Ex Witcher 3 devs reveal first gameplay trailer for vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker, complete with decapitations and a 2026 release window

The Blood of Dawnwalker protagonist up close
(Image credit: Rebel Wolves)

The former Witcher 3 developers at AA studio Rebel Wolves have revealed the first gameplay footage of their new vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, as well as a 2026 release window.

I've been just short of obsessed with Blood of Dawnwalker since it was revealed earlier this year, and although its seemingly rich vampiric lore still has its jagged teeth sunk into me, I've reserved becoming fully obsessed until I see some gameplay. Well, now along with the whole world I have seen gameplay, and yup, I'm full-blown obsessed now.

The Blood of Dawnwalker — Game Trailer | Trapped Between Two Worlds | Xbox Games Showcase 2025 - YouTube The Blood of Dawnwalker — Game Trailer | Trapped Between Two Worlds | Xbox Games Showcase 2025 - YouTube
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Dawnwalker's first gameplay trailer, debuted during today's Xbox Games Showcase, not only shows off plenty of perfectly violent combat—at one point the player character slices someone's head clean off—we also see some exploration, including said character seemingly scaling a vertical wall with a gravity-defying effortlessness. Like, he's not climbing it; he's just walking up a vertical wall. I guess that's a perk of his human/vampire hybrid DNA.

There's even a brief glimpse of the game's open-world during daylight, and I have to say, you can really tell these folks worked on The Witcher 3. Something about the scale of the world, not to mention its snow-capped, jagged peaks, reminds me of CDPR's fantasy opus.

Anyway, the most exciting news for me is that Blood of Dawnwalker isn't several years away; it's due out sometime in 2026, which somehow is only six months away now. Get those wooden stakes ready, Dawnwalkers, we're almost there.

Former Witcher 3 lead says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker has a smaller open world because "it feels more like you actually know the place" compared to "behemoths"

Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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