.
 
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PeteBull said:
I played it later maxed on pc and w3 defo fellt proper AAA, but again that was in 2017 after both expansions and with all/majority bugs fixed ;)
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I mean it obviously wasn't your typical AA after patches. Yet, we can't deny even with next gen update on PC and consoles the still haven't added any running animations in between for Geralt.

If you move stick a bit you on a controller you still get a walk animation to full run animation.

While all the other games had fluid animation transitions. In terms of that it wasn't AA for sure, in terms of OST and story and playability and art direction it is still AAA. Don't get me wrong.

Plus I had a blast with this game so much it broke gaming for me for a while since all the other games looked a bit bland compared to Witcher 3 when I finished it.

I also enjoyed Blood and Wine expansion the most. And since those guys worked on it, I am keeping my eye on this one for sure.

And since we will get a gameplay soon. We will see how pre-beta version behaves.
 
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I hope the vampires are not just mustache-twirling baddies and they have some depth and you can symphatize with them.

In the reveal i thought they were about to save humanity with an iron fist but they just want to use humans as cattle, not original at all.
 
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Well, luckily it's coming out in 2026. They've got time to polish it. At least I hope so.
 
Black_Stride said:
They literally announced a 45min dev talk on the game with atleast 15 minutes of gameplay?
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Fingers crossed for the 21st. If framerate is that bad during the presentation, it's going to be a shitshow. Don't know why they can't wait a bit longer before showing it in a presentable state. First impressions are everything.
 
I like the whole story and setting but i hope that's only early footage or beta gameplay, it didn't look very good to me and janky, if they can make it a lot better im definitely in.
 
DavidGzz said:
This will be like Witcher 3.5/Legacy of Kain(what I wanted LoK to become). Can't wait to see more!
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I wish we would get a new LoK but here we are instead.

I actually double dipped on PS5 and PC with Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered.

Just a bit more and we will see how it is performance wise. Screenshots give me hope they will lean more on art direction rather than overblown scenes without much consideration for frame budget but we will honestly see.

Notice they are Alpha screenshots.
 
Will wait for 4k uploads to watch.

I'm sold. I really think this will be a good game albeit a janky one.
 
I don't want to be too harsh — they clearly mean well, and you can tell there's a lot of passion behind it… but it still feels very rough. I really hope it moves in the right direction.
 
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