The wait for one of the most anticipated dark fantasy RPGs of the decade is nearing its end. Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by the creative leads behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077, has finally pulled back the curtain on its debut title with the Release Window Reveal Trailer.
Confirmed for a 2026 launch, The Blood of Dawnwalker promises to bring a gritty, narrative-driven experience to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
The World of Vale Sangora
Set in an alternate 14th-century Southeast Europe, the game introduces a world ravaged by the Black Death and centuries of war. In this moment of human weakness, vampires have emerged from the shadows to seize control.
Players take on the role of Coen, a young man transformed into a “Dawnwalker”—a unique being caught between life and undeath. As a Dawnwalker, Coen possesses a dual nature:
- By Day: He retains his human resolve, utilizing traditional swordplay and powerful magic.
- By Night: He embraces vampiric strength, gaining supernatural agility, gravity-defying movement, and brutal “claws and rage” combat.
“Time Waits for No One”
The reveal trailer highlights the game’s innovative “narrative sandbox” approach. Unlike traditional open worlds where quests wait indefinitely for the player, The Blood of Dawnwalker features a unique time-as-a-resource mechanic. Every quest or major action you take moves the world’s timeline forward. Because your family’s days are numbered, you cannot save everyone. Choosing to help one village may mean another falls to the vampire lords, making every “inaction” just as consequential as your choices in combat.
In The Blood of Dawnwalker, your experience shifts entirely depending on whether the sun is up. Rebel Wolves has designed two distinct gameplay loops that turn protagonist Coen into a completely different character at nightfall.
The Day Loop: The Human Swordmaster
During the day, Coen retains his humanity. While he is physically “weaker” than his vampire form, he has access to tools and social avenues that vanish at night.
- Tactical Swordplay: Combat is grounded and deliberate. You utilize a directional blocking and attack system (similar to For Honor or Kingdom Come: Deliverance) where you must match your opponent’s stance to parry or find an opening.
- Hex Magic: Coen uses “Runic Wounds” etched into his skin to cast Hexes. These powerful spells, like Burning Blood, can devastate groups of enemies but come at a literal cost: they consume your own HP to cast.
- Social Infiltration: The daytime is for “human chinwags.” You can walk through the bustling streets of Svartrau, trade with merchants, and resolve quests through dialogue or political maneuvering that vampires simply can’t access.
- No Natural Health Regen: As a human, your health does not recover on its own. You must rely on consumables, food, and medicine to stay alive.
The Night Loop: The Supernatural Predator
When the sun sets, the “Dawnwalker” nature takes over. Coen becomes a fast, lethal monster, shifting the game from a tactical RPG into a high-mobility action-stealth experience.
- Claws and Rage: Coen puts away the sword and fights with vampiric claws. Combat is significantly faster and more aggressive. Instead of parrying with a blade, you rely on supernatural agility to dodge and shred enemies.
- Vertical Traversal: You gain access to abilities like Shadowstep (a short-range teleport) and Clawride (wall-scaling). This allows you to bypass locked gates by leaping over city walls or infiltrating a cathedral through its highest balconies.
- The Hunger Mechanic: You must manage Coen’s bloodlust. You can feed on enemies, innocent NPCs, or even animals. Warning: If you starve Coen, you risk him losing control during key narrative moments, which can lead to him accidentally killing important quest-givers.
- Regeneration: Unlike his human form, Coen can heal by feeding on the blood of his victims, making him nearly unstoppable in a chaotic brawl as long as he keeps killing.
Time as a Resource
One of the most unique aspects revealed is that time is not a countdown, but a currency.
- The 30-Day Limit: You have 30 days and nights to save your family.
- Frozen Exploration: Time does not move while you are simply roaming the open world or fighting random enemies.
- Spending Time: Time only advances when you finish a major quest or manually choose to “Wait” to switch from Day to Night. This allows you to explore Vale Sangora at your own pace without the stress of a Majora’s Mask-style ticking clock, though your choices determine which version of the quest you experience.
The developers have hinted that some legendary items can only be found if you “stack” your activities—doing the investigative legwork during the day to find a location, then returning at night to use your vampire powers to break in.
Developed on Unreal Engine 5, the game is a visual powerhouse. The trailer showcases a “hand-crafted” world that ranges from lush forests and treacherous swamps to the Gothic, vampire-occupied cities like Svartrau.
The influence of the Witcher veterans is evident in the art direction and music—it’s dark, bloody, and deeply atmospheric. However, the combat appears more visceral and kinetic, leaning into the mobility that comes with Coen’s vampiric powers.
With the 2026 release window now official, the hype for The Blood of Dawnwalker has reached a fever pitch. Rebel Wolves seems poised to deliver exactly what fans of “The Witcher” have been craving: a mature, choice-driven RPG with a terrifying new twist on vampire lore.
