Despite development seemingly progressing well, The Witcher 4 unfortunately won't be released until 2027/2028 at the earliest. Until then, those craving a dark fantasy RPG with plenty of player freedom should find Blood of the Dawnwalker, expected in 2026, a very compelling alternative. The first game from Rebel Wolves, a studio made up of veterans of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, shared some particularly intriguing new details in an interview on Xbox Wire.
Blood of the Dawnwalker, a nice vampire alternative while waiting for The Witcher 4?
After selling the dream during the State of Unreal with an impressive technical demo (not to be confused with a gameplay video), The Witcher 4 then gave way to its direct competitor, Blood of the Dawnwalker, to make its own announcement during the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 as part of the Summer Game Fest. The title developed by veterans of CD Projekt RED took the opportunity to confirm its release window: sometime in 2026 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series.
We then had an interview with the developers on Xbox Wire. We learned in particular that Blood of the Dawnwalker will offer enormous freedom of approach to players. The game's hero, Coen, as a human/vampire hybrid, will be able to choose to favor his human or vampiric side, ally himself with various factions, or completely play the lone wolf. A freedom that the game should also share with The Witcher 4 and its own heroine, the iconic Ciri.
Similarly, Blood of the Dawnwalker will fully embrace its dark fantasy atmosphere, with a less spectacular and more down-to-earth use of magic. Coen will indeed have to be the conduit, by tracing runes in his own flesh to wield blood, air, and heat. Here again, we can draw parallels with the CD Projekt RED franchise, even if it seems that Ciri has more strings to her bow in this respect than her adoptive father in The Witcher 4. In any case, Blood of the Dawnwalker promises to be particularly promising for fans of dark fantasy RPGs in an open world where moral dilemmas are legion. Final verdict upon its release in 2026, in order to curb its impatience between now and the launch of The Witcher 4.
Source: Xbox Wire
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