The Blood of Dawnwalker, the upcoming dark-fantasy action RPG from Rebel Wolves, is looking increasingly ambitious. The studio was founded by veterans of CD Projekt Red, and the game has already caught plenty of attention for its gorgeous visuals, open-world design and choice-driven gameplay. Now we know what kind of hardware will be needed to run all that eye candy.
Your old GPU might actually survive this one
The PC requirements are surprisingly reasonable. The minimum spec asks for just a GTX 1060 or RX 580, paired with 16GB RAM, while the recommended spec lists an RTX 4060, RX 7600 XT or Intel Arc B580. That’s considerably less intimidating than the GPU requirements we’ve seen attached to many modern AAA games.
There is a catch, though: these targets assume upscaling at the Balanced setting, using technologies such as DLSS, FSR or XeSS. That’s becoming increasingly common, but it’s worth remembering when looking at those numbers. Still, the fact that a GTX 1060 or RX 580 is enough for the game’s entry-level 1080p/30fps target is encouraging. These GPUs predate the current generation of AI-powered upscaling, so the game should have plenty of breathing room for older hardware at native resolutions if expectations are kept sensible.
Consoles, meanwhile, are stuck at 40fps
Console players get two modes: Quality targets dynamic 4K at 30fps, while Balanced targets dynamic 4K at 40fps on PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X. The PS5 Pro gets enhanced visual quality, but doesn’t get a higher frame-rate target.
A 30fps quality mode isn’t exactly shocking for a visually ambitious current-gen RPG. We’ve seen plenty of them. But no 60fps mode on the PS5 Pro is a bummer, especially when the more powerful console can’t break past 40fps. A 40fps mode is certainly preferable to 30fps, but gamers who have become accustomed to 60fps will probably find the ceiling a little hard to swallow.
Still, The Blood of Dawnwalker is shaping up to be an ambitious RPG, among other games that have us excited, and the gameplay we’ve seen looks seriously good. Rebel Wolves also has plenty of pedigree behind it. If the studio can pair those visuals and systems with solid optimization, this could be one of those games where the technical compromises make a little more sense once the controller is in hand.