Dawnwalker Previews

A fresh round of previews for The Blood of Dawnwalker have just gone live, and they're glowing.

I think that comes as a bit of a surprise, in all honesty. The RPG, spearheaded by former CD Projekt Red developers, has always shown promise, but some of these write ups go as far as to say that it's a genuine Game of the Year candidate.

The previews are based on a four-hour playable demo, which featured a selection of early-game quests. Everyone seems very impressed with the level of player choice on display; some previews actually detail quest objectives that others don't, confirming that completely different paths were on offer.

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There's also a lot of praise for the quests themselves. Numerous comparisons to The Witcher 3 are made — as you'd expect — and the vast majority are positive.

But what about Dawnwalker's central "time limit" mechanic? In case you don't know, the adventure is set against an in-game clock — but it only ticks down when you decide on certain actions.

Main character Coen has a limited number of days and nights to save his family from a vampiric overlord, and so the idea is that no playthrough will ever be quite the same.

The good news is that all the previews express interest and excitement over the system, stressing that it gives Dawnwalker a unique feel, while adding welcome weight to every major decision.

Here are some excerpts from said previews:

RPG Site

"In a word; I'm smitten. I had the feeling that I'd vibe with Coen's adventure since last year, but I was ill-prepared for just how painful the wait would be out the other end of a proper hands-on preview. Now I'm stuck here with a hunger that only The Blood of Dawnwalker can quench."

Game Informer

"Despite playing the game for roughly three hours, I still missed out on so much content in the opening act. I'm excited to see how differently the story will play out for me at the game's full release."

VGC

"After four hours with The Blood of Dawnwalker, it’s instantly shot up the list of my most anticipated titles for the rest of the year. It is, of course, releasing in September alongside every other piece of software not named GTA 6."

Eurogamer

"Dawnwalker is an RPG with ideas, and the big ones - the time system, having no main quest, and the new combat system - seem to work very well. I was impressed by the quests I discovered, too, and how they had multiple stages to them and considered interactions, with engaging characters and writing [...] I'll say it again: it could be the RPG breakout success of the year."

GamesRadar

"What truly surprises me is how well The Blood of Dawnwalker comes together already – for all of the boundaries it pushes, nothing feels risky or gimmicky in play. What remains, then, is an ambitious love letter to role-playing itself – and although The Blood of Dawnwalker is launching in a slew of new games, what I've seen so far is enough to guarantee I'll be back to play more come September 3."

Loot Level Chill

"I’m going to lay my cards out on the table early here: The Blood of Dawnwalker was already one of my most anticipated games of 2026, and having spent four hours playing the game, it’s already a game of the year contender."

How hyped are you for The Blood of Dawnwalker? Try not to succumb to your vampiric thirst in the comments section below.