Games Like The Blood of Dawnwalker - 12 Dark Fantasy RPGs to Play First

Quick Answer: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the best place to understand the new studio’s taste for grim choices and messy people. Vampyr is the closest match if you want the moral weight of being a vampire. V Rising delivers the sunlight, blood, and night-stalker fantasy better than anything else here.

Why These Games #

The Blood of Dawnwalker is interesting because it is not just “another dark fantasy RPG.” It is coming from a new studio built by former core The Witcher developers, and it is selling a very specific fantasy: you are a half-vampire Dawnwalker, the day-night cycle changes how the world behaves, and your choices are meant to come back on you. So this list is built around four things: playing as a vampire, dark adult fantasy, open-world travel, and action with real weight. Some picks are close in theme. Some are close in structure. Others simply capture that same dirty, dangerous feeling of stepping into a world that does not care if you survive.

Top Picks #

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt #

CD Projekt Red’s 2015 RPG is still the clearest way to understand the taste behind The Blood of Dawnwalker. It has a huge open world, ugly moral trade-offs, side quests that outclass most main stories, and a world where monsters are rarely the worst thing in the room.

• Similar because: It carries the same creative DNA: mature fantasy, consequences, and choices that rarely feel clean.
• Different because: You play a monster hunter, not a vampire, and the combat is more traditional action RPG.
• Best for: RPG players who want top-tier writing, open-world wandering, and hard choices.

2. Vampyr #

Dontnod’s 2018 vampire RPG drops you into flu-ridden London as a doctor who has just become the thing he should be fighting. The hook is simple and nasty: every person you feed on has a place in the city, and every death can shake a whole district.

• Similar because: It makes vampirism a moral problem, not just a power fantasy.
• Different because: It is smaller, built around semi-open districts, and the combat is rough around the edges.
• Best for: Players who want to feel responsible for every drop of blood they take.

3. V Rising #

Stunlock’s 2024 survival game turns vampire life into a routine you actually play. You hide from the sun, hunt at night, drain enemies for better blood, beat bosses, gather resources, and slowly build a castle that feels like a proper monster’s home.

• Similar because: It fully commits to sunlight, blood, night hunting, and vampire survival.
• Different because: It is survival crafting first, with PvP options, not a story-led RPG.
• Best for: Players who want to live the vampire routine, not just watch cutscenes about it.

4. Elden Ring #

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FromSoftware’s 2022 open-world action RPG is the biggest pick here for dark fantasy scale. It gives you a ruined world, lets you walk in almost any direction, and then dares you to survive what you find. Exploration, boss fights, and environmental storytelling all land with real weight.

• Similar because: The grim fantasy mood and open-world discovery line up beautifully with Dawnwalker’s promise.
• Different because: The story is cryptic, the difficulty is serious, and there is no vampire roleplay.
• Best for: Players who want harsh combat and total freedom in a dark fantasy world.

5. Assassin's Creed Valhalla #

Ubisoft’s 2020 Viking RPG is here for size, texture, and long-form wandering. You raid, build a settlement, push through Dark Ages power struggles, and spend dozens of hours picking over a cold, muddy world that always has another marker, fight, or story thread waiting.

• Similar because: It matches the appetite for a large, rough historical-feeling world full of conflict.
• Different because: It is historical Assassin’s Creed, not vampire fantasy, and the writing is less dense than The Witcher.
• Best for: Players who want a massive open world, raiding, settlement growth, and steady activity.

6. Dragon's Dogma 2 #

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Capcom’s 2024 sequel is at its best when the journey goes wrong. Fast travel is limited, your pawns chatter and help, and a normal road trip can turn into a collapsing mess of monsters, physics, panic, and improvisation. The destination is often the least interesting part.

• Similar because: It captures the feeling of dangerous travel and heavy action across a hostile world.
• Different because: It is high fantasy with lighter storytelling and no vampire theme.
• Best for: Players who love emergent adventures, pawn companions, and weighty monster fights.

7. GreedFall #

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Spiders’ 2019 RPG takes its cues from 17th-century exploration and faction politics. You arrive on a mysterious island full of competing powers, then solve problems through diplomacy, alliances, betrayal, swords, guns, and a little magic. The best parts are about who you back, and why.

• Similar because: It cares about factions, dialogue choices, and political consequences.
• Different because: It has an early-modern colonial fantasy setting and fairly standard action RPG combat.
• Best for: Players who enjoy faction diplomacy, quest decisions, and talk-heavy RPGs.

8. Lies of P #

Round8’s 2023 soulslike turns Pinocchio into a dark steampunk nightmare, and somehow it works. You play a puppet cutting through a diseased city while piecing together the truth between elegant boss fights and grim little story beats. It is much more carefully authored than most games in this lane.

• Similar because: It shares the mature, gloomy mood and puts more care into story than many soulslikes.
• Different because: It is mostly linear, not open world, and it has no vampire roleplay.
• Best for: Players who want dark art direction, readable storytelling, and demanding combat.

9. Lords of the Fallen #

HEXWORKS’ 2023 reboot has one great central trick: two overlapping worlds. The living realm and the dead realm sit on top of each other, and your lamp lets you peek, shift, and exploit the space between them. That setup gives the combat and exploration a nasty supernatural edge.

• Similar because: It delivers bleak dark fantasy and heavy combat with a strong mechanical identity.
• Different because: It is closer to a linear soulslike, without open-world roleplay or vampires.
• Best for: Players who want soulslike combat and eerie dual-world exploration.

10. Code Vein #

Bandai Namco’s 2019 action RPG mixes anime vampires with a soulslike structure. In a ruined future, blood-dependent revenants fight through dungeons, swap builds through Blood Codes, and lean on AI companions who make the punishment a little less lonely.

• Similar because: It brings blood-drinking lore, character builds, and hard-edged action together.
• Different because: It is anime post-apocalypse, level-based, and not an open-world narrative RPG.
• Best for: Players who like soulslike combat, anime style, companions, and vampire-adjacent lore.

11. Blasphemous 2 #

The Game Kitchen’s 2023 metroidvania is one of the strongest dark religious nightmares in games. It is 2D pixel art, yes, but the atmosphere is thick with blood, guilt, ritual, and pain. Exploration and boss fights keep pushing that gothic horror mood forward.

• Similar because: It nails the blood-soaked gothic atmosphere and gives its boss fights real bite.
• Different because: It is a 2D metroidvania, not a 3D open-world RPG.
• Best for: Players who want gothic horror art, map exploration, and sharp boss encounters.

12. Steelrising #

Spiders’ 2022 action RPG has a killer setup: the French Revolution, but crushed under an army of clockwork soldiers. You play Aegis, an automaton fighting through a bloodied alternate Paris. It follows a soulslike shape, but the historical-machine setting gives it a distinct flavor.

• Similar because: It has a grim historical mood and deliberate, weighty action.
• Different because: It is linear, mechanical rather than vampiric, and not open world.
• Best for: Players who want dark alternate history and approachable soulslike combat.

Comparison Table #

Game	Similar because	Different because	Best for
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	Mature fantasy, meaningful choices, and the clearest creative link.	You are a witcher, not a vampire, with more traditional ARPG combat.	Players who want elite writing and open-world consequences.
Vampyr	Vampirism is tied directly to morality and world state.	Smaller semi-open districts, with uneven combat.	Players who want vampire choices to hurt.
V Rising	Sunlight, blood, night hunting, and vampire survival are central.	Survival crafting and PvP matter more than authored story.	Players who want to live as a vampire.
Elden Ring	Dark fantasy exploration and heavy combat are unmatched.	Cryptic story, high difficulty, and no vampire angle.	Players who want brutal freedom and boss fights.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	Huge rough world, power struggles, and long-form exploration.	Historical Assassin’s Creed, not vampire fantasy.	Players who want a massive open-world game.
Dragon's Dogma 2	Dangerous travel and physical action make the world feel alive.	High fantasy, lighter story, no vampire theme.	Players who love emergent road-trip chaos.
GreedFall	Factions, diplomacy, and dialogue choices drive the RPG.	Early-modern fantasy setting with standard ARPG combat.	Players who like political questing and consequences.
Lies of P	Dark mood, strong art direction, and clearer story than most soulslikes.	Linear structure, no open world, no vampires.	Players who want stylish darkness and tough combat.
Lords of the Fallen	Bleak fantasy and weighty combat fit the same mood.	More linear soulslike, without vampire roleplay.	Players who want dual-world exploration and hard fights.
Code Vein	Blood lore, builds, companions, and hard action overlap nicely.	Anime post-apocalypse, level-based, not open world.	Players who want anime vampires and soulslike systems.
Blasphemous 2	Gothic horror, blood, ritual, and punishing bosses hit hard.	2D metroidvania, not a 3D RPG.	Players who want dark atmosphere over open-world scale.
Steelrising	Grim alternate history and deliberate combat feel close in tone.	Mechanical revolution fantasy, not vampires or open world.	Players who want a distinct soulslike setting.

Filters #

Filter	Games
To play as a vampire	Vampyr, V Rising, Code Vein
For dark story and choices	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, GreedFall, Lies of P
For open-world exploration	Elden Ring, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Dragon's Dogma 2
For hardcore dark action	Lords of the Fallen, Blasphemous 2, Steelrising

FAQ #

Which game is closest to The Blood of Dawnwalker? #

If you want the closest overall match, start with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It is not about vampires, but it shows the kind of dark fantasy writing, side-quest craft, and ugly decision-making that The Blood of Dawnwalker seems to be chasing. If the vampire part matters more to you, Vampyr is the better thematic match, while V Rising is stronger on sunlight and blood systems.

Are there vampire games like it to play now? #

Yes, but they split the fantasy in different directions. Vampyr is the one to play if you want story, guilt, and the question of who deserves to live. V Rising is the one to play if you want to hide from the sun, hunt at night, and build a castle. Code Vein is looser thematically, but it is a good fit if you want blood-soaked anime soulslike combat. For more options, see our full list of the best vampire games on PC.

I want open-world dark fantasy. What should I play? #

Go straight to Elden Ring if you want the heaviest dark fantasy open world around. It is harsher and stranger than The Blood of Dawnwalker may end up being, but the sense of discovery is unmatched. For something less punishing, Dragon's Dogma 2 gives you dangerous travel and messy adventure, while Assassin's Creed Valhalla gives you sheer scale and a rough historical mood.

When does The Blood of Dawnwalker release? #

The Blood of Dawnwalker is currently set for September 2026. It is being made by a new studio formed by former core developers from The Witcher series, and the pitch is a dark fantasy open-world action RPG where you play a half-vampire Dawnwalker. While you wait, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the obvious warm-up for tone and choices, and Vampyr is the obvious warm-up for vampire guilt.