The Blood of Dawnwalker may be one of the most exciting upcoming RPGs for 2026, especially for fans of dark fantasy and action similar to The Witcher series. In fact, this upcoming title is being developed by a studio made up by ex-CD Projekt Red employees, including the director of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz. Though the game doesn’t have a firm release date next year, small pieces of information have been periodically released at gaming events to keep excitement levels up in the meantime.
Set in the 14th-century, The Blood of Dawnwalker takes place in a fictional Eastern European kingdom that is tightly controlled by a ruling class of vampires. Players will take control of Coen, the eldest brother of a peasant family that suffers from silver poisoning. After a vampire tries turning him, Coen becomes a Dawnwalker. This unique condition, caused by his silver poisoning, prevents Coen from fully turning, but gives him supernatural powers that grow especially potent at night. Trapped between two worlds, Coen now has a new freedom to explore his city and the power to save his family.
Up against Coen are a fascinating array of ancient vampires that rule the city and treat its citizens like cattle. Leading them is Brencis, a power-hungry vampire who was once a Roman Senator. Other vampire characters include a Greek priestess, a blood-hungry Hun, and a recently turned peasant eager to prove himself.
One main goal, but no quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker
Managing time will be the most important task players have in The Blood of Dawnwalker. From the outset, Coen will only have 30 days and 30 nights to save his family from the vampire’s dungeons. This day and night cycle is intrinsically tied to the gameplay.
By day, Coen will be limited to his human side without too many supernatural advantages, which places an emphasis on sword-based combat. The advantages of daylight, however, will allow him to follow up on quests and explore the human side of the city. His more supernatural side will come out at night, when he’ll be able to walk up walls, utilize vampiric powers in fights, and even drink blood.
The Blood of Dawnwalker won’t have a traditional quest line
What makes The Blood of Dawnwalker so interesting as an RPG was a piece of information recently revealed by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the game’s director. Rather than including a main questline that draws (or pushes) players through to the finale of the game, Dawnwalker will leave the final confrontation with the leader of the vampiric ruling class entirely up to the player.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Tomaszkiewicz explained, “You know where your enemy is. You can attack this place anytime you want to.”
If players feel confident after just a week of in-game time building their strength and discovering new abilities, they could head straight into their final battle. However, this type of freedom could prove dangerous if players lose track of time and fail to save Coen’s family in time.
Most major objectives in the game require players to invest lots of time, even multiple days, to finish. Mismanaging time, the most precious resource of all, could be a fatal mistake.
The Blood of Dawnwalker still doesn’t have a firm release date, but it is set to come out sometime in 2026.
